Swim Meets
RAA is part of the Eastern
Section of Southern California
Swimming. Our main focus is USA Meets and
we participate in at least 1 meet a month throughout the
year.
Most swimmers are ready to swim in a
meet within a month or two. As a new swimmer, with no established
times, you may enter any meet that has a “White in it (for
example; any Red, White or RW meet). Remember:
A TEAM CAP AND A TEAM SUIT IS
REQUIRED AT SWIM MEETS.
It’s My First Meet, Now What?
What to do? What to wear? Where to bring?
I am at the meet now what do I
do?
Check
in!!
The swimmer needs
to check in, not the parent. Before you go to our team area
look for a table or ask another family that has already
checked-in. You will probably see a crowd of people at a
table-you need to go there and –Check-in!
Why do I
have to check-in?
When you entered
the meet several weeks ago, you said you were coming, but on
every meet day, you must let the officials know
that you are planning to swim.
How do I check
in?
The tables are
divided by girls and boys and by age group. When you get to
the front of the line tell the volunteer your name, they will
highlight your name and give you your event
numbers. It’s a good idea for you to have your
meet sheet with you so that you can make sure these are the events
you signed up for. It is also a good idea for your swimmer to
write their event numbers on their hand with a permanent
marker.
Do not scratch
(cancel an event) unless you and your coach have talked about it
first. Your coach must approve of all changes in
events.
Talk to
your coach, once you check in. Once you have
talked to your coach it’s time to get in the water for
warm-up. The first thing your coach will ask you “Did
you check in?” Be prepared to say yes, or there’s
no warm up until you do!
Set up your
stuff. The team will have a red, white and blue EZ-up set up
for the parents and swimmers. This is where the team
“hangs out” and supports one another.
Sign up
for timing assignments. If you have a child
swimming you must sign up to time. All meets
require parent participation. Each lane has three
timers. There are usually 6-8 lanes per meet. As a team,
we will have to fill 1-4 timing chairs, depending on the number of
swimmers that we have swimming at the meet. It is actually the
best seat at the meet! You are in a shaded area and have the
best view of the races taking place. You can choose which hour
you’d like to time. Don’t worry timing is quite
simple. Your job is to basically start and stop a
stopwatch. There is always a head timer there if you mess
up. If by chance, your assignment conflicts with your
child’s events just communicate this to ANY parent with RAA
and they will help you by either timing for you during your
child’s event or by making sure your child is where he/she is
supposed to be. This is a very common occurrence and should be
expected. If you don’t sign-up it puts more of a burden on
other parents. Please help out your
team!
How do I
know when and where my child swims?
As the meet goes on
the events are seeded with everyone who checked in and the swimmers
will be assigned to a heat and a lane. These assignments are
usually posted approximately a half hour before the
event. They are usually posted on a large wall near the pool
area. When you check-in you can ask where the board will
be. It is a good idea for your swimmer to write
their heat and lane assignments on their hand with a permanent
marker. For example if they are in Heat 6, Lane 2 they can
write 6-2 on their
hand.
Once your swimmer
knows their heat and lane assignment, they need to go talk to their
coach. They should tell their coach this information so that
they may make a note of it. After “checking in”
with their coach, they should be ready to swim by waiting behind
the lane that they were assigned. It’s usually a good
idea for your swimmer to be around the blocks at least one event
prior to their event. Try not to linger around the block area,
any sooner than this, swimmers need to have access to the blocks
with a lot of parents hanging around it makes the area crowded and
this may cause the officials to ask parents to leave the
area. The meet is run on a very tight
schedule. It is very important that the swimmer know when and
where to be, and be ready to swim. Officials will not wait for
your swimmer to get to the block. If a swimmer misses his or
her event they will not be allowed to swim the next event that they
are entered in. This is done to keep the meet
running smoothly. As your swimmer exits the water they may ask
one of the timers in their lane for their time. Please
don’t have them ask officials, they do not have this
information.
After a swimmer has
completed their race they need to again check back in with their
coach. At this time coaches will talk to them about their
swim. They may also send them to the warm up area to warm
up/down or work on technique.
Final results will
be posted throughout the day in the same area as the lane
assignments. As a parent you should keep track of your
swimmers times for the next meet.
Remember the first
meet is always a learning experience for swimmers and
parents. Have
fun!!
First Meet Quick
Reference
Getting ready for your first
meet
- Discuss which events
you should enter in with your coach.
- Enter the
meet.
- Discuss arrival
times with your coach.
Night before a
Meet
- Pack a swim bag with
goggles, team cap, (every swimmer should wear a team
cap) towels, and dry cloths.
- Pack an ice chest
(optional); there is usually a snack bar available at meets.
- Bring chairs,
blankets, and sunscreen.
- Good nights
rest
Meet
Arrival
Swimmers:
·
Check In.
·
Write your event numbers on your hand
·
Check in with your coach.
·
Warm-up
Parents:
- Locate team area and
set up your stuff
- Sign up for timing
assignment
- Know your swimmers
event numbers
- Support and
encourage your swimmer!
During the
Meet
Swimmers:
- Stay warm/cool and
dry (Meets in the fall and winter can be very cold,
make sure to bring blankets and jackets. Meets in the summer
can be quite hot, drink a lot of water)
- Listen for your
event numbers (remember officials will not hold the
meet for you!)
- Check board for your
lane assignment
- Report to your coach
two events prior to your event and after your swim
- Report to your lane
prior to your swim
- Swim fast!
Parents:
- Do not stand or walk
in front of timers
- Do not talk to
officials during an event
- Help your swimmer
get ready for their event
- Report to your
timing assignment on time
- Cheer for all of our
RAA swimmers
- Ask for help from
another RAA parent if you need it
- Enjoy the meet and
your swimmer!
**This document is available
for print under the Documents Tab
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