AT THE MEETS




Check-in:
All swimmers and workers must check in at the designated check-in table. At home meets it will be just outside the pool gate and at away meets we will find a spot near our team area. We need to know which swimmers are present and which are not so we don’t waste time looking for swimmers who really aren’t at the meet. It also will be a chance for you to find out exactly which events your swimmer is swimming and which relay teams they have been place on. We would like swimmers to check in 10 to 15 minutes prior to warm-up time. In all cases, if a swimmer has not checked in by meet start time, the swimmer will be scratched from the relay teams.
Heat Sheets:
“Heat Sheets” or “Meet Programs” are available for purchase at each meet, usually for $1.00. They contain a list of all the events and swimmers in order of event. There are 84 events at each meet, with a varying number of heats in each event. Having a program to follow is valuable in helping you know when and where your swimmer is swimming. It also helps you to know who else is swimming from our team in each event so you can get to know and cheer for all of our swimmers.
Warm-up:
Home team warm-ups will be from 5:40 -6:00 and visiting team warm-ups from 6:00-6:20, so please plan to have the swimmers at check-in by 5:25 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., respectively.
Meet begins:
Swim meets begin at 6:30 p.m. and may run as late as 11:00, but as soon as your swimmer is finished with his/her events, individual and relay, and your work shift is complete, you are welcome to leave. Most swimmers over 6 years old will have the opportunity to compete in relay races, so please be sure and stay if your swimmer is in a relay. Let the coaches know if your swimmer does not wish to participate in relays via the swim request forms in the file folder mail boxes.
Bullpen/Staging:
The “bullpen” is the area assigned to our team for swimmers to assemble several heats before their turn to swim. It is usually a good idea to have your swimmer to that area about 10 heats in advance of their swim. Once in the bullpen, swimmers are placed in proper order and taken to chairs to sit in to keep them in the proper order and lane for their swim. This is called staging. It is absolutely mandatory that parents and swimmers pay attention to which event and heat is being called to the bullpen and/or staging areas. This is done via the public address system and/or display boards at the staging area. If you have any questions of the procedures, please don’t hesitate to ask a more experienced parent. It is NOT the job of the bullpen/staging volunteers to hunt down your swimmer to make sure they make it in their event. The parents and swimmers MUST pay attention and get their swimmer to the bullpen/staging area at the right time, and then the volunteers can get them in the proper order.
Swimmer Identification:
This is not mandatory, but really, really helps! If you would write your swimmer’s name on the back of their right shoulder with a black Sharpie, it could help eliminate a lot of confusion in the bullpen and staging areas. Also when the swimmer gets out of the pool, timers are supposed to verify that they indeed have the correct name on their paper, and this makes it much easier for them and eliminates mistakes. We would ask this especially of swimmers age 10 and under. The Sharpie comes off easily with some rubbing alcohol so we are not asking for a permanent tattoo!
Weather:
In case of inclement weather, we will be at the pool with the other team=s manager trying to decide what to do. Please don’t expect a phone call prior to the meet canceling the meet. We always make every attempt to get the meet in. If it is just raining (no thunder or lightening), the meet will start as scheduled. On occasion, a meet may begin, experience a weather delay, and then start up again. We try to monitor the weather during the meet and do our best to make sure it can be safely run. If a meet is cancelled due to the weather, the make-up date will most likely be the following Monday, but it varies from pool to pool, so you will be informed as soon as the information is available.