New Season - Tips and Tricks for Getting Through your First Swim Meet!

Tips and Tricks for Getting Through your First Swim Meet!

1.  What to pack:
   1. Meet suit, and a back up suit
   2. Team swim cap (Regular and a backup)
   3. 2 or more pairs of goggles
   4. Two or more towels
   5. Warm up clothes (clothes they don’t mind getting wet)
   6. Dry clothes for the ride home
   7. A blanket or sleeping bag (Between events the swimmers will be in a gymnasium most of the time so make sure they can have a comfortable place to sit and rest)
   8. Lawn chairs (When Needed) (Parents you will probably want these for in the Gym so your not sitting on the floor)
   9. A highlighter to mark your swimmers events in the heat sheet
   10. A sharpie to mark their Event/Heat/&Lane on their arms (The kids should come either knowing their event heat and lane or have it marked on their arm!!) See Page 3
   11. Snacks! There are usually pretty decent concessions at meets, but make sure to bring healthy snacks that you know your swimmer will eat.
   12. Activities! There is often a lot of time between events.
       1. Some ideas:
          1.  Homework
          2.  Books/colors/markers
          3.  Games v. Crafts
2.  What to expect
   1. You’ll spend a lot of time hanging out in the gym while your swimmer is not in the pool. Sometimes the gym is chilly – dress in layers
   2. Each team typically has a marked area in the gym, find your teammates to sit together if possible!
   3. To help your swimmer out, write a ‘chart’ on their arm – include Event, Heat and their Lane. (See the page 3 for a structure of the chart)
   4. For 8 & Under swimmers – there will be an area where they will be lined up before their events (Referred to as Seeding your Kids). Keep track of this area, which event is in the pool and which event is being lined up
   5. For 9 & Up swimmers – they will line up behind the blocks themselves. It’s usually a good idea to check in with the coach prior to lining up.
   6. All swimmers should touch base with their coach after they swim for feedback 
3. Other things to note
   1. ARRIVE EARLY. Account for time to park, haul in all of your stuff, set up your ‘camp’, and allow for your swimmer to get changed and on the deck with plenty of time. **Coaches expect kids to be on deck for warmups at least 10-15 min before scheduled warm-ups**
   2. Be conscientious and polite! If your swimmer isn’t currently in the water, don’t block the view for other parents. In Manitowoc the viewing area is limited, so there’s usually a rotation of parents in front of the windows.
   3. Please ask an ‘experienced’ parent any questions you might have, we’ve all been new and are willing to help!