Increasing Safety At Swim Meets

Last updated on April 24th, 2023 at 03:49 pm

Most people would likely agree that safety at swim meets is important. It’s a high priority for governing bodies like USA Swimming as well as parents, coaches, officials, and pool owners. However, it’s one thing to agree that safety is important, and another to actually improve it.  What needs doing, when, and by whom? The answers to these questions aren’t always easy to find.  As a result, safety planning sometimes slips to the bottom of a long to-do list. Reading this post is a step in the right direction. Let reading be the first, but not the last thing you’ll do to increase swim meet safety. How many of the following ideas will you put into action before your next meet?

Who Are We Working To Keep Safe?

Everyone at the swim meet.  This first includes swimmers. But also includes coaches, officials, meet workers, parents, and spectators.

Who Can Start A Discussion About Swim Meet Safety?

Many could start a swim meet safety discussion including:

• Meet Director
• Meet Referee, or another official
• Facility Owner, or Personnel
• Coach
• Athlete
• Team Leader
• Concerned Parent

Most rules governing competition were not designed to give safety measures. That responsibility lies with the swimmer, parents, coaches, clubs, meet host, meet leaders, and pool owners.  When meet leaders emphasize safety, it helps others prioritize it too. This increases the safety of all who attend.

How Much Time Do You Have Before the Swim Meet?

Some

The more time you have before the swim meet, the more options you have, and the easier it is to include other people. Therefore, it’s wise to put safety planning in the early stages of meeting planning. If you’re currently short on time, keep this principle in mind next time you plan and prepare a swim meet. Ideas to help increase the safety of swim meet attendees are in the section below. The following sections include more ideas.  Read all to get the full picture. Modify as needed to fit your circumstances.

1.  Inspect Venue For Safety

• Ideally, the meet referee, meet director and facility manager (or designee) check the venue for unsafe conditions. Possible examples include locked exits, unsecured diving boards, protrusions or holes in the deck, slippery areas, overloaded electrical sockets in the admin or hospitality areas. Once noted, make a plan to correct or mitigate the problem. Mark or block hazards that cannot be eliminated.

2.  Identify and Address Possibly Unsafe Conditions

Below are a few ideas to get you started.

Warm-ups

Unfortunately, many accidents occur during warm-ups, either before or during the meet. What will be the warm-up procedure? Is it established by the governing body, the meet host, or both? How will it be clearly (and repeatedly if needed) communicated to swimmers, coaches, and those monitoring? Who will enforce the warm-up procedure?  How?

Locker rooms

Who will watch them? How often? Are the locker rooms open to the public?  If so, consider sharing that information with coaches and parents. The USA Swimming Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP) page has more information about keeping locker rooms safe.

Credentials

Must people have credentials or membership to take part in the meet or access certain parts of the deck? What rules are in place to distribute credentials or verify membership? How and when are they communicated? Read more on credentialing in, Using Wristbands for Event Identification and Swim Meet Identification: Lanyard Badges.

Facility Issues

Does the facility have special rules? If so, let others know.  For example no admittance to the toddler-wading pool for swimmers over eight years old, or No spectators on deck, etc.

Swim Meet Marshals

You’ll need help at the meet to promote and enforce safe practices. First, decide how many. Consider what they will need to do. What information will they need to do a good job? (Put it on your Meet Marshal training list now.) Will they get breaks? Will their location change? (Often some positions rove, others, like someone positioned near the warm-up area, stay in one place.) How will they be recruited? Who will train them? Where? When? How will they find this out? What time does their shift start/end?

Note: Marshals are especially needed during the pre-meet warm-up time.  Early recruiting and clear communication about the time they need to report helps get them there when needed.

To show their authority, provide marshals with an easily identifiable uniform.  Bright orange or another color, vests, or armbands work well. Lanyard badges may also work at smaller meets.

USA-Swimming prohibits drugs and smoking at meets

3.  Communicate Safety Information

If possible, add safety information to the meet announcement. Include instructions to coaches, swimmers, parents or others.  Consider sharing this invitation: Any person seeing an unsafe situation or activity within the swim meet venue should ask the activity be stopped.  Then, report it to a meet marshal, the meet director or the referee who can find a more permanent solution if needed.

• If the meet announcement is already sanctioned, send the information out in a pre-meet email. If information is useful to swimmers and/or parents, craft an email that coaches or the team representative can easily forward. Then, specifically, ask them to send it to all who will be attending the meet.
• Information could also be shared in a pre-swim meet coaches meeting.

4.  Clearly Define Venue

Not all facilities are exclusively available for every swim meet.  Clearly define the local meet venue to all participants. The venue should include:

• The pool deck at the sides and ends of the competition pool
• All spectator areas, including entrance and exit walkways
• Scoring and administration rooms
• Team areas (including rub down, rest and stretching areas as applicable)
• Locker rooms
• Restrooms
• Hospitality and/or snack bar or concessions areas
• Any specific area(s) designated by the meet host or the meet director.

5.  Security

Some larger meets may require some form of security. Check first with the facility. They may have resources to help.

