Swim meets are optional for all swimmers, but everyone is encouraged to participate. Swim meets foster team camaraderie, build friendships, and allow swimmers to see their progress in a measurable way, all while having fun. Swim meet opportunities and signup instructions are posted under Meets & Events as they become available, including information on applicable meet fees that will be billed to parents by the team through TeamUnify.

Getting ready on the day of a meet:

  1. Please make sure your swimmer has the following:
    • Swimsuit (suits must be one piece and cannot have zippers or frill or extend below the knee or past the shoulder - swim shirts are not allowed in competition)
    • Goggles (ideally with a backup pair)
    • Swim cap
    • Water bottle
    • Towel
    • Something warm to wear over their suit before/between races
    • Non-messy snack like granola bars, fruit, and/or nuts (some meets also sell concessions)
    • (No electronic devices please)
  2. Please arrive with your swimmer marked up and in their suit
    • Marking them up means that you write the information about your swimmer's events on their forearm, which helps them and the coaches know when and where they need to be for each race. The format includes 4 items per event, from broad to specific, as follows - [Event #] [Event Distance & Stroke] [Heat #]/[Lane #], with 1 row for each event.
    • You can find this info, and the expected times yours kids will be swimming, in the meet entries or meet program, one or both are posted with the event on our website at https://www.lakemonsters.org 2-3 days prior to the start of the meet.
    • Example - Your swimmer is competing in the 50 freestyle, event 1, heat 2, lane 3, so the first row of their markup would read "#1 50 Free 2/3"

What to expect at a swim meet:

  • Please arrive 10 minutes before the start of warmups so everyone is ready to go on time.
  • Parents (other than official meet volunteers) are prohibited from the pool deck and locker rooms at all swim meets under USA Swimming rules, so when you arrive, your swimmer will go onto the pool deck to find their coach(es) and teammates, with whom they will sit during the meet, and parents and families will go to the stands.
  • Your swimmers are allowed to visit you in the stands between events, but only after getting permission from a coach. Please note that parents are responsible for watching the time to make sure your swimmer is back on the pool deck several heats before their race. Coaches cannot leave the pool deck to find swimmers.
  • Swimmers are strongly encouraged to cheer on their teammates during races at the opposite end of the pool from the blocks (except during 25s or 500s+), but they must also keep track of when they have upcoming events so they can be lined up behind the blocks at least 2 heats before they are scheduled to swim.
  • Results will be posted on a wall off the pool deck, and are often available on the paid MeetMobile app, both updated as frequently as after each event. Some meets have ribbons or medals, but there is a wide variation as to what achievement the awards will recognize.
  • Once your swimmer is done with their events, they are allowed to leave the meet, but please make sure they let a coach know they are leaving.

Other Information:

  • We work hard to find meets that best fit our whole team, but some meets have requirements for who can swim what events. For example, some meets are just 12 and under, while others may limit a swimmer to events in which they have met a minimum previous time or are under a maximum time, and all meets have a limit on races per swimmer. This information will be included in the event on our website, and the signup process should prevent you from signing up for a meet or events in which your swimmer does not qualify.
  • Many meets have more than one session per day, usually for different age groups. Unless your swimmer is in the first session of the day, we often do not know the exact start and end times for warmup and the meet itself until just days beforehand. This is because the start time for subsequent sessions is based on the end of the first session, which depends on the number of entries and so is unknown until all of the entries are submitted and processed by the host team.
  • If relays are a part of the meet and we have enough swimmers, the coaches may enter your swimmer in a relay. There is an additional cost for this, usually equal to the cost per individual event, so if you do not want your child in a relay, you must note that with your declaration for the meet.
  • Do not worry about your child being disqualified (DQed) in a race - everyone DQs, even those who've been swimming competitively for years. Swimmers are DQed most frequently for technical stroke and turn issues, and most of the time they will not know they've DQed until they are informed by a coach, who will use any DQs as a learning opportunity for the swimmer.