Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Swim Meets… But, Were Afraid To Ask(or didn’t know what to ask)
The following article is taken from the new U.S. Swimming Partners Program, which is designed to retain athletes and parents in swimming. Younger swimmers are paired up with older more experienced athletes. Rookie parents are also paired up with veteran parents to ease the entry into the world of swimming. A complete packet of guidelines and tips are given to all involved.
Swim meets are a great family experience! They’re a place where a family can spend time together. Listed below are some in-depth guidelines geared to help you through your first couple of swim meets. It may seem a little overwhelming, but we try to be as specific and as detailed as we possibly could.
Before the Meet Starts:
1. Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time begins, this time will be listed in the meet information. Most teams post this on a bulletin board, list it in the team newsletter or pass the information out to parents whose swimmers are attending the meet.
2. Upon arrival, find a place to put your swimmer’s blankets and swim bags. Most teams usually sit together in one place, so look for some familiar faces.
3. Find the check-in place and either you or your swimmer will need to check them in.
A. This is usually around the area marked “Clerk of Course”
B. Check for special posted instructions in the area. Usually one will need to circle the swimmers name. If this is not done the swimmer will not be able to swim.
C. This is done so that the people running the meet know who is actually at the meet.
4. Once “checked in”, write each event number on your swimmer’s hand in ink, this helps him/her remember what events he/she is swimming and what event number to listen for.
5. Your swimmer now gets his/her cap and goggles and reports to the pool and/or coach for warm-up instructions. It is very important for all swimmers to warm-up with the team. Swimmer’s bodies are just like cars on a cold day- he/she needs to get the engine going and warmed up before he/she can go all out.
6. After warm-up, your swimmer will go back to the area where his/her towels are and sit there until his/her next event is called. This is a good time to make sure he/she goes to the bathroom if necessary, gets a drink, or just gets settled in.
7. The meet will usually start about ten to fifteen minutes after warm-ups are over.
8. According to USS rules (because of insurance purposes), parents are not allowed on deck unless they are serving in an official capacity. Similarly, all questions concerning meet results, an officiating call, or the conduct of a meet, should be referred to the coaching staff. They, in turn, will pursue the matter through the proper channels.
9. A heat sheet is usually available for sale in the lobby or concession area of the pool. Heat sheets generally sell for 1-3 dollars a day. It lists all swimmers in each event in order of “seed time”. When the team entry is sent in, each swimmer and his/her previous best time in that event is listed. If the swimmer is swimming an event for the first time, he/she will be entered as a “no time”. A “no time” swimmer will most likely swim in one of the first heats of the event.
Meet Starts:
1. It is important for any swimmer to know what event numbers he/she is swimming (again, why they should have the numbers on their hand). He/she may swim right away after warm-up or they may have to wait awhile.
2. A swimmer’s event number will be called, usually over the loudspeaker, and he/she will be asked to report to the “clerk of course”. Swimmers should report with his/her cap and goggles. Generally, girls’ events are odd-numbered and boys’ events are even-numbered. Example: “Event #26, 10-Under Boys, 50 freestyle, report to the clerk of course.”
3. The “Clerk of Course” area is where all swimmers checked in before the warm-up.
A. The people running the “Clerk of Course” will give a card to each of the swimmers swimming that event. This card will tell each swimmer his/her heat and lane number.
B. Sometimes, the clerk will line up all the swimmers and take them down to the pool in correct order.
C. Depending on the meet, either the people at clerk will give the card to the timers at the end of each lane or the people at the clerk will instruct the swimmers to hand their cards to the timers when it is their turn to swim. These cards are important because they tell the people running the meet who actually swam each event. In some meets, there won’t be a card.
D. You can usually expect at least 4-8 heats of each event.
4. The swimmer swims his/her race.
5. After each swim:
A. He/she is to ask the timers his/her time.
B. He/she should go immediately to their coach. The coach will ask them their time and discuss the swim with each swimmer.
C. Generally, the coach follows these guidelines when discussing swims:
a. Positive comments or praise
b. Suggestions for improvement
6. Things you, as a parent, can do after each swim:
A. Tell him/her how great they did! The coaching staff will be sure to discuss stroke technique with them. You need to tell them how proud you are of them ands what a great job they did.
B. Take him/her back to the towel area to relax.
C. This is another good time to check out the bathrooms, get a drink of something LIGHT to eat.
D. The swimmer now waits until his/her next event is called and starts the procedure again at the “Clerk of Course”.
7. When a swimmer has completed all of his/ her events he/she and their parents can go home. Make sure, however, you, as a parent, check with the coach before leaving to make sure your swimmer is not included on a relay. It is not fair to other swimmers who may have stayed to swim on the relay where your swimmer is expected to be a member and he/she is not there. (The coaches speak from experience.)
What happens If Your Child has a Disappointing Swim:
If your child has a poor race and comes out of it feeling bad, talk about the good things. The first thing you say is, “Hey, that is not like you. You’re usually a top swimmer.” Then you can go on and talk about the good things the child did. You never talk about the negative things.
If your child comes up to you and says, “That was a bad race, don’t tell me it wasn’t,” there is nothing wrong with a swimmer negatively evaluating a race. The important thing is for the child not to dwell on it. You should move the swimmer on to something good. “All right, you had a bad race. How do you think you can do better next time?” immediately start talking about the positive things.
What To Take To The Meet:
1. Most Important: SWIM SUIT and TEAM CAP – and goggles.
2. Baby or talcum powder—To “dust” the inside of the swim cap. This helps preserve the cap and makes it easier to put on.
3. Towels- Realize your swimmer will be there awhile, so pack at least two.
4. Something to sit on. Example: sleeping bag, old blanket, or anything comfortable to sit on. The swimmers will spend a lot of time on it.
5. Sweat suits: bring one. Each swimmer may want to bring two because they get wet and soggy.
6. T-shirts: two or three. Same reason as above.
7. Games: travel games, coloring books, books, anything to pass the time.
8. Food: Each swimmer is usually allowed to bring a small cooler. It is better to bring snacks. They usually have snack bars at the meet, but the lines are long, and most of the time they only sell junk food. Suggestions for items to bring:
Drinks: Hi-C, Fruit Juice, Gatorade, Exceed
Snacks: Granola Bars, Fun Fruits, Yogurt, Cereal, Jell-O Cubes, & Sandwiches
Once you have attended one or two meets this will all become very routine. Please do not hesitate to ask any parent on the team for help.
Special Parent’s Note:
The pool area gets very warm. Dress appropriately. It’s no fun to be hot! Also, if you sit in the gym with your child, feel free to bring folding chairs to sit on.