Typed long response and lost it!
Try again ... fantastic, Adventuring. Well done on the trial. On three hours they will have lots of time for other activities. As they get older that will increase with early mornings too, so for the moment just enjoy the ride, making lots of friends and being really fit. At 9, your older one can compete, which will occupy weekends. At 6, your younger one can do internal club champs, which are great. But just don’t stop everything else for swimming! Enjoy it for what it is for now.
Hi, Scream. Most galas are age on day so as soon as had 9th birthday can compete. My ds started age 6 and swum first proper gala age 8 on the Saturday before celebrating 9th birthday on the Sunday. There are some galas where you can be 8. These are generally limited to the number of clubs that take part. Check out Newcastle Swim Team website as I think they have just done the Shrimp Meet and that definitely has 8 year olds. For the most part though it will only be club champs until turns 9 am afraid. My son had 3 years of swimming before first official comp. His second comp the following month was the county champs...! Just make sure you get all the club champ times you can now, as that will mean it should be easy to get swims in full galas when she is 9.
Some galas do use age on 31 December, but generally higher level and often with the proviso that for age 9 age group, they do have to be 9. The age at end of year only impacts really on age 10 and over.
County champs and regional champs are age at end of year. Most county websites will already have next years county champ qts up - Yorkshire Swimming do and while each county will vary, it will give you some idea. And well done on the pbs !