Meet Competition FAQ

How do I sign up for meets?

• Log into the SportsEngine/Website.
• Select the meet to attend.
• Click Edit Commitment. 
• Click on the Member Name to declare for the meet.
• Under Declaration drop down menu - select Yes (or No) 
• Select events for the athlete. Events with times in RED are not permitted.
• *a note* Coaches will have final say on all events
• Put any notes that the coach might need to know in the NOTES box (days available, event requests)
• Click SAVE CHANGES <-very important

When to arrive?

• Athletes and families should look to arrive 15 minutes prior to designated warmup time.
• Coaches will send out an email with detailed arrival and session information. 
• Every session will start with a warmup time. Athletes need to attend all of warmups to be familiar with the facility, get muscles prepared to go and to get the racing mindset tuned up! 

What to bring?

• Team Swimsuit, team cap, and goggles. Having an extra suit, extra cap and an extra pair of goggles packed is always a good idea.
  • ​Aim to just wear Bolles apparel - we have a team store to buy hoodies/sweats and more! ​
    • ​1 day meet - Orange Team Shirt
    • 2 day meet - Day 1 - Navy, Day 2 - Orange
    • 3 day meet - Day 1 - White, Day 2 - Navy, Day 3 - Orange
    • 4 day meet - Day 1 - White, Day 2 - Grey Championship shirt, Day 3 - Navy, Day 4 - Orange
    • 5 or more Days - athletes will get a schedule of apparel
• Towels – wet bodies are everywhere so pack at least two.
• Something comfy for your swimmer to sit on in the team area or bleachers.
• Portable Deck/Beach Chairs – depending on the pool facilities, you may or may not need them, but it’s a good idea to have them in your vehicle.  Most facilities have bleacher-style seats. You may bring a stadium seat if you really want to sit back.
• Several changes of clothes such as sweatpants, sweatshirts, and t-shirts.  Swimmers need to stay warm between events and there is nothing worse than pulling on cold, soggy sweatpants.  A team parka is an excellent way for the swimmer to stay warm while looking sharp.   A good idea to bring a change of clothes for the swimmer to leave in as many athlete’s shower after the meet (they will also need another dry towel for this).
• Entertainment for the whole family such as travel games, cards, coloring books, books, electronics, etc. Especially important if you are bringing youngsters who are not swimming!  Parents often bring newspapers, books, laptops, sewing, anything to pass the time! •
• Small cooler of healthy snacks and drinks.  Suggestions for items to bring: Water, fruit juice, Gatorade, granola bars, fruit, yogurt, cereal, trail mix, pretzels, sandwiches.  There is usually a snack bar, but they may not offer appropriate selections, or selections your child enjoys.
• Sharpie marker, pen, highlighter. This helps keep track of events for your athlete (and for parents!)
• *Special Parents’ Note - Dress appropriately for the weather/facility. Indoor pools will be much warmer and stuffier than outdoor pools. Outdoor pools will always have the weather component - dress warm in winter & cooler in summer. 
• Most importantly – a POSITIVE attitude to pass on to your swimmer(s) along with a lot of encouragement! 

Where to sit?

• Teams will generally have a team area where all athletes and families are sitting. Strongly recommend sitting with the team to have an instant resource for any questions....or better yet - VOLUNTEER. 
• Bolles hosts a great deal of meets. Part of being part of the Bolles Sharks Family is volunteering at every meet your athletes attend. Options include timing, officiating, runner, hospitality, ribbons, announcer and more! 

Who can attend a meet?

• Please check out TYPES OF MEET post to get information on what meets might be appropriate for your athlete. 
• Anyone who is a registered athletes with Bolles School Sharks is eligible to represent our team in competition. Some meets have restrictions based on age or time or selection process so make sure to read the event page closely! 

How do I know when my athlete is swimming?

• Swimmers compete in their age category, against their gender, in the order of the event numbers.  Generally, girls for a given age group and event compete before the boys. 
• Swimmers are organized into “heats” and lane assignments based on their entry time for that event. Traditionally, this is slow to fast in most meets. 
• At most year round swim meets, there are no “ready benches” or team volunteers to make sure swimmers get to their heat and lanes on time (most summer league swim programs have this).  Swimmers and parents must pay attention to the meet events. Remember the timeline posted on the heat sheet are only estimated times and the actual meet may run significantly slower or faster. 
• Heat and lane assignments are posted online for parents and visiting coaches in the form of HEAT SHEETS or MEET PROGRAM, and usually near the seating section as well, before the start of the meet. This is also available on Meet Mobile. The scoreboard will display the event heats that are in the water. 
• Athletes should look to be behind the block at least 6-7 heats before their heat. 
• Obtaining the heat/lane assignments and having swimmers ready & behind the blocks in time for their race is probably the most stressful detail for new swimmers and parents – especially for our younger swimmers. Ask another parent and/or swimmer for help. 
• TEAM WORK. Remember parents are not allowed on deck. This is for safety reasons and to reduce the confusion behind the blocks.

What happens when my athlete races?

• Before the race - athletes should warmup in the designated warmup space and then visit their coach for a pre-game chat and then report behind the blocks to get ready for their race after one last sip of water! 
• During the race - athletes should swim and race.
  • Overall placement is scored against all heats although some meets will have heat winner awards for athletes when they win the heat. 
• After the race - athletes should visit their coach for post race feedback, then warmdown in the designated warmup space, and then get a snack & celebrate with family.  (Get clothes on and be warm!!) 

Why should my athlete compete in a meet?

• Swim meets provide an opportunity for kids to showcase their swimming.  It takes quite a lot of effort to evince change, so it's awesome to see that progress
• Swim meets also give coaches a chance to see where they need to go in future practices.  The coach can evaluate each swimmer’s skills and determine what more needs to be addressed to further improve those skills. 
• Swim meets offer parents a chance to just enjoy watching your child do something pretty cool and have fun with friends in a safe and healthy way. 

What if my athlete doesn't go a best time? 

More often than not, athletes will not go a best time every time they stand on the blocks - otherwise the world records would constantly move! 
Athletes can look to evaluate a swim on how they accomplished a skill under pressure, tried a new tactical approach to a swim or framed their mentality for racing - the more ways an athlete can define success, the better and more fulfilling the sport will be!