6.  Additional Resources

USA Swimming has many safety-related resources on its website: www.usaswimming.org.  They also have a comprehensive guide in the Safe Sport at Events section of their website. You’ll find risk management-related information at www.usaswimming.org/riskmanagement. (May need to scroll down to see “Risk Management.”)

7.  Get Help and Prepare Resources

Enjoy the breathing room an early start affords as you get help and prepare the resources listed below.

Print signs and other resources from the Online Swim Meet Safety Kit to help spectators and meet-goers act safely. Post at the venue the day of the meet.

Not Much

Have a bit of time before the meet, but not a lot?  Focus your efforts on getting people into key positions, and helping them step up.

1.  Get Help

Meet Marshals are essential to safe swim meets. The series Got Timers? 20+ Ways to Get Swim Meet Timers: Volunteer Recruiting and Retention has several ideas on effective ways to recruit volunteers before a swim meet. Many of these methods work to get other meet workers too, including meet marshals. Use the term “Meet Marshals” or “Meet Volunteers” in place of the term “Timers” as needed. Short on time? Focus on the following posts from that series:

• Got Timers? Ways to Recruit Timers Before a Swim Meet
• Got Timers? Pre-Swim Meet Volunteer Recruiting:  Why Do It?
• Having difficulty filling the positions? The ideas in this post might help: Got Timers? Supporting Swim Meet Timers

2.  Prepare Meet Marshal Safety Training List

Preparing a list in advance has many benefits when it comes to training others.  Not only is your mind likely fresher than at a meet, but it also allows someone else to train if needed. If desired, make extra copies so the marshal can keep the list for reference throughout the meet. Click for a sample swim meet marshal training list. Modify to meet local needs.

3.  Do a Safety Inspection of the Venue

If possible, do a safety inspection of the venue with a facility representative sometime before the meet.  (See #1 in the “Some” section above for more information on safety inspections.)

4.  Print Signs

Signs can help athletes and spectators act safer. Print now, and post the day of the meet. Get printable signs, instructions, announcements in the Online Swim Meet Safety Kit.

5.  Do What You Can From the “Some” Section Above

Still have a bit of time before the meet? Do whatever you can from the “Some” section above.

None

Fortunately, even if the swim meet is today — or if warm-ups have already started — you can still do things to help increase safety.  Addressing safety early increases the number of options, and people, who can be effectively involved.  However, anytime you think of, and address safety, it’s a step in the right direction. Pat yourself on the back, and do what you can to help now.

1.  Swim Meet Marshals

• If you don’t have any meet marshals yet, see if you can get some.
  • The post Got Timers? 8 Ways to Ask For Swim Meet Timers shows eight ways to get timers at a swim meet. Some of these methods might work to get other meet workers too, including meet marshals. Replace the word “Timer” with “Meet Marshal” or “Meet Volunteer” as needed.
• If you have meet marshals, make sure they are properly instructed.
  • Item two in the “Not Much” section above has links to suggested instructions for meet marshals
  • Is someone already working as a meet marshal, but in need of further instruction? Here’s one way to do it.
    • First, apologize. Let him or her know you are sorry they did not get fully instructed before starting in this role. Let him or her know that you’ve since received more information. Reiterate your gratitude for their willingness to serve. Emphasize the goal of keeping people safe. Then, share the instruction. If needed, give an example of how to apply the instruction and ask if there are any questions. You may want to ask your marshal if s/he has any ideas which might help future meet marshals. Remember to thank them, and ask if they have anything to add after the meet.

2.  Monitor Warm-up/Warm-down Area

Is anyone monitoring the warm-up/warm-down area?  If not, see if you can get someone to do it. Before the meet, an official might be available to help.  Check with the Meet Referee. Remind coaches to watch their swimmers during warm-ups. Let them know other monitoring is not available at this time. After the meet starts, a meet marshal, parent volunteer or lifeguard instructed in proper warm-up/warm-down methods may work. If someone is watching, make sure they understand and enforce, these important points:

• No diving, except as specified in the meet announcement, or by the meet referee.
  • Usually, diving is only allowed in the warm-up period before the swim meet and only as designated. No diving is allowed in the warm-up lanes/pool during the meet. This practice helps prevent injury.
• No playing in the active warm-up, warm-down area. Competitive swimmers need a place to warm-up and warm-down effectively.  This means they do lap swimming, not talk with friends, swim in small circles, try to touch the bottom or do somersaults. Talking and safe play are fine elsewhere (as allowed by the facility), but not in the active warm-up, warm-down area.

3.  Print and Post Signs and Instructions

Have access to a printer? Print and post these safety signs.

Summary

The adage, “Safety is everyone’s responsibility” is often touted.  While this is true, there are specific things leaders can do to increase the safety of those attending their swim meets. Identifying possible issues, addressing them, getting well-trained help, and communicating clearly and early, all help increase the odds of a safe meet.

Title image by davidnat from Pixabay

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If you’re 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 and easy to follow links to related information.

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