SWIMMING: Caitlin Skaines was third in the Warwick skins last year and will be aiming to finish in the top two on Sunday.

Skaines is one of 40 Warwick Swimming Club members competing in the club's major carnival for the season, the McNamara Carnival, at WIRAC.

The event is named after former Warwick Swimming Club president John McNamara, who was a high-ranking official in state and national swimming and a manager of national teams.

Skaines has nominated for nine events, the 50m and 100m sprints in the four strokes in the under-14 age group and the 200m individual medley.

If she finishes with one of the 10 fastest freestyle times on the day she will qualify for the 50m women's skins competition which will be held immediately after lunch.

The skins will be run under a different format this year with up to seven races in total for men and women.

Warwick swimmer Tom Winter won the men's competition last year and will be back to defend his title this Sunday.

There will be more than 100 events at the carnival, all over 50m and 100m distances, other than the 200m medley for men and women.

The carnival, which has been held for the past three decades, has attracted 163 swimmers from as far as Goondiwindi, Narrabri, Nerang, Dalby, Kyogle, Toowoomba and Ipswich.

Many of them are state-ranked swimmers.

Club president Neil Vickers said carnival numbers were up 25% on last year.

"The biggest increase is a doubling in the numbers nominated from the Warwick club,” he said.

The Warwick club has swimming club nights each Friday at WIRAC at 6pm and new swimmers are still welcome to join up for the 2016-17 season.

While swimmers who go for the first time tomorrow night won't be able to compete on Sunday, they will be eligible to compete in future carnivals on the Darling Downs if they wish.

Doors open at 8am Sunday and the first event will be at 9am.