Welcome to the Tarrington Tiger Sharks, Parents!

We are so glad you and your swimmer(s) are now part of our team. A Swim Meet is quite an undertaking and takes support from all the parents from both teams to make it a success for the kids!

How to Declare for a Meet

Calendar Sign-up - Meet Declarations, RSVPs, and Jobs/Shifts – SwimTopia Help Center

1. Log in to our website (located in the upper right-hand corner) or log in to the SwimTopia app with the same email and password you use online.
2. Check out the “Upcoming Events” calendar column (located on the right-hand side), scroll to each Meet event & click “Meet Entry.” On the app, scroll and select the meet date, and then click “Meet Signup.”
3. You will now see the swimmer’s Meet Entry Status for that meet. Click “Edit” to let the team coaches know if the swimmer will or will not attend the meet. If your swimmer will attend, a drop-down menu will appear of all the individual events your swimmer is eligible to swim. Check each box your swimmer would like to swim, keeping in mind their ability to swim the full race without getting disqualified, and sign up for the right number of events so your swimmer isn’t exhausted. Swimmers may sign up for 3 individual events.
4. In Meet Entry Status, you will also indicate if your swimmer will be available to swim in the relays. Relays are a 4-person team effort to swim one race. You must indicate if your swimmer is available to swim in a relay. Please note that relay participation is at the coaches' discretion.
5. Finally, click “Save.”
6. **(declaring = submitting an RSVP)**

Meet Prep Checklist

Things to bring/do to guarantee a fun, successful meet!

• Team Suit
• Team Cap
• Goggles
• Sunscreen
• 2 Towels: Bring at least 2 towels (or 1 towel and something waterproof to sit on).
• Water Bottle: Bring a water bottle - it's important to stay hydrated (swimmers do sweat!).
• Sweatshirt: Bring a sweatshirt/pants to stay warm between events.
• Healthy Snacks: Bring healthy snacks (fruit, yoghurt, granola,...) or plan to visit our concessions or food trucks.
• Sharpie Name All Important Stuff: Sharpie your child's name on all items, especially team t-shirt/ towel - they all look alike and swimmers lose them often!
• Sharpie Events on your swimmer: Sharpie your child's events on his/her forearm or back of hand using this format, E H L [E=event, H=heat, L=lane]. It's best to do this before sunscreening your swimmer - sharpie doesn't write well on sunscreened skin.

Pro-Tips for Summer Swim Meets Before the meet: 

• Meet Entries will be posted prior to the meet on the website. This will tell you what events your swimmer will be participating in during the meet.  Pay particularly close attention to the Relays, they are different every meet. 

• The Volunteer Schedule will be posted online prior to the meet. One parent per family is expected to volunteer one half of the meet. 

Arriving at the Meet: 

• Be sure to arrive a little early if you want to secure a table/umbrella/shady area for your group. 

• HOME MEETS: The RIGHT side of the pool is secured for Tarrington, closest to the Clubhouse. The LEFT Side going back to the Adult Only Pool is secured for the visiting team.

• DO NOT MOVE CHAIRS/TABLES/UMBRELLAS FROM VISITING TEAM SIDE. • Pay attention to the warm-up schedule and be on time. Coaches and officials may think you are not coming and could omit you from a relay. 

For volunteers: 

• Find the Volunteer Coordinator. You must sign in as a volunteer, so officials know you are present and ensure proper event coverage. 

What to Bring: 

• Heat Sheets and a BLACK sharpie. Heat Sheets tell you the order of events, number of heats, and in what lane your swimmer will compete. Heat Sheets will be posted electronically prior to the meet. It is best to print one and bring to the meet, home or away. It will also be available on the Swimtopia Mobile App. 
• Bring a BLACK Sharpie, to write the events (Event Number, Heat, and Lane) on your swimmers arm. o Heat sheets will be emailed and posted to the website prior to the meet. 
• Cash/Card for Food Trucks and Concessions 
• Chairs or blankets - meets can last up to/exceed 4 hours! 
• Tents are allowed, provided there is room. 
• Coolers - you are allowed to bring your own dinner, snacks, and drinks. No alcohol on deck per CAL policies. 
• Any activity you can think of for your swimmer, such as card games, coloring books/crayons, crafts, etc. There is a lot of down time. 
• NO ONE IS ALLOWED IN THE WATER at ANY TIME DURING THE MEET FOR RECREATION. THIS INCLUDES THE BABY POOLS AND ANY SIDE POOLS NOT BEING USED FOR THE MEET.

