If you and your swimmer are new to swim meets, this is the place for you. We hope this resource provides answers and guidance for what to expect, what to pack, and how a meet operates. Please feel free to talk to a coach, volunteer swim board member, or a veteran swim parent if you have additional questions. We've all been first-time swim families and want to help you!

What to pack:

• A Sharpie for marking your child's arm with swim events
• Cash for the concession stand and/or health snacks if outside food is allowed or your family has dietary restrictions
• Towel for your swimmer
• Camp chairs or a picnic blanket
• Pop-up/umbrella tents for shade, where space allows. Consider a handheld or battery-powered fan, too. 
• Sunscreen
• Swim cap and goggles (a spare pair of goggles is a good idea, too)
• Flip flops or crocs for your swimmer to easily slip on and off
• A hoodie and sweatpants or bathrobe if the weather will be cool; remember your swimmer will be wet!
• Dress you and your family appropriately to stay cool in the heat.

How meets operate:

Meets are held on Monday nights, with the meet beginning between 5-6pm. Please arrive with plenty of time to park, and to arrive at the pool at least 30 minutes in advance to get settled and so that your swimmer(s) can warm up. Consult the meet schedule to ensure you arrive on time.

Pre-meet prep:

• Parents/swimmers will be notified of the events in which they are swimming on or before the day of a meet.
• Make sure you know the address of away meets, which are on our event page.
• Pack your swimmer’s gear and anything else your family will need to be comfortable.

Arriving at the meet:

• Arrive in plenty of time for warmups. Allow extra time for parking and walking to the pool.
• Swimmers should check-in with a coach to let them know they're there. Coaches should be easily identifiable by their clothes.
• Check your swimmer's events on the heat sheet in your email or in the SwimTopia app and consider writing their events on their arm with a Sharpie (at least for younger swimmers). View these tips for marking your swimmer's arm, but feel free to freehand as much as you'd like.
• Volunteers should check-in with a board member on deck to get your name tag so you'll get credit for your volunteer duty.
• Set up your family's home base near some friends, or make new ones!

During the meet:

• Pay attention to the event numbers being called to the bullpen (swimmer staging area) throughout the meet so your swimmer's not late to their event. If your swimmer's late, they may miss their event or impact their team mates ability to compete.
• Parents (especially for younger swimmers) can help with getting their swimmer to the bullpen on time to avoid missing their event. (The bullpen is the like being "on deck" in baseball. Look for a row of chairs, where swimmers are being checked in by the volunteers in charge.)
• After swimming an event, swimmers may ask Timers for their “unofficial” time.
• Swimmers should be notified if they have been disqualified or “DQ'd” in an event.
• Swimmers are encouraged to check with the coaches after they swim an event to receive helpful tips and pointers.
• Cheer on our the swimmers and have fun! Monticello Killer Whales are good sports and like to encourage all swimmers.
• Concessions may be available for purchase at meets, both home and away. Our home meets will always have concessions available for a reasonable price. However, you are welcome to bring your own food to home meets. Check the meet details for away meets to ensure they allow outside food/drink.

After the Meet:

• Clean up all trash in your area and make sure you have all of your belongings. Please do not leave a mess for someone else to clean up.
• Volunteers who signed up for home meet clean-up will work as a team to clean up and put away equipment. We must leave the pool as we found it for our community.
• Ribbons will typically be available to collect near the sign-in table at practices in the coming week.
• Sharpie on your swimmer's arm may be removed with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.