SWIM MEET PROCEDURES:
SWIM MEET PROCEDURES:
Parking -- At most meets, parking near the pool is very limited. To ease parking issues, please reduce the number of cars being driven to the meet by carpooling when possible.
Meet Time Schedule
4:00pm – Setup crew arrives for home meet
4:30pm – Team arrives for HOME meet
5:00pm – Team arrives for AWAY meet
6:00pm – Meet begins
Order of Swimming Events:
First Half:
#1 Medley Relay 8 & under Boys
#2 Medley Relay 8 & under Girls
#3 Medley Relay 9-10 Boys
#4 Medley Relay 9-10 Girls
#5 Medley Relay 11-12 Boys
#6 Medley Relay 11-12 Girls
#7 Medley Relay 13-14 Boys
#8 Medley Relay 13-14 Girls
#9 Medley Relay 15-18 Boys
#10 Medley Relay 15-18 Girls
#11-20 Freestyle
#21-30 Butterfly
#31-40 Backstroke
Second Half:
#41-48 Individual Medley (I.M.)
#49-58 Breaststroke**
#59-68 Freestyle Relay
The order is the same for each stroke; boys compete first and then girls compete in each age group.
**2021 Northland Conference rule change on order of events:
In the past, if weather arises, we would call a meet and sometimes the last events of the evening would not get swam. This made it hard for breaststroke swimmers to qualify for the Conference meet. The conference decided that in the circumstance of impending weather for the evening, events can be changed IN ADVANCE by the 2 team presidents, so that Breaststroke could be swam. If that were to happen, the breaststroke COULD possibly be moved to the first half of the meet. Please be aware of this change and how it may affect your swimmer.
Plan on the meet lasting 4 to 4 1/2 hours, including clean up time.
Other Meet Logistics
Swimmers need to arrive for home meets by 4:30pm, and parents need to arrive prior to the start of the meet to check-in for their assigned volunteer duties.
Meet Cancelation: Regardless of weather conditions, we MUST be at a meet to avoid a forfeit. In case of inclement weather, Conference Reps and Coaches will confer on possible cancelation and rescheduling of the meet. Announcements will be made regarding cancelation and rescheduling over the PA system at the meet.
Please advise the coaches as soon as you know if you are unable to swim in a meet. The meet line-up takes hours for the coaches to prepare and must be submitted early on the day of the meet. Please be considerate of the coach’s efforts.
Pre-Meet Preparation:
- The coaching staff will inform swimmers of the relays in which they are swimming on the day of a meet.
- Directions to away meets may be found here: LOCATIONS/MAPS of all NSC pools.
- Pack swimmer’s gear: suit, caps, goggles, towels, warm-ups, Sharpie pen for writing events/heats on swimmer’s hand, etc.
- Pack parent’s gear: sunscreen, chairs, drinks, snacks, etc.
Arriving at the Meet:
- Get to the pool on time.
- Check-in with the Coaches to let them know you are there.
- For $1, you may purchase a Heat Sheet that lists the names of swimmers and the event in which they’re entered for the meet, conference qualifying times, and the fastest time for your child to-date.
- Parents check-in with Volunteer Coordinator
During the Meet:
- Parents, especially for younger swimmers, can help getting their swimmer to the Clerk of the Course on time to avoid missing their event.
- After swimming an event, swimmers should ask the timers for their “unofficial” time.
- Swimmers should be notified if they have been disqualified or “DQ'ed” in an event.
- Swimmers are encouraged to check with the coaches after they swim an event to receive helpful tips and pointers, but may not sit at the coaches table.
- Concessions, including bottled water, soda, and snacks may be available for purchase at all pools, both home and away. You are welcome to bring your own food and drink. Alcohol is not permitted at any Northland Swim Conference meet.
After the Meet:
- Pick up team and pool area.
- Volunteers will be asked to help put away equipment.
- We must leave the pool as we found it for use the next day.
Swim Meet 101
STROKES AND EVENTS:
The four competitive strokes are:
Freestyle is characterized by an alternate overhand motion of the arms and an alternating up and down flutter kick.
Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arm while on the back using a flutter kick.
Breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pulled from the breast in a heart-shaped pattern and recovered under the surface of the water except at the finish. The kick is a simultaneous somewhat circular motion similar to the action of a frog. On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch with both hands.
Butterfly consists of a simultaneous overhand stroke of the arms combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the simmer must keep both legs together and may NOT use any other kick.
The following events are in addition to the above strokes:
Individual Medley (I.M.) features all four strokes. The swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes to the backstroke, then breaststroke and finally freestyle. This event is only for swimmers ages 9 and older.
Medley Relay consists of 4 team members swimming one leg each of the four strokes. The first swimmer swims the backstroke, the second swimmer swims breaststroke, and third swimmer swims butterfly and the last swimmer swims freestyle.
Freestyle Relay consists of 4 team members swimming freestyle for each leg.
NORTHLAND CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET
All swimmers who compete in three dual meets and meet the qualifying time in an event will earn a place at the Conference Championship meet held at the end of the swim season. Qualifying conference times may be found on our website. An excellent goal for the season is to improve on time at each meet and strive to qualify for the Conference Championship meet. While a swimmer may qualify in some or all events, the swimmer is allowed to swim in only three individual events at Conference.
GENERAL NUTRITION GUIDELINES
1. Fluids and hydration are critical to maintaining the body in top training and competition shape.
a. Drink plenty of water, before during and after practice.
b. Sports drinks are good for carbohydrates, while water is good for hydration.
c. Drinks that contain sugar and caffeine, like sodas, cause dehydration.
