Meet Entry Information
How to declare your swimmer for a meet: SwimTopia video tutorial:
Swim Meet 101
What is a swim meet?
Swim meets are a great family experience. They're a place where the whole family can spend time together.
Listed below are some in-depth guidelines to help you through your swim meets. If you have any questions, please ask the coaches or experienced swimmers and parents.
Packing List 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. Below are some suggested items to keep in your swim bag:
| Towels | Picnic Blanket | Heat Sheet (print at home if available) |
| Swim caps | Sunscreen | Water and/or sports drink |
| Healthy Snacks | Hat/visor | Lawn chairs for parents |
| Sharpies/highlighters | Games | Cash for concessions |
| Sweatshirt if temps are cool | Goggles (+ extra pair) | Something to help stay cool (ie fan, cold towel, ice pack, spray bottle) |
BEFORE the Meet begins:
1. Check your email after 3pm on meet days. The team will send out heat sheets as soon as they are available. It is very helpful if you print out heat sheets before you come to the meet. Keep in mind that the coach cannot send out home meet heat sheets until the opposing team sends in their team's entries and cannot send out away meet heat sheets until they are sent to our team by the home team's coach. You can also view the heat sheet on the SwimTopia app and see results if you have the premium subscription.
2. Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before our team’s scheduled warm-up time. Home meet warm-ups will begin at 4:00 p.m. Away meet warm-ups will begin at 4:30 p.m.
3. Upon arrival, find a place to put your swimmer's gear and set up your chairs. Parent volunteers will report to the volunteer coordinator at 4:45 p.m., at the official's tents.
4. Have your swimmer let the coach know you've arrived.
5. Write (or have the swimmer write) each event number, heat number, and lane number on his or her arm with a Sharpie marker. This helps the swimmer and volunteers know when/where the swimmer should swim. See example below:
6. 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.
7. After warm-ups, your swimmer will go back to where parents/friends are 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, etc.
There will be lots of down time during the meet, so bring something for the swimmers to do!
DURING the Meet:
1. The meet will usually start about 10-15 minutes after warm-ups are over.
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. The times may also look different depending if the pool is meters or yards.
3. The Clerk of Course volunteers will call for age groups, and those swimmers will report to the area marked "Clerk of Course." They will assist the younger swimmers find their way to the blocks. It is NOT the responsibility of the volunteers or coaches to track down your swimmer. The parent/guardian of each swimmer is responsible for making sure their child goes to the Clerk of Course at the designated time.
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. Most swimmers will compete in a stroke the coach thinks will be successful for the swimmer. It is very important to the coaches to build the confidence of their swimmers.
5. You will see “officials” on the pool deck to make sure we are following the JSSC Swimming rules and that our swimmers are competing with legal strokes.
8. All questions concerning meet results, an officiating call, or the conduct of a meet, should be referred to a coach. He or she, in turn, will pursue the matter through the proper channels.
AFTER your swimmer swims an event:
1. The swimmer can ask the timers (people behind the blocks at the end of each lane) his/her time.
2. The swimmer should then go back to where he/she was sitting with parents or friends. Tell the swimmer how proud you are and what a great job they did!
3. See if your swimmer needs to visit the bathroom, get a drink or get something light to eat. It is very important that swimmers stay hydrated during the meet.
4. The swimmer now waits until his next event is called and starts the procedure again.
5. When a swimmer has completed all of his/her events, you may leave. However, DO NOT leave without checking in with a 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. For home meets, we almost always have relays first; away meets may have them at the end.
6. Please make sure that you are respectful of the facility and clean up after yourself.
7. Results are usually posted on the website, or you can view them in SwimTopia. Ribbons will be made and distributed at the next Friday Funday for all to celebrate!
