Swim Meet 101
When and Where?
We have 3 home meets and 3 away meets this season. Most of our meets are on Tuesday evenings.
What time do they start and how long will they last?
All dual meets will start @ 5:30 PM. Warm ups typically begin at 4:30 PM. Coaches will ask swimmers to arrive ~4:15 PM to find their coaches, get set up, and figure out their events prior to warm ups starting. City Meet and League Finals will run on a different schedule (morning sessions for 10 and under, afternoon session for 11 and over).
What age group is my child in?
Your child’s age group is determined by their age on May 31. They will remain in this same age group for the entire season, regardless of whether they celebrate a birthday during the season.
How long do they last and do we need to stay for the whole meet?
Depending on the size of the teams competing, meets can last from 2.5 to 3.5 hours. New Sherwood is one of the larger teams in the league. 6 and Under swimmers compete in the first event of the meet @ 5:30 – freestyle relays. Events then progress from youngest to oldest in the following order: medley relays, freestyle, butterfly, individual medley, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle relays. 6 and Under swimmers are finished after backstroke. 7 and older swimmers compete all the way until the end, finishing with freestyle relays at the end of the meet. You are free to leave once your swimmer finishes their events, but you MUST check out with the coaching staff to be sure they are not entered in later events before you leave.
What happens during a thunderstorm at a meet?
In the event of a thunderstorm, a meet may be temporarily delayed. Families will be asked to clear the pool deck and return to their cars until it is safe to restart the meet. Games, books and movies in the car are especially good distractions during these times. If a meet has progressed past the halfway point (individual medleys or “IMs” completion) and cannot resume that evening, then a meet can be “called” as final. If it has not reached the end of the IM events, then it will be rescheduled for another evening.
What do we need to bring?
The 4 basics, of course– swimsuit (team suit is not required but encouraged for unity), goggles, swim cap, and a towel. Sunscreen is recommended. Deck chairs will be set up, but due to crowd size, may not always be available, so we encourage you to bring your own chairs. Also encouraged are coolers for drinks and snacks. All meets will sell concessions (selections may vary by pool, but typically include some type of dinner items, as well as chips, fruit, candy and drinks), so cash is preferred. Games, coloring books or toys without small parts are helpful in providing distraction for little ones during long waits. The pool is NOT open for recreational swimming during meets.
How will I know what events my child is swimming?
A heat sheet will be available via SwimTopia App system for your review before arriving at the meet. You may want to print a hard copy to mark at home. Limited printed heat sheets will be available at the meet and an entry board will be posted in the Stingray Zone which will have a heat sheet and entries list alphabetically by last name. We encourage arm (or leg) markings on each swimmer with this information as well as which heat and lane they are in (all of this information can be found on the heat sheets). Coaches, big buddies and Stingray Zone parents can assist in this.
What is the Stingray Zone?
This is a designated area under shade tents that we rope off to corral all 10 and under swimmers. This year, our Stingray Zone will be off of the deck (either on playground/basketball courts or tennis courts) to reduce crowding on deck. We provide games (card games, board games, etc…) to keep their attention and ask that if you see your child after their event, please direct them to always return to this SZ area after they finish swimming. We ask for parent volunteers to man this area at every one of our swim meets (home and away). 10 and under parents are asked to commit to 2 shifts in the Stingray Zone per season. Parents will sign up for a specific age group gender (ie. 7-8 Girls or 6U Boys) and these parents will ensure children are safe and will help gather them for upcoming events to take to the Clerk of Course (COC) benches. Coaches or COC workers will assist swimmers from there to the start line before their events. A child sitting with you can easily miss their event, so we need all parents' help to ensure their children return to the SZ after their events.
Why is my child swimming in a relay with older children?
Sometimes a child will swim “up” in age group to fill an empty spot in an older relay. Children are allowed to swim up in age, but never down. It is not common but does occasionally happen.
