First swim meet question

[Anonymous]

We are brand new to USA Swimming and meets. My 10 year-old son is competing in October just to get a 50 meter time in all the strokes (if he's not DQ'd which we know is a possibility). Please LIFT me - how do these meets work? Will it be obvious when we get there when he's supposed to race and which lane? What are the expectations for sticking around after he's done with those four races? He definitely won't win, so we don't have to stay, right? We're so clueless.

[Anonymous]

You can leave as soon as he's done.

For a big meet, he may want a watch or phone to contact you, as you will not be allowed on deck or in the locker room.

Make sure he understands the start signal so he doesn't false start. Most of newbies false started my daughter's first year on team because the coach assumed everyone knew the start signal.

[Anonymous]

You should check the meet sheet ahead of time and write down all your kid's event, heat, and lane #s (you'll see 8&Us with this info Sharpied on their arms - older kids probably just hold on to it somewhere?). There may be a clerk of course, but most likely, swimmers will be expected to find their own way to their events. Depending on how many swimmers your club is sending, coach(es) may do some traffic direction for events with lots of kids, but bottom line, expect your child to need to take responsibility for getting himself to the deck for his events.

[Anonymous]

Awesome info! Thank you thank you! Keep it coming. We are so green.

[Anonymous]

If he has a large and organized club, he will sit with them and they will get him to his races. It will be boring for you- bring a book

[Anonymous]

SafeSport in general prevents parents from being on the pool deck unless they're volunteering. It's up to the coaches to get the kids lined up for their events.

My kid uses a heat sheet to keep track of the meet, basically to make sure she knows when to cheer for her friends.

Watching from the stands is so boring -- bring something to do -- or volunteer to time! Timing is easy and makes everything go faster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can leave as soon as he's done.

For a big meet, he may want a watch or phone to contact you, as you will not be allowed on deck or in the locker room.

Make sure he understands the start signal so he doesn't false start. Most of newbies false started my daughter's first year on team because the coach assumed everyone knew the start signal.

RMSC kids are expected to be able to go off racing blocks before they get in the club.

[Anonymous]

Quick, friendly note that presumably a meet in October will be 50 yards and not 50 meters. Seems like a nit, but there are a couple different courses in USA swimming and you’ll track times separately for each. Good luck to your son!

[Anonymous]

If you're up for it, I highly recommend volunteering as a timer. You actually get to be down on the pool deck, watch kids swim, etc. While it means your son will have to stay even once he's done, for me it's been completely worth it to actually see my kids race. The stands are often crowded and hot - timing is so much better.

You should also feel free to ask his coaches some of these questions, especially whether they'll be helping him to get to the right place at the right time. Our team handled that and also writing the events on their arms.

[Anonymous]

Have your kid write his event number, and heat number on his arm in sharpie
explain to him what that means

give it to him on a piece of paper too.

a lot of the meets have estimated timelines. We look at them together. I might say, after 50 free you have time for bathroom and a snack. Or watch out, 50 back is right after 50 breast.

Figure out in advance where you will meet at the conclusion of the meet

[Anonymous]

Download and pay for meet mobile. Save your swimmer as a favorite. The day of the meet or sometimes the day before all the information for lanes and heats will be there

With a sharpie on his arm write

E. H. L

50 fr. 12. 2. 3

50 bk. 20’. 3’. 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are brand new to USA Swimming and meets. My 10 year-old son is competing in October just to get a 50 meter time in all the strokes (if he's not DQ'd which we know is a possibility). Please LIFT me - how do these meets work? Will it be obvious when we get there when he's supposed to race and which lane? What are the expectations for sticking around after he's done with those four races? He definitely won't win, so we don't have to stay, right? We're so clueless.

If the facility doesn’t have a board (big display with event/names/time) it will be really hard to know what heat is up (for you as spectator). Since your son likely will be entered NT (no time) he will be in early heats, that will help.

Don’t be afraid to ask around “what heat is this?”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can leave as soon as he's done.

For a big meet, he may want a watch or phone to contact you, as you will not be allowed on deck or in the locker room.

Make sure he understands the start signal so he doesn't false start. Most of newbies false started my daughter's first year on team because the coach assumed everyone knew the start signal.

RMSC kids are expected to be able to go off racing blocks before they get in the club.

Ok, Kramer 🌹

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can leave as soon as he's done.

For a big meet, he may want a watch or phone to contact you, as you will not be allowed on deck or in the locker room.

Make sure he understands the start signal so he doesn't false start. Most of newbies false started my daughter's first year on team because the coach assumed everyone knew the start signal.

RMSC kids are expected to be able to go off racing blocks before they get in the club.

This is NOT true at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are brand new to USA Swimming and meets. My 10 year-old son is competing in October just to get a 50 meter time in all the strokes (if he's not DQ'd which we know is a possibility). Please LIFT me - how do these meets work? Will it be obvious when we get there when he's supposed to race and which lane? What are the expectations for sticking around after he's done with those four races? He definitely won't win, so we don't have to stay, right? We're so clueless.

If the facility doesn’t have a board (big display with event/names/time) it will be really hard to know what heat is up (for you as spectator). Since your son likely will be entered NT (no time) he will be in early heats, that will help.

Don’t be afraid to ask around “what heat is this?”.

Looking for the board is a good suggestion; many locations have one. But being in early heats as NT only happens if events are seeded slowest to fastest. If OPs son is in PVS and swimming October Open, the meet announcement actually says events are being swum fastest to slowest this year, so her son would actually be in the later heats for his events.