MSS 101

Swimmers of all ages can participate in meets. Some will be ready sooner than others. All swimmers are nervous, and that is normal. You may feel a little nervous too. We’ll prepare your child to have a good experience and give you tips too. If your child is interested in doing a meet, check in with his or her coach.

Please be aware there are fees called “splash fees” that are charged to each swimmer from the team hosting the meet and from WI Swimming. If your child changes her mind and backs out of the meet, the fees still apply as we pay this money ahead of time.

Most meets are divided into two sessions, commonly am and pm. The session often lasts about four hours. Your coach will choose events for your swimmer. All swimmers are expected to attend the warm-up session. If the meet is more than one day, please note in the comments section what day or days you prefer to attend. This is very helpful and important.

Sharks should wear their black team suit at meets. Please order one via Simply Swimming https://www.simplyswimming.net/mcfarland. Swimmers do not need expensive tech suits and these suits are banned for younger swimmers. Please write your swimmer’s name on the tag inside suits and on all equipment (goggles, gap, towel, bag etc). You will lose things and all suits look the same. Please label so we have a chance to return the suit to you when found.

MEET DAY
Spectators pay admission fees at most meets, or it is added to each swimmer’s entry fee. Sometimes tickets are done via an app or ticketing service ahead of time. Bring cash. You may also want cash to buy yourself, or your swimmer, things at the concessions area.

Please know parents aren’t allowed in the lockerrooms, so bring your swimmer swim ready. Depending on the pool setup, your swimmer may have to walk through a lockerroom on their own to enter the pool deck. Again, parents are NOT allowed to walk through. 

Please arrive about 10 minutes before the scheduled warmup time. Purchase or download a heat sheet and start marking your child’s arm with a sharpie listing his or her events. (The heat sheet shows who is swimming in each group of swimmers, what lane and approximately what time that may happen). 

Example of arm marking grid: 

Event

Heat 

Lane

Stroke

#1

1

2

25 freestyle

#2

2

4

25 backstroke

#5

6

1

*relay (1st swimmer) 

#9

4

3

50 breaststroke

In the example above, the swimmer is in the first heat of the first event, which is 25 freestyle. His or she will swim in lane 2. You can also abbreviate the strokes as FR, BR, BA and FLY.

What do I say to my swimmer?
Try to be light-hearted and positive, even if you are nervous too. :-) You are not your swimmer’s coach, so don’t act like one at meets. Instead, smile and tell your swimmer “good luck” or “have fun!” Then, when your swimmer returns, smile and say “I love to watch you swim.” Simple really is best. Leave any technical feedback to the coaches please. You should be your child’s supporter and source of encouragement. This is true even if you were an elite swimmer. 

PARENT HELP VIDEOS

MSS How-to: when does my swimmer practice? What if there is no school or bad weather?

https://www.facebook.com/McFarlandSpartanSharks/videos/3485877391739461

MSS 101: How to sign up for a swim meet.
https://www.facebook.com/McFarlandSpartanSharks/videos/890026095508702

MSS How-to: Meet info! Where to find the most current info about an upcoming meet.
https://www.facebook.com/McFarlandSpartanSharks/videos/1104067683596378

MSS How-to: how do I know what meet session my swimmer is in
https://www.facebook.com/McFarlandSpartanSharks/videos/917019856121353 

MSS How-to: meet warm-ups
https://www.facebook.com/McFarlandSpartanSharks/videos/716435760053135

MSS How-to: how to read a meet heat sheet. https://www.facebook.com/McFarlandSpartanSharks/videos/687502969535888