CRESCENT CITY SWIM CLUB

Swim meets are a great opportunity for swimmers to showcase their skills in the water. Participants swim against other swimmers in events, but they really swim against the clock. The following information is to help new swim parents better prepare for a meet!

Packing List:

• Swimsuit
• Towels - several are recommended as your swimmer will be drying off after warm-ups, between events and when changing to go home.
• Team swim cap - a backup cap is recommended
• Goggles - well adjusted and leakproof, extra pair is recommended.
• Team t-shirt
• Water bottle
• Healthy Snacks
• Heat Sheet - print at home, if available
• Sharpie & highlighter
• Comfortable clothes - to wear over swimsuit between events
• Foldable chair or blanket - if there is room on deck

Day of the Swim Meet:

• Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before our team’s scheduled warm up time. Swimmers need to be on deck and checked in with the coaches 10 minutes before warm ups begin. Warm up times are assigned by the host team and given to families at least 24 hours in advance.
• Most meets are completed within 4 hour sessions on both Saturday and Sunday. The heats in each event can move very quickly, it is important for swimmers to know their events (including heat and lane assignments) and parents to help ensure that their swimmer is ready to go at least 3-4 heats before their event. The coaches will help them get to the block. However, it is ultimately the swimmer’s responsibility to make sure they are where they need to be.
• Depending on the facility and available seating, we do our best to sit as a team during the meet. Seating may be around the pool deck or in an overflow space near the pool. Coach and board member families do their best to arrive early to save space for the team. Especially at large meets, it is recommended for families to arrive early who need extra space. Seating is first come, first serve.
• Each team is required to provide timers for the meet. Assignments are usually made ahead of time in 1.5-2 hour shifts. Don’t worry about lack of experience. Timing is simple and stopwatches are provided.
• To ensure all of our swimmer are accounted for at all times, each swimmer must check in with one of the coaches before leaving the meet.

Food and Drinks before and during a Swim Meet:

Swimmers burn many calories at practice and meets. Ensure your swimmer eats a healthy breakfast an hour or two before the meet. Your swimmer should also have healthy snacks to eat between events - eat little and often to keep blood sugar levels steady and fuel your muscles in preparation for your event. Example: Granola/protein bars, bananas, cut fruit, greek yogurt, bagels, peanut butter with crackers/rice cakes, dried fruit, nuts, smoothie, small sandwich, cut up veggies. Concessions are available by the host team at most meets.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Water is best. Electrolytes and sports drinks may also be given in moderation. Avoid soda and energy drinks. Please encourage hydration!

Heat Sheets

A heat sheet is the program for a swim meet. It lists all the swimmers, what events they are swimming and in what heat they are in. 

Heat sheets are made available for families to print at least one day in advance before traveling to the meet. Please print one and bring it with you.

A good practice is to highlight your swimmer’s name throughout the heat sheet so you can know when they will be swimming.

• Event: An event is the specific stroke and yardage that the swimmer will perform.
• Heat: A heat is the specific time frame, or order a swimmer will swim each event. If there are more swimmers per event than lanes in the pool, the event is distributed into multiple heats. Swimmers with the fastest times are seeded in the final heats.
• Lane: The exact lane assignment a swimmer will swim his/her event.
• NT: This means No Time. When a swimmer has not previously swam an event before, they do not have a seeded time to enter. A new swimmer will have all “no times” until they swim their events. Swimmers with NT are typically placed in the first heat, at the start of an event.

Grids for Swimmers

• Once you have highlighted your swimmer’s events on the heat sheet, you will need to ensure your swimmer is ready for the meet by creating a grid on their arm for that day’s events.
• By writing information in waterproof ink on the swimmer’s arm, the swimmer can watch and listen for his or her events. This also allows the swimmer to check whether he or she is in the correct heat and lane.

Note to Parents:

It is important that parents play the role of emotional support -- give warm towels, hugs, a "good luck!" to your swimmer and ask them to check in with the coach before and after their swim. Leave the race strategies, breathing patterns, stroke, start and turn reminders, time analysis and race analysis to the coach.

Competition can encompass everything from nervousness, excitement, winning, losing, being inspired, or being disqualified. Coaches are looking at more than winning. We also look for proper technique, proper attitude, and a personal best time. Regardless of the swimmer's place in a race, there is something to learn and be proud of. They could place last, while also taking 5 seconds off their best time or finally doing a flipturn at a meet - that’s a win!

Parents who are new to swimming often have questions about swimmer disqualification (or DQ slips). Receiving a DQ is a part of the learning process and a standard aspect of the meet experience. Don’t panic, and please do not punish your swimmer. We use the DQ process at meets to help teach the rules and reinforce the learning process! Swimming is a technical sport. Developing the correct skills and movement patterns in each stroke takes time, practice, repetition, and coaching feedback. As a young or beginning swimmer develops, they will get stronger and more consistent with time.