Lovettsville Dolphins

Click here for step-by-step directions on how to register for a meet.

Sign up to volunteer: Check the Job Signup for each meet to see where help is needed and sign up. If you can’t volunteer for an entire meet, look for the before/after meet jobs. Work out a deal with other parents of small siblings to trade off so you both can volunteer. Click here for how to sign up for volunteer jobs.

Check your email. You’ll receive an email containing any specific instructions for a particular meet, including things such as information about parking and seating for spectators.

Swim Meet Format

All competitions are by age group and gender except for the OPEN Relay event. The lengths of the individual races are as follows:

• 6 & under: 25 meters
• 7 - 8: 25 meters
• 9 - 10: 50 meters (25 meters butterfly)
• 11 - 12: 50 meters
• 13 - 14: 50 meters
• 15 - 18: 50 meters

The normal order of events are: Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Individual Medley (IM), and Relays. Dolphins home meets will use the following order of events: Breaststroke, Freestyle, Butterfly, Backstroke, Individual Medley (IM), and Relays. The meet will progress through one event for Freestyle for each age group for boys and girls, and then progress to the next stroke.

An Individual Medley (IM) is for swimmers that can swim all four strokes in one race. The order of events are Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle. Swimmers complete 25 meters of each stroke.

Relays consist of 4 different swimmers in their age group (swimmers can join an older relay team if an additional swimmer is needed). Each swimmer will swim 25 meters of an assigned stroke. For the Freestyle relays, all swimmers swim Freestyle stroke. For the Medley relays, the order of strokes is Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle For the OPEN relay, a swimmer from four different age groups participate (10&under, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18). Relays are fun and they gain points for our total team score. Swimmers do not have to participate in relays, but please make a note of this when signing up for swim meets. Coaches will form the relay teams based on swimmers signed up and best times. Not all swimmers will swim in a relay at each meet. If you do not wish for your child to participate in the relays, please notify the Head Coach.

Parents select meet entries for swimmers on the Dolphins website. If you are unsure what your child is qualified to swim, contact the Head Coach. The Head Coach will approve meet entries and reach out to parents with any concerns. The Head Coach will complete relay meet entries. Meet event assignments will be posted on the Dolphins website in the Meet Schedule link by Wednesday morning for Wednesday evening meets and by Friday evening for Saturday morning meets. Swimmers and parents are asked to check the website prior to the meet so they know their assigned events. If your swimmer is selected for a relay and CANNOT participate, please contact the Head Coach and the computer operator ([email protected]).

Swimmers may enter to swim a maximum of 3 Individual events (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Individual Medley) and may be selected for up to 2 relays (Age Group, OPEN) at each meet.

Before the Meet

Declare you swimmer for the meet before the deadline (Wednesday meet deadline is previous Sunday evening, Saturday meet deadline is previous Wednesday evening). Parents may request specific events for their swimmer, but the final decision belongs to the coach.

If your swimmer will no longer attend the meet, update the declaration to remove them from the meet. If the declaration deadline has already passed, please email the coach ([email protected]), computer operator ([email protected]), and president ([email protected]).

If you are not able to declare for the meet before the deadline, you will not be able to officially swim in the meet.

Day of the Meet

Print the “Heat Sheet”, it will be posted on each meet's webpage as a PDF document. The heat sheet is the schedule for the meet. It will let you know who swims in which events. The heat sheet will show you all of the events, in numerical order. Since there are only 6 lanes at a pool, each event is divided into heats, based on the swimmers’ best times. Within each heat, you will see the lane assignments, or the lane in which each swimmer will swim.

You can keep yourself organized at the meet by highlighting the events your swimmer is swimming. Then you’ll be able to keep an ear out for specific event numbers and you won’t have to say, “Oh honey, I’m sorry, I missed it!” Don’t forget to look and see if your swimmer has been assigned to any relay events.

Write on your swimmer(s). Help your swimmer keep track of which events he/she will be swimming at the meet. Use a Sharpie marker to write the Events, Heats and Lanes on the swimmer’s hand or arm, where it is easy for him/her to see it. Let your swimmer know that there will be parents volunteering as Rounders, who will be calling them for events, usually by the event number. They’ll have the information in a grid, like below.

For example, a 6&U boy will compete in freestyle (event 1), in heat 2, in the 3rd lane. Then they will compete in backstroke (event 13), in heat 1, in the 5th lane. Their arm grid would look like:

Pack a bag for your swimmer(s). Swimmers should come to the pool in their swimsuits, ready for warm-ups, with their team swim cap and goggles. They will need clothes to cover up between events. Be sure to pack a couple towels since there are wet bodies EVERYWHERE and your swimmer is likely swimming more than one event. Many times swimmers sit on towels in the swimmer area if chairs aren’t available. Swimmers should bring plenty of water because it is HOT at summer meets! It’s always a good idea to pack an extra pair of goggles in case the favorite pair breaks! Also pack some healthy snacks to keep your swimmer’s energy up.

Pack for yourself and siblings. Pack snacks and plenty of drinks for yourself and siblings. Bring entertainment for the family. Swim meets can last several hours and you’ll want to keep everyone happy!

Make a plan for concessions purchases. You can opt to buy goodies at concessions, which is available at most meets. Unless you are very patient and are prepared to calmly handle incessant begging for snack bar goodies, let your kids know the plan for if/what/how much they can purchase BEFORE you get to the meet!

