Columbine Knolls Swim Team

A Parent's Guide to Swim Meets!

POOL LOCATION: Home meets will be at Columbine Knolls Pool. Pool locations for away meets are listed on the calendar and directions for each pool can be found here.

ARRIVAL TIME: Please arrive at the pool on time for all meets. The start time of the meets can be found in the weekly team email, usually swimmers will be required to arrive between 6:00am - 6:45am for team warm-ups. Most regular meets will begin at 7:00am.

WHERE TO GO: For home meets, our CKST team tent will be located in the grass on the east side of the pool. For away meets, our CKST team tent location will vary depending upon the pool. Look for the large blue and white striped tent! When swimmers are not swimming or cheering on their teammates, they are expected to stay in the team tent. No parents should be in the team tent, heating area, or near the starting blocks unless you are working a volunteer shift.

What to Bring

• Swimsuit, team swim cap, goggles (an extra pair of "back-up" goggles is a good idea!), towel, and sunscreen. Make sure all items are labeled with your child's name.
• A large towel, blanket, or sleeping bag to keep your swimmer warm between races.
• Plenty of snacks and drinks to keep your swimmer hydrated and energized. (Most pools will also sell food & drink during the meet in their concession stands.)
• Entertainment for your swimmer for time in between events (e.g., travel games, books, etc.)
• Folding camp chairs to sit on and a pop-up tent or canopy for shade, if desired.
• A permanent marker for marking up your swimmer (see below).

Upon Arrival

• Ensure your swimmer has sunscreen on and is marked up with his/her event information.
• Swimmers report to the team tent area and check in with the coaches.
• VOLUNTEERS: If you have signed up to volunteer NO MATTER WHAT SHIFT, PLEASE check in with the volunteer coordinator as soon as you arrive at the pool. We LOVE our volunteers and like to know we have all our bases covered. Volunteer descriptions can be found here.

Marking Up Your Swimmer

• Meet event orders are standard for most regular meets. The order of events for most regular swim meets is located here.
• Find your swimmer’s race information on the Event Sheets in the CKST team tent.
• Label your swimmer with a permanent marker with their event details. On their shoulder, mark their name ‘ J. SMITH’. On their forearm, mark their event information:

(E = event, H = heat, L = Lane, S = stroke)

For free relays, indicate position on team (i.e., 1,2,3,4). For medley relays, indicate stroke (i.e., FR, BK, BR, FLY).

During the Meet

• WHAT YOUR SWIMMER SHOULD KNOW: HAVE FUN! Do their best and enjoy the meet. Please remind your swimmers to stay under the team tent and not wander off as this can create chaos when time comes to swim.
• WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW: PLEASE leave the coaching to our amazing coaches and just encourage and cheer on your swimmers. If you are volunteering and leaving your swimmer (especially our younger swimmers), please make sure they know where all their "stuff" is (snacks, goggles, and entertainment).
• SUNCREEN: Please lather up your swimmers with sunscreen prior to arriving at the pool. Don't forget to reapply during the meet.
• FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS: We like to promote “green” thinking so bring a reusable water bottle. You can bring in food and drinks, but NO GLASS CONTAINERS ARE ALLOWED. Please avoid bring foods that may cause food allergies (nuts) and discourage children from sharing foods. If your child has an allergy, please ensure you have an epi-pen on hand and make sure the coaches are informed.
• HEATING: Swimmers are responsible for getting to the heating area for each event. For our younger swimmers, parents can assist with getting swimmers to the heating area on time. Failure to get to the heating area in a timely manner will result in your swimmer being scratched from the event.
• RELAYS: Please don't cancel on relays, especially last minute - if your swimmer is signed up to swim the relay and for some reason your child cannot swim, PLEASE INFORM the coaches immediately. A relay is 4 swimmers and if one isn't there, the whole relay team has to forfeit and it makes everyone sad when this happens.
• DISQUALIFIED: Swimmers will be DQ'd (disqualified) for improper strokes. If your child is DQ'd please assure your swimmer that it is okay (swimmers get DQ'd in the Olympics!) and how proud you are of them for trying. The coaches get a list of what the swimmer was DQ'd for and they will go over with the swimmers in practice. Here is a link to a resource for understanding the most common DQs.
• SPORTSMANSHIP: CKST swimmers are to stay in the water at the end of their races until all swimmers have touched the wall, it's respectful to other swimmers. Once all swimmers have finished, the race swimmers may exit the pool.

Additional Thoughts

• MARK EVERYTHING with your swimmer's name to avoid lost shirts, towels, caps, goggles, bathing suits, etc.
• Regular meets usually finish before 12PM. We encourage all parents and swimmers to stay until the end of the meet to cheer on all of our CKST teammates.
• Wear sunscreen!
• Have fun watching all the kids experience summer swim. We want our team to be known for our good sportsmanship. Please congratulate the winner no matter what team they are on, please encourage all swimmers and have your swimmers to do the same. Our swimmers will follow our example.
• Show your team spirit and wear team or blue t-shirts to meets.

Please feel free to contact the board if you have any questions. Our coaches and our parent leads will also be able to answer questions you might have at the meet. Most importantly HAVE FUN and ENJOY the day!

GO CKST BLUE DOLPHINS!