Good morning everyone,

There was a glitch this year in the meet entry system. Therefore, for DUAL MEETS, you only need to declare your swimmer's attendance for session 1. Also, always go by the date/time on our main schedule, not the "session" date/time listed in the sign-up area. The meet file will always put 10/1 for each dual meet session, but obviously the meets are held are different dates.

Dual Meet Expectations

• Mandatory attendance declaration.
• Everyone is expected to stay until the end.
• Dual meets are TEAM events with TEAM scoring.
• *** IF your family must leave early for another obligation, it’s completely understandable and we’d rather you make some of the meet than none of it. IT is a parental decision based upon a family obligation, NOT a swimmer decision.
• I know…, swim meets are long; they last about 5 hours, and EVERYONE must stay until the end***. However, think of the swimmer who sat there all meet long, cheering her heart out, only to see her team leave when it’s her turn, swim in a quiet pool, finish, and no one is there to cheer for her. It’s a really cruddy thing to do.
• On occasion you will see other teams mostly leave, not cheer, and not shake hands. So while we’re proudly still 100+ strong, they’re down to less than a dozen. It’s at those moments when we know who the real best team is, no matter the score.
• Everyone is expected to stay in uniform and keep their team racing suits on until the end. NO CHANGING early.
• Often times we may call for swimmers to be in another race; or they forget, or they didn’t realize they had another event. Either way, they need to stay in uniform. Like any other sport when you’re sitting the bench.., no one would ever tell a football, basketball, or soccer coach, “Hey coach, since you’re not going to play me the last part of the game, I’m going to get changed. See you later.” If swimmers are leaving early or changing early without prior approval, it’s disrespectful to their teammates, the coach, and the other team***.
• *** IF your family must leave early for another obligation, we’d rather you make some of the meet than none of it. PLEASE leave a NOTE when you sign up in the notes section. A swimmer coming up to me the day of the meet, is NOT a good time, and often results in other swimmers losing opportunities to swim.

Common Concerns at Dual Meets: (parent survival guide link)

• Everyone who signed up for a meet on Swimtopia will swim in that meet.
• Each swimmer is in a minimum of two events. The league maximum is 3 official events allowed per meet, per swimmer.
• All swimmers MUST sit together on deck, NOT with parents.
• Exhibition events (“X” on the lineup) count as races, times are official, but they do not score points.
• Ages 10/Under are lined up to swim by the marshallers.
• Ages 11/Above need to look at the line-up posted on the wall each meet.
• If a swimmer visits a parent or goes to the bathroom, they should bring a swim buddy, tell someone they are sitting near, and must be brief.
• Kids may bring cards, books, and electronic devices to keep themselves busy during the meet, and in-between cheering.
• The line-up always changes, and is never set until the morning of the meet; and even then it may change during the meet. The entries you see on Swimtopia during the week are NOT set in stone and sometimes are just placeholders as we balance 130 swimmers in 86 races with 300+ entries.
• I send out the line-up via email the morning of the meet. Unless you CANNOT make it because of an emergency, please do not call, text, or email asking for the line-up.If you missed the email, the marshallers will have them, and copies posted on the wall at the meet.
• Again, only call, text, or email if your swimmer is sick and cannot attend the meet.

Look under the "Resources" drop down menu for FAQ & common concerns at dual meets , and the Parent Survival Guide.

Invitationals

• Non-mandatory meet declaration.
• Swimmers choose their own events.
• Only sign-up by the deadline if your swimmer wants to compete.
• May leave any at any time, but be sure to tell a coach.
• Coaches will be attendance at the meet.
• "USA ONLY" means only currently registered USA Swimmers may participate in that meet.
• Anyone can attend all other invitationals.

Championship Meets - only required to stay for their age group session(s), not the whole meet.

• Madison Division Champs - Mandatory Attendance Declaration. Need to compete in 2 dual meets to be eligible; NO qualifying times.
• Charley Hartley Memorial Silver Meet (CHMC) - Non-mandatory; need to compete in any 2 meets this season to be eligible, need a qualifying time.
• YMCA Central District Champs - Swimmers expected to attend if they qualify. Need 3 closed YMCA meets (USA Only meets do not count); need a qualifying time.
• YMCA PA State Champs - Swimmers expected to attend if they qualify. Must qualify by finishing high enough at a District meet.
• YMCA National Champs - Restricted to ages 12-21, need 3 closed YMCA meets and 1 sanctioned YMCA champ meet; need a qualifying time. Financial support from the team available.

Pratices

• No need to inform coaches of daily attendance or absence.
• Only email me if your swimmer will be missing a week or more.
• Swimmers can still participate at swim meets even if they've been out for a while, but let me know to clarify.
• Wear flip flops; warts can become a bane to swim teams.
• Wear appropriate clothing for weather, especially after practice.
• Get a good night's sleep, maintain a well balanced diet; Link to Healthy Swimming Articles (found under our "Swim Brain" drop down menu).
• If sick, stay home.