Swim meets for the uninitiated can be wonderful fun but initially are a learning experience. With the exception of the development meets all the swim meets are held on the weekend’s .Meets are held in either indoor or outdoor facilities rain or shine. Please come prepared for any type of weather.
Prior to the official start of the meet (which normally occurs at 8 am).

There are Warm ups. Warm-Ups time will be posted on the bulletin board at the pool the week before the meet please see club policy on warm-ups. Meet are generally scheduled to end late afternoon. Meets are usually half a day and are held on Wednesday evenings, while A/B meets are scheduled both Saturday and Sunday.

It is up to the swimmer and the parents if they wish to attend a meet. Participation is not compulsory, however most swimmers enjoy the participation. Each individual family and swimmer is responsible for signing up for the meet before the deadline which is normally 2 or 3 week in advance of the meet in order for entries to be submitted. Alumni swimmers must pay meet entry fees when signing up.

When swimmers are entered in a meet the club pays for the events and relays. The club pays an entry fee of approximately $6 per swimmer per event. And $7 per relay per meet. One absent swimmer could generate a $30. Once you have signed up for a meet, cancellation can only be accepted if the meet entry fees have not been submitted to the host club. If you say ’’YES’’ to a meet and do not attend you will be presented with a bill for the lost entry fee the following week. It is not the coach’s responsibility to scratch a swimmer from a meet. On occasion swimmers are involved in other activities that may conflict with swimming and swim meets. If you cannot be sure that your swimmer will be able to attend a meet Don’t enter the swimmer in that meet. If you do and the swimmer is unable to attend then you will be charged for the events missed.

What to do at Swim Meets?

The team meets at the pool for warm ups and to plan the day, to assign cheerleaders, organize relays and to encourage fellow swimmers. Swimmers dry off and await their call for their event/s.

Tip: Bring lots of warm clothes, snacks and rain-wear.

Swimmer must check in with the coach upon arrival in the morning before and after each event entered.
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Lots of towels, a spare bathing suit, water, old blankets or sleeping bags, tent (optional), outdoor seats, reading material, small games or games. Lots of nutrious snacks in a cooler, juices and etc.

Most club swim meets have a concession to buy lunch. Be prepared for all weather possibilities. And a sense of adventure and fun.

Disqualifications

They say swimming teaches us many things and being disqualified after a hard swum race is one of those tough things to accept. It is best to talk with your swimmer before it happens and explain the rules. A disqualification can occur when any of the strokes, turns or touch procedures are not executed properly or in a manner which interpreted as giving that swimmer an unqualified advantage over other swimmer. An official must record disqualification on the time card and advise the swimmer and or coach. Disqualified swimmer should talk to their coaches immediately so they fully understand what they have to change in future races.

Other reasons for disqualification:
  • Failing to go to the marshaling area on time
  • Second false start. No matter which swimmer did the first start
  • Reporting to the starting block too late
  • Interfering in another swimmer lane
  • Walking on the floor of the pool
  • Not finishing a race
  • Jumping into the pool before the preceding swimmer is out of the pool
  • Using abusive language or impeding the progress of the meet (intentional false start)

Home Meet

Surrey A/B meet in the past years, this meet has been extremely popular and we expect this meet to be the same for this year. It is for ‘’A’’ and ‘’B’’ swimmers and is one of our biggest fundraisers and all parent and adult swimmer are needed to sign-up and help out during the meet.

Sign-up sheets will posted on the notice board

Work Party- Requires approximately 5 people, usually on a Wednesday night preceding a home meet. The meet entries from all clubs and events need to be entered into the computer, and swim cards get printed, collated and sorted. This usually takes several hours.

Pool Set-Up and Take Down- Requires 10- 15 people to put up all the tables, chairs, starting blocks, tarps, lane markers, P.A system, timing system etc. at Beer Creek Park. This usually takes 3-5 hours. Take down entails putting everything away after the meet.
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Concession- Requires approx. 20 people to help with cashiering, food preparation, cooking, cleaning etc.​

Events

It helps to write down the number for each event you are entered in. Other swimmers in your age category will help you remember. When your event is called you go to the marshaling area. You will be assigned a lane to swim in and given a card to give to your timer. Some meets have heats and finals for the same event; some are just timed finals so you may swim the same event twice. Heats are usually in the morning followed by a lunch period and then finals in the afternoon.

Tip: Purchase a swim program as soon as you get to the meet.

Finals: Finals are usually in the afternoon. The 6 or 8 fastest swimmers from the morning’s events participate. Swimmers are recognized for achieving best times and working hard. Some meets run consolations: 6/8 next fastest swimmers race.

Tip:  Always talk to the coaches who are on deck ready to help you, especially if you have to leave early and could not participate in a relay.
Swimsuit
All swimmers are required to wear a club suit or a solid navy colour suit at swim meet or whenever representing the club in an aquatic event. A suit should be streamline and snug fitting. Swim shorts tend to fall off upon diving into the water. You can buy suits, goggles and caps at swim meets

Caps
Latex or silicone (last longer) club logo. Are advised for those with long hair, it helps avoid swimmer ear and limits the damage to the hair from chlorine.

Goggles
Strongly recommended to improve visibility and to avoid eye irritation

Water Bottles
Always bring water bottle to practice and the meets. Swimmer lose a lot of water through sweat

T-shirts
Some years we have a club tee shirt with a logo printed and are available for purchase to show support for the team

See Some Examples