Norbeck Hills Anacondas

SWIM MEET BASICS for the NEW Swim Parents.

A first swim meet can be a little overwhelming for both parents and swimmers alike. As a parent, your main job is to get your swimmer to the pool on time with a properly packed swim bag. Once your swimmer enters the locker room, our phenomenal coaching staff will take over, and all that’s required of you is lots of team spirit and cheering. 

WHAT TO BRING: A properly packed swim bag is key to ensuring that your swimmer has what they need to get through a meet both in and out of the water and should look a little like this: 

 swim suit - many swimmers keep a back-up suit in their bag, too, just in case

 goggles

 at least two towels

 bottle of water or sports drink 

 flip flops or other waterproof shoes – Some facilities require swimmers to wear shoes when leaving the pool deck and slipping wet feet into tennis shoes just isn’t fun. Also, it’s always a good idea to slip on shoes before hitting the locker room.

 something to keep busy – As you’ll soon learn, swim meets involve a lot of hurry up and wait. Your swimmer may have large chunks of time to fill in between heats so cards, a book, or small games are a welcome distraction. Before sending electronics in swim bags, remember that the kids frequently spend their down time on deck beside the pool. 

 snacks - Kids burn lots of calories during warm-ups and races, and they need to replace that lost fuel. Some suggestions for quick, mid-meet snacks are:

o granola or protein bars

o fruit snacks

o raisins

o fresh fruit

o chocolate milk boxes 

o cheese and whole-grain crackers

o pretzels 

o non-fat yogurt 

Now that you’ve got your swimmer’s bag packed, you may want to pack a bleacher bag for yourself. As parents, we regularly have at least an hour of warm-ups to sit through before the meet even starts. Once events start, you may have long stretches of time between your child’s events depending on the size of the meet. Here’s what a typical swim parent bag looks like: 

 bleacher seat, towel, or cushion – Let’s just say that you’re going to get really good at sitting. 

 a good book or magazine – Just like the kids, you’ll appreciate something to pass the time. 

 small bills – Most of the meets we attend have some sort of concession stand where you can grab some caffeine or a snack.

 extra goggles – Goggles aren’t the most durable piece of equipment, and depending on your child, they may also prove to be the hardest to find. The pool may have spares that can be borrowed but it’s usually just easier to have a spare pair in your bag.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE: 

Now that you know what to bring, let’s talk a little about what to do once you get there. A few days before a meet, one of the coaches will send out an email with pool location, arrival time, and warm-up time. Our coaches usually ask that you arrive 15 minutes before warm-ups start. If your swimmer needs more time than that to get changed and on deck, just plan accordingly. 

Once you arrive at the venue, parents usually find a location to sit near our designated side of the pool. If you are unsure where to go, ask any parent you see there. There is absolutely no reason to be intimidated by more experienced Anaconda parents. While they may not recognize you right away, they would love for you to introduce yourself as a new parent. They’re an awesome resource when it comes to learning the ins and outs of the sport. 

No matter what time of day your child swims, each session begins with warm-ups. Yes, it seems like a lot of laps to swim before race events, but it’s the best way for your swimmer to wake up those muscles and avoid injury. 

After warm-ups, your swimmer may have time to come join you where you are seated. If they don’t have the time to come find you because of an early event, don’t worry. The coaches will make sure that they get what they need. Once the meet starts, your swimmers should stay on deck so that they don’t miss their events. It’s very easy to get distracted around the pool and lose track of event numbers. 

Events alternate between girls and boys and are numbered. Almost all events have multiple heats. The coaches are there to make sure that your swimmer gets to the correct lane at the right time. All that’s left to do is cheer on our team and show your spirit! 

TIMED FINALS VS. PRELIMS/FINALS: 

Most of the meets we attend are run in the timed finals format. This means that after all heats in an event are swam, the swimmers are ranked according to their time. Your swimmer may have won their heat, but because swimmers in later heats swam faster times, your swimmer will not place overall in the event. Conversely, your swimmer could finish in last place of the final heat and place 8th overall in a field of 20 swimmers. 

POSITIVE CHECK-IN: 

There will be times when your swimmer is asked to “check-in” at a meet. This involves finding check-in sheets which are usually located in the lobby or swimmer lounge area. All you need to do is have your swimmer check the events beside their name. It lets the host team know that your swimmer is there and ready to go.