Meet Program, Meet Info, and general info

Each week, I will post the "meet program" on the blog in the "Important Links" area on or by Friday.  You can also click here to print your own copy.  A day or two after the meet, I will replace it with "meet results".  

On Saturday, the meet will be at the Aquatic Center at Mt. Hood Community College.  The campus is quite large, so here are specific directions from their website:

From I-84 take exit 17 and follow the Frontage Road to 257th street and turn right. Follow 257th south, pass Stark Street, to 17th Street and turn left. Take the first left after the soccer Field and then left again into the Aquatic Center parking lot.

If you swam with us previously, you know there is an indoor and outdoor pool under the bubble.  Our meet this week will be at the indoor pool.  Plan to be on deck ready to go by 1:45pm, but do not arrive at the pool before 1:30.  The meet will end by 5:00pm, but your swimmer can leave after they are done swimming.  BUT, they need to check with us FIRST before they change.  Sometimes, we adjust relays and need your swimmer to stick around until the final relay.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, if you need to contact a coach for any reason, call or text (better option) Coach Kevin at 503-267-2346.  Especially if a swimmer will not show up for the meet.  We make all of the relays, and it is easier to substitute someone if they tell us in advance if they are not coming (even if its an hour before).

If this is your first meet, please continue reading below...

Here is a good website that lists general swim meet basics from the USA Swimming website.  Feel free to read it (in addition to my notes) for a good overview of swim meets in general.

Arriving and warm-up:
Swimmers should come to the team area on the deck in their swimsuits. On Saturday, we can get into the water to begin warm ups at 2:00.  We ask that everyone arrive on deck around 1:45 to get set up.  Everyone must complete the warm-ups. This is the time for swimmers to get ready for their races, get their muscles warmed up, and get used to the pool they are swimming in.  After warm-ups, we will have a quick team meeting and team cheer.

During the meet:

After the team meeting, swimmer will go to the area where they are sitting and wait there until his/her first event is called. This is our team area, and parents sit in a different section.  Due to the length of the meet, swimmers should plan to occupy themselves by cheering, reading a book (that could possibly get wet), chatting with friends, or sitting with their parents.  No electronics should be on the pool deck, due to the proximity of the water.  They will need to make sure they are paying attention to what event is swimming. The announcer will announce events and heats.  Let your swimmer know that they should go to the bullpen (staging area) once they get their meet entry card from a coach, and they need to keep it dry and walk to the bullpen. There will be volunteers to help them get to the right lane in the correct heat of the event.  If the swimmer is not in the lane behind the starting block for their heat and event, the starter will not wait for them, so it is important that they follow the meet.

Snacks:
Since the meets are around three hours long, the swimmers might get hungry.  The best snacking foods would be any light, and nutritious snack that won't make a mess on the pool deck.  Goldfish, Ritz crackers, and Cheerios are poor choices due to how they make a mess once wet on the pool deck.  Fruit, peanut-free trail mix, wheat thins, jerky, etc... are all great choices.  Water is the best drink choice, and all swimmers should have a water bottle.

Communication:
If you need to contact a coach for any reason, call or text Coach Kevin (503-267-2346).  Especially if a swimmer will not show up for the meet.  We make all of the relays, and it is easier to substitute someone if they tell us in advance if they are not coming (even if its an hour before).