Club Night

Tuggeranong Vikings Swim Club hosts a number of club nights every year. It is usually held on a Friday evening or on a weekend. Details are published on the club website and members get notified via email. Event registrations are done through Swim Central. 

A club night provides a safe and fun environment for swimmers to familiarise themselves with race procedures, try a variety of strokes and distances, and improve on their race techniques. It also provides the opportunity for swimmers to gain official times for other local, state and national meets and championships. For some, it is simply an opportunity to meet the squad criteria for retention or promotion. 

More importantly, it brings the club together — to mingle over saudage sandwiches and meet new members. 

Club night events

Swimmers can swim up to four individual events at each club night.

Individual events: 

• Development — 25m events
• Sprint — 50 and 100m events
• Middle Distance — 200m events
• Distance — 400m and above.

There will also be 100 metres and 200 metres Individual Medley (IM) events and all swimmers are encouraged to enter and compete as recommended:

• Junior Squad — 100 IM or 200IM
• Silver and Gold Squads — 200 IM or a distance event.

In addition to the individual events, 4 x50 metres relays will also be conducted.

One or more club coaches are usually present to observe swimmers and provide guidance to swimmers.

Club points

Swimmers earn points based on personal improvement at club night, not places. At the end of each season and the year, trophies are awarded swimmers who have made the most improvements in each stroke. The point score for improvement is as follows:

• First time/no PB: 1 point

• 0 – 2 sec improvement: 2 points

• 2.01 – 5 sec improvement: 4 points

• 5.01 – 9.99 sec improvement: 6 points

• ≥10.00 sec improvement: 8 points.

Suggested break times and qualifying times

The 25 metre events are provided mainly for non-squad swimmers but Development Squad swimmers may do the 25 metres Breaststroke and Butterfly until they achieve the break time with proper technique. All Tuggeranong Vikings Swim Club  squad swimmers should commence Freestyle and Backstroke events at a minimum of 50 metres.

All swimmers are encouraged to increase the distances of the events they do as they become better swimmers, however we ask that swimmers follow the suggestions below for minimum swimming times before undertaking longer distances. 

The above break times should be achieved before longer distances are attempted. If a swimmer has swum the event in an external meet but not at a club night, the swimmer will be entered as a “No Time” and will earn points as a “first” swim the first time the event is swum at a club night.

Rules Tolerence Policy 

In line with the Swimming Australia Junior Policy that advocates 'Availability of rule tolerances in appropriate circumstances for junior swimming', Tuggeranong Vikings Swim Club adopts a policy based on that of Swimming Queensland that has the following attributes:

• Referees will not disqualify swimmers aged 7 years and under at any club night under any circumstances.

• Rule tolerances will apply in at Tuggeranong Vikings Swim Club club night in all 25-metre events.