Swim Meet 101
Home Dual Meets:
5:00 PM - Swimmers and their parents arrive to assist with set-up for the meet
5:15 PM - Home swimmers warm-up
6:00 PM - Swim Meet begins
At home meets, swimmers are encouraged to stay in the fenced in section, called the “dugout” in between their events. They will be given a pink (girls) or blue (boys) card for each event they swim. Swimmers need to stay in the dugout to be able to hear the announcer and know when to report to the “bullpen.” The bullpen will be run by parent volunteers. This is where swimmers are lined up and organized for their events.
All swimmers who attend a meet are expected to have a volunteer worker per family. Workers must be at least 14 years old to volunteer. It takes MANY people to run a swim meet! Working on deck gives you the best vantage point to see your swimmer in action!
After a swimmer has completed all of their events, swimmers should check their dugout area, gather their belongings, and clean up any trash. Swimmers can then check-out with their coach. There may be a time they are asked to stay and participate in an additional event.
Note for parents: Unless you are working a shift, you are not allowed on deck while your swimmer is racing. You must remain behind the fence. USA Swimming regulations prohibit anyone taking photographs from BEHIND the starting blocks. This is to protect all swimmers.
Away Dual Meets:
Typically, warmups for the away team begin at 5:30 PM. Our team will stay together in a central location at away meets, forming a “dugout”.
If you arrive late and DO NOT contact the coach, your swimmer may be “scratched”, or removed, from their events.
Please be sure to communicate with your coach if anything delays you from arriving on time.
Parents are required to work a volunteer position during away meets.
Invitationals:
Invites are large scale meets with lots of swimmers, and can be intimidating your first time! Our team will be assigned an area to sit together, the dugout, so look for your teammates when first arriving. Warmup times will vary as farthest away teams are given later warmup times, so make sure you check Swimtopia for an accurate warm-up time! Invites still require workers, although with more teams and available volunteers, not all parents will work every invite. If you are unable to work an invite but have a swimmer attending, please contact the worker coordinator for direction.
Invitational Meets have entry fees!! Fees must be paid in a timely manner. Failure to pay invite fees will result in your swimmer not being able to swim the next invitational meet.
