Planning Style: Is Swim Meet Safety a Casualty?

Last updated on August 5th, 2023 at 08:19 am

How Can Planning Style affect Safety?

Often those planning and running swim meets are what I  call, “Overworked and Underpaid.” This means they have way more work to do than available time or energy to do it.  It also means that what they are giving has more value than what, if anything, they are paid.  Then, a swim meet comes along — not exactly a quick or easy thing to plan, prepare and carry out. Some get by using the “Fly By The Seat of Your Pants” style of meet planning and prep. It can look like this on deck:

1. Desperate last-minute scrambling to fill “can’t run the meet without them” volunteer positions like timers.  Then, either not remembering the need for meet marshals, or deciding there isn’t enough help to have them.
2. Assigning people to work as meet marshals in advance, but not providing enough training or authority so they can effectively do their job.
3. Foregoing a pre-meet safety inspection of the venue by the meet director and meet referee because (take your pick)
   • The meet referee took off work to come and was lucky to get to the venue right as warm-ups began.
   • The meet director was too busy problem-solving the meet set-up to have time to check the facility for safety.
   • The team only hosts swim meets at this facility and things have always been fine.

Please note, it is NOT my intention to (as my kids would say) “rip on” any meet director or referee. To me, they, and the others who help keep competitive swimming available to kids, and others, are the unsung heroes of the sport. Thank you! Few have enough time to do what they do, yet somehow, they find a way. They are the ones stepping up! They are part of the solution, not the problem.

What Can Be Done To Help?

What I am trying to point out is this: We all have different personalities and ways of doing things.  Although I do NOT subscribe to the idea that there is one right way to host a meet, I do believe there are things meet planners can do to better protect athletes and other meet-goers. And the good news is, many things that effectively increase safety don’t have to take a lot of time or effort to do. 

Planners of safer swim meets address not only the “important and urgent” items, like the immediate need for timers. They also do the “important but not urgent” (or at least not YET urgent) things, too.  The “important by not (yet) urgent” group includes things like safety precautions.  This is one reason HostGreatMeets.com exists. It was created so those “in the trenches,” the ones doing the work, could get meet planning tips that work. This includes things to help “cover all the bases” despite busy, and often hectic, lives.

Helpful Posts

The following posts share ideas that, with a little planning or prep, help avoid the problems listed above. Even implementing one new idea can increase safety at your swim meets. The safety of the athletes and other meet-goers is worth it. Think about your local circumstances and resources and then find a way to make it work for you.

One-Stop Safety Kit for Swim Meets

• Click to get ready to use signs, instructions for meet marshalls and timers, as well as announcements

Increasing Safety at Swim Meets

• How much time do you have before a swim meet? Some, Not Much, None? This post lists things you can do to increase safety according to the available time.

6 Tips that Yield Great Swim Meets

• Swim meets vary greatly in size and scope. Here are six tips that yield great results at any meet.

Volunteers Needed! Get more willing and able help

• Swim meets and other activities need volunteers. This post helps you learn how to get help by increasing the number of willing and able volunteers where you are.

Ideas on Effective Delegation

• No one can run a swim meet alone. Delegation is a must, but if done poorly, can create a mess. These tips keep it a positive, effective tool.

Easily Train Swim Meet Volunteers

• Effective training helps volunteers perform better. Get quick and easy tips to create effective, reusable training for swim meets volunteers.

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!