Here is a list of things you should bring to ALL swim meets and information you need to know.....
THINGS TO BRING...
SWIMSUIT
Try to bring two suits
1) a suit you do not normally wear in practice
2) a "just in case" suit
GOGGLES
Two pairs..take both to your races in case a last second emergency
occurs.
TOWELS
At least two towels..A couple to help keep you dry between races
and one for the end of the meet
WATERBOTTLE
Filled with water, gatorade, etc. It's very important to avoid
dehydration.
CARBO FILLED FOOD
Bring granola bars, fruit, yogurt, bagels etc to snack on between
races. Avoid candy bars,donuts chips etc.
SWEATS, T-SHIRTS
Try to bring an extra sweatshirt, t-shirt, shorts to keep you
warm between your races. Preferably Chinook attire if you have
it.
CHAIRS
Bring something to sit on. Many pools don't have enough seating
space.
THINGS TO KNOW AND REMEMBER
Be on time for warmup
Don't eat right before your race
Try your hardest...it doesn't matter if you're first or last
Make sure you know when you're swimming and what events you are
swimming..pay attention! Have your parents buy a heat sheet or
check the one that is posted on the wall
At the Swim Meet....
Warmup
At the beginning of every meet, there will be a warmup session
to get you ready for your races. Practice the strokes you will
be swimming, your turns and your starts. Ask your coach for the
specific warmup you should do. Always do dive sprints at the
end of the warmup and a short warm down to loosen up. Start A
racing dive from the starting blocks
Events
The race you are swimming, such as 8 and under 25 Back.
Distance
In a short course pool...
25 Yards....................1 length of the pool
50 Yards....................2 lengths of the pool
100 Yards..................4 lengths of the pool
200 yards...................8 lengths of the pool
In a long course pool (50 meters) which is the type of
pool we compete in during the spring and summer, the
number of lengths is half as many(i.e. 100 = 2 lengths).
Heats
In an event, there are many more swimmers that there are
lanes in the pool. Therefore the number of swimmers entered
in each event must be split up into heats. Heats are like
groups.
Heat Sheets
Heat sheets will tell you what event you are swimming and
when. It tells you the event, heat and lane you are going to
swim in. It's a good idea for you or your parents to buy
one. There also will be one posted on the wall on the pool deck.
Disqualified
When someone is disqualified (DQ), it means that a swimmer
didn't touch the wall with two hands on fly or breast, or touched
the bottom of the pool or did an illegal kick. Everybody gets
disqualified at some time, but try not to and try to learn from
it.
False Start
Diving off the blocks before the beeper or gun starts
I.M. or Individual Medley
A race where you swim 25 yards or 50 yards of each
of the four strokes in the following order...Fly, Back,
Breast and Free.
Relays
A race that you compete in with three of your teammates.
When the person before you in the relay touches the
wall, you dive in and swim the appropriate distance
and stroke. When you touch the wall, the next person
will dive in and swim his or her distance and stroke.
There are two types of relays...Freestyle, where all
four swimmers swim freestyle, and the medley relay
in which each swimmer swims one of the four strokes
in the following order...Back, Breast, Fly, Free.
(Notice that this order of stroke is different from the
individual medley).
Good luck and have fun at all of your swim meets!! If you have any questions ask your coach and GO CHINOOK!!!