Swimming in a Meet

Can my swimmer participate?  If your kiddo can make it down the pool without a kickboard, even if it isn't beautiful, absolutely.  100%.  Sign them up for freestyle.

A swimmer can be in up to 4 events, with a max of 3 individual events (IE) and 2 relay events (RE).  Any swimmer attending can be placed in a medley relay (the first events of the night).  The signup will ask if they are available for a free relay (the last events of the night), meaning if you need to leave early and can't swim, then we need to know.

Early in the season, swimmers can make the choice of which individual events they'd like to do.  If signing up for 3, please make a note of which one they'd like to scratch (meaning get rid of) if they are placed in two relays.  Your swimmers will have the chance to learn all the strokes this summer!

Please note that swimmers 10 and under will swim 25s (from the one end to the other) and 11 and overs will swim 50s (down and back).  You don't have to indicate the distance, we will know by their age.

The last two events, the IM (individual medley, meaning they do all four strokes in a row) and the 100 free are only available for certain ages.

Side note about having your new swimmer do freestyle:  All strokes have different "rules" to be considered a legal swim.  For freestyle, most anything goes.  The one thing kids will get DQ'd (disqualified) for is using some means of getting down the lane other than their own strength.  Examples are pushing off the bottom of the pool and pulling along with the lane line.  If your swimmer does that, will it be horrible?  Nope!  Kids who are learning will do these things.  Everyone cheers, everyone is happy watching a swimmer be brave.  An official watching will write it down, but it will not be embarrassing.  Those slips come back to the coach and help them figure out what they need to learn next.  On that note, a swimmer can legally swim freestyle by holding on to the lane line to catch their breath, letting go, and swimming again (and not pulling themselves forward with the lane line).