Small Swim Meets: Ideas on Designing

Last updated on February 10th, 2024 at 01:04 pm

Think bigger is better? When it comes to swim meets, there’s room for all shapes and sizes! Many benefits come from hosting small swim meets, especially those held during practice time. What does small mean? It’s a relative term referring to the number of swimmers, teams, events, and/or the overall length of the meet.

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

Why run small swim meets?

To Benefit Swimmers

  • Adding more meets = More swim meet opportunities!
  • A meet held during regular practice time is already part of the swimmer’s (and driving parent’s) weekly routine which can increase the likelihood of attendance
  • Hosting a meet at the swimmer’s home pool gives newer and younger swimmers (and their parents) a chance to learn how to “do” swim meets in a less intimidating environment
  • Regularly held smaller, local meets can offer a range of events over time.
  • Additionally, fewer participants reduce the risk of spreading infection.

To Benefit Parents

  • Meets held close to home mean less driving time — something always welcome in time-crunched lives!
  • Small swim meets are shorter than traditional meets — one great way to help newer parents transition into the sport.
  • Parents can learn how to better support their team and swimmer by becoming volunteer meet workers. Those who have volunteered before can try out different roles.

To Benefit Teams

Some teams mistakenly think that small swim meets aren’t worth the time and effort they take to produce. But consider the many benefits teams can get from running small swim meets. They include but are not limited to the following.

Support and Train Newer, Younger Swimmers and Parents

  • Well-planned, smaller, local home meets can support and train newer, younger swimmers and their parents on how to “do” swim meets.
    • The Prep Swim Meet was specifically designed to meet the needs of this group.

Grow Your Pool of Meet Workers and Officials

Small meets also increase the experienced meet worker pool for the team. How? Parents can try volunteering in a less intimidating environment. Also, the need for volunteer meet workers, including officials, is very obvious at small meets. The supply of workers is small so it’s easier for parents to see the need to step-up. The addition of small meets also gives officials, and other meet workers, opportunities to train in a variety of positions.

  • NOTE:  A good volunteer coordinator is indispensable at small swim meets.  This person can help find ways to fit hesitant volunteers with the right meet worker position. For example, a parent may need the more flexible position of a roving meet marshal as opposed to the stationary position of a timer.  Another example:  Two parents with non-swimming children at the meet with them could take turns watching the kids and filling one position.

Lower Overhead

Small meets held during practice time often mean no added pool cost. Additionally, unlike traditional meets held outside of practice, practice-time meets require no additional time commitment from coaches or financial commitment to pay them for extra hours worked. Also, many meet hosts do not provide hospitality at shorter, smaller meets.  These reduced costs can help meet hosts to break even or possibly turn a profit, especially if they offer small meets regularly.

Available Pool Time

If the team hosts a small meet during practice, the pool is already reserved.

  • NOTE:  Be sure to get approval from the facility before holding a swim meet during practice time.

Small Swim Meet Planning Starts with the Basics

When designing a small swim meet, it’s vital to distinguish between needs and wants. Therefore, I recommend starting with the post, Swim Meet Must Haves: Needs Versus Wants when designing any meets, including small ones.

Small Swim Meet Considerations

Some choose to run small swim meets. Others have local conditions or constraints that result in small swim meets. Still others have not run any type of meet, but the small meet seems doable. Here are some factors that might influence your meet planning.

Facility

Limited pool time or lane space might influence the size of meet you hold. Perhaps the pool has limited deck space or other considerations. If you’ve got facility constraints, consider hosting a small meet during regularly scheduled practice time. To learn more about this type of meet and ways to overcome obstacles see, 2-Hour Local, Practice-Time Swim Meet.

Equipment and Supplies

Though small, you’ll still need some equipment and supplies to run a swim meet. Make meet hosting easier by first, collecting basic office and meet supplies. Then, find a way to keep them together and contained in between meets. This way, you don’t have to go searching for a stapler (or whatever) whenever you decide to host a meet. A suitable container keeps the things you need together. If you don’t have a secure place to store supplies at the pool, an easily transportable container work best.

