What to do when you get to the pool:
Once you arrive at the meet and have settled into the team area, you should check-in with your child’s coach. You should allow yourself 15 to 20 minutes to settle in before the team warm-ups start. After the team warms up, the coaches will have a final meeting with the swimmers before they return to the team area. Once the meet starts it will be the swimmers' responsibility to make sure they get to their races on time. If you have a younger swimmer, you may want them to sit in the parent area with you. Once they get the hang of swim meets, we encourage the team to sit together on deck.
What you should know:
Your child will be given a heat and lane assignment for every event they are entered in. (This information can be obtained from heat sheets which are usually emailed to you in advance or posted on Meet Mobile). All swimmers will be required to report behind their given lane before every race. Listen to the announcer or look at the scoreboard to see which event is currently swimming, and try to ensure your swimmer is behind their lane 2-3 heats before they swim.
What to expect:
The number of events your child has entered will dictate how much down time you will have. Plan on having a fair amount of down time at your first meet; bring a book for yourself and activities for the kids, cards, games, etc. Use your down time to get to know other FST families or just spend some quality time with the family.
What to bring:
Bring your team cap, a suit, goggles (including a backup pair, just in case!), a couple of towels, sunscreen (if outdoors), drinks, and snacks. Parents may want chairs, depending on the facility. Most swim meets have a concession stand to buy drinks and food if that is your preference, but the options do not usually meet the race-day nutritional needs of an athlete. You may want to bring a highlighter to mark your heat sheet and most swimmers like to write their event information on their hands so bring a black pen (Sharpie).
Before you leave the meet:
If your child has finished all of his/her events for the day before the meet is over, you should check with the coaches before you leave to make sure your child is not needed for relays.
Ask questions:
Please feel free to ask the coaches or other FST veteran parents if you have any questions. We want all your meets to be a positive and rewarding experience, but it is impossible for the coaches to anticipate every question that may come up. The coaches can only address what they are aware of.
Disqualification:
The meet officials will disqualify swimmers for stroke infractions. Do not make a big deal about this with your child. Consider a disqualification constructive criticism.
Out of Town Meets:
Trips to meets in other cities become an important aspect of a swimmer's career while advancing through the age group ranks. Parents are encouraged to attend out-of-town meets with their swimmers. These trips can be a lot of fun for parents and swimmers alike. They also are a rare opportunity to participate in a special way in each swimmer's career.
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