What to Expect at a Meet 

SCHEDULE Prior to the meet, you will receive an email giving you basic information about the meet, including location (for away meets), and what time your swimmer is expected to arrive "on deck." The "on deck" time is usually 15 minutes or so before warm-ups, so that you have time to check in with the volunteer coordinator and coaches, find a place to sit, and get your swimmer ready to get in the water. The home team always warms up first, followed by the away team. During warm-ups, there will be various meetings scheduled for parent volunteers--including a timers' meeting and a meeting for all stroke and turn judges. After warm-ups are over, the national anthem will then be played, and the meet is ready to begin! 

CLERK OF COURSE Prior to each event, your swimmer is required to report to a seating area, called the Clerk of Course. In the Clerk of Course, volunteers will line the swimmers up by event, making sure that they are ready to walk out behind the blocks at the correct time, and get into the correct lane. For 8 & under swimmers, we will have mite parents helping to collect the swimmers and make sure that they get over to the Clerk of Course in time for their event. 

EVENTS In the email from the team, communicating information about the meet, we usually include a meet entry report, which tells you what events your swimmer is going to be participating in. (The girls are usually all on one page, and then the boys on another page. Scroll through until you find your swimmer's name.) Please note that the coaches decide which swimmers are going to participate in each event. That decision is made based on a variety of factors, and includes checking to make sure that every swimmer participates in every event (that they can swim) at least once over the season - no one is only entered in their favorite/best events at every single meet. If you have questions about the events your child has been entered to swim, please feel free to address that with the coaches, but please be respectful of their entry decisions. The coaches also put together relays for each age group. Our league alternates relays, so that one week there is a freestyle relay, and the next week there is a medley relay, and so on. Please note that if your child is entered into a relay, and then you end up not being able to attend the meet, it is imperative that you let the coaches know so that a qualified substitute can be entered into the relay in your child's place. Otherwise, there are three other swimmers who end up NOT being able to compete in a relay after all. 

WHAT IS A HEAT SHEET? The Heat Sheets (sent out electronically) list each event in the order that they will be swum during a meet. Swimmers are placed in heats, fastest to slowest then similarly in lanes. It is possible for some heats to contain gold, silver, and/or bronze swimmers. The “seed time” listed in the heat sheet could be one of the following: ● The only time the swimmer has swum this event this season. ● The fastest time (or a coaches’ time) the swimmer has swum in the past year (only used for the first meet of the season). A “seed time” determines where in the event the swimmer will swim. The faster swimmers will swim first and the slower swimmers will swim last. Swimmers who have never swam the event will have an “NT” (No Time) and will be placed at the end of the event, after the last timed swimmer. Swimmers with a Gold time swim first, then Silver, followed by the Bronze swimmers. The fastest swimmers in a heat will be placed in lanes 3 and 4, the next fastest will be in lanes 2 and 5 with the slowest swimmers in that heat being in lanes 1 and 6. The number of swimmers that are entered in an event will determine the number of heats. The software program that we use for meets will “seed” the meets, placing the swimmers in heats and lanes according to their times. If all of the lanes cannot be filled in an event, the computer program determines which heats will have empty lanes. These will usually be lanes 1 or 6. Use the heat sheet to determine when your swimmer(s) will be swimming, along with their heat and lane assignments. Then write your child's events, in Sharpie, on their hands or arms. 

HEAT WINNERS: Heat winners are awarded to the swimmer who finishes first in their heat. It is usually a small prize like a ribbon, Tootsie Pop, or rubber duck. Heat winners are awarded to Gold, Silver, and Bronze divisions. Even if your swimmer does not come in first for the event, there is a chance to receive a prize for winning their heat. 

STORM DELAY EXPECTATIONS: Thunder and Lightning occur all summer long. You are expected to stay at the meet until you are told BY THE COACHES OR THE BOARD that it is okay to leave. You may remain in your cars. This process can take a while. Rescheduling meets is incredibly difficult, so be prepared to sit and wait, as we are all hoping the storm will pass. Should the swim meet need to be canceled, you will be informed that evening of the new date. Usually, it is the next evening at the same location.