Swim Meet Info

Hellooooo Hammerheads!The coaches are so excited for our first meet on Saturday!We are very UNhappy that the weather has not cooperated this week!Please read through for important information (even returning swim families need to read)!

Arrival & Warm Ups:

• for away meets, arrive by 7 a.m. to check in with Coach Parker (finally back from college) and warm ups will be 7:20-7:50 a.m.
• for home meets, arrive by 6:40 to check in, warm ups are 6:50-7:20 a.m.

*Addresses for away meets, as well as hosting team information-directions, will be posted on the Hammerheads website.Be sure to check travel time.

Meet Times:

meets start at 8 a.m. and most are done around noon, give or take 30 min.(not accounting for weather delays)

Entries:

Swimmers are allowed to swim a maximum of 4 events for dual meets, either 3 individual events and 1 relay or 2 and 2.I try to put everyone in at least 1 relay (this is why it’s important you let me know if your swimmer will not be there)

Heat Sheet:

Once entries are sent, the computer operator combines both teams’ entries and creates a heat sheet.Usually we receive this some time on Friday.Make a standing Friday night date with your printer and be sure to bring your heat sheet with you on Saturday.We will email it AND post it on the website.

Absences:

If you know you won’t be attending a meet, please follow the RSVP instructions on the website and respond by Sunday nights so I can start on next week’s entries.If your swimmer is sick during the week and you’re not sure how they will feel on Saturday, I can put them in individual events only.If they do miss, it won’t affect relays. (and tell them I said get well soon!)If your swimmer wakes up Friday night or Sat. morning sick, please text me 904-945-6564 as soon as you know.I’ll start looking for subs as soon as I wake up.Much easier to do this than when I arrive at the meet.

What to Wear:

team suit (we are converting to the black suits but it will take a couple of years), team t-shirt (write your swimmer’s name on the tag), shoes and don’t forget your cap and goggles!!

What to Write:

1.  On your swimmer’s right back/shoulder, please write last name, first name and underneath that write HLH (this helps ready bench get the kids lined up and timers to ensure they have the right swimmer in the right lane).

2.  E/H/L: Event, Heat, Lane written on swimmer’s forearm

• Swimmers are entered into events, such as Boys 13-14 50 yd brst
• If there are more than 6 swimmers, they are divided into Heats
• Then each swimmer in each heat is assigned a lane number
• This way when timers push their buttons, the time is put into the computer for the swimmer assigned to that lane

*swim parents may also want to write the events on their arm so you don’t miss your child’s swim

What to Bring:

tents, chairs, coolers, drinks, healthy snacks, towel, extra towel, money for food truck/concessions, sunscreen, bug spray, hair ties, Sharpie Permanent Marker(s), games/toys to keep swimmers busy between events, the heat sheet, big smiles, and positive attitudes!

How a Swim Meet Runs:

• Announcer calls events to the ready bench
• Take your younger swimmer or send your older swimmer to the ready bench when his/her events are called
• The ready bench volunteers will help line up the swimmers by Event / Heat / Lane
• They will move them forward as other heats swim
• Keep an eye on the flip chart indicating what event is in the water
• Watch your swimmer and yell like crazy (I’ll tell you now they won’t be able to hear you)
• Be proud when your swimmer shakes the hand of the next swimmer
• Meet your swimmer when they finish their race
• Ask them what their time was and hopefully it’s faster than the time on the heat sheet (that’s their fastest time so far)

*All swimmers should check in with the coaches after they swim for tips, pointers, high fives, and Yes! The PR dance is back!If they beat their old time we’ll have a special celebration for them.

*** Sportsmanship *** This is a BIG deal to me and please talk to you swimmer about this. The Hammerheads are known for having great sportsmanship and I want to continue this. Please remind your swimmer to shake the hand of the swimmer in the next lane! Everyone in the pool is trying their very best so whether you won your heat or missed it by a hair, we want to congratulate everyone for their hard work.

Congratulations:

If you happen to miss your swimmer’s event, ask them their time, ask them how their dive felt, ask them if they gave 100% effort and tell them how much you enjoyed seeing them swim!(we’ll never tell if you missed it!)

After the Meet:

• When your child is done swimming, double check with Coach Susan that he/she is not needed to fill in on a relay.
• Clean up your area and make sure your swimmer has all their gear
• Get your swimmer a treat if they got new PRs (personal records – new best times) and don’t focus on place

Results:

• The computer operator volunteers will work hard to get the meet completed and results sent to the coaches as soon as they can
• When the coach wakes up from her nap (ha ha) she’ll import the results into the team database and print a “Results with Improvement” report.She’s looking for minus signs showing swimmers improved their times!!
• Remind your swimmer that as they become faster, it’s harder to take off large amounts of time.
• The time on the heat sheet (best time to date) may be from Champs/end of season last year so hard to beat it early this year
• Coach will upload times into Swimtopia website so you can track your times.
• Set a goal for the next week

RSVP for the Next Meet:

Coach Susan usually starts working on entries for the next meet early (they are due by Wed. and she needs time to get them all done) so RSVP ASAP.

Ribbons:

Volunteer(s) will print labels for ribbons and put them in the ribbon boxes.These will usually be available Tuesday mornings at practice (one box for boys, one box is for girls).