Relay gala team races

Setup

1. Teams of four with mixed speeds, so every team has a chance. Each team has its own lane.
2. Legs are 25 m, so swimmers 1 and 3 wait at the start end and swimmers 2 and 4 at the far end.
3. Starts and takeovers are push starts from the water unless swimmers are cleared to dive and the water is deep enough; check your national body's minimum depth for dive starts.
4. A lifeguard or qualified teacher on deck, and one helper or older swimmer at each end to watch the takeovers.

How it runs

1. Race 1, freestyle relay: 4 × 25 m. The next swimmer may only leave once the incoming swimmer has touched the wall.
2. Race 2, kick relay: kickboard held out in front, any legal kick. Swimmers hand nothing over; the touch is the takeover.
3. Race 3, streamline challenge: each leg starts with a push and glide to the flags before swimming. Lightly supervised and short; nobody stays under longer than a normal push-off.
4. Race 4, medley relay in the correct order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. The backstroker starts in the water on the back. Teams without a butterfly swimmer can run a mixed relay instead, named as such.
5. Scoring: 3 points for first, 2 for second, 1 for third, and a bonus point for every team that finishes with four legal takeovers. An early takeover scores no points for that race.
6. Rest between races while the coach reads out the scores; finish with an easy swim-down.

Coaching points

• The next swimmer's job is to watch the incoming swimmer's hands, not the other lanes.
• Finished swimmers move to the side of the lane and stay there until the race ends.
• Cheer your team from the wall, but keep the lane end clear.
• In the medley relay, each stroke's touch rule still applies: two hands on breast and fly.

Common mistakes

• Leaving early in the excitement of a close race.
• Swimming the medley in the IM order instead of the relay order.
• Waiting swimmers drifting into the lane before their turn.
• Pacing the first length flat out and fading on the rest.