Swim Meet 101
What to Expect
First time swim meets can be chaotic, but they are a lot of fun!
Meets always start with warm-up. Each team will have an allotted amount of time to warm-up. At the same time, there is usually a volunteer meeting to get all volunteers and timers situated.
Once the meet starts, cheer on your team! Swimmers are encouraged to bring snacks, warm clothes, something to write with, and something to sit on, such as a blanket or chair.
Common Terms
Pool deck: the area that surrounds the pool. Only swimmers, timers, coaches, and other volunteers are allowed on the deck during the meet.
Event: the race being swam. They are always read as [#] [gender] [age group] [distance] [stroke], but are usually referred to by number only. For example, if you are in "Event #8 Boys 11-12 50 yd Freestyle," you might just hear "Event 8."
Heat: the group of swimmers in each event that swims at the same time. If there are more swimmers entered in an event than lanes to swim in, multiple heats, or groups, are needed so that everyone can swim. For example, if the pool has 6 lanes but 10 swimmers entered in the event, 2 heats will be needed to complete the event. Heats usually run slowest to fastest.
Heat Sheet: the document that outlines the order of events, including the heat and lane assignments for each swimmer. Everything you need to know about when and where you are swimming can be found in the heat sheet.
How to read a Heat Sheet
Heat sheets are the key to making sure that swimmers make their races, telling you the event number, heat, and lane every time they swim.
Below is a sample heat sheet. It goes in order of events, and then in order of heats within each event. Each heat lists each swimmer in their respective lane. In the next section, we will use event #13 to learn how to read the a heat sheet. Click here to download this sample heat sheet.
Example
In the picture above, let’s use Laniyah as our example, highlighted in yellow. She is swimming in the Event Name “Girls 8 & Under 25 Yard Freestyle." The heat sheet would be read as she is swimming in event 13, heat 2, lane 6.
Grids for swimmers
Grids are a common way for swimmers to keep track of their events. The grid should have three columns (for E, H, and L) and a row for each event they are swimming. (You can add an extra column for the race description too) Using a sharpie or marker, the grid can then be filled in with the correct event, heat, and lane for each race! Now your swimmer now knows exactly when and where they need to be for their events.
