WHAT’S THE FIRST THING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MEET? 

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Our first meet is on Thursday, June 13th, 2024 and it is at FBTC.  The diving meet starts at 2:00 PM and the swim meet starts at 4:30 PM.  Coaches Jamie and Joe will communicate what time your athlete should be at the pool. 
 

HOW WILL I RECEIVE THIS COMMUNICATION? 

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Communication will come two ways – verbally at practice and via e-mail.  We will also try to post important information on the website. 
 

WHO DECIDES WHAT DIVE OR EVENT MY CHILD WILL PARTICIPATE IN? 

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As you received earlier today, we will be sending out an email prior to each meet and requesting for each family to reply to the email with information on whether each child will be attending the meet and if there are any schedule conflicts (coming late or leaving early).  Using this information, the coaches will create the line-ups for the diving and swim meets.  These will be posted at the pool no later than the morning of the meet.  Each swimmer can compete in up to four events. 

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WHAT SHOULD MY ATHLETE BRING TO THE MEET? 

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A team (or similar) suit, towels (2 or 3 – once they are wet, they stay wet!), sweatshirt, goggles (a back up pair is always a good idea) and swim cap if your child uses them.  GIRLS: IF YOU ARE NOT WEARING A SWIM CAP, THEN PLEASE PUT YOUR HAIR IN A PONY TAIL.  Please apply sunscreen at home. Food and beverages will be available at each meet for purchase but it is always smart to pack a healthy snack/beverage that you know your child will consume.  There is ‘down time’ between your child’s events while other events are being swum, so you should also pack your child something to do (i.e.  cards, Legos, travel games).  Also send warm clothes to wear home. 
 

WHAT ABOUT DINNER? 

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We will have a parent run concession stand at our home meets.  Please be aware that when we travel to another club for a meet, coolers, picnic baskets, etc. are strictly prohibited.  If you need to bring your own food, you must keep it in your car and consume it at your car.  THERE IS NO TAILGATING OR PICNICS PERMITTED.  We are expected to utilize the host club’s concessions.  The exception is our swimmers and divers who are allowed to pack snacks and drinks in their bags.  We appreciate your cooperation with this North Shore Conference League rule. 

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HOW DOES A DIVE MEET WORK? 

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Each team may enter three divers per age group in scoring positions.  Each club can enter as many as 30 divers per meet.  These entries can be in any age group, scoring or exhibition positions.  Divers in the 8 & U and the 10 & U group perform three dives, the required dive being a forward dive.  The divers in the 12 & U and 15 & U age groups perform four dives, the required dive being a forward dive.  If a diver cannot perform the required number of dives, he/she is permitted to compete in the meet as exhibition only. Ribbons are distributed to all divers who competed in the meet.  Ribbons will be placed in the family swim folders at the pool. 

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HOW DOES A SWIM MEET WORK? 

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There are 57 total Events in a swim meet.  ‘Event’ is the type of race, by gender, by age group i.e. the Girls 8 & U 25 yard Freestyle.  There can be many ‘heats’ of the same race.  The first heat is the scoring heat; the rest of the heats are exhibition.  You will see a series of numbers written on your child’s hand in SHARPIE pen the day of the meet.  These numbers indicate the event, heat and lane they are swimming. For instance:  #9 – 1 – 3 would indicate that your child is swimming Event 9 (10 & U Girls 25 Freestyle), Heat 1 in Lane 3. 

 

Generally, the coaches and older swimmers will help your child get his/her events on their hand.  Sometimes you will be asked to assist, too.  You should also jot down this information so you know when your child is swimming and can help locate your child if he/she has left the bullpen/team area (more info on this in next section). 

 

Swimmers can compete in a maximum of four events.  We have two/three Swimming Officials starting and officiating our meets.  They will be dressed in white shirts and blue shorts.  Please treat the officials with courtesy and respect.  Ribbons are distributed to all participants in the meet.  For dual meets, the place/color ribbon your child will receive is the place he/she finished in their heat. 

 

The scoring heat ribbons are a little longer than the exhibition heat ribbons but the kids don’t even notice – they are so excited to get a ribbon and it’s an added bonus if it is a blue 1st place, red 2nd place, etc.   Ribbons will be placed in the family swim folders at the pool.  We try to get this done as soon as we have the final results and is usually a day or two after the meet. 

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HOW DO THE KIDS GET TO THE STARTING BLOCKS FOR THEIR RACE? 

