Helping Your Swimmer (and You)Through Your First Swim Meet
To the first time swimmer and parent, a swim meet can seem like the wettest, widest and most disorganized circus on earth. It is indeed wet and wild, but it is very organized. You just need to understand the "flow" of a swim meet.
Always arrive on time for warmups which are usually 1-1/12 hours before the official start of a meet. Find your team's designated area near the pool deck and check the "heat sheets" that are posted by the coaches. These heat sheets will list which events, heats and lanes your child is swimming in. Bring a Sharpie marker and write your child's name along with the event number, then heat number, then lane number on their arm. It would look something like this:
Suzy Q. Swimmer
Team Name
#6(E) #3(H) #4(L)
For relays, you will have to consult either the heat sheets or your coach. Relays may change if swimmers do not show. They are written on the arm with event number followed by heat, lane and then swimmer order (1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th)
#45(E) #2(H) #2(L) #3(SO)
Throughout the meet, listen for the event numbers as they are called out for line up. Some teams have large signs where events that are being lined up are displayed. It is good to sit with children of the same age/sex since they will be in many events together. Many teams assign parents to sit with younger age groups to keep them together. Older swimmers can report to the Clerk of Course on their own, but younger swimmers need to be taken to the Clerk of Course for lineup. The Clerk of Course is located in a designated area close to the pool deck. It is not possible for a coach or the clerk to locate a missing swimmer, and the meet will not stop for a tardy one so parents need to get the swimmers there. Once they are with the Clerk, step back and let the Clerk of Course line up your swimmer. He/She will get them to the blocks with their cards in hand.
Nothing matches the excitement of seeing your swimmer get up on the blocks for the first time. Cheering is encouraged, but NOT as the starter is addressing the swimmers on the blocks. Flash pictures are also not a good idea as the swimmers and timers are watching for a strobe light from the starter system to indicate the beginning of the race. Once the race starts, cheer like a madman (madwoman?) for your swimmer. Once the race is over, your swimmer should return to you. No matter where they finish, offer encouragement and a "good job!" Swimming is unique in that swimmers can actually swim against themselves from week to week and see their progress as they better their times. Parents need to emphasize week to week improvement rather than who was first or last.
Occasionally a swimmer is disqualified ("DQ'ed") in an event for faulty technique. This is understandable, as the rules for strokes and turns are very specific and swimmers often get excited during a race. A coach should be able to determine why a swimmer was disqualified and work on that technique problem in practice. Only by critiquing strokes, does a swimmer learn to improve. It is not appropriate to yell at or approach a stroke and turn judge to question a disqualification. This is considered unsportsmanlike conduct and could result in a penalty against the team. Questions regarding a call should politely be directed to the Referee.
Award ribbons are usually given out at a following practice session. Ribbons are given to swimmers who place up to 12th place in an event.
