Meet Standardization

MEET STANDARDIZATION  | Updated 2/2025

REQUIRED MEET VOLUNTEERS

Meet Director: Home Team (1)

Lead Stroke Judge: Home Team (1)

• Home: 4
• Visiting: 4

Timers: Head Timer: Home Team (1)

• Home: 10 (9 timer/scribes + 1 Back Up)
• Visitor: 10 (9 timer/scribes + 1 Back Up)

Starter/Announcer: Home Team (1+)

Ready Bench: Lead Ready Bench: Home (1-2)

• Visitor: 1
• Both: Team Parents

Awards: Home Team (2+)

• Home: 1-2 to help prep ribbons, manage swimmers
• Visitor: 1-2 to help manage swimmers (can be Age Group Parent)

Data: Meet Director is “head data”

• Home: 

• • • Data Entry: 1-2
    • Time Sheet Mgr (Circler): 1-2

• Visitor:

• • Data Entry: 1-2
  • Time Sheet Mgr (Circler): 1-2

Volunteer Coordinator:

• Home: 1+
• Visitor: 1

REQUIREMENTS & BEST PRACTICES:

SET UP | MEET AREAS (Home Team)

• Assign Pre-designated TEAM AREA 
• COVERED AREA for meet management, preferably inside
  • Tents with power for lights & data/computers
  • Easy entry points for runners and officials
  • Tables for Data Entry
• Ready Benches – both ends of pools 

Best practices:

• Ready Bench: Chairs, Benches, Tape/Rope on Floor
• Extra Power Strips

MEET DIRECTOR: Must be current with Clinic Attendance

• Must be accessible at all times
• Can’t be: starter/announcer/stroke judge/coach
• Monitor Weather: Listen to both teams HC & Rep, Final Decision
• Communication: Pre-Meet (can be Prez)
  • By Thursday at 5:00pm PRE-MEET, to Visiting Team
    • Meet Start
    • Parking Directions & Issues
    • Concession Stand Offers
    • Gate Open, Visiting Team Seating
    • Reminder of any Division Alterations
      • Example: 4 Timers (3 timers + 1 Scribe)
      • Ready Bench needs
    • Inquire to Announcement Needs
      • Post-Meet Team Meal
      • ***
• Communication: During Meet
  • Stroke Judges: pre-meet and during meet
    • Monitor position assignments and responsibilities 
    • Have a map for easy access, check regularly, watch rotation
    • Remind SJs that all SJs watch takeoffs
    • Watching end of pool to ½ mark, or flag to flag, flag to wall, etc
    • Hit the highlights of Stroke Rules (if Head SJ)
  • Meet with Timers 
    • Remind Timers (over the edge, do your best, etc)
    • Remind Scribes about the importance of legible writing
• During Meet – Monitor:
  • Breaks: Break only when necessary. ½ is a great point or at Event 35
  • Awards: Backed Up?
  • Data: Data Entry/Score
  • Volunteer Coordinator

Best Practices:

• MD wears a “different shirt/bright shirt” 
• Check on Data/Awards/Ready Bench often
• Check Pre-Meet: SJ/Starter/Meet Director. Head Coach must be current.

STARTER (can be announcer, but not recommended)

• Must be current with clinic attendance

• Main Duty: Start Race, Assign Starts & Recalls (13 & Up)

• Must start from edge of pool (by Lane 1 or Lane 6/8)

• Remind SJ/Coaches/Timers to step back for the start.
• No Recalls. 
• Assign false starts as necessary, after the start OR assign to yourself and start again.
• Keep things moving.
• Commands – Keep is simple.
  • Timers – Clear your watches OR Timers Ready.
    
  • Take your mark.

Best Practices:

• Access to the extra air and horns> Reminder – NO RECALL AT ALL

• Can be finish judge or SJ on 3 lanes closest, when limited on SJs

• • Have a printed Event list, with heats – keep up with Events/Heats
  • Flip Charts help Starter

• Remind timers/scribe: Importance of good handwriting, current E/H/L and team initials

• Monitor Time between heats: 15-20 secs between heats max

Announcer (can be starter)

• Announce event/heat/lane 
• Check in with other team – make yourself available
  • Post meet dinner plans
  • Birthdays
  • Upcoming announcements, etc
• Make announcements during swims, not between heats (unless there is an emergency)

Best Practices | Announcements:

• • Consider a Heat/Lane flip chart – helps Scriber/Timers/Starter
  • Watch and manage the build-up at ready bench,  announce next age group
  • Remind swimmers/tent parents to head to AWARDS area post-swim.
  • Help Meet Director and Starter spread out events at finals (watch time)

TIMER/SCRIBES

• Have a designated HEAD TIMER & BACK UP TIMER

• Usually starts/stops 2 watches

• Monitors timers. Provides watches when watches fail

• Has access to extra timesheets/pencils

• Start watch on Start, Stop the watch when ANY part of the body touches the wall

• Required: Lean over the edge of the pool to stop watch. 

