Ben Lomond Flying Ducks
What is a PWSL Swim Meet Like?
The Prince William Swim League schedule normally has 8 weeks for swim meets. Every team swims every week on Saturday mornings (See schedule). The first meet is a practice meet (Time Trials) used to help all swimmers and parents get acclimated to how a meet is run. BLST swims this meet alone and swimmers will get their first times of the season. These times are not counted towards end of season awards but do count toward seeding for the first meet of the season.
The next 6 weeks are the regular season meets, 3 away meets and 3 at home. BLST competes against one other team during these meets. Meets vary in length but generally they begin at 7:00 AM and end before Noon. A PWSL meet is 67 events and each swimmer may compete in up to 3 individual and 2 relays events. There is alot of swimming packed in those 5 hours. At this point you may be asking why so early?... Weather is the primary reason because afternoons can be hot - getting kids out of the heat is important. Drink lots of water and dress appropriately (click here for more info on what to bring).
There are lots of jobs parents can do to make these meets go smoothly (See Why Volunteer).
Swimmer awards (ribbons) are given through 12th place in every individual event, relays ribbons are given through 3rd place. Coaches will pass out ribbons at the gathering after the meet or found in the swimmer's mailboxes during the following week's practice. In addition swimmers may also receive other ribbons for other accomplishments such as time improvements, "A" and "B" times.
After the meets the team gathers at a local restaurant for lunch. Swimmers have lots of fun getting out of the sun, talking to friends and getting their ribbons from their coaches. The head coach usually says a few words about the outcome of the morning meet. Attendance is not required, the team does this every week and its just a good way to have a little fun.
The last meet of the season is the Divisional Meet. Because this meet has 3 teams competing it will run longer, usually until 1:00-1:30.
A few last notes on meets:
Ø Its summer time, people take vacations and may miss a meet. If you know you will miss a meet, please let your coach know before the Monday before the meet. This will help coaches plan their meet entries for Saturdays meet. This is a very regular occurrence and the coaches understand. Use the website or OnDeck to "Opt In/Out" of meets.
Ø Meets are rarely made up due to weather. If they are canceled, we move on to the next meet.
Ø If you are coming late or leaving early, let your coach know - relays can be changed during the meet and coaches may ask you to swim in a relay even if you weren't scheduled on Thursday.
Ø Swimmers should talk to their coach after they swim each event. Our coaches are very encouraging to all the swimmers and this can really help swimmers improve their swimming experience.
Ø Heat sheets (or psych sheets) are available for sale at most meets which list all swimmers for each event. This helps the swimmers become familiar with their competition times and their individual placement in an event.
This site will be updated regularly with up new information, but always ask if you have questions!
