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USA Swimming Safety Notice to Parents
To avoid risk of serious injury, no swimmer who has not been properly trained should attempt to
perform a racing start, from either a starting block or the side of the pool, into less than six feet
of water.
USA Swimming has implemented a racing start certification program where a swimmer’s coach
documents his or her professional judgment that a swimmer has demonstrated sufficient skill to
safely perform a racing start into four feet of water.
Although somewhat unusual, swimmers do not always participate in swimming competitions
under the supervision of a certified coach. It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure the
swimmer does not attempt to perform a racing start in less than six feet of water if the swimmer
has not been properly certified by the swimmer’s coach to do so.
A WEEK OR SO BEFORE THE MEET the entries for the meet will be posted on the Meet Schedule on our web site as a link entitled “Entries” and this list will give you the event numbers of each event for which the coach has entered you. An email will be sent by the coach prior to each meet which will give you: a list of the meet events by number and what day each event is and the warm-up times for your age group. Directions to the meet will also be posted on the Meet Schedule page as a link. Most all of this information, other than your individual events, can also be found in the “Meet Letter” which will be posted on our web site as a link on the Meet Schedule associated with the Meet in question as soon as it is made available by the hosting club (this is usually months prior to the meet).
WHAT TO WEAR — Most swimmers wear their team suits to the meet with sweats or parkas over the suits. After swimming an event, you can put your parkas or sweats on between events. Parents should wear layers or a short sleeve shirt, as the pool area is always very warm.
WHAT TO TAKE PACKING— Bring several towels for drying off after each event. Also, bring a book, deck of cards, game boy, or other items to help pass the time between events. A small cooler with fruit, drinks, and snacks is also nice. Food-including snacks, sometimes breakfast, and usually lunch is sold at the consession stand at most meets.
WHAT TO EAT BEFORE AND AT THE MEET---There are plenty of things that will work, and as you have found what is good for one swimmer is not as good for another. Some of the choices will vary based on timing - what works if eaten three or more hours prior to a meet might be a bad choice eaten 30-minutes prior to a meet!
The meal decision requires some real-world testing, and with a day or two to go before the meet it may be a bit too late to try new things. I suggest you go with what you know works for each of them, regardless of whether it is a breakfast, lunch, or dinner type of meal. What is their favorite pre-swim meal? Go with it! It could be pasta, noodles, rice, cereal, toast, eggs, a sub-type sandwich, pancakes, waffles, even a peanut butter sandwich - as long as it is a meal that hits the main food groups, is easy for them to digest, and is familiar to them.
Get that main meal done two to three hours prior to swimming, then "keep the fuel tank topped off" with easy to digest, lighter foods - fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, raisins, pears, etc.), power bars, sport drink, pretzels, pop-tarts, a simple sandwich (peanut putter and banana, banana and honey, jam, etc.), low-fat pudding, rice cakes, plain toast, etc.
Feed ’em what you know is good for them and what they think of as tasting good and that they feel good eating. Later on, try a few different things prior to swim practices and learn what other choices may work for your swimmers.
WRITE ON YOUR HAND — The best way to keep up with your event numbers and strokes is to write them on the back of your hand or body with a sharpy. It might look like this:
#72 100 back
#76 50 fly
#80 100 free
This information is given to you by the coach the week of the meet. (See first section.) Once the heat sheets are posted at the meets, you can add the heat and lane in which you are swimming beside the event on the back of your hand.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE — Plan to arrive at the meet at least 15 minutes before your warm-up time. As soon as you arrive, look for the place to sign in. It will either be papers posted on a wall or on a table and will be a list of names and all events in which each swimmer has been entered. Each age group and sex may have a separate sheet. You must circle or highlight your name and all events in which you have been entered (or follow any instructions given). Failure to sign in before warm-ups end will cause you to be scratched from the events.
REPORT TO THE COACH — After you have signed in and deposited your belongings, report to the coach on the pool deck for warm-ups. Warm-up time is limited and the pool will be very crowded, so you will need to make the best possible use of this pool time. After warm-ups, return to your "camp area" or sit on the bleachers and watch until it is time for your event. (Put on sweats or parka to stay warm.)
