Swim Meet 101
Things to bring:
Cooler with food and drinks
Camp chairs
Printed copy of events
Small first aid kit (bug bite cream, antibacterial ointment and band-aids)
Cash for concessions if you don’t want to pack food
Fold up chairs for kids and adults
Extra towels (one for each swimmer and one or two extra)
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Flip flops or shoes of some sort
Extra goggles...for those that break or are misplaced
Swim caps
Games or coloring book....to pass the time
Sharpie to list events on your swimmer’s body (and yours)
Swim suit
Umbrella in case of rain
Bag for wet items
Table (or other electronic device) – CHARGED!
Change of clothes
Hoodie or light jacket (some nights get chilly)
Tips:
Be patient. A swim meet can be chaotic.
Plan to be at the meet for the duration. Delays happen! It’s a part of swim life.
Write your swimmer’s events on their arms (also called “marking your swimmer”) at home when it’s quiet, they are dry and no one is sweating or stressed. Some parents do this at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
When arriving at a meet, if you can drop your swimmers off with their stuff and another adult, if needed, then go park, this is much easier than having to carry stuff.
Sonic just off of Fairview Rd is the gathering place after home and away meets.
Remind all of your swimmers before every meet to remain in the tent area. They may leave the tent area for restroom breaks or concessions if they check in/out with a tent parents.
Don’t be afraid to ask a veteran parent for advice! We are one big family and are happy to help.
Have a great swim season! Go Pirates!
Swim Meet 101
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Bring:
- extra goggles, Poinsettia current or past season cap or solid color swim caps (other swim caps are not allowed and will result in a DQ), towels
- Wear your team swimsuit. Girls should wear a one piece swimsuit and boys should wear a jammer or brief. (This is not a requirement and will not count against the swimmer.) Note: extra clothing worn on top of swimsuits is no longer illegal, nor do you need special permission.
- Wear team t-shirt and bring extra clothes that are warm if you get cold between events.
- healthy snacks and drinks
- lawn chairs (for swimmers and spectators)
- money for concessions
- sunscreen & bug spray
- sharpie marker
- tent for away meets if you have one (sign up in jobs for meet)
- Parents: Follow along in the Swimtopia app on your phone or bring printed heat sheet from home.
Before the meet
- Mark your child's races on their arm in permanent marker. This helps the swimmer keep up with their event and also helps volunteers in the bull pen as they are lining up swimmers for races. List event number, then heat, then lane number, then stroke. Example:
- If you have a question about an event your swimmer is registered for, please find one of the coaches.
Meet Info
There are 80 events in a swim meet. Girls events are odd numbers and boys events are even numbers. Events are numbered by gender and age group, beginning with 8 & under girls and ending with 15-18 men. Each event may have multiple heats. The fastest heat for regular meets is always heat one. Heat one places will receive SAIL ribbons while other heats receive team ribbons. (For Championships and Classics, the heats are ordered slowest to fastest.)
Events:1-10 • Medley Relay
11-20 • Short Free
21-30 • Individual Medley
31-40 • Breaststroke
41-50 • Long Free
51-60 • Backstroke
61-70 • Butterfly
71-80 • Free Relay
- When you arrive, proceed to the designated Poinsettia swimmers area and set up your tent and lawn chairs for your swimmers. You can set up your lawn chair on the pool deck in the spectator section.
- Swimmers need to listen to the tent parent or bullpen announcer. They will have a sheet with all of the events and names who need to line up for the event. Swimmers should not wander from the tent area or else they may miss hearing their event called and will be scratched from the event. A scratch occurs when a swimmer who is registered for an event does not show up for it.
- After swimmers are gathered, they will proceed to clerk of course who will line them up with swimmers from the other team on benches. Swimmers will move up through the rows of benches in lane order until they are seated behind the starting block.
- When it is time for their race, they will step up on the starting block and wait for the starter to say "Swimmers take your mark." Sometimes the starter will ask swimmers to come back up if someone is not ready. Just relax, this is a common occurrence. Hold your starting position until you hear the BEEP to start. Note: movement on the blocks while in the starting position may constitute a false start.
- Stroke and turn judges will observe the race and raise a hand if they see a disqualifying action from the swimmer. The referee will record the DQ on a slip that will be given to the coach and records/computer volunteers.
- Swimmers can ask the timers for their time before leaving the pool deck to go back to the swimmers area.
- Relays are the first and last events. If your swimmer is in a relay be sure to stay until the end of the meet. If your swimmer is signed up for a relay and you have to leave the meet early, please let the head coach know. Another swimmer will need to be substituted or the relay will not be able to compete.
Swim Meet Registration
Attendance for a swim meet and event entries are due by 1pm the Sunday before the meet. Please mark your swim meet attendance in Swimtopia for all meets. If you forget to register your swimmer's events for a meet but have declared that you will attend, the coaches will sign them up. Parents may choose events for their swimmers but coaches will check all event registrations and may make adjustments. Coaches will choose swimmers for relay teams based on the fastest times. Not all swimmers will be on a relay team. You also need to mark whether or not your swimmer can participate in relays in Swimtopia for each meet as well.
This year, there will be a scratch fee of $20 per race unless the swimmer has a sickness (fever or vomitting), broken a bone or a death in the family.
Keep in mind that to qualify for Divisionals, a swimmer must swim in at least two regular meets. To qualify for Championships and Classics, a swimmer must participate in Divisionals. To qualify for the Ironman award, a swimmer must complete each of the six individual events without disqualification.
