Everything You Ever Wanted to

Know About Being

a Swim Team Parent . . . . .  

But Were Afraid to Ask!
 

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For practice, your swimmer will need a good quality swim suit.  Practice suits are usually more loose fitting than competition suits, and the more experienced swimmers can be seen wearing more than one suit at a time, for "drag" in the water.  Be sure that the "team" suit, used for competitions, fits tightly.  The DDST team suit is a solid black suit.  Loose suits create too much drag in the water and will slow your swimmer down.

A good pair of goggles is a must - whatever is a comfortable fit for your swimmer will do.  Try and buy a new pair BEFORE a meet, because the swimmer usually needs some practice time to adjust the straps, so they will not come off as they dive in.

A swim cap will make a swimmer's performance more effective in the long run (and offer some protection to their hair).   Even many male swimmers wear caps.  If a cap is worn to a meet, it must be a team cap. For practice, any cap will do.  Silicon caps are much sturdier, require less maintenance, and last much longer, but can be more expensive than the latex ones.  

A good pair of "flip-flops" or sandals are always good to wear to and from practice.

How much does it cost to swim?

U.S. Swimming registration is required for all swim-meet participants.  The registration is good for one year and costs $50.00. The US Swimming registration is also an insurance policy for your swimmer.  It provides coverage for any accidents that might happen at a meet.  

Team suits are usually around $35.00 for girls, and somewhat less for boys, but practice suits are cheaper. Pool shoes and swim caps are $3.00 on up. Our swim vendor, Swim n Stuff, comes to most of our meets and brings all kinds of great swim items for your budding Olympian!

City of Dothan Leisure Services Fees are $40.00 per quarter for the first swimmer and $25.00 per quarter for each additional swimmer. You are invited to come try the team out for two weeks with no obligation.
 

Participating in the DDST Booster Club is $20 per quarter, and results in lower fees for home meets, free lunches at home meets and helps to pay for our year end swim banquet.

Each event at a swim meet usually costs $2.00 to $3.00 per event plus a US Swimming surcharge.  The number of events your child may swim will be limited to from three to five per day, and that is not counting relays (relays are paid for by the team).  

There is no charge for admittance to meets, but the heat sheets (a program of the swimming events) are usually around $5.00 - and you really do need a heat sheet in order to keep up with when your child will be swimming (and they will have to know the order to be warmed up and ready to race on time).  Final times from each event are always posted on a designated wall at the meet, and you should check for your swimmer's time and record it for future reference.  People record these "official times"  right on the heat sheet or in a record book meant for that purpose, depending on their preferences.

How do we take care of our gear?  
Rinsing off the chlorine from both the caps and suits after each practice will make them last a lot longer - as will powdering the swim cap with baby powder.  Towels can sometimes be used a second time if they are hung up promptly to dry.  

It is a good idea to label all articles associated with swimming (with permanent pen), in order to help your swimmer keep up with his possessions.  It is also wise to invest in a bag to carry all their gear in.  

How do we prevent damaged, green hair?  
Many stores now sell shampoo make for removing chlorine from the hair, or our swim vendor, sells special swim shampoo at our home meets.
 

Meets

Coach will send home a sheet listing the events your child will compete in.  If you are planning on attending the meet, add up the fees, attach a check and place in the black swim box at the pool desk before the deadline. 

You are responsible for making your own hotel reservations for out-of-town meets.  Ask other parents where they are staying - usually the team tries to stay together, where possible.

Usually younger swimmers will swim in the morning and older swimmers will swim in the afternoon.  Your child will swim against others about his own age (within 2 years) and in "heats" with people of comparable ability.

You can help to keep your child attentive to their upcoming events and make them responsible for getting to the right lane at the right time.  Also encourage your swimmer to go talk to their coach right after they swim a meet event, to get important feedback from their coach.  Also, gradually begin to allow your swimmer to pack his own belongings for the meet.  

What do the parents wear and take to the meets?  
Comfort is the key. Wear layers of clothes, even in the summer. Standard dress for summer meets is a T-shirt (show your spirit with an DDST tee) and shorts, with either sandals (rubber flip flops are particularly popular, because of their tolerance for water soakings) or tennis shoes.

Parents usually take several of the folding canvas chairs that come with their own tote bag - one each for themselves and one for their swimmer - since not all facilities have adequate (or comfortable) seating.  Pack a cooler with cold drinks and healthy "power" snacks, enough for all of you.

Also, it helps to bring a clipboard and a highlighter pen to use with your heat sheet - if there is no heat sheet available be ready with some paper to record your swimmer's times.  Helping your swimmer keep a record of their times helps them see the progress they've made and really encourages them!

What if we forget to pack a suit or goggles?  
At most swim meets, there is a swim vendor set up.  Encourage your swimmer to always pack two of everything and check with other team members before buying anything.

During the meet some parents watch every heat of every event and memorize names and times with a religious fervor, while other use the heat sheet to determine when they need to hit the pool deck to see their child swim, and the rest of the time they are browsing through the newspaper or delving into a novel, far enough away from poolside to enjoy some peace and quiet. Most parents fall somewhere in-between the two extremes.

Most swimmers choose to sit with other team members near the coach, and are expected to report immediately to the coach after each of their heats for feedback on the swim.  Others prefer to sit with the parents, but you must be conscientious about keeping up with when your swimmer needs to warm-up before his heat (or he should).  The announcer MAY call each heat when it is time to report, and the swimmer goes to the proper lane at that time.  Encourage your swimmer to stretch while waiting for his heat.   The timers in his lane are supposed to check to see that they have the right swimmer, but often they forget to do this, and even though the swimmer is behind the blocks, he sometimes misses his heat.  He should always check with the timer who is holding a clipboard with the heat card on it, to make certain he is in the right lane at the right time.  There is usually nothing you can do about missed heats at a big meet.  Swimmers have to experience missing one event before they become conscientious about keeping up with it.

What should swimmers eat to perform their best?  
In general, swimmers need to load up on carbohydrates, and avoid meat and sweets before a meet. Proper eating is essential the entire week before a big meet.  When tapering (easing off on training), calories should be cut back too, to prevent weight gain.  Eating small portions of food often seems to work better than eating large amounts at meals.  Drinking the proper amount of fluids is important as well, during this time, especially.  Dehydration can leave your swimmer feeling tired and achy.

Distance swimmers need to stock up on more carbohydrates than do sprinters.  It is a good idea to eat a large meal the night before a meet and go light on breakfast the next morning.  During the meet, snack on foods such as pretzels, bagels, energy bars, or crackers.

Sports drinks are a must, as is a water bottle which they can fill and take to practice and to meets.

What is a heat sheet?
Heat sheets usually cost $5.00.  They contain a listing of all participating teams, a listing of all the events on one of the first pages, lists of all event numbers, heat numbers, all swimmers in each heat along with their times, and lots and lots of ads sold to local businesses and parents supporting the swimmers.  You will need to buy one of these upon arrival, find and mark your child's events (with a highlighter).    You will also need an indelible ink pen to record times on the heat sheet and to write your swimmer's event, heat number and lane number on his hand.  That way, he can more easily keep up with it.