PSYCH SHEETS – Psych Sheets (programs) will be available for parents to purchase at each meet. This will provide a list of what Events are being swum in each session and all swimmers in each event ranked by their entry times. Parents can highlight their child and other swimmers in the Psych Sheet so they do not miss the events they are swimming. Remember that meets do not always begin with Event 1. If distance swimmers compete on Friday night, the Saturday meet might begin with event 11 or higher. Sunday’s meet will be a continuation in event numbers.
HEAT SHEETS — After the sign-in sheets come down, the host team will enter into the computer all of the swimmers that did not sign in and then “seed” the meet with only those swimmers that are present. This is the process in which each swimmer is assigned a heat and lane for each event. Once this has been completed the host will post the “Heat Sheets” which list the heat and lane that each swimmer will swim in for each event. Events are swum slowest to fastest, which means the final heat in each event will be the fastest swimmers with the fastest recorded time prior to this event. Each heat is also seeded from fastest to slowest as follows: starting with the fastest swimmer in lane 4, lane 5, lane 3, lane 6, lane 2, lane 7, lane 1, lane 8. At some meets, in addition to the Psych Sheets, the Heat Sheets for each session are available for purchase also.
RESULTS — Results of each event are computerized and posted on a wall as soon as they are printed out. You can check the results to get your official time and place. Awards for each meet vary. Some meets give medals for the top six swimmers and ribbons for 7—12. Some give ribbons for more places. Some give ribbons to each heat winner. Remember to record your times in your log book so you can chart your improvement throughout the season. Competition is stiff at an U.S. Swimming meet, but new swimmers take incredible amounts of time off from meet to meet. Focus on your progress in terms of the amount of time improved, not necessarily on what your place was.
ELECTRONIC TIMING — Most pools have electronic touch pads in each lane to record times. Each swimmer should make a good, solid touch. Other "people" timers are used for back-up. A gun with blanks or an electronic beep with a strobe light is used for starting each race.
FALSE STARTS — A false start occurs when a swimmer leaves the block top early or there is a problem with the gun or equipment. In the event of a false start, the recall starter sounds the gun of beep repeatedly signaling swimmers to stop. A rope is also lowered into the water to stop swimmers who do not respond to the signals. If all these fail, a coach or older swimmer jumps in to stop the swimmer! If the false start is the result of your starting before the beep or gun, you will be disqualified from that event. If this is the case, the starter will tell you personally.
OFFICIALS — Many officials are present on the pool deck in a sanctioned U.S. Swimming meet. They usually wear white. Most meets have a referee, starter, recall starter, a stroke judge for each 3 (or 4) lanes of the pool, and two turn judges on the end of the pool. Each lane also has two (or more) timers present as a back up to the electronic system. This organization and structure ensures that each U.S. meet is run consistently throughout the national organization and that all times are "official." Times made at U.S. Swimming meets can be used to qualify for the state and higher level meets.
DISQUALIFICATIONS — A swimmer may be disqualified by the judges or other qualified officials for not swimming a stroke correctly, making an improper turn, etc. For example, a swimmer could be disqualified for doing a flutter kick with the butterfly stroke or failure to touch the wall in a turn. Most swimmers get disqualified at some point in their swimming careers! Swimmers will be told by an official if they were disqualified and for what reason. The swimmer must see the coach after this occurs for suggestions to see that it doesn’t happen again. After the swimmer understands what the mistake was, he or she should "shake it off" and focus on his next event. Parents should be supportive, rather than critical, treating the disqualification as a learning experience.
PARENTS AT A SWIM MEET — It is a parent’s responsibility to be familiar with meet procedures and have their swimmers understand the procedures. The most important roles parents play are getting swimmers to warm-ups on time and double checking sign-ins and clerk of course routines. (New swimmers seem to catch on fast to the logical chain of events.) Then a parent can sit back, cheer for the swimmers, and enjoy the meet. Parent’s are asked not to be on deck unless they are timing. In fact, U.S. Swimming rules state that only swimmers, coaches, timers, and officials are allowed on deck. If you are asked to leave the deck, please don’t take it personally.
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