Swim meets are a great family experience. They're a place where the whole family can spend time together and bond with other swim families. Meets are also a lot of fun for swimmers! They get to visit with friends, play games, meet kids from other teams, and, of course, race and see how much they have improved from all the hard work they have put in at practice.

This guide is designed to help you through your first couple of swim meets. It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but after attending one or two meets, it will all become much more routine. If you have questions, please ask Coach Quinn, Coach Donny, Coach Michelle, or another DCST parent.

1. Before the Meet
2. Arriving, Checking In & Warmup
3. How a Swim Meet Works
4. Mark the Arm & Get To The Race

Arriving, Checking In & Warmup

Arriving At The Meet

Find the Team Area

Where swimmers and parents spend time between events depends on the meet.

At small DCST home meets, families will generally sit in the bleachers, similar to the Rookie Meet.

At larger DCST home meets and some away meets, swimmers and families may be in the Sports Court, only sitting in the bleachers during your swimmers’ race. You may want to bring chairs and blankets, and swimmers will generally be with their families during downtime. Tailgating is a good analogy for how these areas are set up.

At some away meets, parents may be seated separately from swimmers, sometimes in raised bleachers with a separate spectator entrance. In these situations, swimmers may remain with their team during downtime rather than returning to their parents.

Pay attention to information sent before the meet so you know what to expect at that facility.

Check In

When your swimmer arrives, they should check in with their coach.

Some away meets also require swimmers to sign in when they arrive. If a “positive check-in” is not completed, your swimmer could be scratched from the session.

Warmups

Your swimmer should have their cap and goggles ready and report for warmup with their group.

It is very important for swimmers to participate in warmups. Warmups give swimmers a chance to get their bodies ready to race and become familiar with the pool before competition begins.

After warmups, swimmers will return to the team or family area until it is time to prepare for their first event.

Understanding Your Swimmer's Events

How a Swim Meet Is Organized

Swim meets can look a little chaotic at first, but they are actually very organized. A meet is broken down into sessions, events, heats, and lanes.

• Session: A block of the meet with its own warmup and start time. A smaller meet may have only one session, while a larger meet may have several sessions throughout the day or weekend. Meet information will tell you which session your swimmer is entered in and that session's warmup and start times.
• Event: A specific race being contested, such as the 50 Freestyle or 100 Backstroke. Events are numbered so everyone can keep track of where the meet is in the schedule.
• Heat: There are usually more swimmers entered in an event than there are lanes in the pool, so each event is divided into heats. For example, Event 12 might have six separate heats.
• Lane: Within each heat, every swimmer is assigned a lane.

Put together, your swimmer might be swimming Event 12, Heat 4, Lane 3. Those three numbers tell them exactly when and where they will race.

Timed Finals vs. Prelims and Finals

Most meets your swimmer attends will use timed finals. Each swimmer races an event once, and the final results are determined by everyone's times across all of the heats. A swimmer does not have to win their individual heat to win the event overall.

All DCST home meets are timed-finals meets.

Some larger away meets use preliminaries and finals, often shortened to prelims/finals. Swimmers race during a preliminary session, and the fastest swimmers in each event may qualify to return and race the event again during a finals session later in the day.

If your swimmer qualifies for finals, results will be posted after the event. Once finalists are announced, swimmers generally have 30 minutes to declare that they will not return for finals. DCST strongly recommends swimming finals when you qualify.

Finding Your Swimmer's Heat and Lane

Before the session begins, a heat sheet will tell you which event, heat, and lane your swimmer is assigned to. Swimmers are generally placed into heats according to their seed time. A swimmer competing in an event for the first time may be listed as NT, meaning "No Time."

For DCST home meets, heat sheets will be posted no earlier than 30 minutes before the session begins. They will be posted on the glass wall behind the starting end and, for larger meets, in the Sports Court. Heat sheets are not printed for parents or swimmers.

Some meets also provide event, heat, and lane information through Meet Mobile. Always check the posted heat sheet for relays.

Writing Events on Your Swimmer's Arm

Once the heat sheet is available, write your swimmer's event, heat, lane, and stroke information on their arm using a permanent marker. This gives them a quick way to remember what they're swimming and when they need to get ready.

Swimmers who are 8 and under generally only need the event number and stroke because they will be organized through the bullpen.

Tip: Sharpie wipes off easily with spray sunscreen.

Getting To The Race

Swimmers Age 9 and Older

Swimmers age 9 and older are responsible for getting themselves behind their assigned starting block before their race.

They should arrive with their cap and goggles ready before their heat begins.

If a swimmer is not present when their race begins, they may miss the race and will not be able to reswim it. Officials may occasionally wait briefly for a missing swimmer, but this is not guaranteed and should never be relied upon.

