Swim Meet 101
When and Where?
We have 3 home meets and 3 away meets this season. Most of our meets are on Tuesday evenings.
What time do they start and when do I need to arrive?
All dual meets will start @ 5:30 PM. Warm ups typically begin at 4:30 PM. Coaches will ask swimmers to arrive ~4:15 PM to find their coaches, get set up, and figure out their events prior to warm ups starting. Be mindful that traffic and parking can be congested so plan accordingly.
How long do they last and do we need to stay for the whole meet?
Meets can last from 2.5 to 3 hours. Peace Haven is one of the larger teams in the league. 6 and Under swimmers compete in the first event of the meet @ 5:30 – freestyle relays. Events then progress from youngest to oldest in the following order: medley relays, freestyle, butterfly, individual medley, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle relays. 6 and Under swimmers are finished after backstroke. 7 and older swimmers compete all the way until the end, finishing with freestyle relays. You are free to leave once your swimmer finishes their events, but you MUST check out with the coaching staff to be sure they are not entered in later events before you leave.
What do we need to bring?
The basics: swimsuit (team suit is not required but encouraged for unity), goggles (an extra pair is helpful), team cap, a towel, a Sharpie and your Dolphin gear. Deck chairs will be set up, but due to crowd size, may not always be available, so we encourage you to bring your own chairs. Also encouraged are coolers for drinks and snacks. All meets will sell concessions (selections may vary by pool, but typically include some type of dinner items, as well as chips, fruit, candy and drinks). Accepted methods of payment may vary so it is best to bring some cash. The pool and baby pool are NOT open for recreational swimming during meets.
How will I know what events my child is swimming?
A heat sheet will be available via Swimtopia App system for your review before arriving at the meet. You may want to print a hard copy to mark at home. An entry board will be posted near our Dolphin Pod which will have a heat sheet and entries list alphabetically by last name. We encourage you to mark your swimmer with their events before you arrive at the meet.
What is the Dolphin Pod?
This is a designated area under shade tents where we corral all 10 and under swimmers. The Dolphin Pod is along the fence at the deep end of the pool at home meets and in a designated area at away meets. This is where your swimmers will hang out with friends throughout the meet. A child sitting with you can easily miss their event, so we need all parents' help to ensure their children return to the Dolphin Pod after their events. We ask for parent volunteers to man this area at every one of our swim meets (home and away). Parents will sign up for a specific age group gender (ie. 7-8 Girls or 6U Boys) and these parents will ensure children are safe, will help gather them for upcoming events, and will assist swimmers from there to the start line before their events.
What happens during a thunderstorm at a meet?
In the event of a thunderstorm, a meet may be temporarily delayed. Families will be asked to clear the pool deck and return to their cars until it is safe to restart the meet. Games, books and movies in the car are especially good distractions during these times. If a meet has progressed past the halfway point (individual medleys or “IMs” completion) and cannot resume that evening, then a meet can be “called” as final. If it has not reached the end of the IM events, then it will be rescheduled for another evening. We will send updates on weather delays through the Swimtopia ALERTS. Download the Swimtopia app and enable the ALERT function in your settings to receive these alert messages as texts rather than email.
