Swim Meets

I wanted to share some notes regarding swim meet preparedness. Please remember that our goal as coaches is to build an environment that will foster personal growth and strength in adversity, build healthy eating and physical activity habits, strengthen interpersonal skills and leadership abilities, and encourage dedication and time management skills.

Healthy Bodies:

  • As always, a swimmer’s body needs enough rest and proper fuel in order to perform well.
  • Consider a meet night to be equivalent to a school night with regard to hours of sleep.
  • Please be attentive to pre-meet meals including both dinner the night before AND breakfast the morning of the meet. These meals should be no larger than what is usual for your child but should be comprised of lean meats and protein, a variety of fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and healthy hydration. Please bear in mind that carbonated and caffeinated beverages are not a swimmer’s friend at any point during a swim season. Maintaining a healthy level of hydration throughout the season will help muscles recover as well as perform. Water bottles should be on deck at all practices and meets.

Packing the Meet Bag:

  • 2-3 towels
  • Warm clothes to be worn during the meet in addition to dry clothes to be worn home
  • A few light snacks to be eaten between events. Remember these snacks are your child’s fuel. If you provide donuts, potato chips, and soda their bodies will perform accordingly. Consider again lean meats and good sources of protein, fruits, vegetables, pretzels or crackers(ie celery or apples with peanut butter, bananas, nuts, cheese, granola, etc. Some swimmers have difficulty consuming acidic foods or dairy products during a meet. Feel free to trial-run foods by eating them just prior to practice to see the effects). The amounts should be small. How would you feel if you attempted sprint a mile on a full belly? We expect your children to race. Please feed them accordingly.
  • A healthy beverage. This may be nothing more than a water bottle, but it could be an electrolyte-enhanced beverage as well. Please no carbonation and no acidic fruit juices.
  • We have multiple children on the team with food allergies and in order to keep them safe while also allowing the other children the freedom to choose their foods we ask that you remind your children to keep their hands and their foods to themselves.

Meet Participation:

  • Please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to the start of warm-ups so that our swimmers can secure seating and so theswimmershave ample time to prepare for their races.
  • Whenever possible leave winter coats, boots, etc with parents in the stands to minimize crowding on deck as well as to keep dry/warm clothes dry.
  • No electronic devices on deck with the exception of iPods etc to listen to pre-race music. We’d like to foster a team-building environment where the kids can work on their social skills and cheer for their teammates. Self-isolation with a nose in a DS is not conducive to this goal. We thank you for supporting this decision.
  • Please note other group activities, games, pastimes are welcome! We want the swimmers to take the time to cheer for one another, but sometimes an exciting and interactive game can go a long way to increase the energy level at a meet.
  • Please encourage your swimmer to sit with the team during the meet. It is of course okay for them to go visit after a race for a few minutes if their coach feels they have enough time. But we expect the swimmers to be present on deck, cheering for their teammates, solidifying friendships and making new ones, and in meet mind-set for when we send them up to the blocks. We expect swimmers to check in with us before and after each event to receive reminders and feedback.
  • You can expect your child to be sent up for their race roughly between 5 and 10 minutes prior to their race. The expectation is that they will have their equipment ready, visualize their races, think through their race reminders and loosen up their muscles.

If your child ever has a negative experience at a meet please encourage him/her to talk to their coach about their frustrations. Appropriate goal setting is an important skill, but it is just that – a skill. It is learned and enhanced throughout a swimmer’s career. Sometimes focus is only placed on the measurable piece of the goal and they need to be guided to understand the role that focus at practice plays in attaining performance goals.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to ask via email or at practice. Thank you for seeking new ways to strengthen your children!