Swim Meet 101
Swim Meet Information....
Tuesday night meets is where the fun happens! Swimmers get the chance to compete against others and themselves to better their skills, improve their times and win points for the team. All swimmers are presumed to participate in all Tuesday meets, HOWEVER this new web-based system allows you to declare if you for sure will attend or miss a meet. It is VITAL that everyone declare meets they will MISS at the soonest date possible and no later than noon the Friday prior to the meet. I try my best to make sure ALL swimmers participate in relays - but if we have swimmers who don't show, we end up with three disappointed swimmers who can no longer swim their relay (don't be THAT person, please!)
It is imperative that families pitch in to make meets happen- it truly takes a small army to run a meet. We need officials (judges, starter, referee), timers, scorers, awards help, clerk of course, etc... in total 30-40 adults to cover all the volunteer spots at a meet, plus another 20ish to help line up the relays - so get ready and DIVE IN to help at the meets! Sign ups for the official meet positions are listed on the website and can be claimed when you declare your swimmer's status for each meet
Many pools, including BHRC, do not have adequate seating for meet spectators (pools tend to have more lounge type seating rather than upright chairs), so bring a bagged camp-style chair if you plan to sit. Your swimmer will need their competition suit, BHRC cap, proper hydration (water and/or sports drink) and healthy snacks plus goggles, towels, sunscreen for outdoor/day meets, dry clothes for after the meet and spares of everything. You may also like a printed heat sheet or you may prefer to follow the meet on the mobile app.
So a meet day schedule looks like this:
HOME meets we will begin setting up the pool at 3:30 with warm ups starting promptly at 4:00 and relay roll call right after warmup. The visiting team warms up second at 4:30 and the meet begins at 5:00.
AWAY meets we will have relay roll call at 4:15, warm up at 4:30 and the meet will begin at 5:00.
Most meets last 2-3 hours. NEVER leave a meet without telling your coach - you never know when you might be needed to fill in for a relay! After meets, the team gathers at a local restaurant for "team dinner" and Wednesday mornings after meets we have FUN DAY instead of regular practice with social time, snacks, games, and awards from the Tuesday meet.
Please sign up to provide fun day snacks/drinks on this sign up genius page here:
If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask! Summer is a whirlwind of fun in the pool and we can't wait for another EXCELLENT season!