Timing Equipment

Some meet hosts have access to an automatic or semi-automatic timing system with touchpads and/or back-up buttons. Others do not. If using stopwatches, be sure to use a sufficient number per lane to comply with the governing body rules. For example, the USA Swimming rulebook requires three (3) watches per lane when watches are the primary timing system.

Meet Management Software

Several companies make meet management software. This blog contains more information about Meet Manager and Meet Maestro. You can also check out the manufacturer’s websites, Swimtopia for Meet Maestro and Active Hy-Tek for Meet Manager. An internet search will yield other available options too.

Finances

Some shy away from running small swim meets because they fear they won’t make enough money to make it worth their time and effort. If the meet host loses money when running meets, this is especially concerning. As altruistic as one may be, running meets in the red is not sustainable. There are up-front and other costs to cover. However, there is good news. While true that the profit margins are not as big as larger meets. One team found that by regularly hosting small meets they made as much at three week-day practice time meets as they did at one large weekend meet. Plus, they reaped the many benefits that come from running smaller meets. One of the benefits parents enjoyed was fewer fundraisers and more swimming. This is because they not only broke even but made some money at each meet they ran, even the small ones.

Here are a few ideas to help make ends meet.

  • Run small meets during practice time. Since this is pool-time the team already pays for, it may reduce or eliminate additional costs. Be sure to let the facility know of your plans in advance.
    • A prep meet is the smallest, simplest form of a practice time meet.
  • Keep the meet short and eliminate hospitality. However, be sure to provide water and other needs if conditions warrant.
  • If other teams use the same facility, consider sharing the cost and upkeep of meet equipment and/or supplies.
  • Set reasonable fees. I don’t believe in gouging families who attend swim meets by setting high fees. However, it is important to set reasonable fees that cover true costs. Among other things, the true cost includes equipment replacement and maintenance fees that aren’t always seen or realized at every meet.

Getting Help

The number of people available to run the swim meet can influence its size and scope. One spunky referee was having a terrible time getting others to step up and become meet officials. So, she started running meets in four lanes instead of the usual eight. When people complained, she explained, “That’s what my current number of officials can reasonably observe. If I get more officials, we can use more lanes.” She got more officials. Then, the meets ran in more lanes.

How many people does it take to run a swim meet? The answer depends on a variety of factors addressed in Swim Meet Workers: How Many Do You Need? The post includes a table to help you quickly figure out what you’ll need. In addition to people, the experience level of those in key roles may influence how quickly and well the meet will run. This can be an important consideration when developing an event list for a meet with limited pool-time. Less-experienced personnel may do better with a shorter overall run-time, at least as first. Running meets within the expected time frame helps to foster good relations with both facility staff and meet goers.

The Get Help section of this website helps you not only get more people to run your swim meets. But it also gives tips and lists to help increase their ability to perform well in a variety of needed roles.

Meet Director, Referee, and other Meet Worker Lists for Small Swim Meets

Looking for lists to help Meet Directors, Referees, and others prepare for and run small swim meets? The lists in Host a High School or Development Swim Meet are simplified and geared towards those hosting smaller meets. These pre-made, easily editable lists are tailored for smaller, simpler, events. They offer a great starting point for Meet Directors, Referees, and links to instructions for the timing system operator, timers, and meet marshals.

USA Swimming Sanction

Is your team a USA Swimming member club?

  • No: Run the meet according to the rules and regulations of your governing body.
  • Yes: Will your meet satisfy USA Swimming Sanctioning Rules with Officials and Timing Systems? If the answer is yes, by all means, sanction the meet. If the answer is no, consider hosting a non-sanctioned meet. Before doing so, first, make sure your team insurance will cover it. Safely hosting a non-sanctioned meet may be the stepping stone your team needs to build a meet hosting culture that may lead to hosting sanctioned meets later.

