SWIM MEET BASICS

Devon Crest Swimmers...

| WORK HARD 

| HAVE FUN 

| ALWAYS SUPPORT EACH OTHER

It's what makes us GREAT!


WHAT TO BRING

  • Swim suit, swim cap and goggles (having extras is helpful)

  • Towels (more than one per swimmer)

  • Water/sports drinks

  • Team t-shirt or sweatshirt

  • Games/books to keep kids entertained between events

  • Folding chairs for parents and blanket or chair for swimmer

  • Nutritious snacks – bananas, granola bars, fruit snacks, yogurt, cereal, sandwiches

  • Sunscreen and bug spray

  • Cash to purchase a heat sheet and snacks

BEFORE THE MEET STARTS

  1. Arrive at the pool approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-ups.

  2. Upon arrival, find a place to put your swimmer's blanket, swim bag, etc... The team usually sits in one place together, so look for some familiar faces.

  3. Write each event number on your swimmer's arm in something waterproof (i.e., a sharpie is good for this). This will help him/her remember what events he/she is swimming and what event number to listen for. This information will be on the psych sheet that the team puts out the night before a swim meet or the heat sheet you can pick up at the swim meet.

  4. Your swimmer will now get their cap and goggles and report for the team's warm-up. It is important for all swimmers to warm up with the team. A swimmer's body is like a car on a cold day – he/she needs to get the engine going and warmed up before he/she can go all out.

  5. After warm-ups, your swimmer will go back to the area where his/her team (and family) is sitting and wait there until his first event is called. This is a good time to make sure he/she goes to the bathroom if necessary, gets a drink, or just gets settled in.

  6. All questions concerning meet results, an officiating call, or the conduct of a meet should be referred to a coach.

  7. At some meets psych sheets will be available. It lists all swimmers in each event in order of “seed time”. When the team entry is sent in, each swimmer and his/her previous best time in that event is listed. If the swimmer is swimming an event for the first time, he/she will be entered as a “no time” or “NT”. A “no time” swimmer will most likely swim in one of the first heats of the event. A heat sheet may be available close to the start of the meet that lists the actual heat and lane a swimmer will be competing in.

MEET STARTS

  1. It is important for any swimmer to know what event numbers he/she is swimming (the reason to write this information on their arm). He/she may be swimming right away or have to wait awhile.

  2. Most meets are computerized. There are generally two (2) ways a swimmer gets to his/her lane:

  • ​​A swimmer usually reports directly to a staging area before he/she actually swims. Typically, one or two team parents will make sure 8&U swimmers get to this staging area before each of their events.

  • Generally, girls events are odd-numbered and boys events are even-numbered.

  • The Clerk of Course will usually line up all the swimmers in the staging area and take them down to their lane in the correct order. There are usually multiple heats for each event.

  1. After your child has swam his/her event, he/she may ask the timer (people behind the blocks at each lane) what his/her time was.

  2. Swimmers and parents can leave once a swimmer has swam all of his/her events including relay races.

  3. Results are usually posted somewhere at the pool throughout the meet.

  4. Awards are given to swimmers at a later time after the swim meet.