2. A daily nutritional plan to enhance healthy growth and top performance is optimal.
a. When planning nutrition for a meet, realize that the food that is consumed 24-72 hours prior to a meet are the substances that will provide primary energy for performance. Emphasize carbohydrate-type foods and items that contain complex carbohydrates.
b. The meals eaten the day of the meet should contain lots of fluids and foods high in carbohydrates. Breakfast and lunch should be of good nutritional value and dinner should be normal.
EQUIPMENT
Competition Suit: We suggest you wear your competition suit only for meets, not for practice or recreational swimming. These suits are usually created smaller to cut down on resistance. The swim team selects a new style of suit every two years for families to purchase if desired. Swimmers are encouraged to wear the official team suit, although this is NOT required.
Practice Suit: Swimmers should have a suit that is only used for practices and recreational swimming. Girls should have a one piece with a cross back; boys should wear a jammer or drag suit.
Caps: A swim cap is worn during a race or practice to cut down on resistance and to protect the swimmer’s hair from the effects of chlorine. It is recommended that all swimmers wear a cap. Team caps also are available for purchase.
Goggles: Swimmers wear goggles during practice and competition to enhance visibility and protection from the effects of chemicals in the water.
Towel: Large beach towels work best.
Sweats: Swimmers are encouraged to bring/wear sweat suits during meets, and before/after practice.
IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO LABEL ALL PERSONAL BELONGINGS WITH A SWIMMER’S NAME BECAUSE SO MUCH OF THEIR EQUIPMENT LOOKS ALIKE.
SPIRITWEAR
Each year during Registration the team has a variety of items with the New Mark Stingrays logo to purchase for swimmers, family and friends. This is the only time these items are available for order for the year. Most items are ready for pickup at the beginning of the season.
Heat Sheets
The Heat Sheet is a paper packet/program that shows all the participating swimmers and what events they will participate in as well as the heat number and lane number. Heat Sheets can be purchased at the meet for $1. The announcer will say the event and heat number. Sometimes there is also an electronic board with this information.
Pictured below is an example of a Heat Sheet.
This Heat Sheet example shows all of the entries from two teams for the Boys 8 & Under 25 Meter Freestyle.
NM stands for New Mark Swim Team.
Seed Time is the fastest time a swimmer has swum an event.
A: The event number
B: NT means "No Time" has been recorded previously
C: The Heat number
D: The lane number
E: Northland Conference swim meet qualifying time
How to mark your child
In order to help you and your child keep track of their specific events at the meet, most families mark the events on the child similarly to the example below. First, highlight all places in the Heat Sheet where your child's name is found. Then, use that Event, Heat and Lane information to create a grid/list on your child's arm in permanent marker.
Make four (4) column headings - E, H, L, S. These stand for Event, Heat, Lane and Stroke. Go through the heat sheet and find your swimmer's name which you highlighted. For each event, write the event number, heat number, lane number and stroke in the corresponding column.
Note: For younger swimmers, write your swimmer's name in big letters on his/her arm or back. This helps the volunteers who are lining up the swimmers at the starting blocks.
In this example, the child is swimming:
Event #11, Heat 4, Lane 4, 25M Freestyle
Event #31, Heat 1, Lane 6, 25M Backstroke
Event #41, Heat 2, Lane 3, 25M Breaststroke
Event #59, Heat 2, Lane 4, Free Relay
Each swimmer is responsible for their own event schedule. Listen carefully as the events are called so that you do not miss your event.
At the conclusion of the meet, the Sharpie can be removed with alcohol-containing hairspray, hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol.
Getting disqualified
Occasionally, a judge will disqualify (or "DQ") a swimmer during their event. Typically, the judge will inform the swimmer of this at the end of their race. There are official stroke rules listed on the Missouri Valley Swimming website or on the USA Swimming website. Please visit those websites for more exact rules on each stroke. Below is a list of common reasons a swimmer is disqualified.
Freestyle: Pulling on the lane line; pushing off from the bottom of the pool
Breaststroke: Improper kick; arm pull below the hips; failure to perform two-handed touch at turn or finish
Butterfly: Flutter kick instead of dolphin kick (swimmer must keep both legs together); failure to perform two-handed touch at turn or finish
Backstroke: Rolling over to stomach as the swimmer touches the wall; improper flip turn
Relays: Leaving the starting block too soon
Once a swimmer gets disqualified, they are not eligible to place in that event no matter what their time is.
Every swimmer has been DQ'd at one point or another! Please reassure your swimmer that it is okay and that you are proud of them. The coaches will have tips for them to improve and will go over these with the swimmer in practice.
Diving into the pool
During practices, your child will receive instruction on diving off a starting block. If they are unable to do this, they are permitted to dive off the side of the pool. A swimmer is also allowed to be in the water and push off the side of the wall to begin the event.
Conference Swim Meet
All swimmers who compete in three dual meets and meet the qualifying time (listed in each heat sheet) in an event will earn a place at the Conference Championship meet held at the end of the swim season at the Springs Aquatic Center. Swimmers are allowed to swim in three individual events at the conference meet.
Conference is a very large swim meet, taking place over the course of several days. It includes prelims and finals, with the top 16 swimmers from prelims advancing to the finals. Bring everything you would for a swim meet (your lawn chairs, coolers and winning spirit!!). Heat sheets are $5 at conference and there is a concession stand for food and drink.
