|
A WEEK OR SO BEFORE THE
MEET the entries for the meet will be
posted on the Meet Schedule on our web site as a link entitled
“Entries” and this list will give you the event numbers
of each event for which the coach has entered you. An email will be
sent by the coach prior to each meet which will give you: a list of
the meet events by number and what day each event is and the
warm-up times for your age group. Directions to the meet will also
be posted on the Meet Schedule page as a link. Most all of
this information, other than your individual events, can also be
found in the “Meet Letter” which will be posted on our
web site as a link on the Meet Schedule associated with the Meet in
question as soon as it is made available by the hosting club (this
is usually months prior to the meet).
WHAT TO
WEAR — Most swimmers wear their team
suits to the meet with sweats or parkas over the suits. After
swimming an event, you can put your parkas or sweats on between
events. Parents should wear layers or a short sleeve shirt, as the
pool area is always very warm.
WHAT TO
TAKE PACKING— Bring several towels for
drying off after each event. Also, bring a book, deck of cards,
game boy, or other items to help pass the time between events. A
small cooler with fruit, drinks, and snacks is also nice.
Food-including snacks, sometimes breakfast, and usually lunch is
sold at the consession stand at most meets.
WHAT TO EAT
BEFORE AND AT THE MEET---There are plenty of things that
will work, and as you have found what is good for one swimmer is
not as good for another. Some of the choices will vary based on
timing - what works if eaten three or more hours prior to a meet
might be a bad choice eaten 30-minutes prior to a meet!
The meal decision requires some real-world
testing, and with a day or two to go before the meet it may be a
bit too late to try new things. I suggest you go with what you know
works for each of them, regardless of whether it is a breakfast,
lunch, or dinner type of meal. What is their favorite pre-swim
meal? Go with it! It could be pasta, noodles, rice, cereal, toast,
eggs, a sub-type sandwich, pancakes, waffles, even a peanut butter
sandwich - as long as it is a meal that hits the main food groups,
is easy for them to digest, and is familiar to them.
Get that main meal done two to three hours prior
to swimming, then "keep the fuel tank topped off" with easy to
digest, lighter foods - fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, raisins,
pears, etc.), power bars, sport drink, pretzels, pop-tarts, a
simple sandwich (peanut putter and banana, banana and honey, jam,
etc.), low-fat pudding, rice cakes, plain toast, etc.
Feed ’em what you know is good for them and
what they think of as tasting good and that they feel good eating.
Later on, try a few different things prior to swim practices and
learn what other choices may work for your swimmers.
WRITE ON
YOUR HAND — The best way to keep up with your
event numbers and strokes is to write them on the back of your hand
or body with a sharpy. It might look like
this:
#72 100 back
#76 50 fly
#80 100 free
This information is given to you by the coach the week of the meet.
(See first section.) Once the heat sheets are posted at the
meets, you can add the heat and lane in which you are swimming
beside the event on the back of your hand.
WHEN YOU
ARRIVE — Plan to arrive at the meet
at least 15 minutes before your warm-up time. As soon
as you arrive, look for the place to sign in. It will either
be papers posted on a wall or on a table and will be a list of
names and all events in which each swimmer has been entered.
Each age group and sex may have a separate sheet. You must circle
or highlight your name and all events in which you have been
entered (or follow any instructions given). Failure
to sign in before warm-ups end will cause you to be scratched from
the events.
REPORT TO
THE COACH — After you have signed in and
deposited your belongings, report to the coach on the pool deck for
warm-ups. Warm-up time is limited and the pool will be very
crowded, so you will need to make the best possible use of this
pool time. After warm-ups, return to your "camp area" or sit
on the bleachers and watch until it is time for your event. (Put on
sweats or parka to stay warm.)
PSYCH
SHEETS – Psych Sheets (programs)
will be available for parents to purchase at each meet. This
will provide a list of what Events are being swum in each session
and all swimmers in each event ranked by their entry times.
Parents can highlight their child and other swimmers in the
Psych Sheet so they do not miss the events they are swimming.
