What to Expect at Your First Swim Meet
If this is your first swim meet, don’t worry! Here’s what to bring and what to expect so you and your swimmer feel prepared. 💙
🎒 What Do I Bring to a Swim Meet?
🏊 Team Swimsuit, Team Swim Cap & Goggles
Make sure your swimmer has their team suit, cap, and goggles. An extra pair of goggles is always a good idea in case a pair breaks during the meet!
🧺 Towels
Swimmers will be in and out of the water throughout the meet. Pack at least 2–3 towels. Your swimmer will especially appreciate having a dry towel at the end of the meet!
⛺ Chairs & Something Comfortable to Sit On
Most families bring camping chairs and tents/canopies for the team area. Tents/canopies can usually be set up around 4:00 PM.
🥨 Snacks & Drinks
Swim meets can last around 3 hours, so bring plenty of snacks and drinks to keep your swimmer fueled and hydrated. There will also be concessions available.
👕 Extra Clothes
Bring sweatpants, sweatshirts, T-shirts, or other warm, comfortable clothing. Swimmers need to stay warm between events—and there’s nothing worse than putting on cold, soggy sweatpants! 🥶
🖊️ Sharpie, Pen & Highlighter
A Sharpie is used to write your swimmer’s events on their arm. A highlighter can also be helpful for marking your swimmer’s events on the heat sheet.
⏰ What Should I Do Before the Meet Starts?
📍 Arrive Early
Arrive early enough for your swimmer to get settled, find the team area, and be ready for warm-ups. Warm-up times will be communicated before each meet.
📋 Find the Heat Sheet
The heat sheet lists all swimmers participating in each event. It tells you the event, heat, and lane your swimmer is assigned to.
You can also find the event list in Swimmingly, but last-minute changes can happen, so always check the heat sheet at the meet.
✍️ Write Your Swimmer’s Events on Their Arm
Use a permanent, waterproof marker such as a Sharpie to write each swimmer’s event number, heat, and lane on their arm.
This helps your swimmer remember:
- 🏊 What events they are swimming
- 🔢 Which event number to listen for
- 🔥 Which heat they are swimming
- 📍 Which lane they need to line up behind
📝 Understanding the Abbreviations
E = Event Number
H = Heat Number
L = Lane Number
The last section identifies the distance and stroke:
- FR = Freestyle
- BK = Backstroke
- BR = Breaststroke
- FL = Butterfly
- IM = Individual Medley
For example, an event written as E: 25 | H: 2 | L: 4 | 50 FR means your swimmer is swimming Event 25, Heat 2, Lane 4, 50-yard Freestyle.
🏊 Event Number: Identifies the distance, stroke, and age group for the race.
🔥 Heat Number: Used when there are more swimmers entered in an event than can race at the same time. Swimmers are divided into multiple heats.
📍 Lane Number: Indicates which lane your swimmer will race in.
🏁 The Meet Starts!
📋 Know Your Swimmer’s Events
It’s important for swimmers to know which events they are competing in. Once again, the heat sheet and Sharpie are a swim parent’s best friends! 😊
📣 Listen for Event Announcements
Upcoming events are announced over the loudspeaker, asking swimmers to report to the starting blocks or staging area.
Swimmers should report with their cap and goggles on and ready to swim. 🏊♀️
📍 Report to the Blocks
When your swimmer’s event is called, they should report to the blocks or staging area.
When possible, have your swimmer check in with the lane timers to make sure they are in the correct lane and heat.
👨👩👧 Parents Can Watch From the Side of the Pool
Parents are welcome to watch and cheer from designated spectator areas. Parents are not permitted behind the starting blocks or in the coaches’ area unless they are fulfilling an assigned Workshare job.
📣 Cheer Loud & Have Fun!
Swim meets are exciting! Cheer for your swimmer and the entire team, and celebrate everyone’s effort. 💙🏊♂️🎉