We want to make sure this swim experience is as stress free as possible. The following information is intended to help ease you into the USA Swim routine.
What to bring to a meet:
- A minimum of 2 towels per day during summer meets. This number increases to 1 towel for warm-ups and 1 towel for every event swimming that day, during the winter months.
- Swim suit, team cap and goggles.
- Cash to buy programs, purchase items from the snack bar, and various vendors at the meet.
- Water and nutritious snacks.
- Sunscreen, hats, pop-ups, tents and/or umbrellas during the summer meets.
- Lots of warm clothing, sweatshirts and pants, flannel pajamas, swim parkas, socks, slippers, water resistant boots, and most importantly PLEASE LABEL EVERYTHING.
- Comfortable chairs.
- Sleeping bags, blankets, tarps, pillows and anything else you would bring to stay warm, dry and comfortable while waiting for your swimmer to participate in their next event.
- Games, books, music, etc…
What to do once you arrive at the meet:
- Normally we all sit together as a team at team meets, we try to get there early enough to save a space for all of us to be together. Those of you who have pop-ups please bring them to the meet.
- Check-in is usually at the entrance to the pool, your swimmer must circle the event and initial his or her name.
- Events and heats are posted in one or two areas, depending on the size of the pool facility, and results are posted in a different area.
- Please pay attention to what event and heat they are on because it is up to the swimmer and/or parents to make sure that swimmers are at the starting block for their heat. The officials do not wait for swimmers before they begin the heat. There are no ready benches.
- Swimmers need to check the event and heat postings in a timely fashion and when they know what heat and lane they are in, they need to check-in with their age-group coach or Coach Eddie before their race to tell him that information. After their race they must also check-in with their age-group coach or with Coach Eddie so that he/she can give them advice on how to improve.
- If you are unsure of what to do and need a refresher when you get there please don’t hesitate to ask any of the parents or swimmers to help you.
What to do if your swimmer cannot make it to the meet:
If your swimmer is unable to attend a meet at the last minute due to illness or emergency, notify the coaches immediately. If you have some advance notice, e-mail or cell phones are good avenues. If you have little advance notice, tell another parent who is attending the meet, and ask them to convey the message to the coach as soon as they arrive.
What to do if your swimmer attends a meet without a Team Coach:
Swimmers attending meets without a EGAC coach will need to check with our EGAC Head Coach on events entered at the meet. Swimmers also need to request a signed copy of their own “USA Racing Start Certification” from the Head Coach. Without this form, meet officials at the meet will require the swimmer to perform their racing starts from the deck instead of from the starting blocks. When checking in at the meet, please be sure to show the check-in staff your Certification, the check-in staff will either note on the check-in sheet that you have your Racing Start Certification form or the meet official will assign you to the host team coach. If possible, please record your swimmers splits for each event and have them submit them to our Head Coach, this helps our Head Coach keep track of your swimmers swims.