We’re looking forward to a great season and are so happy to have you join us. We have put together this page and linked FAQ doc below to help you feel prepared for the fun that’s to come!

If you have any questions, please ask the coaches or experienced swimmers and parents.

WHAT TO PACK FOR A MEET

It is always good to prepare ahead of time for a meet. The weather in early summer varies and is often unpredictable so it’s good to check the forecast and pack accordingly. Some nights you may need a sweatshirt to stay warm while other nights you may need fans and ice packs to stay cool. Below are some suggested items to keep in your swim bag:

Towels (2-3) • Swim cap • Goggles (+extra pair) • Sharpie • Healthy snacks • Water bottle • Team shirt/sweatshirt • Cash for concessions

BEFORE THE MEET BEGINS

1. Check your GroupMe app and ensure you are signed up for the upcoming week’s swim meet no later than the Sunday before the meet so that the coaches know to enter your child(ren) in the meet and subsequent events.

2. Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before our team’s scheduled warm-up time (home meets we warm up at 3:30 / away meets we warm up at 3:55).

3. Upon arrival, find your coaches and check in with them, so they know you are here. Our team will have a large area to sit together. For home meets, parent volunteers should report to Erin Wilson when they arrive at the pool.

4. Write (or have the swimmer or a coach write) each event number (E), heat number (H), and lane number (L) on his or her arm with a Sharpie marker. This helps the swimmer and volunteers know when/where the swimmer should swim. It is also helpful to write the swimmer’s first initial and last name on their shoulder blade, so that others can help get your swimmer where they need to be. See example below.

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.

6. After warm-ups, your swimmer will go back to the area where his/her age group is sitting and wait there until their first 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.

DURING THE MEET

1. The meet will usually start about 10-15 minutes after warm-ups are over. There are 59 events and the meet usually take about 2-2.5 hours. The event order can be found here.

2. You can use the Heat Sheet to help you follow along with the events of the meet. The Heat Sheet 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” or “NT”. A “no-time” swimmer will most likely swim in one of the first heats of the event.

3. Coaches will assist the younger swimmers (ages 10 and under) to find their way to the blocks. It is NOT the responsibility of the Coaches to track down your swimmer. The parent/guardian of each swimmer is responsible for making sure their child goes to the Coaches 1-2 events before they are due to swim so that they are ready to go behind the blocks when it’s time to line-up for their race.

4. The swimmer swims his or her race. There are 5 different events the swimmers can be entered into: Freestyle, Backstroke, Butterfly, Breaststroke and Individual Medley (FLY, BACK, BREAST, FREE) and 2 different types of relays: Medley Relay (BACK, BREAST, FLY, FREE) and Freestyle Relays. There is also a kickboard race to get our youngest swimmers some racing experience.

5. You will see “officials” on the pool deck to make sure we are following USA Swimming rules and that our swimmers are competing with legal strokes.

6. All questions concerning race outcomes, results, an officiating call, or the conduct of a meet, should be referred to a coach.

AFTER YOUR SWIMMER SWIMS 

1. The swimmer should go talk to his/her coach to discuss and get feedback about their swim. The coaching staff will be sure to discuss stroke technique with the swimmer.

2. The swimmer will then go back to the team area and relax, go to the bathroom, get a drink or a snack. It is very important that swimmers stay hydrated during the meet and close by as events can often go quickly if there aren’t a lot of swimmers entered.

3. When a swimmer has completed all of his/her events, you may leave. However, DO NOT leave without checking in with the coach. Even if your swimmer was not initially placed on a relay team, sometimes they may end up swimming a relay at the end of the night due to absences.

4. Please make sure that you are respectful of the facility and clean up after yourself.

5. Results are usually posted on our website a few days after the meet on the swim/dive team results webpage here. Coaches will hand out ribbons the following week during practice.