SWIM MEET 101 TIPS
WHAT TO BRING / WHAT TO DO ...
1. Team swimsuit, cap and goggles. Having an extra cap or goggles packed in a bag is also a good idea.These items tend to rip or break at the most inopportune times! If you lose or break your team cap that is included with registration, then you must purchase a new Riptide cap if available. No private swim club or school caps allowed during meets per GCSL rules.
2. Towels: 1-3 towels per swimmer; one to sit on, one to wrap up in and one extra
3. Sunscreen & hats! It gets very sunny on the pool deck during meets!
4. Portable chairs for parents & swimmers.
5. Spirit wear/clothes to put on in between races or when swimmers are finished racing. Check the weather too, you may want to pack a sweatshirt for chilly evenings/mornings!
6. Entertainment for swimmers such as games, cards, coloring books, books (electronics around a concrete pool deck and water is usually not a good idea). Check out our fun crafts/sign-making area in The Reef!
7. Money for concessions. Meets will always have some sort of concession stand that will include dinner items, snacks and drinks. Our home meets usually offer items such as pizza, snacks, candy and cool drinks. Items will vary. 100% of the proceeds from the concession stand are used to support our swim team.
8. Coolers are allowed for additional drinks or healthy snacks at our home meets. They may or may not be allowed at away meets. NO GLASS BOTTLES OR GLASS FOOD CONTAINERS or Alcoholic Beverages allowed.
9. Your OWN Sharpie Marker to write event information on your child's arm & first name/last name on back at upper left shoulder.
10. Did we say sunscreen? Remember it's usually hot & sunny during our meets!
11. WEATHER: Storms can roll
into our area quickly during the summer months. Please always check the
SwimTopia App and your emails regarding weather updates. If there is thunder,
then everyone must exit the water and the practice/meet will be on a 30 min hold. Swimmers are expected to return to The Reef
and will need to either wait there or checkout with the Reef Monitor.
If there is lightning, then all swimmers and parents/spectators MUST clear the
pool deck.
Swimmers are expected to return to The Reef and gather all of their
belongings and spectators should take all of their belongings as well. We
will then check the swimmers out of The Reef in an organized manner to
leave with a parent or approved adult. Ages 13+
may leave without a parent AFTER checking out with the Reef Monitor. All
other swimmers MUST be checked out and accompanied by a parent or approved
adult. When asked to clear the pool deck, please wait in your car or home
within the neighborhood. Updates will be sent through the SwimTopia App as for
when to return to the pool or if the meet will be canceled. We will try to wait
out the weather in order to carry on with our meet.
IMPORTANT: Parent(s) are expected to be in attendance with their swimmer for all warm-ups/meets. If for some reason you will not be in attendance, emergency contact info for that evening must be left by the parent, with the Reef Monitor.
12. Always bring a SMILE!
At any time if you feel lost or confused, ASK FOR HELP from the swim team committee or other parents! Meets can be overwhelming for the kids, parents, and coaches! Most importantly, we want everyone to have a GREAT time and the kids to have a FUN season!!
MORE IMPORTANT TIPS FOR MEET DAYS!
Arrive at the pool 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time begins.
FIND OUR RIPTIDE REEF "BULLPEN" AREA!
For our home meets, we will utilize the Reef patio as the "bullpen" for our swimmers. Find the appropriate age group at the Reef, find a spot for your swimmer’s towel and make sure you let the Reef Monitor/volunteer know your swimmer has arrived. The Reef Monitor volunteers/Coaches will alert swimmers to warm-up group starts.
For away meets we will create a space for all of our swimmers to congregate and check in. Swimmers can bring a folding chair to keep their belongings in and wait for their heats.
It is very important for all swimmers to warm-up with the their age group prior to the meet. Swimmers should return to the Reef after warm-ups. This could also be a good time for young ones to use the restroom.
HOW TO READ A HEAT SHEET
This video is super-helpful!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgv1lxafME
Event Number: There are usually around 60 in a swim meet. Some meets may have a slightly different order/set of events. We swim Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle & Medley Relays, and Individual Medley (4 strokes), ascending by age group. Odd numbered events are Girls, even numbered events are Boys.
The following pictures are examples of heat sheets.
