Swim meet guides
Plain-English help for swim parents, from a swim parent.
Before the meet
What to pack, when to arrive, what the day looks like.
Your First Swim Meet: What to Expect
A calm, plain-English walkthrough of a swim meet day for first-time parents: warm-ups, heat sheets, how racing works, the long pace, and etiquette.
What to Bring to a Swim Meet: The Parent Survival Kit
The complete swim meet packing list for parents: what your swimmer needs, how to stay warm, food, boredom busters, and the classic Sharpie trick.
Swim Meet Warm-Up: What to Expect
What happens during swim meet warm-up? Why it matters, how warm-up sessions and lanes work, and what your swimmer should do before racing.
How to Find Swim Meets Near You
How to find swim meets near you: where to look for upcoming meets, how team schedules work, and how your swimmer actually gets entered.
On deck
What is happening in front of you, and what your job is.
Swim Meet Order of Events: How a Meet Day Flows
What order do events run at a swim meet? How the order of events works, how to know when your swimmer swims, and why meets run the way they do.
Swim Meet Volunteer Jobs Explained (Timer, Clerk, and More)
New swim parent volunteer? Timer, stroke-and-turn, clerk of course, runner - here is what each swim meet volunteer job actually involves, in plain English.
Swim Meet Events by Age Group: What Kids Swim at Each Age
What events do swimmers race at each age? A plain-English guide to swim meet age groups (8 and under through senior) and the typical events for each.
Decoding the sheet
The numbers on the paper, in plain English.
Swim Meet Terminology: A Parent's Plain-English Glossary
New to swim meets? Heat, lane, seed, cut, prelims, DQ - here is what every common swim meet term actually means, explained plainly for parents.
How to Read a Swim Meet Heat Sheet
How to read a swim meet heat sheet: find your swimmer's event, heat, lane, and seed time, and know exactly when they race. A plain-English guide for parents.
How Swim Meet Seeding Works: Heats, Lanes, and Seed Times
Why is my kid in an early heat, and why is the fastest heat last? A plain-English guide to swim meet seeding: seed times, heats, lane order, and circle seeding.
Understanding Swim Time Standards and Cuts
What do B, BB, and A times mean, and what is a swim cut? A plain-English guide to motivational time standards and championship qualifying cuts.
Skip the decoding on deck
Heat Guardian reads a meet's heat sheet and shows each of your swimmers' events, heats, lanes, seed times, and the next cut to chase, all on one page. Free, private, no ads.
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