Swim Meet Information
What is a Swim Meet?
A swim meet is a fun, friendly competition where swimmers race against others in their age group, showing off what they've learned and tracking their progress. Events are based on stroke type and distance, and swimmers may compete in several races.
Meets are high-energy and team-focused—coaches guide the swimmers, and families cheer them on. The goal isn’t just to win, but to grow in skill, confidence, and team spirit!
What is a Dual Meet?
Important Information
Dual meets are generally scheduled for Wednesday evenings from around 5:00 PM to
8:00 PM. Each meet features our team competing against another team. RSVPs will be accepted 10 days prior to each event, so be sure to check the specific details on the
calendar. Throughout the summer, we aim to encourage participation from all team members who are interested. We hope that every swimmer will have the opportunity to compete in at least two dual meets. Additionally, all dual meets are free for our swimmers.
How it RSVP:
How to RSVP for a Dual Meet: To attend a dual, you must RSVP your child through our
website.
1. Log In to your account
2. Click on the Schedule/ Volunteer tab
3. Scroll to the meet and click the green “Meet Entry” button
4. Click the green “Edit” button under your swimmer’s name
5. Choose either “ Attending this meet” or “Not attending this meet” and click SAVE
After submitting your RSVP, you can proceed to sign up for volunteer hours.
Meet Day Details:
Event Selection: Coaches will assign two events per swimmer.
Race Cards: At the begining of the meet, each swimmer will receive two Index cards
with their event details. They must bring the appropriate card to their lane and hand It to the timer before
stepping up to the blocks.
These cards ensure that times are recorded and ribbons are awarded accurately.
Ribbon Pick Up
Swimmers will receive their ribbons for each event, which may be picked up at
practice the following day via your family folder.
What is an Invitational?
What to know about Invitationals
Invitationals present thrilling opportunities for swimmers to face off against other teams,
monitor their development, and participate in official events sanctioned by USA
Swimming.
When & Where
Invitationals take place on weekends, with some starting on Friday evenings
(approximately 4:00–8:00 PM) and others beginning on Saturday and Sunday
mornings. The meets usually run from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with gates opening and
warm-ups starting around 7:30 AM to 8:00 AM.
These meets feature swimmers from our team, along with participants from other
local teams and some independent swimmers.
Attendance at all days of an Invitational is not required for participation.
How to Sign Up
1. https://ome.fastswims.com/meets
2. Log In or create an account
3. Find the Invitational meet you’d like to attend
4. Read the meet sheet carefully before signing up. This Includes key Info about
schedules, fees, event limit, parking, food and other helpful Information.
5. Select the events your swimmer I s eligible foe (up to 4 events per day)
Enter an approximate seed time for each event. You can:
Ask a coach
Use a time from a recent dual meet
Take your best guess (times are used for lane placement, not qualification)
Once your swimmers has competed, their times will be saved and available for future
meets In Swim Connection.
At the Meet:
What to bring: multiple caps and goggles, swim suit, backup swim suit, towel,
sharpie, pop-up shades, chairs, games, fans, cooling towels, snacks and drinking
water.
When It’s time to swim make sure your swimmer Is:
Wearing their cap and goggles
hydrated and focused
checked In with a coach (usually an event or two prior to their race)
Behind the blocks the event before theirs starts
Example: If your swimmer Is In Event #12, they should start prepping around event #10
and behind the blocks by Event #11
Results & Awards
After races, times and disqualifications are:
Recorded and printed
posted to a results wall
Sent to the awards table
At some meets like the Durham Invitational: Top 12 swimmers In each event are awarded.
Places 1-6 recieve medals. Places 7-12 receive ribbons. Other meets may have different
award formats. This Information should be found on the Meet Sheet.
Swim Beads & Personal Growth
Even I f your swimmer doesn’t place I n the top 12, they can still earn Race Beads
Disqualifications (DQ’s)
A swimmer may be disqualified for: Using an Incorrect stroke, or turn, not touching
the wall correctly, finishing Incorrectly (e.g., not using a two-hand touch for
breaststroke or butterfly)
If your swimmers Is DQ’d: The coach will be Informed and will explain what happened and help the swimmer improve. We teach swimmers- every swimmer will be DQ’d at some point I n their swim career. It’s not a failure, but an Important learning
opportunity. As parent’s we ask that you accept DQ’s with grace, and help your
swimmer do the same. Encourage them to listen, learn, and move forward. Our goal is to support their growth, both I n and out of the pool. Concerns or complaints about
a DQ should be directed to the coach- not to meets officials or other volunteers.
