Terrace Park Tiger Sharks

●HOME MEETS - Arrive at 5pm, our team warms up at 5:15pm

● AWAY MEETS - Arrive at 5:30, our team warms up at 6:00

● Meet begins at 6:30 p.m. (estimated end time around 9:00/9:30)

-Swim Team & Swim Meet 101-

Swim Team Fundamentals & Terminology

4 Primary Strokes

● Freestyle (FR) ● Butterfly (FLY) ● Backstroke (BK) ● Breaststroke (BR)

Distances

● 1 length of the pool = 25 meters

● 2 lengths of the pool (one lap) = 50 meters

IM & Relays

● Individual Medley (IM)

➢ Individual event for age groups 9 and older

➢ Stroke order: fly, back, breast, free

● Medley Relay

➢ Occurs at the very beginning of the meet

➢ 4 swimmers

➢ Stroke order: back, breast, fly, free

● Free Relay

➢ Occurs at the very end of the meet (except for 8&U, which are Events #61 and 62) ➢ 4 swimmers

➢ Everyone swims freestyle

Exhibition Heats

All heats after Heat 1 are “exhibition”. All that means is that they do not count towards the scoring of the meet.

Clerk of Course

The Clerk of Course is an area at the swim meet where volunteers line up the swimmers on benches according to lane number prior to their event. This is located behind the blocks during our home meets.

Signing My Child Up for a Meet:

You must sign your swimmer up for a meet no later than NOON on MONDAY before the meet. We highly encourage parents to sign their children up as early as they can, feel free to register for all of the meets this season if you already know your schedule! You can sign your child up through this website!

Volunteer Requirements

We need your help to make the meets run smoothly and on time. Volunteers are critical to running a swim meet so, please, volunteer! Volunteering will not make you miss your child’s race!

Volunteer Arrival Times:

Age Group Helper: 5:45 pm

Timers/Starter/Announcer: Arrive by 5:50pm and attend a timers meeting at

6:15 p.m. - 6:20 p.m.

Officials/Judges/Runners: Arrive by 5:45pm, attend officials meeting at 6:00pm

Concessions: Grillers and Concession worker arrive 5:00pm to start

Grilling/Working and relieve Dive Helpers

2nd half workers should be there for meetings before meets starts but need to check-in by 7:30 to sign in with the Volunteer Coordinator.

The 1st half workers to 2nd half worker switch is AFTER EVENT 40

Meet Days (Thursdays):

Come to practice that morning! This gives us a chance to run relays, perfect turns, and get the kids excited for meets! Rest up in the afternoon, it is a long night for kids (and parents).

●HOME MEETS - Arrive at 5pm, our team warms up at 5:15pm

● AWAY MEETS - Arrive at 5:30, our team warms up at 6:00

● Meet begins at 6:30 p.m. (estimated end time around 9:00/9:30)

2024 Meet Schedule:

Packing List – What should I bring to a swim meet?

● A few snacks and water bottle/drink

● 2 towels per swimmer – they get wet fast! (More for warmth if it’s going to be a chilly night!)

● Sharpie marker to write Event/Heat/Lane on arm; thinner tip works best (see “Body Mark-up” section below)

● Sweatshirt and/or extra dry clothes; swimmers tend to get cold in the late evening

● Camping chairs and/or blanket to sit on (heads-up: they will get wet)

● Cards, books, or games to pass the time in between events (avoid electronics, as those will get wet and stepped on)

● Sunscreen and Bug Spray

● CASH for Concessions

MEETS - Arrival & Set-up Details

Team Area & Age Group Coordinators

● Find the team Area and set up your spot for the night.

● Find the Age Group Coordinator volunteering for your swimmer’s age/gender. Introduce your child and let your child know that this is the person who will help get her/him to the Clerk of Course in time for the events throughout the night.

● Until your child starts to get a feel for how meets work, please have her/him stay close to the team area throughout the night. Please also help to keep tabs on your child. It is very difficult for an Age Group Coordinator to search the club for a swimmer whose event is about to start. To help you follow along with the flow of the meet, you will find an Order of Events section at the end of this document.

Finding My Child’s Event Listing

Our heat sheets will be posted on the website a couple hours before the meet. Additionally, your age group parent(s) will have the children’s events listed on their sheet and are a great resource for finding out what your kiddos are swimming. Find your swimmer’s events and mark them on your child’s arm (see “Body Mark-up” section below). You will need to make note of 3 things – Event Number, Heat and Lane. It’s also helpful to annotate the stroke/distance.

Body Mark-up

● For new swimmers, it’s helpful for the Age Group Coordinator if you write their names with a Sharpie on their backs.

● Make a grid on your swimmer’s arm with their Event/Heat/Lane info. See image below for an example. This helps the swimmer, Age Group Coordinator and Clerk of Course ensure the swimmer is in the right place at the right time.

Tip: You can draw a blank grid on your child’s arm prior to leaving the house to save time. The beginning of swim meets can be a little hectic.

Relays

*** Medley relay order: Back, Breast, Fly, Free

Relays can get a little chaotic. Please help the Age Group Coordinators rally the kids, group them together by team, and send them off to the appropriate end of the pool.

A few things to note regarding Medleys:

● It’s helpful to write your child’s order/stroke for the relay on their arm grid.

● The Medley Relay is at the very start of the meet. At the conclusion of warmups, have your swimmer find their Age Group Coordinator and get ready to line up behind the blocks. This should happen before the National Anthem.

● Swimmers 1 & 3 start off the blocks; swimmers 2 & 4 start on the opposite end.

Meet Themes

The themes of the meet will be announced each week in the weekly email blast sent out by Head Coach, Sam Flerlage.

Tips for a Smooth & Successful Swim Meet

● Put your child’s name on her/his stuff. The team area is usually a mess at the end of the night with lots of items left behind.

● Arrive on time or early so that you’re not rushed at the beginning of the meet! Parking is often a challenge, as well as getting all of your “gear” into the pool area/team space.

● Find a friendly face and ask for help. There are plenty of us there to help you!

● Please encourage your swimmers to toss out their trash and keep things as tidy as possible.

● Enjoy the meet. Cheer for your swimmers and the team!

Order of Events

Below is the order of events at our meets. This is especially helpful for parents of 6 and under swimmers so that they don't miss an event. Note: 6&U free and back events that are numerically out of place are noted in red, as well as the 8&U Free Relay that has been moved up in order and is also numerically out of place.