The Prep, or Practice Swim Meet

Last updated on May 19th, 2022 at 12:18 pm

Do you work with very young, or new competitive swimmers? You might consider hosting a “prep” or practice meet.  This type of swim meet makes a great “first meet” experience for both swimmers and parents. The focus of the meet is to train both in basic swim meet protocols. Then, it gives the chance to practice what they’ve learned. The “prep” meet also benefits swim teams who are new to meet hosting. It’s a great stepping stone in developing a meet hosting culture. For more about the benefits of small swim meets, see Small Swim Meets: Ideas on Designing.

This post is part of a series that shares ideas on hosting successful small swim meets. The focus is on helping hosts overcome challenges unique to smaller meets. For more, see Small Swim Meets

Thank you Lorinne M. of Utah Swimming for sharing

Prep Swim Meet Goal

The overall goal of the Prep Swim Meet is to give beginners a positive swim meet experience. This meet can run as a sanctioned or non-sanctioned event. The emphasis is on introducing swimmers and parents to basic swim meet protocols and letting them gain first-hand experience doing them in a low-key environment. Integrated training and mentoring set this meet plan apart from other small meets.

Safety and Risk Management

Because of the presence of new and/or young athletes, it’s especially important to have lifeguards, meet marshals, and/or coaches watching the pool at all times. It’s also important to have meet marshals checking locker rooms and the rest of the venue regularly throughout the meet. Additional safety tips are available Increasing Safety at Swim Meets. Also, check with the facility rep where you’ll hold the meet.

Important Insurance Information

Insurance coverage is important.  For example, USA Swimming provides insurance for their sanctioned swim meets. If hosting an unsanctioned make sure you have insurance coverage before hosting.

# of Athletes

The number of athletes at a prep meet can vary greatly. The meet director who designed the prep meet plan below ran this meet several times and had about 20-50 athletes attend. Keeping attendance low helps,

  • Fewer experienced people manage the meet
  • Allows for more personal interaction
  • Keep the feel “low-key” and less-intimidating
  • Allows for a slower moving timeline

# of Support and Official Roles

The number of support people and officials varies depending on many factors. These might include how many athletes attend, how many lanes you use for competition, and the sanctioning of the swim meet. The meet plan below includes a meet worker list with job descriptions for positions used at this type of meet.

Recommended Run-Time and Tips

The team that hosted this meet opted to run their Prep meets during practice time. This way there was no additional time commitment for the swimmers and both athletes and parents were familiar with the facility. Additionally, the team made advance arrangements with the facility to ensure no additional cost. The complete meet, including warm-ups and training time for parents and athletes, ran in less than two hours.

Facility

  • At first, the host team ran prep meets in three lanes. Why? There were a couple of reasons. One, was because of low athlete numbers. This way the swimmers could get rest in between events because the meet ran slower. Fewer lanes also meant fewer volunteer timers and officials. Additionally, the team had another group practice in the remaining lanes at the same time as the prep meet. Only their beginning group attended the meet. Later, as the beginning group grew and there were more parents to help, they added more lanes for competition.

Events

  • This meet offered 25-yard events in the Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle, and Butterfly for both girls and boys. Additionally, they offered 50-yard length events in the Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle. The beginning group coaches selected the events. Athletes could sign-up for two events.

Administrative and Run Pattern

Because of the nature of this meet and the people attending it, be sure to let people know about the following and any other administrative or run pattern details during the initial training segment.

Getting Athletes To The Blocks

Because most parents were helping to run the meet this meet had non-competing athletes sit together. They also opted to use a bullpen to line swimmers up and take them to the blocks.

After Competing

Timers pointed athletes exiting the pool after a race towards their coaches. There, the coaches gave them race feedback and a small treat. Then, the coaches instructed them to head back to the stands and wait for their next race. Depending on the age and ability of the swimmer, the coaches might encourage the athletes to cool-down first.

Results

The meet host printed results and then posted them at the venue as they became available. Posting electronically might also be an option for some.

Awards

Heat winner awards were offered. Usually, there was a participation award for all athletes. Additionally, there were ribbons for the fastest swimmers. There was no scoring of events or high-point awards.

Meet Management Software

Using a meet management software will greatly increase accuracy and decrease the amount of time and effort needed to seed, create reports (including timer sheets with athlete names), and compile results. What you use will likely depend upon what you have available. If looking to purchase, click to get more information about Meet Manager and Meet Maestro meet management software.

Swim Meet Plan Features: Prep Meet Plan

The Prep Meet Plan and Notes files below include a

  • “To Do” List
  • Set-up and Clean-up List
  • Warm-up Training Schedule for parents and swimmers
  • Job Worker List and Descriptions
  • List of Meet Director Notes and Things to Bring
  • SAMPLE ENTRY FORM

Meet Plan Files: Prep Swim Meet Plan and Notes

Closing Thoughts

The Meet Director designed this Prep, or Practice, Swim Meet Plan to accommodate new swimmers and parents and help give them a positive “First Meet” experience. It can also help teams that are new to meet hosting start to build their own meet hosting culture. Training and mentoring are key components of this particular meet plan that set it apart from other small swim meet plans.

Preparing for a swim meet? Check out The Ultimate Swim Meet To-Do List. Then, get a bird’s eye view of Who does What at Swim Meets. Both include easy-to-follow links to related information. Doing a smaller, simpler meet? Host a High School or Developmental Swim Meet will help.

Need more help? See 20+ Ways to Get Swim Meet Timers and Officials: 20+ Ways to Get them for Swim Meets


Also, discover a few things you can do to Increase Safety at Swim Meets. Find ideas to implement before your meet as well as last-minute quick and easy tips!

Series Navigation<< COVID Times Swim Meet Tips

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.