Purpose

  • Most everyone who puts time and effort into planning, preparing, and running a swim meet does it hoping for good results. However, what each sees as a “good result” may vary.  There are many different outcomes that could be deemed good, or even great. Knowing where you want to go, will help decide the route needed to get there. The post, Swim Meet Event Lists: Reaching Team Goals goes into more depth on using meets to help achieve team goals.

Why age or level of athlete are you hoping to accommodate at your meet? Getting feedback and ideas from them while planning can help focus effort and produce desirable results.

Small Meet Format

  • The format of small meets can vary greatly. First, decide the purpose of the meet. Then, set-up the meet format. For help in setting up or evaluating meet event lists (a.k.a. the meet event schedule) see the series: Swim Meet Event Lists. The meet format can include everything from the number and length of events, to how many events each athlete may swim, the type and number of awards offered, and more. Many of the ideas for traditional swim meets shared on HostGreatMeets.com work at small meets too.

Many find meet planning quicker and easier by staring with a meet list or plan. The following offer a variety of small swim meet ideas. Pick one (or more) and adapt it to fully meet your needs.

List and Meet Plans Note


Rookie and veteran meet directors benefit from using a Swim Meet To-Do List, or meet plan. HostGreatMeets.com is home to several versions to help you create a variety of successful meets. Additionally, you’ll find posts designed to help you identify and mitigate various factors that influence your team’s ability to run great meets. This can help you tweak the provided lists and plans with confidence.

Customization is Key

Of course, every meet, and meet host, is different. Each list, or plan, will be most powerful if carefully reviewed and adapted to your specific swim meet.  First, read through the entire list or plan to get an idea of the “big picture.” Next, customize by deleting what doesn’t apply and add any extras you need. You can also change the task assigned to a different position or area. The key is to clearly identify and convey, “Who does what by when.” (Tip: Be sure to include an agreed-upon method of follow-up when delegating.)

Benefits

Although every meet will vary, it is easier to start with a basic list and then modify, instead of starting from the very beginning every time.  Doing so:

  • Helps make sure important tasks don’t slip through the cracks
  • Promotes quicker planning
  • Enables easier delegation
  • Facilitates coordination where meet areas overlap
  • Helps new meet directors work like pros!

Small Swim Meet Examples

2-Hour (or Less) Local, Practice-Time Swim Meet

The 2-Hour Local, Practice-Time Swim Meet post shares ideas to help teams overcome obstacles to running swim meets during regularly scheduled practice time.

Prep, or Practice, Small Swim Meet

The “Prep” or practice swim meet is specifically designed to help new parents and young swimmers have a great meet experience. This meet plan has details to include training for both to help swimmers better understand and following meet protocols (like whistle commands from the referee and checking in with their coach after racing.) It also helps parents successfully fill meet worker roles and helps build a great meet hosting culture on the team.

High School or Developmental Swim Meet

Some high school and other development meets can be quite large. However, many dual and tri-team meets may qualify as relatively small swim meets. The post Host and High School or Developmental Swim Meet features shorter, simplified lists for the meet director and referee. It also has quick links to instructions for timers, meet marshals and the timing system operator. All these lists are easy to tweak for different types of small swim meets.

<50 People Small Swim Meets

Here are a couple of small meet plans developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. They focus on providing a swim meet opportunity with an attendance cap of 50 people or less. The 50 person cap includes everyone attending the meet: athletes, coaches, officials, and meet workers. There were no spectators, everyone participated in one way or another. Click for safety and other tips on hosting a swim meet during COVID times.

Virtual Meets Give Added Opportunities

Want to expand a smaller, local meet and give athletes the chance to see how they line up with other competitors? Consider running a virtual meet. This type of swim meet allows teams to compete against each other but swim locally. This means teams can host smaller, local meets but athletes can see how they measure up in a wider field of competition.

Summary

With careful, deliberate planning, small meets become more sustainable both financially and in the toll it takes on team staff and volunteers. The meet lists and plans available here provide a great starting point. As teams find ways to effectively run small swim meets, swimmers, parents, and the team all benefit!


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!

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