Yes, there is practice on meet days. We will work on the strokes your child is swimming and relay starts.
Always arrive at 4:15PM. Parking can be tight at some of the pools and you’ll want to find some space to set up camp.

Driving directions for all the pools are on the website.

Upon arrival, find the heat sheet (often posted on the fence) and write down your child’s races (or snap a picture on your phone), they not be posted until a little later. Once you know the races, you or your child’s buddy should write them on your child’s arm so they can refer to it (sharpies).

For example:

Event 11, Heat 2, Lane 3, Freestyle – this is the order to use. Hint – After the meet is over, sun screen makes a great sharpie ink eraser.

Lineups will usually be posted at practice the morning of a meet. You can write the information down (or take a picture) then but definitely double check against the heat sheet posted at the meet as changes may have been made. Heat sheets will be posted at all meets. A “Heat Sheet” is a list of all swimmers by event. At post season meets you can purchase one as a keepsake of the seasons’ success and the money supports the various pools. Some parents might choose to share.

While you set up camp, your swimmer will get into the water for warm up. The announcer will tell the home and visiting teams when it is time for them to get into and out of the water. After warm up there will be a team meeting.  If you have a younger swimmer make sure they connect with their buddy.  At the team meeting the coaches will point out their relay teams for the younger swimmers so they know who to look for.

Be sure to listen to the announcer and check in with your child periodically and remind them when their race is getting close. Remind them that it is good sportsmanship to wait in the water until all swimmers have finished the race. They can shake hands with the swimmer next to them and then quickly exit the pool.

After their swim, they can go check in with coaches. If they are DQed (disqualified) the coach will know why and this is something that will be given attention to at the next practice. Stress to your swimmer that it happens to everyone at some point. Note that DQ also stands for Dairy Queen – the traditional salve to the ego. We never NEVER approach the officials directly although the official may come and talk to the swimmer if time allows.

A special reminder about relays and younger swimmers: At no time can more than two swimmers be in the pool at the same time. So the second leg swimmer gets in the pool prior to the start of the race and keeps his or her hand on the wall AT ALL TIMES. They should move left or right to allow good vision as the lead off swimmer approaches the wall. Once contact is made, the number two swimmer pushes off the wall. The number three swimmer cannot get in until the number one swimmer is out of the pool. Encourage the lead swimmer to exit immediately.

Each pool will have concessions during the meet. Please use your best judgment about what your child eats and when he/she eats it. A big cheeseburger right before a race is probably not the best choice. Parents are welcome to bring in outside food and drinks so it’s not necessary to rely upon the concessions. If you choose to bring adult beverages, be aware that different pools have different rules about it and at all times be discrete (put it in a cup) and responsible and glass is NEVER allowed on the pool deck. If you are timing, you should wait until you are done with your shift.

Please be courteous to officials, coaches and timers. A meet is not an appropriate time to question coaches about why your child is assigned to a particular race. Coaches are making conscious decisions with the goal of giving all swimmers plenty of opportunities to swim different events while at the same time, trying to put the team in the best position to win the meet Also, we always want to leave a positive lasting impression when we visit other pools so please clean-up any trash etc. If you see an item left behind by another KSTC family, please bring it back to the lost and found at our pool. And perhaps the most important item – this is supposed to be fun for parents and kids (and it really is!).

Come prepared to cheer and encourage.

Go Kent!