How do I enter my child in a meet?

·       Note that all meet registrations will be submitted as final 30 days prior to meet date.  You will have the opportunity to change your plans prior to the individual meet entry deadline. Check the bulletin board and web site or web site weekly for meet information.  We sometimes receive the meet information from the host team at a late date and we may be rushed in getting out the meet information to you. As a general rule, you should always expect to find meet information posted at least three weeks prior to the meet date on your meet schedule.

How do I know what events my child should swim in the meet?

·       The meet information posted on the bulletin board and web site will list the order of events for the meet. It will also indicate what age groups will be swimming in which sessions. You may want to use this information to determine which sessions you will attend. However, his/her coach should make the selection of the events your child will swim. They have watched your child in practice and know best what events your child is prepared to swim. The coach will then provide for the entry chair the events your child will be swimming.

Where do I find which events my child has been placed in/will swim in? 

·       The entry chair uses HyTek computer software to keep records of all MYB swimmers and their best times. She/he uses this information to prepare the team’s entry. After the entry chair has prepared the entry and submitted it to the host team, she/he will post a list of all MYB swimmers entered in the meet and the events each will be swimming on the MYB bulletin board and the MYB web site. This will usually be posted at least three days prior to the meet. Please watch for this posting. If you have any questions about your child’s entry, you should contact the entry chair or your coach immediately.

 What if my child becomes sick after her entry is submitted, but before the meet?

·       If your plans change for any reason prior to the meet day, it is always best to let the coach know. Unfortunately, the host team will hold all swimmers responsible for the meet fees regardless of the reason for not swimming in a meet in which you were entered. However, as soon as you know your plans have changed, let the coach and entry chair know. Sometimes if we can contact the host team before heat sheets have been printed, they will pull your entry and you can avoid meet fees.

When will my child know if she will swim in a relay?

·       The relays are decided by the coaches and only by the coaches. They will chose the relay participants at the meet. No swimmer should leave the meet until he has checked with the coach to determine if he will be swimming in a relay. The coaches determine relay participants based upon the swimmers’ performances. Normally the fastest swimmers are chosen first for the relay in order to score as many points as possible for the team. However, since all swimmers do not attend all meets and because of different meets for different time standards, all swimmers should have the opportunity to swim in relays throughout the year. Also, depending upon the number of swimmers we have in each group, MYB may have more than one relay team for each age group. The coaches try to place all swimmers in relays.

How do I pay for my entry fees?

·       All swim families will be required to keep a positive balance in their meet entry escrow account. After the entry chairman prepares the meet entries, she will forward to the team treasurer a schedule of each swimmer’s charges for the meet. The treasurer will subtract from the escrow account the applicable charges. If you do not enter the meet, you will not be charged for the meet.  If you do not have a positive escrow balance when the entry chairman prepares the entries, you will not be entered in the meet.

 How many swimmers will be at the meet?

·       Most meets will have approximately 200 total swimmers. However, some of the larger meets (Auburn, for example) may have 500 or more, with 200 or more at any one session. At Southeasterns you can expect 700 or more swimmers. For most meets hosted by our team, we expect 150 to 250 swimmers.

 Do we have to attend all meets on the schedule?

·       No. Most swimmers try to compete in at least one meet a month. You should try to attend all team meets and championship meets possible for which you qualify. . It is also expected that MYB swimmers participate in MYB-hosted meets.

What travel arrangements should I expect?

·       Travel arrangements and expenses for meets are the individual responsibility of each family. It is recommended that you make your reservations several weeks in advance of the meet. If you would like specific hotel recommendations, please contact any veteran MYB swim parent.

 What should we expect from the competitions?

·       Do not expect your swimmer to win or even place in every event every time he/she swims. An advantage of swimming is that any time a swimmer improves a time he should consider it a victory. Different meets will bring different levels of competition. Swimmers are always seeded in heats according to times. In larger meets, the swimmers in a heat may be separated by only hundredths of seconds. In smaller meets, a “B” swimmer may be seeded next to an “AAAA” swimmer. By keeping a positive attitude and concealing disappointment if your child does not “win” the event, parents can expect more improvement from their child in his swimming efforts. If too much emphasis is placed by the parents on ‘winning”, the child will become discouraged no matter how talented they are. No matter how fast you are, there is always someone out there faster. Don’t be surprised when you see a coach upset with a swimmer who wins her event, but is considerably short of her entry time. He knows that she is capable of doing better and that it is a shallow victory when you do less than your best.  

What's the difference between short course and long course?

What are “time standards”?

·       CLERK OF COURSE (BULLPEN): Where swimmers report at a swim meet for seeding in his/her event. Often event cards are given to the swimmer at this point.

·       COURSE: Designated distance over which the competition is conducted. Long course~50 meters. Short course=25 yards.

·       DECK ENTERED MEET: Meet where all entries are accepted on the first or later day of that meet and subsequently seeded into events.

·       DECK SEEDED MEET: Meet where all entries are due prior to first day of meet and swimmers must declare availability to swim prior to scratch deadlines.

