Happy Hump Day!
Here we go! First home meet is tomorrow.
Remember, we are still offering practice in the mornings before the meets. This is something new we’re trying this summer.
We had a slight problem with the entries, so if you see your swimmer in events for a younger age group than your swimmer should be in, please ignore those. Like if your swimmer is 11 years old, but listed in an event for a 9 year old, ignore that one. These will be correct for tomorrow night, but we wanted to get these entries out to you. Computers…¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Home Meet – East Kentwood, Wayland and Grandville at NCST
4:30 – Swimmers – Highlight your name at check in and report on deck to your coaches ready to swim
4:30 – Swimmer warm up begins
5:00 – Swimmers who have not checked in will be scratched
5:30 – Swim Meet begins
This is our first Summer meet, so please be patient as we get our groove back!Entries
Make sure you write your swimmer’s events on his or her hand or arm (See below for details).
Download the 6/20 Meet Entries
Oh, you’re a First Timer? Here’s some more information
This is our usual spiel for a Saturday morning meet, please adjust as needed for this Thursday night one.
Make sure your swimmer arrives with ample time to check-in and warm-up.
Check-in
Your swimmer must check in so that the event coordinators know he or she is there. If your swimmer does not check in, he or she will be scratched from the events.
Check in is either with a person at a desk or you highlight your name on a list – it depends on location. Go with the flow when you arrive, you’ll figure it out.
Once checked in, swimmers proceed to the locker room and swim deck and find your team and Coach. The team generally sits together and cheers each other on. Parents up to the balcony to watch.
Your athlete will want 2 towels, one to sit on, one to dry off with. Healthy snacks is a good idea, remind them to clean up after themselves. Something to entertain themselves between events may be a good idea – electronics are discouraged (it’s a wet pool after all.)
Don’t forget your goggles! In fact, bring an extra pair if you have them.
Warm-up
Coaches will warm up the athletes.
Check in Cut Off
Any swimmers who have not checked in will be scratched from the meet.
Meet Starts
Once the meet starts, athletes need to listen for their events to be called. They will be marshaled ahead of time to keep the meet moving.
This is where it helps for the swimmer to have event numbers written on his or her arm. Note, we won’t know the heat and lane numbers until the day of the meet. So, just write the event number, distance and stroke on your athlete’s arm.
Please do this the night before, this is a parent’s responsibility. Coaches will be occupied warming the swimmers up.
For example, this swimmer is swimming event #4, a 200 yard relay (that is what the R is), he is in the B relay and will be crushing the fly stroke. He is also swimming event #16, the 100 yard individual medley. Then finishing the day in event #24, the 50 yard free. Event numbers are not the same for every meet – so double check. Also note in the background, this swimmer’s parents pestered him enough to lay out his swim bag, competition suit, goggles and comfy clothes for after the meet so he was all ready to go in the morning.
Remind your swimmer they are representing themselves and our community. Be respectful of the facility and other swimmers – clean up before they leave. Cheer their teammates on and have fun! Swimmers should focus on improving on their own times and contributing to the team overall.
Don’t forget to read our First Timer guide online too. Especially the part about Heats and Events (your swimmer may win a heat, but not the overall event. Some events have many heats.)
Good luck everyone!
