Swim Meet 101
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Swim Meets
Swim meets take place on Tuesday nights and begin at 6 pm, rain or shine. Home meet warm-ups are from 5 pm until 5:30 pm; please arrive at 4:45 pm. Away meet warm-ups are from 5:30 pm until 6 pm; please arrive by 5:15.
The order of events at each meet is: medley relay, freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and free relay. Each event alternates boys/girls and begins with the youngest age group.
Oak Park has two special events at each home meet and some away meets: we do a 6 & Unders 25 meters butterfly and a 15-18 100 IM.
6 & Unders who are officially on the swim team (Minnows or above) swim at the meets. The meet schedule for them is freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke - covering 15 meters. 7-to-8 swimmers and 9-to-10 swimmers swim 25 meters and 11 & Older swimmers swim 50 meters.
Meets typically finish as late as 10 pm.
At swim meets, each team will be assigned a certain area to stay in while waiting to swim. Please stay with the team, cheer for your teammates and listen for your event to be called. When leaving at the end of each meet, please pick up your trash. We want to be remembered as good sportsmen and thoughtful guests. If you are unable to participate in a meet, please let your coach know as soon as possible. It is difficult to make changes to the roster at the last minute.
Post-meet celebrations are held after each meet — home and away. The location will be announced during the meet.
What to expect
We hope that this guide will give you a general idea of what to expect. Once you get through your first meet, everything will make so much more sense! No two swim meets ever run exactly the same. It can be the same meet that the club hosts each year, but things will be different. The most important thing to remember is to be flexible. Swim meets are large undertakings and are run by humans who are fallible. It’s ok to be a little confused at first. Don’t be afraid to approach someone from our team to ask a question. We have the best swim parents who are more than willing to help out a new family!
- Each swimmer will have a number written on their right arm. The number will be the same for the entire season. Keep that area on their arm free from sunscreen; it will erase permanent marker.
- In addition to the routine stuff to bring to practice (swimsuit, towel, goggles and cap), you will want need a few more things for a swim meet. Here’s a basic checklist:
- ☑️ Extra-large towel or blanket for your swimmer to keep warm between races or sit on if necessary
- ☑️ Towels…two are better than one
- ☑️ Loose fitting, comfortable clothing to wear in between races
- ☑️ Chairs and/or a tent (commonly called an easy-up)
- Swim meets during the summer have the same events taking place in the same order each meet.
- The meets are generally 3 - 4 hours long and move along very quickly. There is rarely a lull in the action.
- We swim “dual meets” in the summer, which simple means it’s US against another team.
- It’s summer. Meets can be hot! Make sure to put lots of sunscreen (except on their upper arm where their number will be!) on both yourself and your child. Bring water and a good hat.
- For away meets, families should bring their own chairs, since seating may be limited at some pools.
- Relay teams have 4 members. They will be listed on the heat sheet like this: 1) Swimmer A ... 2) Swimmer B
- In the medley relay each child swims a different stroke, so it is important to know the order of swimmers.
- The stroke order of the medley relay is: 1) Backstroke, 2) Breaststroke, 3) Butterfly, 4) Freestyle
- In the freestyle relay, each swimmer swims freestyle.
3) Swimmer C ... 4) Swimmer D
More Tips can be found here Advice for New Swim Parents
