Question for swim team parents!

[Erin1700]

My DD7 has her first official swim meet tonight! She has been swimming for a few years but never on a team and only had mini meets between her own group members. So, I am new to this!!

Ok, they have to be at the away meet at 5PM tonight, we will have to leave here at 4:15PM. So, what do I feed her? Dinner at 3:45?? A regular dinner or a small one? Then get her something after the meet?

Also, not to sound like a CRAZY helicopter parent, but when we have home meets, the pool is one we go to frequently during the summer. The lanes and added blocks are in the middle section which is 4 to 5 feet deep. Isn't this too shallow to be diving into?? I ask b/c there are big words painted along the section...NO DIVING! So why is it okay to dive there for meets? Remember these are some little kids who often don't dive the same way twice and at the high school pool where we practice before competitive season, they dive into 10 ft. I see some kids diving straight down. So go ahead and make fun of me, but I am just curious if you say this is the norm or if it is dangerous?

Oh, and any other advice would be great for this newbe mom!! I already went over the..."Not everyone can finish first and just try your best" speech.

 

[clh2]

Diving for swim meets is more like a belly-flop thing, than a straight - deep down dive thing.

If you have questions about this - talk to the coach. My guess is - these kids have been trained to do this particular type of dive, or there is NO way they would let the kids do it. Too much risk. Is it possible that the younger age kids just start in the water with a push off the wall?

 

[malibuconlee]

I only competitively swam in high school, not at a younger age...

Feed her a mid-afternoon snack. I couldn't eat before swimming competitively. I tried once on the bus to an out of town meet. I ended up sick to my stomach during warm-ups, but your daughter may be different. I'd just feed her dinner after.

We always dove into the shallow end of the pool at our YMCA. That's where the starting blocks were. The previous poster is right, it's not like diving off of a board, it's more of dive out into the water. Try not to worry about that.

Have fun and good luck to your dd!!! Swimming is such great exercise.

 

[breezy1077]

Pack her something to eat on the way to the meet. She probably won't even swim right away.

 

[daisyduck123]

Hi!

Swim team family here....DH is a U.S. Swimming Official & DD13 & DS10 are on both year-round teams & summer swim teams.

About your dinner dilemma...let her have a snack on the way to the meet. More than likely, there will be dinner food (hot dogs, hamburgers, or taco-in-a-bag) sold at the meet. She can have some of that after her events. She's probably not swimming an IM, but if she is, you definitely don't want her eating until after that.

About the diving...we've had meets where the kids have had to dive in 4ft. before...it was at one of the college pools in Baltimore. They had the young kids diving in the shallow end. I don't know how DD did it (she was 9y0 then), but she did.

Make sure you bring an extra pair of goggles & have fun at the meet. Take a Sharpie & write "Eat my bubbles" on the back of DD & her friends. The kids love that!!!

And don't forget "two-hand touch" with the breaststroke.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Yep. Feed her a late lunch or a good afternoon snack an hour or so before her warm up time. Then plan on dinner after she is done swimming or if she has a long time between events. If she is eating between events then make it something light, like some fruit or pasta salad. No greasy burgers or candy.

We sell food at our meets for dinner--it is the main fundraiser for our team.

Some other things to know-- bring lots of cold water for her and you, and somethings to keep her busy during the down time. Swim meets are a whole lot of stitting around doing nothing with about 1 min. of excitement! Also bring extra towels if she is in multiple events since they will get wet after each one.


I worried about the diving thing also because our pool is very shallow. My youngest didn't actually dive in the first year or two. The younger kids that aren't ready to dive just jump in. Talk to your coach if you are not familiar with their procedure and are concerned.

 

[goofy!]

And don't forget "two-hand touch" with the breaststroke.

Or the fly.

We also use the sharpie to write their event numbers, heat and lane on the little one's arms. Helps them be a bit more self-sufficient getting to the heating area on time.

We have two pools in our league that have their blocks in the shallow end. Our league rules state that the pool has to be at least 3.5 (or is it 4?) feet a few feet in front of the blocks. So, even if the pool is only 4 feet directly in front of the blocks, it usually is a bit deeper where they dive into.

Hopefully your coach has been working on shallow starts with your kids. The whole purpose of a start should be out and shallow, not close and deep. 4 feet shouldn't be too worrisome at all.

In our summer league, our 8 & Unders have a 100 medley and a 100 free relay (each swimmer swims a 25), so at least half of them are always diving into the shallow end of the pool we are swimming at, regardless if the blocks are there or not. Most of the time they dive off the side if there are no blocks, but the team we swam this weekend actually did have them start in the water with one hand on the side. Our kids much prefer diving as they get better times!

As for food, our kids hate eating anything heavy before a meet. And they really hate eating anything greasy. So, it is usually a bagel/cream cheese and a banana for the snack before the meet. We also pack protein bars, trail mix, cut up fruit (strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, grapes), cheese sticks and lots of water. If DS has a long after-school meet, he often likes to take a Subway sandwich - heavy on the veggies, light on the condiments.

If they have a long stretch between events, they may go over to the bake sale and get a hot dog, nachos or something else that the coach would frown upon

Good Luck to your DD and welcome to the world of competitive swimming!

Edited to add: Bring a sleeping bag or sweats for DD to get into in after a race. Even though it may be hot out, the littlest ones can get chilled after a race. And shivering takes a whole lot of energy!

Also, invest in some really comfortable folding chairs. You will be sitting in them a lot

 

[pozey]

Others have given some great advice.

My boys are on a USA Swimming club team. They will often munch on Trail Mix or eat some yogurt and a banana prior to a meet.

Best of luck to your DD!!!

 

[Katy Belle]

My kids were on the swim team when we lived in TX. I was shocked at the first swim meet, the kids all brought so much food!!! My little guy had a sandwich and a baggie of goldfish crackers, but the other kids had TONS of food. The meets were usually several hours long, so I guess people were preparing for the whole day! We also found that the concession stands would sell out of stuff.

As far as diving in the shallow...that never happened in our group.

Katy