B Meets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We pre-seed with combined heats (eg, 13-18 girls; 10U mixed) based on times, we create a program/heat sheet, we don’t use cards, and we have junior coaches act as kind but efficient drill sergeants to ensure every swimmer is in clerk of course. Our team is 175 swimmers, but we are usually done by 8:30 when starting at 6. Also, we don’t delay and will start early if possible.

WHat do you use instead of cards?

We run B meets exactly like A meets. Heat sheets, timers put times on pre-printed time sheets, multiple data people, etc.

How many data people do you have? If not cards, does each lane of timers just have sheets with all swimmers in each event? This requires both teams to seed the meet? Do you allow swimmers who didn’t declare to show up and swim?

We require all swimmers to sign up by Saturday night after the A meet and pick their two events. We don’t allow swimmers who have not signed up. We pre-seed both teams into heat sheets just like an A meet, and timers have the heat sheets with places to record the times. We have 3-4 data people at B meets.

[Anonymous]

Clerk of Course needs some experienced volunteers to keep things moving and communicate with coaches so everyone is where they need to be.

[Anonymous]

There are certain pools where we know it’s going to be a long night because they just don’t ever run meets efficiently. They don’t consolidate heats or events because they are rigid about doing things a certain way, and are generally laissez faire about kids getting to coc on time. There seems to be no sense of urgency in cranking through the many free and back heats, where most of the time suck happens.

On the other hand, some home team reps & coc fully acknowledge their limitations and ask the other team’s coc to take the lead. Big props to them.

[Anonymous]

Pp again. It obviously also makes a big difference when the meet is at an 8 lane pool vs 6 lanes.

[Anonymous]

there are definitely ways to speed it up- having a CJ is the big one. The other big one is the coach not letting kids try strokes they are no where close to legal in. Either having the meet preseeded, or making sure the CoC is really on top of it and always has kids ready to swim makes a huge difference. (Even if the meet is preseeded, CoC is still the key to making sure the meet moves fast.) But the reality it if you have 150 swimmers at the meet, and the other team brings 150 swimmers, and you are swimming in a 6 lane pool- its going to be slow.
Its one thing to not dq 6 and unders- but not writing dq's at b meets isn't doing anyone any favors- yes the meet goes fast, but kids are just getting ingrained illegal habits, and its hard to know who actually knows how to swim the strokes.

[Anonymous]

We don't have lights on deck. When it gets too dark, we stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our meet on Monday had tons of partially full heats. Seemed like a waste.

Newbie here: why does this happen? Is it just people not showing up, or do they actually intentionally have heats with less than 6 people in them (and if so, why?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our meet on Monday had tons of partially full heats. Seemed like a waste.

Newbie here: why does this happen? Is it just people not showing up, or do they actually intentionally have heats with less than 6 people in them (and if so, why?)

Sometimes the numbers are just bad. Imagine a 6-lane pool with 8 swimmers scheduled for an event. Even if one no-shows, you still have to run two reasonably balanced heats and both will effectively be half-empty. If adjacent events allow combining in the moment the meet staff will often try to do it, but it's a recipe for chaos. Combining means changes in lane assignments, changes for timing and recording, and changes for automation. Add the fact that younger kids in B meets are sometimes less experienced swimmers, put in a dash of on-deck chaos, turn up the noise level, and stir. Oh, and pull this all off in about 10 seconds so the meet can keep moving.

[Anonymous]

The length of your B meet is related to the team sizes of both teams, maximum stroke limit per swimmer, efficiency and processes of on deck volunteers, and the number of DQs (DQs slow the meet down).

[Anonymous]

lol, we are MCSL, so maybe this doesn’t happen in NVSL but meet has to be done and cleaned up by 9 pm per pool board regulations having t do with insurance and liefeguards. If it isn’t, we stop where we are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We pre-seed with combined heats (eg, 13-18 girls; 10U mixed) based on times, we create a program/heat sheet, we don’t use cards, and we have junior coaches act as kind but efficient drill sergeants to ensure every swimmer is in clerk of course. Our team is 175 swimmers, but we are usually done by 8:30 when starting at 6. Also, we don’t delay and will start early if possible.

WHat do you use instead of cards?

We run B meets exactly like A meets. Heat sheets, timers put times on pre-printed time sheets, multiple data people, etc.

What do you do when the other team doesn’t run their b meets that way?

I think you 1) agree ahead of time that you will do things this way and 2) don't schedule a B meet with them next season if they don't co-plan. Some of our B meets are returns year after year.

[Anonymous]

We don't pre-seed but swimmers are limited to two events, plus IMs if offered. Signups close on Sunday afternoon. Coach reviews entries and won't let kids swim if they are nowhere close to legal.

Opposing team brings a chief judge to help speed DQs.

Strong clerks of course who can keep things moving and know when to consolidate heats

We have 3 data people at B meets but they don't hold things up. They are usually finishing things up after the meet ends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't pre-seed but swimmers are limited to two events, plus IMs if offered. Signups close on Sunday afternoon. Coach reviews entries and won't let kids swim if they are nowhere close to legal.

Opposing team brings a chief judge to help speed DQs.

Strong clerks of course who can keep things moving and know when to consolidate heats

We have 3 data people at B meets but they don't hold things up. They are usually finishing things up after the meet ends.

Those with 3-4 data people at B meets - do you have one reading the times, one entering and 2 verifying like A meets?

[Anonymous]

Could any other teams share their sign-up rules? This is a big conversation within our team right now. We want to give swimmers the most opportunity we can to swim different strokes, win ribbons, etc but have to contend with the logistics of finishing the meet at a reasonable hour.

These are our current rules:
1) If swimmer didn't swim in preceding A meet, they can swim any two strokes plus IM.
2) If swimmer swam one stroke in preceding A Meet, they can swim one stroke for ribbons, one as exhibition and IM. They cannot swim the strokes they swam on Saturday.
3) If swimmer swam two strokes in preceding A Meet, they can swim one stroke (other than what they swam on Saturday) as exhibition plus IM.

Thanks to anyone who can share their group's rules!

[Anonymous]

MCSL pool:

You cannot swim an event at a B meet in which you scored points at an A meet.

Kids can’t swim IM unless legal in all 4 strokes

Kids can swim 3 individual events plus IM total

We have around 175 kids on team.