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How a Meet Works

SWIMMERS MUST NOTIFY COACHES IF THEY WILL NOT BE ATTENDING A MEET. A notebook will be located on a table under the pavilion every day during practice and in the pool office at non-practice times. It will have a full roster with the date of each meet listed on top. If a swimmer knows he/she will not be present at a meet, he/she needs to cross his/her name off the roster. Each swimmer must sign their name out of the “meet availability notebook” within a week of the meet. If a swimmer does not scratch their name out of a meet, they will be put into the line-up. This notebook will be available at the first regular practice. If you know you will be out of town the first week of practice and will miss any meets at the beginning of the season, please notify your coach or a swim board member listed in this packet. 

Please show courtesy to our coaches and sign out in a timely manner. If you fail to do so, coaches end up scrambling at the last minute to fill events and relays on the day of the meet, which adds unnecessary stress to both them and your teammates, in addition to delaying the meet. Repeat offenders may not be included in future meet line-ups.

BEFORE THE MEET:

Swimmers and parents make a commitment to swim team by filling in the SWIM MEET AVAILABILITY sheet (one for each swimmer in the family) when they sign a swimmer up to join the team. These sheets are turned into the coaching staff. The SWIM MEET AVAILABILITY sheet is a form that shows all the swim meets and their dates for our team. The parent and swimmer will indicate availability by circling the dates that they are available for swimming. The SWIM MEET AVAILABILITY sheet can be changed by giving a written message to the coach indicating the change. A written message is necessary because of the number of swimmers and parents on our team. Coaches use the SWIM MEET AVAILABILITY sheet to determine which swimmers will be available to swim at each swim meet. After figuring out the rough number of swimmers per category available for a meet, the Coaches from the opposing teams confer to determine the number of heats for each event for the meet. Line-ups sheets are filled in by the coaches assigning specific swimmers to heats and lanes. There are 10 categories of events at a meet. They are divided by age and sex (i.e. 5 for girls and 5 for boys). The categories are 8 and under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-18. In addition the 6 and under children swim freestyle and backstroke as exhibition categories i.e. they don't swim for team points. For very small categories (usually the older swimmers) we might swim two events simultaneously to fill up the lanes and shorten the meet. Line-ups are submitted to the home team for the meets. If it’s a Tuesday night meet, the line-ups are turned in on Sunday. If it’s a Thursday meet, line-ups are submitted by Tuesday. And if it’s a Saturday meet, the line-ups are submitted by Thursday. Line-ups are posted in the display case at our pool so parents and swimmers will know what events they are swimming. Please note that the above schedule is important to understand if you need to change the availability for your child; e.g. changes (in particular additions) submitted after Thursday for a Saturday meet might not be able to be honored. Scoring/Computers for the home team enter the line-ups from both teams into the computer and resolves any conflicts; e.g. two swimmers scheduled to swim in the same lane and heat. Reports are printed for use by the officials (to run the meet) and clerks of course (to get the kids in the right place at the right time).

AT THE MEET:

Upon arrival at the meet, swimmers sign in by highlighting their name on the line-up sheets that are hung on clip boards by the Clerk of Course in the bull pen. If it is an afternoon meet, arrival time/check-in is 4:45PM. If it is a morning meet, the arrival time/check-in is 7:45AM. The Clerk of Course checks the reports and the now signed in line-up sheets to verify the swimmers. Adjustments are made if necessary. Parents that are working the meet must check in and get their name tags. Listen for instructions for meetings for timers and judges. Attend meetings. Remember parents must work 5 meets throughout the season (and be available for 2 more as general pool workers). If you don’t work, your swimmer won’t swim. Swimmers warm up.

Meet starts. If it’s a PM meet, the meet starts at 5:30PM. If it’s an AM meet, starting time is 8:30AM. Parents are responsible for making sure their swimmer is in the team area and ready for their events. The Clerk of Course will line the swimmers up and take them to the starting blocks for their events. Meet continues and swimmers swim. There are three timers for each lane. Three times are written for each swimmer. The swimmers times, the turn judges' cards and the stroke judges’ cards are collected by runners at the end of each event and taken to scoring/computers. Scoring deals with unreadable/missing times, missing cards and other issues. Times and disqualifications are entered into the computer. Procedure issues are usually dealt with by scoring as well. Labels for ribbons are printed. Because of the differences in team sizes, only the first event or A heat score is used to determine the meet score (this allows a larger team to swim a whole extra heat of swimmers without disrupting the meet results). All heats compete for ribbons and the other heats allow all swimmers to have an opportunity to swim and earn ribbons. Ribbons/awards take the labels for the ribbons, check the accuracy with the swimmers’ times and place the labels on the appropriate ribbons. The ribbons are placed in the swimmers folders in the boxes. The swimmers will pick up their ribbons the day after the swim meet at practice. Final results are printed after the swim meet.

