Shearwater Sharks

We hope you will find this information helpful as you prepare for your first meet of the season.

Declaring Your Swimmer

Declaring your swimmer's attendance is simply an RSVP. This allows the coaching staff to know if your swimmer will be in attendance at the meet. It is critical that the coaching staff know this by the Monday night before the meet in order to complete the meet schedule and get the information to the competing team in advance. This tight coordination enables us to run the meet efficiently. If your swimmer has not declared their attendance by the Monday night before the meet, they will be declared ineligible for that meet and have to sit it out.

• Click the green MEET ENTRY tab, and then click the green Edit tab under your athletes' names.
• For each of your athletes, select an option from the drop down list next to their names.
  • (undeclared)
  • Attending
  • Not Attending.

• Click Save to record your choices.

What Should I Bring to a Meet?

Please read the Swim Parent Checklist!

• Heat Sheets/Entry List – Print off a copy of the Heat Sheets and Entry List. These will not be available at the meet.
• Pop Up/EZ Up tent
• Chairs
• Food & Beverage – All teams provide concessions, but it is strongly recommended that you plan on snacks and lots of water for your family. Please plan on supporting your team's concessions stand. We will post concessions list prior to meet so you can plan accordingly.
• Black permanent marker – for marking your swimmer with their events.
• Swimmer equipment – Swimmers should wear their team suits and caps. Don’t forget a towel and sweats to keep muscles warn between swims!
• Plenty of sunscreen!
• Bug spray is also recommended.
• Entertainment for swimmers and siblings

What to Write on Your Swimmer?

• Use a Sharpie and write the following information on your swimmer’s right shoulder blade:
• Last Name, First Initial (i.e. – Doe, J)
• Underneath write SWS
• On one of their arms, write the following information for their races, one line per race:

Event #, Heat #, Lane #, Stroke. (If you are unsure what to write, don’t worry ask another swim parent and they will help you.

Parking

• Please be efficient, this is very important. Carpool, walk, bike, get dropped off or take a cart. Drop your family off and then bike back. Let's be good neighbors and leave parking spaces for non swimmers and staff. 

What to Do When You Get to the Pool

• Head directly to the field and set up your tent, chairs & personal belongings in the field (AKA “tent city”).
• If you are volunteering, check in for your volunteer job at the volunteer table.
• Make sure your swimmer(s) report to warmups at the designated time. Listen for the announcement. Please do not let your swimmer miss warmups. Warmups are a chance for your swimmers to get their nervousness out, check goggles, cap, etc and it’s an important part of the meet.
• Make sure your swimmer listens to the announcement for “Ready Bench” for the events they are swimming and head that way when they are called. You can walk your swimmer to the ready bench but then, due to limited space, we ask that you leave them in the capable hands of the ready bench volunteers who will ensure that your swimmer is in the right place to swim their heat.
• Enjoy watching your kids swim their races then head back to tent city to make room for the next parents on deck!

General Info

• All amenity rules are in play during meets.
• Use the bathrooms under the pavilion instead of the ones inside the clubhouse. 
• Meet Marshalls are volunteers who will be asked to keep certain areas free of traffic, direct traffic and give information. Understand they are parents, like you who are volunteers. 

Location of Important Stations:

• Ready Bench­ will be behind the starting area on the pool deck. 
• Volunteer Table just outside the lap pool gate by Tent City

What Events are My Children Swimming?

Each week on Friday before the meet on Saturday, you will receive an email that contains two important documents, in addition to more information about the meet set up, especially if we are away. The two documents you will want to review are:

• Heat Sheet – This shows all of the events in order that they will occur, and which swimmers are swimming in which events/heats.
• Entry List – This list is alphabetical by swimmer and is the easiest way to see quickly which events your swimmer is in. Upon review of these documents, if you have any questions or concerns about the events your swimmer has been entered in, please let a coach know ASAP. Please do not wait until the morning of the meet.

How to Read a Heat Sheet!

Swim Meet Events

• Events are: freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, Freestyle Relays, Medley relays (each swimmer swims a different, assigned stroke), 100 IM (Individual Medley) and 100 Freestyle (these two events are offered on alternating meets, not both at every one).
• Events alternate between male and female events
• Each event is divided into heats with up to 6 swimmers per heat, normally children are grouped in heats by times.
• The current event in the pool will be shown on a flip sign next to the computer table. There will also be a flip chart in the field will display the events that should be at ready bench.

What is a Ready Bench?

In order to get the swimmers into the appropriate lanes, we use a ready bench. There will be announcements for swimmers to report to the ready bench area about 6 events ahead of when they are to swim. This allows the volunteers to check the swimmers in and get them in the proper order for their event. Please make yourself familiar with the location of ready bench when you check in for the swim meet at each pool. You will be responsible for ensuring your swimmer reports to the ready bench area.

Cheer on Your Swimmer!

Your child has been working hard for this moment! Make sure to get a good viewing spot on deck and when your child exits the pool allow another parent access to see their child. Remember: no photography or videotaping is allowed behind the starting blocks.

Being a Good Sport and a Good Neighbor

We encourage good sportsmanship. Everyone has worked hard and should be congratulated for their efforts! We as parents and swimmers need to demonstrate this on deck. Please help take care of our facility so we will continued to be welcomed and embraced by our community.  Please clean up after yourselves before you leave the meet. Place trash in trash bins. Please do not move or remove any furniture belonging to the community.