Swimmers Age 8 and Under

Many meets use a bullpen for swimmers age 8 and under.

If the meet uses a bullpen, swimmers will be called before their event. They should report with their cap and goggles. Parent volunteers will organize the swimmers, lead them to the pool, and place them in the correct lanes.

The announcer may say something like:

"Call to the bullpen, events 26, 27, and 28." 

If the meet does not use a bullpen, or if your swimmer is entered in an event that does not use the bullpen, they are responsible for reporting to the correct starting block before their race, just like the older swimmers described above.

During The Meet

After each swim, the swimmer should go directly to their coach. The coach will discuss the race with the swimmer, including what went well and anything they can work on.

Parents don't need to worry about analyzing stroke technique. That's the coach's job. Give your swimmer encouragement, help them get settled again, and make sure they have a chance to rest, get a drink, eat something light, or use the bathroom before their next event.

Then the process starts again for the swimmer's next race.

Keeping Track of the Meet

Swim meets move from one event to the next, with each event divided into one or more heats. It is important for swimmers to pay attention to the current event so they know when they need to start getting ready for their next race.

Events or heats may sometimes be combined to help the meet run more efficiently. For example, swimmers from two separate events may swim at the same time if there is room in the pool. Combined events and heats will be noted on the heat sheet, so pay attention to the heat sheet rather than relying only on event numbers or Meet Mobile.

At larger DCST home meets, the scoreboard is duplicated in the Sports Court so swimmers and families can keep track of the event and heat currently in the water.

At away meets, how this information is communicated varies by facility. There may be a scoreboard, a whiteboard showing the current event, announcements over the PA system, or volunteers calling out upcoming events.

Don't rely on someone specifically finding your swimmer when it is time to race. Swimmers age 9 and older are responsible for keeping track of the meet and getting themselves to the blocks on time.

Understanding the Scoreboard and Your Swimmer's Time

At the DCST pool, each lane has a touchpad in the water at the starting end of the pool. When a swimmer finishes a race, touching the pad stops the electronic timing system, and their time will usually appear on the scoreboard.

Sometimes a swimmer, particularly a younger or newer swimmer, does not touch the pad firmly enough for it to register. Don't panic if no time appears on the scoreboard or if a time appears and then disappears.

The touchpad is not the only timing system being used. Each lane also has backup electronic timing buttons and stopwatches. If the touchpad does not register properly, meet officials can use the backup timing information to determine the swimmer's official time.

You may also notice that the swimmer's final official time is slightly different from the time you originally saw on the scoreboard. This can happen when the touchpad time does not agree with the backup timing and the official responsible for determining the time uses the appropriate backup.

The scoreboard is helpful for watching the meet, but the time displayed on it is not necessarily the swimmer's official result.

Disqualifications (DQs)

Swimmers, especially newer swimmers, may occasionally be disqualified, or DQ'd, for a rule violation during a race. This is a normal part of learning competitive swimming.

If your swimmer is disqualified, their coach will explain what happened and what they can work on for next time.

What Happens If Your Child Has a Disappointing Swim?

If your swimmer has a race they're disappointed with, it's okay for them to recognize that it wasn't the result they wanted. The important thing is not to dwell on it.

Help them focus on the positive, listen to the feedback from their coach, and move on to the next race. Spending too much time worrying about one disappointing swim can make it harder to reset for the next one.

Before You Leave

When your swimmer has completed all of their individual events, check with their coach before leaving the meet.

Your swimmer may still be included on a relay. Relays may not be included in Meet Mobile, and coaches may substitute swimmers in relays during a meet.

Leaving early when a swimmer is expected for a relay can leave three teammates waiting for a fourth swimmer. Because meets have entry limits and relay changes can happen close to race time, finding a replacement at the last minute can be extremely difficult.

Always check with the coach before heading home.

Results And Awards

Results may be available in Meet Mobile, although results displayed there should be considered unofficial.

Awards are often gathered for the team and given to the coach at the end of the meet. Awards will be placed in family folders after the meet for swimmers to pick up during practice.

Important Meet Rules

Questions concerning meet results, an officiating decision, or the conduct of the meet should be directed to your swimmer's coach. The coach can pursue the matter through the proper channels when necessary. Parents should never approach an official to discuss their swimmer's race.

Parents on Deck

Parents are not allowed on deck unless they are serving in an official capacity or volunteering in a position that requires deck access.

Photography and Cell Phones

Photography and video are not permitted from behind the starting blocks at either end of the pool.

This includes spectator seating and bleachers located directly behind the blocks.

Cell phones must remain put away while you are behind the blocks on deck. Violations of photography and cell phone rules can result in removal from the facility.

One Last Thing

Once you've attended one or two meets, the rhythm becomes much easier to follow. Don't hesitate to ask another DCST parent or a coach if you're unsure about something.