It is a transitional, competitive swimming series designed for newer swimmers to build confidence and race experience in a supportive environment.
Key Rules & Eligibility
- Ages: Open to boys and girls starting from minimum age 10 up to 14 years old (older 13–14 swimmers can enter if they haven’t raced at the higher ‘Aspiring Champions’ level).
- Entry Limits: Swimmers are strictly limited to 1 distance per stroke per meet.
- Coach Approval: Decisions on distances and entries should be guided entirely by your child’s club coach.
- No Tech Suits: Premium “tech suits” are not permitted at these meets to keep the focus on fun and development.
Race Guidelines
- Swimmers must be legally capable of executing the stroke, turns, and streamlining.
- A swimmer must compete in a 50m event before moving up to a 100m event, and a 100m event before trying a 200m event.
- There are strict time prerequisites for older kids entering the longer 200m Breaststroke and 400m Freestyle events.
The “Olympic Band” Reward Structure
To keep the atmosphere positive, no medals are awarded. Instead, swimmers earn color-coded wristbands for achieving performance times:
- “B” Time Standard: Earns a two-toned band (e.g., Green/White for Backstroke).
- “A” Time Standard: Earns a solid Olympic-colored band (e.g., Solid Green for Backstroke).
- Collect all five solid colors to be awarded the ultimate Connacht GOLD band!
Stroke Band Colors to Collect:
- 🟢 Green: Backstroke
- 🔵 Blue: Breaststroke
- 🟡 Yellow: Butterfly
- 🔴 Red: Freestyle
- âš« Black: Individual Medley
More detailed description is available here -> https://swimconnacht.com/future-challenger-series/