·       D.Q. (DISQUALIFIED): The swimmer’s time is not considered in the competition due to an improper or illegal stroke technique or other rules infraction. The referee or stroke judge determines DQ’s.

·       ENTRY CARD: An event card filled out for each swimmer’s events. These cards are to be picked up by each swimmer at the meet before his event, then given to the timer for his assigned lane.

·       FALSE START: An error in which the swimmer leaves the block before the swimmer touches the wall on a relay event. Also a false start is given to any swimmer who makes any movement after being called to your mark, but before the starting signal has been given.

·       HEAT: A division of an event in which there are too many swimmers to compete at one time.

·       INVITATIONAL COMPETITION:  For those swimmers, organizations, and clubs invited by the host club.

·       LSC: Local Swim Committee—An administrative division of USA SWIMMING with supervisory responsibilities within certain geographic boundaries designated by USA SWIMMING.

·       MYB: Abbreviation for Montgomery YMCA Barracudas and our team designation for USA SWIMMING purposes.

·       OPEN: Each age group will have no qualifying times. B/C swimmers may compete, but awards will only be given to the top 6 or 8 fastest swimmers. Also, may refer to a division at a swim meet that includes events that are open to all ages, but awards will only be given to the top 6 or top 8 fastest swimmers that swim each event within this division, regardless of age.

·       PEAK/TAPER: A carefully planned program that involves getting a swimmer’s body and mind into top or peak performance levels before a major competition. (You will witness the taper program for our Regionally and Nationally competitive swimmers only.)

·       PRELIMS & FINALS MEET: A swimmer swims an event early in the day and returns later and swims that event again if he/she makes the consolation or final heat.

·       QUALIFYING HEATS: Competition in which a number of heats are swum to qualify the fastest swimmers for the finals where final placing for the event will be determined by the final heat of the fastest 6 or 8 swimmers.

·       SEEDING: Events seeded on the deck—Swimmers are called to report to the clerk of course for their event on the day of the meet. After scratches are determined they are then seeded in the proper heats.

·       Pre-seeded heats—Swimmers are arranged in heats in events according to submitted times and heat sheets are prepared prior to the day of competition.

·       SES: Southeastern Swimming, our LSC.

·       SPLIT MEET: The club hosting a swim meet may choose to divide age groups into whatever order it wished for the morning and afternoon sessions.

·       TIMED FINAL HEATS:   Competition in which placing in heats are determined by the times performed in the qualifying heats.

·       UNATTACHED:    An athlete member who competes but does not represent a club member of USA SWIMMING. (UNAT) Any swimmer, who transfers to another USA SWIMMING team, must swim unattached for 120 day between representing the two teams in competition.

·       UNITED STATES SWIMMING: USA SWIMMING—The organization that conducts swimming programs and supervises amateur competitions in the United States.

·       WARM-UP: A planned session prior to a meet or practice.

·       WARM-DOWN: A period after a race/practice for the swimmer to loosen up the muscles to prevent stiffness or soreness.   

What should swimmers eat to prepare for the big meet? 

From www.usa-swimming.org site - Fuel your body for optimal performance
by Charlene Boudreau, USA Swimming’s Sports Science Laboratory Manager, who offers some advice on how to fuel yourself for optimal performance.

What you eat on the day of a meet is important, but it won’t save the day if you haven’t been taking care of your body in the days leading up to the meet. Preparing your body nutritionally for competition is like preparing a race car for performance: A race car driver wouldn’t show up at the Indy 500 without gas. But he also wouldn’t bring a car that isn’t already in impeccable working condition. Here’s the strategy:

1. Preventative Maintenance - What you eat on a daily basis highly affects your performance day-to-day. Follow the guidelines proposed for adequate nutrition: 60% carbs, 15% protein, and 25% fat. Choose a variety of foods from the five food groups, and you will get the vitamins, minerals AND energy you need to perform on a daily basis.

2. Specialized Preparation - In the two to three days prior to a meet, focus more on eating carbs, especially complex, high-Glycemic Index carbs (bread, bagels, grain cereals, white rice, pasta, etc) and a little less on protein. Keep the fat intake consistent with your regular diet to minimize the amount of change.

3. Last Minute Details – Don’t let all that hard work and preparation go to waste. Come to the meet already fueled. Have a snack the night before…high-carb, of course, and add a couple of large glasses of water or sports drink to that. In the morning, drink more fluids to maintain hydration and eat what your stomach will tolerate. A carbohydrate-rich meal of about 250 calories at least one hour before swimming would be good. This could be two pieces of toast with jelly and a glass of orange juice, or a bagel with peanut butter and a cup of low-fat yogurt, or two pancakes with syrup and a half glass of juice. And don’t forget about the water.

4. Show Time! The focus on meet day should not be on fueling your body for a race because you’ve already done that! Instead, focus your nutrition attention on eating foods that will maintain your energy throughout the day and eating them on a schedule that is least likely to impair your performance. Here are some suggestions: