Meet Cheat Sheet
Before the meet starts
- Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before the scheduled warm up time.
- Check in with coaches to let them know your swimmer is there.
- Upon arrival find a place to put your swimmers blankets, swim bags, sleeping bags or whatever else they need to be comfortable.
- Find and purchase a heat sheet (optional but helpful: usually $1-3) as this lists all events for that meet and the order the swimmers swim.
- Locate your swimmer’s events and write each event-number on their hand with permanent ink. (Regular ink wears off easily in the pool.) You may also want to write the stroke next the event # FREE…FLY…BACK….BR for breast and RE for relay. Having the event written on their hand helps them know what number to listen for. Find an experienced parent to help you with this. Usually it is Event/Heat/Lane/ Stroke.
- Your swimmer should now get their caps and goggles on and report to the coaches for warm up. Warm up time is important and it helps the swimmers bodies get going.
- After warm up your swimmer will go back to the public area to wait on their blanket or towel for their event # to be called. This is a good time to make sure they’ve used the restroom, get settled in and eat or drink if needed.
- As the meet begins event numbers will usually be called over a loud speaker. Your swimmer will need to report to person “seeding” the event. Make sure they have on their caps and goggles.
- The swimmer swims their race and returns to the waiting area to relax before their next event.
- When the swimmer has completed all of their events they are free to go home. Please make sure you check with the coach before you leave to make sure your swimmer is not included to swim in a relay. Each relay team needs 4 swimmers if there are only 3 swimmers present the relay team can not swim.
What to take to the meet
- Swim suit, cap and goggles.
- A sharpie or permanent marker
- Towels- at least 2 or 3.
- Something to sit on- old blanket or sleeping bag.
- Sweat suits- 1 or 2 to help them warm up between events. They get wet.
- Games- travel games, books, handheld video games, anything to pass the time between events.
- Food- A small cooler with food and drink. Or you could just purchase food at the concession stand.
- Parents may want to bring folding chairs for themselves to sit on in the wait area.
- Parents will want to remember to dress in layers. The pool area is usually very warm while the wait area may be cold.
