What do I bring to meets?
When should I get there?
What do we do when we arrive?
How do I mark my swimmer's arm?
Stroke Key
How can I support my swimmer at meets?
Can I give my child swim/technique advice?
| For your swimmer | For you |
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On our website, the event description contains what time to arrive, how long to expect to be there, etc. There's no need to arrive before the "get there" time, as it will give your swimmer plenty of time to be ready for warmup. Typically, the "get there" is 15-20 minutes before warmup begins.
When you arrive, there are a few time-sensitive things. 1) If you haven't already marked your swimmer's arm, do that before warmup. 2) Have your swimmer check in with the coach so that they may be checked off for potential relays.
How do I mark my swimmer's arm?
Write your swimmer’s events for the day on their arm. The first column should be for event, the next for stroke, the next for heat, and the last for lane.
Their arm will look like this:
FR = Freestyle/Front Crawl
BK = Backstroke/Back Crawl
BR = Breaststroke
FL = Butterfly
IM = Individual Medley (In the following order: FL, BK, BR, FR)
How can I support my swimmer at meets?
Promote communication with their coaches. Swimmers should speak to a coach before and after each of their swims in order to develop habits that will help them improve. Coaches work to provide athletes with suitable, age/ability appropriate tips for swimmers to use based on what will help them grow and improve long-term.
The best words of support before races are simple: "Good luck!" or "Have fun!"
The best words of support after races: "Great job!", "I'm proud of you!", or "I loved watching you race!"
Even after tough swims or bad races, the best thing you can do is support your athlete!
Can I give my child swim/technique advice?
Leave the critiquing up to the coaches! Providing your own feedback can prevent your child from looking to you for support, as they'll expect to receive feedback instead.
Our coaching staff works together in order to provide consistent, unified feedback. While outside feedback won't necessarily be wrong, it may conflict with the skills we're currently working on with an athlete. Even if you're a former swimmer, swimming is a rapidly evolving sport, new information and insight is consistantly uncovered.
If you feel like your swimmer needs additional support, please encourage them to seek out their coaches for more feedback.