Remember that meets do not always begin with Event 1. If
distance swimmers compete on Friday night, the Saturday meet might
begin with event 11 or higher. Sunday’s meet will be a
continuation in event numbers.
HEAT
SHEETS — After the sign-in sheets
come down, the host team will enter into the computer all of the
swimmers that did not sign in and then “seed” the meet
with only those swimmers that are present. This is the
process in which each swimmer is assigned a heat and lane for each
event. Once this has been completed the host will post the
“Heat Sheets” which list the heat and lane that each
swimmer will swim in for each event. Events are swum
slowest to fastest, which means the final heat in each event will
be the fastest swimmers with the fastest recorded time prior to
this event. Each heat is also seeded from fastest to slowest
as follows: starting with the fastest swimmer in lane 4, lane 5,
lane 3, lane 6, lane 2, lane 7, lane 1, lane 8. At some
meets, in addition to the Psych Sheets, the Heat Sheets for each
session are available for purchase also.
RESULTS — Results of each
event are computerized and posted on a wall as soon as they are
printed out. You can check the results to get your official time
and place. Awards for each meet vary. Some meets give medals for
the top six swimmers and ribbons for 7—12. Some give
ribbons for more places. Some give ribbons to each heat winner.
Remember to record your times in your log book so you can chart
your improvement throughout the season. Competition is stiff
at an U.S. Swimming meet, but new swimmers take incredible amounts
of time off from meet to meet. Focus on your progress in
terms of the amount of time improved, not necessarily on what your
place was.
ELECTRONIC
TIMING — Most pools have electronic
touch pads in each lane to record times. Each swimmer should
make a good, solid touch. Other "people" timers are used for
back-up. A gun with blanks or an electronic beep with a
strobe light is used for starting each race.
FALSE
STARTS — A false start occurs when
a swimmer leaves the block top early or there is a problem with the
gun or equipment. In the event of a false start, the recall
starter sounds the gun of beep repeatedly signaling swimmers to
stop. A rope is also lowered into the water to stop swimmers
who do not respond to the signals. If all these fail, a coach
or older swimmer jumps in to stop the swimmer! If the false
start is the result of your starting before the beep or gun, you
will be disqualified from that event. If this is the case,
the starter will tell you personally.
OFFICIALS — Many officials are
present on the pool deck in a sanctioned U.S. Swimming meet. They
usually wear white. Most meets have a referee, starter, recall
starter, a stroke judge for each 3 (or 4) lanes of the pool, and
two turn judges on the end of the pool. Each lane also has
two (or more) timers present as a back up to the electronic
system. This organization and structure ensures that each
U.S. meet is run consistently throughout the national organization
and that all times are "official." Times made at U.S.
Swimming meets can be used to qualify for the state and higher
level meets.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
— A swimmer may
be disqualified by the judges or other qualified officials for not
swimming a stroke correctly, making an improper turn, etc. For
example, a swimmer could be disqualified for doing a flutter kick
with the butterfly stroke or failure to touch the wall in a
turn. Most swimmers get disqualified at some point in their
swimming careers! Swimmers will be told by an official if
they were disqualified and for what reason. The swimmer must
see the coach after this occurs for suggestions to see that it
doesn’t happen again. After the swimmer understands
what the mistake was, he or she should "shake it off" and focus on
his next event. Parents should be supportive, rather than critical,
treating the disqualification as a learning experience.
PARENTS AT
A SWIM MEET — It is a parent’s
responsibility to be familiar with meet procedures and have their
swimmers understand the procedures. The most important roles
parents play are getting swimmers to warm-ups on time and double
checking sign-ins and clerk of course routines. (New swimmers seem
to catch on fast to the logical chain of events.) Then a
parent can sit back, cheer for the swimmers, and enjoy the
meet. Parent’s are asked not to be on
deck unless they are timing. In fact, U.S. Swimming rules
state that only swimmers, coaches, timers, and officials are
allowed on deck. If you are asked to leave the deck, please
don’t take it personally.
|