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Getting kids, both young and old, to the blocks is not always an easy task.  Sometimes it is like herding cats and many times, especially with the little ones, it ‘takes a village’ to get them all to the right place at the right time.  For our home meets, we are asking all our swimmers to stay in the designated team area under the canopy at the southeast corner of the pool area – this will help with finding and corralling them. 

 

The coaches will assist the swimmers getting them to the blocks, reminding them what they are swimming and in lining them up behind the blocks for their heat in each race.  We are asking the parents to cooperate and assist by making sure their kids remain in the designated area.  You can also help us by reminding your athletes how important it is to try to pay attention to where we are in the meet order.  If you see that your child is not lined up for an event, and you are not working that half of the meet, we ask for your help to retrieve your child and get him/her to the blocks.  If you are working, let Christine or Lisa know and we will do our best to locate and place your child at the blocks before the start. 

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HOW LONG ARE THE MEETS? 

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Diving meets generally last about an hour and then warm-ups begin for the swim meet.  The home team warms up in the water first and then the visiting team.  The length of the swim meet depends on the number of competitors from both teams.  You should plan to be at the pool until about 8 PM.  We will run Events 1 –25 and then take a short break (to change volunteers) and then run Events 26 – 57.  We have relay events for all age groups at both the beginning and end of the meet and relays cannot run without all (4) members of the relay team.  Please do NOT leave the meet without checking with your coach first. 

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WHAT IS A PERSONAL BEST? 

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At Farmington, we want to recognize the hard work and improvement of all our swimmers and divers.  The first time your child swims an event in a meet it will be their base time.  The same holds true for divers and their scores in a diving meet.  After that, each time your child decreases his/her time in that event or increases her dive score in a meet, she/he will receive a personnel best recognition.  We keep track of the number of personal bests each child has for the year and they are used as ‘tickets’ to win prizes at the end of the year banquet. 

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HOW DO I KNOW WHAT MY VOLUNTEER JOB IS? 

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Our diving meets are run by coaches/guards and there are not many positions where we need volunteers.  The home swim meets are where we need help from all families – we are a small club and need all families to help run a successful meet.  We have always received many compliments from other coaches and parents on how well our meets are run – this is the direct result of all our parent volunteers.  The meets cannot run without you! 

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The volunteer assignments will be sent by e-mail before the meet.  Please let TBD know if you will not be able to attend a meet or need to work the first or second half specifically.  The bulk of our volunteers are needed for lane timing but we also need several volunteers to man the concessions area, some to give out heat winner prizes, run results to the scoring table and to write out ribbons.  No matter what the job or the area you are working/volunteering, you will be able to watch and cheer on your child during their races.

If you are a first half volunteer, please arrive at the pool by 4 PM and check in with TBD.  Second half volunteers should be available after Event 25.   

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For lane timers, there will be a timers’ meeting where instructions will be outlined.  Each lane will have four parent volunteers: three timers with stopwatches and one recorder.  If you have never timed a meet before, we will put you in a lane with experienced timers.  If you can push a button, you can do this job! Timing at the meet helps make the meet go by faster and you get the best position to see the finish of all the races.  Be aware that NSC League rules stipulate that lane timing volunteers cannot consume alcohol while ‘on duty’ and that alcohol is NOT permitted on the pool deck during competition.  Thank you for your cooperation. 

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HOW IS AN AWAY MEET DIFFERENT? 

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Our divers will need to be transported by their parents/car pool to the away club’s pool.  Coach Joe will let you know what time you need to arrive in time for diving warm-ups.  Swimmers will go with their parents to the away meets.  Buses will not be provided this season.  

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At the meet, we will have a designated area for our swimmers and ask for parents’ help to ensure they stay in this area.  Coaches will ensure swimmers are lined-up behind the blocks when they are scheduled to swim.  

Following the meet, each family is responsible for their own transportation home.  We will have identified a family friendly place as an option for all the families to gather after the away meet. 

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WHAT’S THE STORY ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS MEETS? 

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Our team attends an Age Group Diving and Swimming Championship meet and a Club Diving and Swimming Championship meet.  Our coaches decide which meet each child will attend based on scores and times.  Both meets are very exciting and great fun!  More information will be available as we get closer to the events.  In the meantime, please consult your schedule for dates, times and locations. Please note that divers must compete in two meets and swimmers in three meets in order to qualify for a championship meet.  Also, please be aware that every Farmington swimmer or diver who competes in at least one meet will be presented with a trophy at our Awards Night!

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