What To Pack For A Swim Meet
Planning for a swim meet is important. Here are a few tips to help you prepare and pack for a swim meet:
- Racing Suit – Wear one racing suit. It is a good idea to pack an extra racing suit in your swim bag, just in case you need it.
- Goggles – Bring an extra pair of goggles. Sometimes goggles will break at the most inconvenient time.
- Towels – Bring at least two towels. One is often used to get dry when you come out of the water, and the other towel is used when you are changing at the end of the day.
- Swim Cap – One race cap and one practice cap works well.
- Water – Always bring several bottles of water to help keep yourself hydrated.
- Extra Clothes – Sweatpants, pajama bottoms, shorts or a Ducks t-shirt to help keep you warm between races.
- Flip Flops – Protect your feet while on the pool deck.
- Snacks – Swimmers burn lots of calories and need to rejuvenate their energy. Bring light and healthy snacks such as fruit, carrots, and cucumbers. (No chocolate or peanuts.)
- Entertainment – Even the best swimmers need some entertainment to help pass the time between events. Items can be iPods, books, magazines, a deck of cards, or a Game Boy.
- Pen/Marker – To write events on your hand.
Don’t forget to pack the day before the swim meet!
Before the Meet Starts
- Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time begins. This time will be included in the meet information that the Ducks will include in your mailbox and also will be posted on the bulletin board outside the pool area.
- Upon arrival, go into the appropriate change room and get dressed into a swimsuit.
- Parents will go to the pool spectator area. They are not allowed on the pool deck unless the pool does not have an actual spectator area and is seating parents directly on the pool deck.
- Once on the pool deck, look for your team. The Acton Aqua Ducks team sits together and cheers on their teammates.
- Put on your cap and goggles and report to the coach for warm-up instructions. A swimmer’s body needs an appropriate warm-up before the races start. Follow the coach's instructions for warm-ups. There are lane assignments for each team.
- After warm-up, return to the team area where the Ducks will be sitting and wait until the first event is called. This is a good time to go to the washroom, get a drink, or get settled in.
- The meet will usually start about 10-15 minutes after warm-ups are over.
- Parents are not allowed to approach swim officials during a swim meet. All questions concerning meet results, officiating calls, or the conduct of a meet should be pursued with the coach back at the Ducks' pool.
Meet Starts
Once the meet starts, it is important to know what event numbers the swimmer is participating in. You may swim right away after warm-up, or you may have to wait a while. Each event is assigned a number, which designates the order of events during the meet session.
Parents may want to purchase a Meet Summary Program. When the team entry is sent in, each swimmer and their previous best time (up to the date that the entry was submitted) in that event is listed.
If you are swimming an event for the first time, you will be entered as a “no time” or “NT”. A “no-time” swimmer will most likely swim in one of the first heats of the event. A Meet Summary program sheet will be available before the start of the meet that lists the actual heat and lane a swimmer will be competing in.
Plan to attend one of our “Swim Meet 101” information sessions.
Types of Events
Individual Events
- Once entered in a meet, each swimmer is assigned a heat number and lane number by the meet host for each event.
- It is the swimmer’s and coach’s responsibility to ensure the swimmer is in the proper heat and lane at the appropriate time.
Relay Events
- Relays are an important part of every meet.
- Relays are team competitions requiring four swimmers from each team in an age group to compete.
- Relays are some of the most exciting races in a meet.
- Check with the coach before the meet to determine your relay status.
Special Parent’s Note
Pool areas are usually very warm. Make sure you dress appropriately. Nothing is worse than being too hot at a swim meet—it makes the time pass slowly!
Dress appropriately for the heat of a pool area or, better yet, become an official and get involved! As an official, you get to be close to the action of the race and not roast in the rafters. Speak to the Officials Chair for more information.
