Forest Hills

Links can be found here for our Swim Meet Basics and Volunteer documents.

Meet Assignments and Events

DUAL MEETS – You must let your coaches know if you will not be swimming in a meet. Please let your coach know directly or leverage Swimtopia to mark if your child will be absent or not.  By default, your child will be determined to be "Undeclared" and marked as not attending..This should be communicated no later than noon on the Monday before the meet. If your child is sick, please let the coaches know as soon as possible.Please respect this deadline as it makes more work for coaches to try to accommodate any last-minute entries & may not be possible.You may recommend to the coaches what events your child will do, but the coaches will have final say. Coaches will enter your child for the events before the meet.

CHAMPS MEET - The process for this meet at the end of the season will be slightly different. Your child must have swam at least 2 dual meets to be eligible for the Champs meet. If you sign up for Champs, please be prepared to be present for prelims and finals (if your child qualifies).

Volunteer Requirements

To make swim meets run smoothly, we need everyone’s participation.Each meet requires a village to run and cannot run with our volunteers.The expectation is that you volunteer for at least 2 meets per season (and this will be tracked).  Depending upon the number of children on the swim team, more may be required.The good news is that you only need to work half of the meet!

For home meets, there are more roles to fill since we are the hosts (starter, more judges, shark bites/grill)

For the parents of younger children, if you want to watch your children swim, volunteer for the 2^nd half.If you want to be done when your child is done, volunteer for the first half.

Volunteer/job roles are covered in the Volunteer document

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

• A lot of snacks and water bottle/drink
• Two (2) towels per swimmer – they get wet fast!
• 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).Not every club has enough seating so make sure to bring your own.
• Cards, books, or games to pass the time in between events (avoid electronics, as those will get wet and stepped on)
• Money for concessions (Forest Hills is cash only but other clubs do accept credit card)
• Cheers and positive attitude
• For away meets, check with the swim coordinator as parking at some of the clubs is limited and sometimes challenging to know where to go.

Arrival & Set-up Details

Schedule for Dual Meets:

• Home team warms up at 5:30
• Away team warms up at 6:00
• Meet begins at 6:30 (estimated end time around 9:00/9:30)
• Arrive approximately 10-15 mins prior to warm-ups to ensure your child is ready to jump in the water right when warm-ups begin

Schedule for Champs:

• Exact times will be released closer to the meet. Times below are estimates.
• Prelims: 11 & up - AM session (~ 9am start), 10 & under - PM session (~1pm start)
• Finals: All ages - PM session (~5pm start)

Team Area & Age Group Coordinators

• Find the team section and set up your spot for the night.
• For Home meets this is usually the side closest to the concessions/bathrooms.
  • Note:The baby pool area is closed during home meets for ribbons and computer setup
• Away meets will depend upon the specific club
• 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.

Clerk of Courts

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 under the tent during our home meets.

Finding My Child’s Event Listing

There will be age group signs in our team section with printed event listings posted. 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 – the Event Number, Heat and Lane. It’s also helpful to annotate the stroke/distance.

The event listings are posted on the fence between the shelter and play set. While children may be told what event they may be swimming, there could be changes, so please double check the listings at the actual meet.

Body Mark-up

Single-handedly, the most confusing part for most new parents.Don’t fret once you figure out the science to it, it’s easy-peasy.

• For new and younger 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.

Pro 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

Relays can be chaotic.Trying round up one child is difficult, but four at a time, it’s crazy. 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:

• 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.
• 10 & under relays: swimmers 1 & 3 start off the blocks; swimmers 2 & 4 start in the shallow end.

• Also note if the younger ones do not feel comfortable diving off of the blocks, they can dive in from the edge.

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

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!
• 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. Boys are odd, Girls are even events.

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.