The following is an example of a heat sheet involving a relay. This example shows the order of a typical relay which will be left to right, and top to bottom as follows:
Heat Number: In each of the events, there are HEATS. Each heat has swimmers entered by both teams. Our pool has 6 lanes available for heats.
Lane Number: The lane your swimmer is scheduled to be in.
Seed Time: Once a swimmer participates legally in an event, they will have a "seed time" in that event for the next meet. Swimmers are placed in heats and relays according to their seed times. The swimmer's fastest time prior to this meet.
KNOW WHAT EVENTS YOUR SWIMMER IS SWIMMING IN!
It is also important for the swimmer to know what event numbers they are swimming. Reef Monitor/Clerk of Course volunteers will be available to help the swimmers get to the blocks and lined up for their events in a timely manner. This is why it is very important for ALL OF OUR swimmers to stay in the Reef area. Please bring your Sharpie to mark your swimmer's events as you see below!
HOW TO MARK YOUR SWIMMER'S ARM & SHOULDER
And don't forget to also mark their first & last name on back/upper left shoulder. Thank you!!
LISTEN FOR EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Upcoming events are announced over the loudspeaker, asking swimmers to report to the starting blocks. Swimmers should report with CAP AND GOGGLES! Example: “Clerk of Course lining up for: Event #26, 7/8 Boys 50 Free”.
REPORT TO THE BLOCKS
The Clerk of Course volunteers will check to make sure that swimmers are lined up in the right order. However, it is always a good idea to have your swimmer check in with the coaches or lane timers to make sure they are in the right lane and heat.
SWIM & SHAKE!
The swimmer’s goal should be to do their best and improve their times for that event. Swimmers should to stay in the water until the last person finishes so they can shake hands and say “Nice Race/Good Job" etc with the swimmers in the lanes next to them. We highly encourage this and our Riptide swimmers are great ambassadors of good sportsmanship! Parents, during the race feel free to cheer on your swimmers and the rest of the team. You may take pictures and video your child as well.
AFTER A RACE
Swimmers should return to The Reef after each race. Parents, have fun congratulating your swimmer! Swimmers, please shout-out to your fellow Riptide teammates on what a great job they are doing in their races! If enough time allows before their next race, swimmers may get concessions to take back to The Reef. Repeat this process until all events have been completed. Shrimpers may return to sit with their family/leave after their Shrimper event. Please make sure all swimmers check with the Reef Monitor before they leave to make sure they have not been added to a relay.
AFTER THE MEET IS COMPLETE
We have a takedown committee of volunteers for each meet. We ask that everyone please be responsible for cleaning up your seating area. We will also need swimmers to clean up their space in The Reef area. Many fins make light work!! If we all work together, we can quickly have the pool deck back to a normal swim day setup and everyone is home to bed!
**Once again,at any time if you feel have a question, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP! Find fellow swim parents or swim committee members to ask! Meets can be very overwhelming for the kids and parents alike. Once you have attended a few meets, it will all become very routine and you'll love it! Keep Calm, Be Patient, and Swim to Have Fun!!**
GCSL (Greater Charlotte Swim League) POLICIES
-
No alcohol at Greater Charlotte Swim League events
- No Year-Round Club / School Team/Club swim suits or swim caps
We strongly encourage you to stay till the end of the meet. It really maintains team spirit & the relays at the end are exciting!
LET'S GO RIPTIDE!
The four competitive strokes are:
Freestyle is characterized by an alternate overhand motion of the arms and an alternating up and down flutter kick.
Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arm while on the back using a flutter kick.
Breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pulled from the breast in a heart-shaped pattern and recovered under the surface of the water except at the finish. The kick is a simultaneous somewhat circular motion similar to the action of a frog. On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch with both hands.
Butterfly consists of a simultaneous overhand stroke of the arms combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must keep both legs together and may NOT use any other kick.
The following events are in addition to the above strokes:
Individual Medley (I.M.) features all four strokes. The swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes to the backstroke, then breaststroke and finally freestyle. This event is only for swimmers ages 9 and older.
Medley Relay consists of 4 team members swimming one leg each of the four strokes. The first swimmer swims the backstroke, the second swimmer swims breaststroke, the third swimmer swims butterfly and the last swimmer swims freestyle.
Freestyle Relay consists of 4 team members swimming freestyle for each leg.