ORDER OF EVENTS

Medley Relay

1. G 8/under 80/100 M.R.

2. B 8/under 80/100 M.R.

3. G 9/10 160/200 M.R. Two

4. B 9/10 160/200 M.R. lengths

5. G 11/12 160/200 M.R. each

6. B 11/12 160/200 M.R. stroke:

7. G 13/14 160/200 M.R. Back

8. B 13/14 160/200 M.R. Breast

9. G 15/17 160/200 M.R. Fly

10. B 15/17 160/200 M.R. Crawl

EXHIBITION

10A. G 6/under 20/25 Free

10B. B 6/under 20/25 Free

Freestyle

11. G 8/under 20/25 Free

12. B 8/under 20/25 Free

13. G 9/10 40/50 Free

14. B 9/10 40/50 Free

15. G 11/12 40/50 Free

16. B 11/12 40/50 Free

17. G 13/14 40/50 Free

18. B 13/14 40/50 Free

19. G 15/17 100/100 Free

20. B 15/17 100/100 Free

Individual Medley

21. G 8/under 40/50 Free

22. B 8/under 40/50 Free

23. G 9/10 80/100 I.M. One

24. B 9/10 80/100 I.M. length

25. G 11/12 80/100 I.M. each

26. B 11/12 80/100 I.M. stroke:

27. G 13/14 80/100 I.M. Fly

28. B 13/14 80/100 I.M. Back

29. G 15/17 80/100 I.M. Breast

30. B 15/17 80/100 I.M. Crawl

Butterfly

31. G 8/under 20/25 Fly

32. B 8/under 20/25 Fly

33. G 9/10 40/50 Fly

34. B 9/10 40/50 Fly

35. G 11/12 40/50 Fly

36. B 11/12 40/50 Fly

37. G 13/14 40/50 Fly

38. B 13/14 40/50 Fly

39. G 15/17 40/50 Fly

40. B 15/17 40/50 Fly

EXHIBITION

40A. G 6/under 20/25 Back

40B. B 6/under 20/25 Back

Backstroke

41. G 8/under 20/25 Back

42. B 8/under 20/25 Back

43. G 9/10 40/50 Back

44. B 9/10 40/50 Back

45. G 11/12 40/50 Back

46. B 11/12 40/50 Back

47. G 13/14 40/50 Back

48. B 13/14 40/50 Back

49. G 15/17 100/100 Back

50. B 15/17 100/100 Back

Breast Stroke

51. G 8/under 20/25 Breast

52. B 8/under 20/25 Breast

53. G 9/10 40/50 Breast

54. B 9/10 40/50 Breast

55. G 11/12 40/50 Breast

56. B 11/12 40/50 Breast

57. G 13/14 40/50 Breast

58. B 13/14 40/50 Breast

59. G 15/17 100/100 Breast

60. B 15/17 100/100 Breast

Free Relay

61. G 8/under 80/100 F.R.

62. B 8/under 80/100 F.R.

63. G 9/10 160/200 F.R.

64. B 9/10 160/200 F.R.

65. G 11/12 160/200 F.R.

66. B 11/12 160/200 F.R.

67. G 13/14 160/200 F.R.

68. B 13/14 160/200 F.R.

69. G 15/17 160/200 F.R.

70. B 15/17 160/200 F.R.

PARENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • To work your five (plus 2) meets so that your swimmer(s) may swim. Remember that to have a successful meet, it takes many workers!!!
  • To have your swimmer(s) at practices and meets on time!
  • To have your swimmer(s) available for their events.
  • To have your swimmer(s) eat their snacks in the concession area and not in the team area.
  • To have your swimmer(s) help with clean up in the team area after the meet.
  • To have the SIGN OUT SHEETS accurate, and turned in on time.
  • To remember that swim practice is NOT swim lessons and if your swimmer needs extra help with the strokes that swim lessons are available through classes or privately if so desired.
  • To practice good sportsmanship and to help your swimmer(s) do the same.
  • To have FUN!

SWIMMERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • To be at practices and meets on time.
  • To listen to the coaches.
  • To learn.
  • To eat your snacks in the concession areas, not in the team area.
  • To help clean up the team area at the end of the meet.
  • To practice good sportsmanship and to help your parents do the same.
  • To do your best, and to have FUN!