Introduction to
LASA Age Groups & County Championships

COMPETITION

In addition to League Galas, where swimmers compete as teams, there are a number of competitions throughout the year where swimmers swim as individuals in their desired stroke(s).

There is a national programme of competitions promoted by Swim England and British Swimming whereby swimmers may compete at local County level, Regional level and National level, subject to meeting the qualifying entry times and conditions. These competitions are organised into two championships based on age (although they may be run in the same competition):

Age Groups – 10-14 years old
Youth – 15+ years old

For Leicestershire & Rutland swimmers the competitions are:

Leicestershire Age Groups and County Championships (known colloquially as “Counties”, “LASAs”, “Age Groups” or “LASACats”).
East Midland Youth & Age Groups Championship (known as "East Midlands" or “Regionals”).
British Swimming & Swim England National Championships (known as “Nationals”).

ELIGIBILITY & ENTRY

The LASA Age Groups & County Championships are open to all Leicestershire swimmers who are members of a LASA affiliated Club and that they meet the relevant qualifying time criteria for the event being entered. Entries are to be made electronically via the club's Counties/Meet Coordinator. If a club is unable to use the electronic entry system contact the Promoter: entries@leicestershireasa.org.

Any questions or queries raised before November of each year will be discussed at the following LASA committee meeting.

The Age Group Championship is based on LASACaTs (FINA points) as defined in the Licence and Conditions of Entry.

VENUE

Events may be swum at 50m or at 25m venues. Venues recently used are Whitwick & Coalville LC, Hinckley LC and Braunstone LC. The Schedule of Events published each year will specify the venues being used.

LASA AGE GROUPS

The LASA Age Groups give swimmers an idea of where they stand in relation to other swimmers of their own age group in the county.

Application forms to swim in the LASA Age Groups can be downloaded from this site (see specific year's Event Details) or obtained from your club. To enter, swimmers need to qualify by having swum the event being entered within the period leading up to the competition as determined by LASA. Since 2014 all times are taken directly from British Rankings, although you will still need to select the events you wish to enter. As British Ranking Times are used, if your Club Championships are to be used as a qualifying meet then they will need to be licensed.

The age group in which the swimmer is placed is based on their age as at 31st December of that year of competition.

Events - LASACaTs

Particularly for the under 15 year olds, the aim of each swimmer should be to enter enough events of the various strokes and distances so that the best from each category is counted towards their final LASACaT points tally. This will then be a good indicator as to their ranking within the county. The number of events that a swimmer can enter is dependent on their age; younger swimmers may not be able to enter the 100m events for example. It is clear from the Qualification Times and/or Application form which events can/cannot be entered.

Remember when selecting swims to bear in mind the LASACaT Categories; don’t rely on entering a single event per category, as illness or a DQ, for example, may result in no points at all. Also remember, if entering multiple events in a category, the best score is used for the overall LASACaT total.

Awards

Medals are awarded to the top 3 in each Heat Declared Winner (HDW) event. A trophy is awarded at the end of the last day to the swimmers who have gained the most LASACaT points in each junior age group. The top 10 receive trophies.