Swim Meet 101
General Tips and Suggestions
Arrive on time. Parents who are volunteering should check-in with the Volunteer Coordinator, and swimmers should check-in with their coaches. Meets can only start promptly at 6 p.m. if all volunteers are ready to go!
Warm-ups for a home meet begin at 5:00 and warm-ups for an away meet usually begin at 5:30. Please arrive 15 minutes early.
Bring a Sharpie. Many swimmers like to write their events on their arms. For example, they will put “E19 25FR.” This means they are swimming 25 Freestyle at Event 19. When they go to the Clerk of the Course (see below), they will be told what heat and lane they need to be in.
Bring a chair. Most pools have room for a chair or a blanket/towel for seating. If there's room, it's also usually acceptable to set up a canopy.
Bring cash. Some pools are only able to accept cash as payment for snacks and drinks as you enjoy the meet.
Bring water, sunscreen, a hat, and possibly a sweatshirt (a wet swimmer may be cold after dark).
Meets will last between 3-4 hours depending on the sizes of the teams and the efficiency of the meet officials.
What events will my child swim?
Once the coaches have submitted the entries, you can go to https://graftondolphins.swimtopia.com/, click on Meet Entry for the upcoming meet. That will show your child/children and the individual events and relay entries in which they are entered.
Here is an example of a relay event entry: #7 100 Freestyle Relay (A-3). This means that your child is swimming in a relay where four swimmers will each swim 25 yards/meters. Your child will be the third swimmer in the "A" relay.
What is the Clerk of Course?
The Clerk of the Course is an area of the pool set aside to line up the swimmers for the next few events. Trained volunteers arrange the swimmers so they know when and where they need to be. The volunteers will walk the younger children to the blocks.
For example, an announcement might be made: “Swimmers in events 5-8, please report to the Clerk of the Course.” Your child goes to the Clerk of the Course at this time (or you walk them there) and the volunteers get them ready to go. You may go back to your seat and enjoy the meet!
Parents/siblings/other swimmers should not stay at the Clerk of the Course nor walk their child to the blocks. This will slow down the meet and may interfere with other swimmers or the officials/timers in the meet.
Rain and Storms
The meet will proceed as long as it is safe to do so as determined by the lifeguards! Thunder and lightning will result in a 20 minute delay. In addition swimmers will need to exit the pool deck to a safe location. Please do not go home until the meet has
been officially cancelled.
If the meet is delayed or canceled, you will be notified. Typically, we will attempt to complete meets even if there is a delay in starting. If the meet is rescheduled, you will receive information about the makeup date (often it is the following day).
Sportsmanship
All spectators, athletes and coaches are reminded the RSL is committed to the development of sportsmanship, teamwork, dedication and a love for the sport of swimming.
At the end of their race, swimmers should stay in the pool until all swimmers have finished that heat. It is customary for the swimmer to shake hands or say a word of encouragement to the swimmers in the adjacent lanes before exiting the pool.
Have FUN and GO Dolphins!
