Swim Meet 101

Dolphin Organized Mass Chaos

Organized Mass Chaos best describes what a swim meet looks like: Kids are waiting to sign in at the sign in table, coaches are running around with clip boards and lists, volunteers are setting up pool side, families are putting up their own camps – there is a lot going on!

Here are some tips and hints to help children and families get through it all:

Make sure you sign up for the meet online! Don’t forget this!

The day of the meet, highlight each child’s name at the registration table BEFORE 7:15. ONLY HIGHLIGHT YOUR OWN CHILD’S NAME. Names not marked by 7:30, will be scratched from the meet and your child/ren will not swim.

Warm-ups will be called by the coaches by ages when it is our team’s turn. Please pay attention to when your child needs to warm up. These are not usually announced at the meets. 6 and unders typically do NOT warm up in the pool, but student coaches may gather them to stretch and encourage them.

Show up to your volunteer positions on time. Your name will be called by the announcer if you don’t make it to your volunteer slot. The meet will not be able to start until every slot is filled.

The order of events is the same at every Intersquad and Dual meet. Events go first by age and girls/boys. The order is:

Mixed (boys and girls together) 6 and under freestyle relay (NOT AT INTERSQUAD)
Medley relays (7/8 girls, 7/8 boys, 9/10 girls…) (NOT AT INTERSQUAD)
Individual Medley (IM), beginning age 9/10
25 Yard Freestyle, beginning girls 6 and under through boys 9/10s
50 Yard Freestyle, 11/12s and up
25 Yard Backstroke, girls 6 and under through boys 9/10s
50 Yard Backstroke, 11/12s through 13/14s
100 Yard Backstroke, 15/18s
SHIFT BREAK – this is when volunteers change shifts and 6 and unders are finished
50 Freestyle, 7/8s though 9/10s
100 Freestyle, 11/12s and up
25 Breaststroke, 7/8s through 9/10s
50 Breaststroke, 11/12s through 13/14s
100 Breaststroke, 15/18s
25 Yard Butterfly, 7/8s through 11/12s
50 Yard Butterfly, 11/12s and up
Freestyle Relays (NOT AT INTERSQUAD)

Please do not leave a meet until you have confirmed your child is not on a final freestyle relay.

Meet programs and your swimmers Event/Heat/Lane assignments can be found on meet day through either Meet Mobile or the Time Drops apps.

It is the responsibility of the parents to get their child/ren to the ready bench in time. Dixon calls these over the loudspeakers, but not all teams do. Not all teams run a ready bench; in those cases, it is the parent’s responsibility to make sure their child is at the block ready to swim.

Heats are normally 8 swimmers (6 at smaller pools). Dual meet heats generally start with the faster swimmers, while the Championships end with the faster swimmers. In the dual meets, every child will receive a 1^st – 8^th place ribbon for their place in the heat they swam. The ribbons will have a sticker on the back, recording the event and their official time. Ribbons can be found under the family name in the Ribbon box at the next practice. Please do not ask for the ribbons at the meet.

Children who are disqualified for stroke and turn violations do not receive a ribbon. Stroke and turn slips are turned into the coaches, and information regarding the disqualification can be discussed the following week at practice. Please do not discuss disqualifications with the judges during the meet.

Checklist for Swim Meet: