How to Enter Swim Meets

How to enter and attending swim meets

STEP 1.  Check your squad competition calendar on this website under Competitions>Targeted Competitions and Events.  Coaches select swim meets that are suitable for swimmers in each squad level. This is usually emailed to parents at the start of term but is sometimes updated, so you should keep an eye on the club site

STEP 2. To enter a swim meet you must login to Swim Central. (For more detailed instructions see our step by step instructions on how to enter once you have logged in, here)

If your child is a new member racing for the first time, we recommend just entering 2 or 3 events in the strokes your child is comfortable with (usually freestyle, backstroke and breastroke). If unsure, your child's coach who will recommend what is best for them (Sometimes this is NOT what the swimmer wants to do - however the coach will have good reason to make the recommendations they have in order to keep the swimmer progressing)
.
Note: It is important to enter swim meets before the closing date. Enter early to avoid disappointment as some swim meets reach maximum capacity very quickly. 

STEP 3. Check H2O emails.  An email is usually sent to every person competing 2 days prior to the competition with all the information pertaining to that Swim Meet. These updates include information about the meet (for example what time swimmers should arrive for the warm up, parking restrictions etc..).  

STEP 4. The most important step - attending the meet! Here's a few tips on what to do on the day:

• Bring your gear - Make sure you have your bathers, goggles, towel and MH2O uniform - water and snacks are also a good idea.
• Arrive on time- Coaches are there to warm you up and prepare you for racing, so show respect to your coach by arriving on time
• Sit together with team - All MH2O swimmers are expected to sit together as a team at swim meets. Coaches will reinforce this and parents are asked to play their role in telling their children to sit with team mates.  Parents are asked to sit next to the team as well.
• Marshalling for your event- Check what event numbers are yours and marshall on time for your event.  If you are new to racing write your events, stroke, heat and lane number on your arm.  Buddy up with another more experienced swimmer or get your coach to find a buddy who can show you where to go and what to do.
• Communicate with your coach - Report to your coach at warm up and checkin with them before and after each race to get valuable feedback.  This is an important step and should never be missed even if you were disappointed with your result.
• Support your team mates - Swimmers are part of a team, so make an effort to support members of your team
• Try your best- Give it your best shot when you race - learning to try 100% is a great life skill and you will always feel better if you know you tried.
• Demonstrate good sportsmanship - Be nice and be fair.  Represent yourself, your family, your coach and the club with honour.
• Role of coaches - Coaches from H2O Swimming are there to support swimmers and help make the swim meet a positive experience.
• Role of parents - The domain of parents at swim meets is to support their child and reinforce any requests made by the coach. Please don't try to coach your child as this can often contradict what the coach is saying and create uncertainty and sometimes conflict.  Celebrate small successes; commiserate when things don't quite go as planned and always ensure your find more positives than negatives about their swims. Showing disapproval and disappointment will quickly lead to the swimmer losing interest and dropping out.