Swim Meet 101
What Happens at a Swim Meet?
Please plan to arrive no later than 3:30pm at home meets and 4:00pm at away meets. We will warm-up first for home meets and the meet will officially begin at 5:00 pm. Swimmers should wear their team suit and swim cap to the meet and have their goggles properly fitted. When you arrive, take your children to their respective Age Group Tent. There, the Tent Parents will mark their swimmer number and meet events on their hand/shoulder/arm. Once marked up, the swimmers will warm-up before the meet begins.
PLEASE DO NOT PUT SUNSCREEN ON SWIMMERS BEFORE THEY ARRIVE. The marker won’t write on top of sunscreen. The Tent Parents may help apply it after marking them up if you send it with them.
Every swimmer will receive a ribbon for every event they swim. Even a disqualified swimmer receives a Participation Ribbon.
A swimmer may be DQ’d (disqualified) by a stroke judge for improperly performing a stroke. This happens to even the best swimmers at times. If you want to understand stroke technique and help your child develop, please attend a League Stroke Clinic.
The halfway point of the event is around 30 OR 35. This is when first half volunteers are released and second half volunteers begin. Second half volunteers – PLEASE report on time. Announcements will be made by the meet announcer. An order of events for every meet can be found here.
SWIMMERS SHOULD STAY IN THEIR TENT THROUGHOUT THE MEET. The Tent Parent(s) assigned to the tent need to know where the swimmers are at all times. They must be available for their events. If you want to take them to the Concession Stand or elsewhere, please “check them out” with the Tent Parents.
Meets will last until about 9:00 pm. At home meets, we have concessions to provide food and drinks at a reasonable cost and sometimes a food truck. Most other teams also have some sort of concession stand. It’s a good idea to pack water and healthy snacks/sandwiches, though, to get you and your gang through the meet. Pack separately for each swimmer since they will be sitting with their groups.
Feel free to bring things to entertain your child during the meet. Books, coloring books, and playing cards are all good ideas. Don’t bring anything valuable, or anything you don’t want to lose, and label everything.
Gather your things before it gets dark. Once the sun goes down it is hard to find things in the dark. Please, please, please help pick up trash and keep the area clean.
Parents are encouraged to being lawn chairs to sit in.
Per SHRSL bylaws, no alcohol, smoking, profanity, or verbal abuse is allowed at swim meets.