Prepare your swimmer. Along with writing down swimmer’s events, it is helpful if you talk about how the meet will run with your swimmer(s). It sounds like a lot, but remember that time trials are our “practice run” and will help them get familiar with how things work. Let them know:

• They will start with a warm-up, which is like a practice. The coaches will let them know what they need to do for warm-ups.
• After warm-ups the swimmers will go back to the swimmer holding area and sit with their teammates while waiting for their events. They are expected to stay here throughout the meet.
• The Rounders will call out events and swimmer names, so they need to pay attention so they don’t miss their events. The Rounders will walk the swimmers to the staging area, where they will be lined up in order of events, heats, and lanes. Usually there are rows of chairs behind each lane and the swimmers move up a chair each time an event finishes.
• When it is their event/heat, the timer will ask the swimmer for their name so they can compare it to their list.
• The starter will announce the event and heat and then say, “Swimmers Step Up,” which is when swimmers move to the pool edge. Then the starter will say, “Take your mark,” which is when the swimmer gets set and is supposed to stay still until the start. Next the swimmer will hear a beep, which signals the start of the race.
• If there is a false start, the starter will sound a series of beeps to let the swimmers know to come back to the start.
• After their events, swimmers should check-in with coaches who will talk to them about their swim. You can also have them check-in with you…after they talk to the coaches…so you can lavish them with praise!
• Then they’ll go back to the swimmer holding area to wait for their next event.
• Let your swimmer know that you will come to the swimmer area to pick them up at the end of the meet.

Arriving at the Meet

Check-In your swimmer(s). Arrive at the meet 15 minutes prior to warm-ups so your swimmer can get settled in the swimmer area and wait for warm ups to begin.

Check-in with the volunteer coordinator. If you have signed up to volunteer at the meet, you must check in with the Dolphins volunteer coordinator. At check-in, the volunteer coordinator will let you know where to go to get further instruction for your job. Ensure you check-in on time, late volunteers may be replaced and credit-hours given to the replacement volunteer.

Seat yourself in a great location. Location, Location, Location. If not volunteering, you want to be sure that you get a prime spot where you can see your swimmer’s events, yet still be comfortable in between. According to USA Swimming rules, parents are not allowed “on deck” unless they are serving as an official volunteer at the meet. There will be a designated spectator area. At home meets, the lounge chairs will be laid out flat and arranged sideways as a long bench to make room for multiple spectators.

During the Meet

Listen for the Starter’s announcements. The Starter at the meet is the announcer. They will announce every race by number, event title and heat number. Keep your ears open for your swimmer’s events.

Remember the Code of Conduct. Show your support for the team in a positive manner. Team spirit and camaraderie of the team has been amazing since the start! We’re here for the kids, and you’ll even hear swimmers and parents cheering for the other team at times!

Double and Triple Check Relay teams. Since the coaches sign the swimmers up to participate in relays, it’s easy to overlook it if your child is part of a team at a particular meet. Look over the list of relay teams in the meet sheet to be sure that if your swimmer is on a team, he or she participates in the event. It is SO disappointing to the other team members if one relay participant leaves early and no one gets to race!

Visit Concessions. Most of the teams in our league have a snack bar with various goodies. Purchases at these snack bars typically raise money for the teams. Some teams have elaborate snack bars while others have smaller offerings. If we know ahead of time what will be available, we will let you know.

Disqualifications (DQ’s) are part of the learning experience in age group swimming. There is a “legal” way to swim each of the strokes and when “infractions” occur, a swimmer is DQ’d. The swimmer receives no ribbon for that event, and if a swimmer is DQ’d during a relay, the entire team is disqualified. The reason for this process is that no swimmer is to have an unfair competitive advantage and improper techniques may sometimes provide that. DQ’s help the swimmer to recognize when they are doing something wrong and the coaches can help them make corrections in their stroke. DQ reports will be given to the coaches after every meet in order to help correct the problem areas. Please see the DQ explanation webpage for more details about specific infractions.

Please be aware that if your swimmer, especially in the younger age groups, frequently DQ’s, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t trying or that the coaches are not working with them. Development of motor skills varies dramatically, and some children may not be physically be able to perfect their stroke at their current age. Encourage your child to keep trying! It takes perseverance and development.

Also keep in mind, Stroke Judges are “referees” who are volunteers trained in the proper rules and techniques for executing strokes, turns and touches. All stroke judges, starters, and coaches must attend a stroke clinic for certification. There is a strong effort to provide consistency throughout the league and throughout the season. The decision of the stroke judge is final. Most importantly, please understand that their objective is to help our swimmers learn to swim the strokes legally and properly and to make sure that no swimmer has an unfair competitive advantage over another by swimming the stroke improperly. Concerns about DQ's should be addressed with the coach.

Common DQ’s:

• Not using the proper arm movement
• Not using the proper kick
• Not touching the wall properly for the stroke being swam
• Not transitioning from the dive to the stroke properly
• Pulling on the lane line to propel swimmer in the water, or pushing off the bottom of the pool

After the Meet

View the Final Results. The final results are usually available within 24-48 hours after an event. The Computer Operator will email them out as soon as they are ready. Keep in mind that we have to get the meet results from the other team for away meets and different teams have different timelines of when they get them sent out.

Check the family folder for ribbons. First through sixth place ribbons (for individual events), and first through third place ribbons (for relays), will be filed in your family’s folder in our file boxes. Swimmers should check their folder at the start or end of practice to get all ribbons awarded to them.

Keep track of your volunteer credit hours. After the meet the volunteer coordinators will mark jobs as completed on the website and points will be assigned to your account. Once you are logged in to your account, you will see a Welcome <Name> menu at the top right of the page. Hover over the menu and select My Account. Your main account page contains job sign ups for all family members and points earned for the current season.