Meet Checklist
Here is a list of things you should bring to ALL swim meets and information you need to
know.....
THINGS TO BRING...
SWIMSUIT
Try to bring two suits
1) a suit you do not normally wear at training
2) a "just in case" suit
GOGGLES
Two pairs...take both to your races in case a last second emergency occurs.
TOWELS
At least two towels. A couple to help keep you dry between races and one for the end of the meet
WATER BOTTLE
Filled with water, Gatorade, etc. It's very important to stay hydrated.
CARBO FILLED FOOD
Bring muesli bars, fruit, yogurt, etc. to snack on between races. Avoid lollies,
donuts, chips, chocolate and softdrink etc.
TRACKSUITS, T-SHIRTS, HATS
Bring an extra tracksuit, t-shirt, shorts to keep you warm between your races. preferably
Meters attire, if you have it. Wear your hat when not swimming!
ENTERTAINMENT
Bring along books, drawing, colouring-in and electrical games (if allowed) to stave off boredom if you arent entered in every event.
CHAIRS
Some pools dont have grandstands or curley bells, find out and bring a chair if needed.
STATIONERY
Bring a nikko to write race events on arm or leg as well as pens and highlighters to mark your programme.
THINGS TO KNOW AND REMEMBER
•Be on time for warm-up
•Don't eat right before your race
•Try your hardest...it doesn't matter if you're first or last
•Make sure you know when you're swimming and what events you are swimming.. pay attention!
•Write your race number on your arm or leg to remind you.
•Keep hydrated!
At the Swim Meet....
Warm-up
At the beginning of every meet, there will be a warm-up session to get you ready for your races. Practice the strokes you will be swimming, your turns and your starts. Ask your coach for the specific warm-up you should do. Always enter the pool FEET first for warm-up. Also, the dive sprints at the end of the warm-up, when lanes are opened up for that purpose, are a part of warm-up, along with a short warm- down to loosen up. Start a racing dive from the starting blocks. Dive sprints are one length of the pool, one-way.
Events
The event is the race you are swimming, such as 8&under 25 Back, 11-12 100 Free, etc. Distance
In a short course pool...
25 Meters....................1 length of the pool
50 Meters....................2 lengths of the pool
100 Meters..................4 lengths of the pool
200 Meters..................8 lengths of the pool
Heats
In an event, there are many more swimmers that there are lanes in the pool. Therefore the
number of swimmers entered in each event must be split up into heats. Heats are like groups.
Meet Programme
The programme will tell you what event you are swimming and when. It tells you the event, heat and lane you are going to swim in. It's a good idea to buy one. Event results will also be posted on the wall on the pool deck.
Disqualified
When someone is disqualified (DQ), it means that a swimmer didn't touch the wall with two
hands on fly or breast, or touched the bottom of the pool or did an illegal kick. Everybody
gets disqualified at some time, but try not to and try to learn from it.
False Start
Diving off the blocks before the beeper or gun starts
I.M. or Individual Medley
A race where you swim 25, 50, or 100 Meters of each of the four strokes in the following
order...Fly, Back, Breast and Free.
Relays
A race that you compete in with three of your teammates. When the person before you in the relay touches the wall, you dive in and swim the appropriate distance and stroke. When you touch the wall, the next person will dive in and swim his or her distance and stroke. There are two types of relays - Freestyle, where all four swimmers swim freestyle, and the Medley relay in which each swimmer swims one of the four strokes in the following order...Back, Breast, Fly, Free. (Notice that the order of strokes for the Medley relays is different from the
individual medley).
Good luck and have fun at all of your swim meets!! If you have any questions ask your coach and GO MARLINS!!!
.
