Arrive at least 30-45 minutes prior to the start of warm up so as to allow your swimmer to report to the warm up lanes on time and check in with the coaches when they arrive at the meet.

Bring chairs, towels & sunblock

Sharpie for marking on body

Print Heat Sheets before you leave

Volunteering is mandatory (and fun)!

We will need timers at every meet, including away meets. We will need concession workers at every home meet.

Read the heat sheets prior to the meet to carefully ensure you know which events your child is swimming.

Pack your swimmers' bag ahead of time to ensure that it contains a competitive team suit, team cap, team t-shirt, appropriate clothing, goggles, two towels, and activities like playing cards, etc.

Provide healthy and nutritious meals on the day of a meet for your swimmer.

Hydrate your swimmer prior to the swim meet. Water is the best source of hydration.

Ensure that your swimmer(s) stay in a designated team area. If your swimmer is not sitting with the rest of the team, it is very hard for the ready bench workers to find your swimmer which increases the likelihood they will miss their race. It is ultimately the swimmer’s responsibility to be ready for the event.

Hydrate after each event; remove your swimmers swim cap so as to prevent possible over heating.

Bring a heat sheet and always bring a highlighter, pencil or pen and a permanent marker.

Draw the checkerboard graphic on your swimmer’s body (usually thigh or forearm) so they know their event, heat and lane numbers. This consists of a crossword puzzle graphic with the event, heat and lane # in the squares. For example if your child is swimming 7-8 25 Freestyle and 7-8 25 Breaststroke you would look for their name in the Heat sheet under the event numbers. They will be seeded in a heat and placed in a lane. For Breast it is Event 45, and they are in Heat 2, Lane 7. For Free it is Event 55, they are in Heat 4, Lane 2. The Box would look like this:

E | H | L

45 | 2 | 7 | 25 Br

55 | 4 | 2 | 25 Fr

Write child’s last name on their back to help keep swimmers organized in the ready bench area.

Tips on writing on your child:

● Use a sharpie.

● Write on the skin before applying sunblock.

● Write so that the swimmer can read it. The inside forearm works well for the little ones.

● If you write it on his/her thigh, write it so he/she can read it. In other words, when the kid is standing, the words with be upside down.

● It is helpful to write your swimmer’s name on his/her shoulder or upper arm. This helps the volunteers get the swimmers to blocks.

● NO OTHER BODY MARKINGS OF ANY SORT ARE ALLOWED such as “eat My bubbles”.

● Pick up your trash.

● Bring blanket or chair to sit in especially when we are away. Bring a canopy for shade.

Please talk with your swimmers about behavior on the ready bench. This is not the time to goof around. They need to stay in the order the volunteer has put them in. They will be disqualified if they are in the wrong lane or heat.

There is a sign showing which race is on the blocks. It also tells which heat is racing. This is not the ready bench sign.

The blocks are the elevated platform from which the swimmers dive off into the water at the start of the race.

How long is a swim meet?

Swim meets begin with warmups anywhere from 4-5pm and meets begin 30 minutes after warmups. Depending on the number of swimmers and the size of the pool, meets typically end anywhere from 8-9pm. We work hard to go as efficiently as possible, this is why being on time is so important.

When will I know what my child is swimming?

A meet is typically set up on Friday nights before the race. From your Swimtopia App you should be able to get a general idea of how the meet will flow.