At the beginning of the season, we run a mini-swim meet for only our club.

Goals…

  • Establish a beginning of the season time for swimmers so that they can see how much they’ve improved over the summer
  • Introduce swim meets to new swimmers so that they know what to expect at the meets which run through the summer
  • Give parents a taste of the different jobs that are required to run a swim meet in an informal way, so that they are more comfortable signing up for duties through the season
  • Give all the kids a chance to swim some races in a fun, noncompetitive format

What to bring…

  • Team or Black bathing suit. Some swimmers like to bring multiple suits and get changed into a dry suit between races, but time trials is a very quick meet, since only our team is there. Kids are usually in the water about every 20 minutes, so there isn’t really a need to change into a dry suit
  • Lots of towels. Try to bring at least 4, so that swimmers have a dry towel after each race
  • Goggles and swim cap
  • Flip flops and warm clothes to pull on between races. Lots of kids pull on a t-shirt and then fleece sweatshirt and bottoms between races. Even if it’s warm out that night, a t-shirt is a good idea to reduce the risk of sunburn
  • Snacks

What to expect…

  • Swimmers will be grouped together by age and ability level. The events will be listed on the wall by the showers
  • One at a time, each event will be announced over the loud speakers and swimmers will be asked to go to the “Clerk of the Course”. This is the area where they will be asked to sit on some benches with the other swimmers that they will be racing with
  • The Marshall and Clerk will organize the kids and check to make sure that they have goggles
  • When it is their turn to race, swimmers will go to the timers for the lane that they have been assigned. The timer will double check that their name is correct, help them put their towels in the basket behind the chairs and help them get in position to start
  • Some new swimmers will be swimming one length of the pool, so they will then walk around to the change room side of the pool and get ready
  • The starter will tell them to “take their marks” and fire the electronic starter which will beep
  • After their race, the swimmers must go and see their coaches for a quick debrief and then you can shower them with praise over their outstanding efforts!