Basics of a Swim Meet

An “event” at a swim meet consists of a gender, stroke and a distance.

Since there are usually more swimmers entered in each event than there are lanes, there may be several races, or “heats”, in each event.

What is a Relay? A relay is an event in which four swimmers participate in the race. All four swimmers must be present - if one swimmer is a no show, then none of the swimmers may participate in this event. Please communicate with coaches or Rapids Board members if your swimmer will arrive late or will be unable to participate.

Medley Relay: Four swimmers participate, each of whom swims a different stroke. The first swimmer swims Backstroke (BA), the second Breaststroke (BR), the third Butterfly (FL), and the fourth Freestyle (FR). An easy way to remember this is: BA, BR, FL, FR are in alphabetical order.

1. Backstroke (BA)
2. Breaststroke (BR)
3. Butterfly (FL)
4. Freestyle (FR)

Freestyle Relay: Four swimmers each swim freestyle.

Individual Medley (IM) An event in which one swimmer swims the following strokes in this order 1) Butterfly, 2) Backstroke, 3) Breaststroke, & 4) Freestyle. Length depends on age.

When will I know what event my child will be swimming during the meet? 1-2 hours prior to the meet start time, heat sheets will be emailed to all swim families. We suggest you print and bring your heat sheet to the meet with you--we will not have them there.

How to read a heat sheet and mark your swimmer's arm prior to a meet

• Prior to applying sunscreen, your swimmer's arm should be marked to reflect their event number, event heat, lane, stroke - see photo
• After the meet, the Sharpie can be removed by applying baby oil or oil-based sunscreen.
• Bull Pen & Veteran Parents will assist new families with arm marking

How to read a heat sheet

What is the difference between the IM and the Medley Relay?

• IM stands for Individual Medley. It is always swum in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
• The Medley relay consists of the same strokes, but the order is different. The Medley relay order is backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. Note that BA, BR, FL, FR is in alphabetical order.

How will my swimmer know when to report for his/her race?

• Each age-group will have a ‘bullpen,’ and the bullpen parent will help line up the swimmers before each race. The kids will need to stay in their age group bullpens for the duration of the meet! It is imperative that swimmers stay in the bullpen area so that the bullpen parents can easily and efficiently find your child. It is unfortunate when a swimmer misses his event because he was not in the right place to be lined up. Age Group Bullpen Parents are not babysitters. Parents need to supervise their younger children at the swim meets. The bull-pen parent position is a challenging job; let’s make every effort to make it as easy as we can for our parent volunteers.
• At home swim meets, the away team will sit on the side of the pool closest to the diving board. Your child must sit in the bullpen area.
• For safety reasons it is important to keep the kids out of the diving well and shallow end of the pool during the meet.

All competition is age-group competition which means that children swim against others of the same age and gender. There are two point-earning or “live” swimmers for each individual event per age group and gender; and there are two point-earning freestyle relays and two point-earning medley relays per age group and gender (except 6 & unders who do not swim the medley relay). Non point-earning individual swimmers and relays are entered into the meet as exhibition as indicated by an “X” in the meet program.

Swimming is both an individual and a team sport. Each swimmer should thrive to better their personal times from previous meets. They should also cheer and encourage their teammates because the team score is determined by total number of points, NOT by how many firsts a team wins. Please stress this to your children.

What time should I be at the swim meets with my swimmer?

• Please arrive by 4:30 pm to get settled and participate in a meet warmup.
• Meet warm-up for home meets is from 5:00 – 5:30 pm.
• Meet warm-up for away meets is from 5:30 – 5:55 pm.
• Before arriving at the pool, parents must 1) write their child’s name and age group on his/her upper back and 2) write the events/heats/lanes on his/her arm.
• Meets will start as close to 6 pm as possible (depending on the volunteers, the meet referee, and the weather).

What should I bring to the meet, other than my swimmer?

• Swim suit
• Goggles (good idea to bring a back-up pair as well)
• Swim cap
• 2 Towels (one for use during the meet and one for after the meet)
• Water bottle- it’s hot out there. It’s important to stay hydrated!
• Snacks* – although most pools will have concession stands, it is a good idea to bring healthier options (apples, oranges, granola bars, PB&J, etc.) for your kids as well
• Pen/paper- you may want to write down your swimmer’s times
• Sharpie for marking
• Dry clothes to change into after the meet
• On cool nights, a sweatshirt to help them keep warm
• Sunscreen
• Chairs for Mom and/or Dad
• Camera/Video Recorder
• Lots of positive energy

What should my swimmer eat, if anything, before the meet?

1-2 hours before the meet, try to feed your swimmer something with protein and carbohydrates- a popular choice is pasta with chicken or a sandwich. Also make sure that they are drinking water/Gatorade during the morning and hours before the meet!

How long will the meet last?

Three to four hours is the approximate length of a meet. Warm-ups start at 5 pm for the home team and 5:30 pm for the visiting team. Barring any delays, the meet is supposed to start at 6 and run until about 9 or 10 pm. Note: The 6 and unders swim early in the meet and are usually finished by 7:30, so parents, choose your volunteer assignments accordingly.

When will my child get official results/times from the meet?

Official results are sent out as soon as possible after the meet. Ribbons are distributed during practice, if your child does not receive ribbons on Wednesday, they are placed in the family’s vertical file folder.

* See full ASA Swim Meet Order of Events attached at the bottom of this page.

ASA Swim Meet Order of Events

• ASA_Meet_Order_of_Events.pdf

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