Mandarin Kraken Swim Team Membership Information

A Parent’s Guide to Surviving the Summer Swim Season

Dual Meets

To help our swimmers prepare for the RCSL Championships, the League sponsors a complete dual meet schedule.  The dual meets are usually held on Thursday nights or, due to the many rained out meets of past summers, Saturday mornings in May, June and July.  The schedule of events will vary each week to allow a chance for all of our swimmers to swim each event offered. 

You will have the opportunity to sign up your swimmers for each dual meet through the web site. You may also indicate that a swimmer will NOT be attending a particular meet. A feature of the TeamUnify system is the ability for you or your swimmer to suggest what events they would like to swim in each meet; the coaches, however, will continue to make the final decision as to what events to enter swimmers in based on their knowledge of the swimmer's skill, past events they have competed in and the team's overall line-up.

We have TBA dual meets  this season. This year’s meet schedule will be released in April.

Each team, whether hosting a meet or visiting another team, will have a responsibility to fill the various jobs necessary to hold the meet. You will be able to sign up for your preferred job at each meet through your online account; we ask that every family volunteer for a job at a minimum of four (4) dual meets (and one job at the Championships).

The age groups for dual meets are the same as for Championships – 8 & Under, 9 & 10, 11 & 12 and 13 & 14 - except the older kids are combined into a single 15-18 age group. Swimmers are allowed to compete in three (3) individual events and one (1) relay in the dual meets.

Ribbons are awarded to the top eight finishers in each individual event and to the first through third place relay teams, which usually results in every swimmer winning at least one ribbon at each meet.  Should any swimmer fail to win one of these ribbons, the team awards them a “participation” ribbon for their effort.  Ribbons are usually handed out to the swimmers at the Friday or Monday practice following each dual meet.  Each dual meet has two special 6 & Under events with each participant usually receiving a ribbon immediately after completing their race.

Our coaches and swimmers take these meets very seriously and everyone is urged to participate in as many of the dual meets as possible.  If your swimmers will be unable to attend a particular meet, please notify the coaches through the web site (preferred) or in writing at least 48 hours preceding the meet so our entry will be correct.

While the dual meets are scored on a team basis, our coaches measure success more by how our swimmers improve over the course of the season than by places and points in the meets.  This emphasis makes every swimmer a “winner.”