The Swim Meet--A Parent’s Survival Page

The first thing you need to do is enter your swimmer in a meet. Most meets are conducted on Saturday and Sunday, but some are three or four days long. Next, you'll want to make sure you and your swimmer have all the necessary items for the meet (see Swim Bag Packing List) .

Make sure your swimmer eats properly and rests prior to the meet. Your swimmer needs to eat a big meal before they come to the pool. They should have it finished about 30-60 minutes before Warm Ups. This meal will need to carry them through 30-40 minutes of constant swimming during warm up, 4- 5 races, and cool downs, all in a 4- 5 hour period. It needs to be big, but comfortable. Let them eat what they like, within reason. For regular meets, a good night's sleep is essential. For championship meets, rest is extremely important. It supports the taper, so keep the extracurricular activities to a minimum! Get to the pool early - in time to find a parking spot, get into the facility, for your swimmer to change, check in with the coach, and to be ready for Warm Ups. Our coaches want our swimmers on deck 15 minutes prior to the beginning of Warm Ups, so they can get organized and stretch. It's generally best to have younger swimmers already in their suits when they get to the pool. Some pools have drop off areas to let the swimmers out before you look for a parking spot. Swimmers should be dressed appropriately for the weather, because sometimes they will be walking a ways to get inside.

The coaches usually get to the pool early and stake out a place for the Team to sit. Swimmers should bring their bags with them when they check in with their coach. They will keep them on deck or in the swimmer's seating area. Parents are not allowed on deck at most meets (USA Swimming policy), so make sure your swimmer knows where you will be sitting. Usually, there are separate seating areas for spectators (bleachers or a gym). It gets hot in indoor facilities, especially, in the bleachers. Wear cool, loose-fitting clothes - layer when it's cold outside. Some venues allow spectators to have folding chairs. Sometimes, it's good to bring blankets or mats for the swimmers/siblings to sit/lie on, if there's room.

On the way in, you can usually purchase a Meet Program (Heat Sheet) for $1-$10. Most meets are pre-seeded, so the program lists the swimmers by event, heat, and lane. You can keep track of your swimmer's and their friends' performances. Occasionally, a meet will be deck seeded, so the Meet Program is a Psyche Sheet, which lists the swimmers by event and entry time. It also includes the meet schedule and other important info.

Most venues don't allow food on the deck. Often, the host team runs a Concession Stand/Snack Bar that sells food and drink items. Some venues allow coolers in the spectator seating areas - you can bring your own drinks and snacks for you and your swimmer/siblings.

The swimmers usually stretch for about 10-15 minutes before they begin warming up in the pool. Teams are generally assigned lanes and times for their sessions. The coaches control warm ups, which are designed to get the swimmers’ muscles/bodies warm and loose and to work on technique and race strategies (pacing).

After Warm Ups, the Meet Staff usually performs the last test of the Timing System and briefs the Timers. Most host teams will ask parents to help time the swims - either by assigning lanes to participating teams or just asking for volunteers. You should volunteer to help time (it's not difficult and it's a great place from which to watch the meet). The sign up sheet for Timers is usually at the Admin Table.

This is a good time to have your swimmer come to you so you can mark their hands with their race information (event, heat, lane, and stroke). A Sharpie is good for doing this. Make sure they understand when they are swimming. If you don't see them heading to see the coach or behind the blocks prior to their race, it might be a good idea to look around for them. Normally, if they miss their heat, they won't be allowed to swim in that event.

Most host teams play the National Anthem at the beginning of the session to honor our country and begin the meet. Swimmers for the first event should be lined up behind the blocks and ready to swim (the Announcer will normally call swimmers to the block by event). The Referee will signal the swimmers to get ready and to step up. The Starter will give the start command and start the race. The Stroke and Turn Judges will observe each race to ensure the competitors follow the technical rules. If swimmers violate the rules, they will be disqualified (DQ'd). For younger swimmers, you should view the DQ, not as punishment, but as constructive criticism to help them learn to swim legally. It identifies for the swimmer and his/her coach an area that needs to be worked on and improved.

In a Timed Finals format, swimmers can swim up to five events and one relay per day. In a Prelims and Finals format, swimmers can swim up to three events and one relay per day. The coach usually instructs your swimmer to warm up prior to their event (providing warm up lanes are available) and to stop to see to them before they report to the blocks. During this meeting, the coach reviews the swimmer's goal for the swim and race strategy. For 8&Y events, the host team usually has parent volunteers assigned to help the younger swimmers get lined up in the right order (remember, parents aren't allowed on deck unless they are working the meet).

During the swim, cheer for your swimmer (and their friends/teammates)! Good sportsmanship starts with you. Remember that improvement and personal accomplishments are more important than winning. Many venues have scoreboards that display the running times for each heat. These times are not official, however. The Timing Judge will determine the Official Times and the Recorder will publish the Results (usually posted by a volunteer on a wall in an accessible area in the venue). You can write down your swimmer's splits/times for them to review later. After the race, the coach usually instructs your swimmer to report to them for a post-race discussion. During this meeting, the coach will review the race, go over splits, and talk about what went right/wrong. Then they will be sent to cool down (providing cool down lanes are available) to help release built up lactic acid. When they're done, they can come to the spectator seating area to see you. Praise them and their effort. But remember, let the coaches coach! Generally, after the individual events, relay events are competed. In regular meets, the coaches will set up the relay teams based on the swimmers who signed up to stay for them. If you signed up your swimmer to swim relays, please don't leave early and cause the relay team to scratch.

At most meets, the host team will have a Swim Shop vendor at the venue. They will have swimwear items for sale, so you'll be able to purchase suits, goggles, shirts, towels, sandals, bags - most anything your swimmer needs at a meet. Meets are a lot of fun! It's a good time to get to know the other members of the Kingfish Family. Sit together, talk, help each other learn about the sport, our kids, and their friends. But don't speak badly of the Family - you never know when that prospective swimmer/sibling/parent is listening!

It takes a lot of workers to run a swim meet. Usually, the host team's parents fill these volunteer positions. You should consider helping whenever possible, and make sure to say thanks to the meet staff and officials. At the end of the meet, make sure you and your swimmer gathers all their belongings and cleans up their area before leaving the facility.

This is a lot to comprehend ... don't worry, you'll catch on quickly!!