Best Practices:

• Offer watch to scribe for correct documentation AND let scribe read it

• Don’t clear watch until scribe as completed tasks

• • Dollar Store “book lights” on clipboards for scribe

READY BENCH – HOME TEAM provides a HEAD READY BENCH

• Benches, bleachers, chairs, rope, line on ground – Six (or 8) Lanes, both ends
• Head Ready Bench (Home Team) – Required
  • Facilitate movement of swimmers from ready bench to starting area
  • Keep parents out of the area. ONLY tent/age group/marshalls
  • Fill lanes ON READY BENCH, pre-race
  • Sends swimmers to lane, pre-race
• Best Practices:
  • Needs to be a relatively LOUD person “bossy” person
  • Needs 2 from Home team (both ends) with heat sheets
• Teams must REQUIRE kids of all ages to check in at RB.
  • No shows. Fill lanes on ready bench.
  • Be aware swimmers may freak b/c of what’s written on their arm.
  • Facilitates fast arrival at edge of pool
• Home team Ready Bench volunteers IS IN CHARGE.
  • Visiting team – don’t take your swimmers
  • Communicate with Visiting team – solicit help as necessary
• ONLY Age Group parents & Ready Bench folks in RB Area.

STROKE JUDGES:

• Equitably divided/shared amongst the teams 
  • 6 Lane Pool: 
    • Relays: 8 judges for relays – 4 on each end
    • Non-Relay Events: 2 on each end, watching 3-4 lanes each, to half-way point
    • Other Pools: Make it work. Don’t “over-watch”
  • Lane Judge moves towards Side Judge (if call is in question)
  • Thumbs up/down are acceptable. Discussion on starts during relays, not allowed. 
  • SJ: Must be current with clinic attendance. 
  • Starter/Announcer needs to rotate the judges for sun reasons, BUT pay attention to who is working with who in a lane….swap accordingly. Mention at SJ pre-meet gathering.
• Need to work out WHERE everyone will go at the start – do this BEFORE the meet. 
• Mechanical Pencils work the best… no sharpening necessary.
• Document DQ’s. Bylaws state the minimum of FIRST HEAT DQ-marking

BEST PRACTICES:

• Freestyle: 2 on each end (let start end take a break, rotate)
• Division can decide numbers as a division, per bylaws, must have 4 on deck (at the least)

SCORING AREA STANDARDIZATION

• Pre-Meet MUSTS;
  • Power
  • Tent/Tables
  • BYOF – Bring your own fan.
  • Bring your own “clips” for post-Awards

VERIFICATION (Circling & Verifying)

1. Runner (2 -3 people)
   1. Runner “runs” time cards by heat to score/data entry area
   2. Have a BASKET/BOX (basket #1) for runner to place time cards
   3. Clip time cards together with clothespins (wood works best)
   4. *NOTE: Keep heats together

1. Verifiers (2 people)  
   1. grab entire heat of time cards from box/basket
   2. Circle middle time. Times should be within .3 of each other. Notify Meet Director of discrepancies
   3. Re-write official time on card at bottom
   4. Place in AWARDS basket (2 baskets need to be separated by boy/girl)
   5. Organize with Place 6 on top and Place 1 on bottom.
2. Data Entry (2-4 people/2 computers)
   1. Separate timer sheets by team. Share accordingly.
   2. Enter times into Team Manager post Awards.
   3. Suggestion: 
      1. Index Card box with dividers for EVENT (numberd).
      2. Does NOT have to be done at pool. Nice though.
      3. Staple by HEAT in case there’s an issue later.

AWARDS – Have a plan.

1. Retrieve timer sheets from SCORING.
2. Ribbons:
   1. Group by a FULL SET of 1-6. Paper clips work good. OR
   2. Shoe boxes separate by place. Volunteer grabs one of each. 
   3. Pass out ribbons to BOTH teams. Do NOT write on them at this time.

COACHES

• Communicate with your President or League Rep if there is an issue. Have ONE person designated to communicate with Meet Director if “visiting team”.
• Have team representative (usually our Meet Director) do the communicating on issues/questions/protests
• Head Coach 
  • Must be current with clinic attendance to file protest.
  • Must have Coach’s Disclosure on file with League.
• Manage your swimmers – delegate coaching responsibilities
• Do NOT approach a stroke judge. Let someone else do it….it just works better
• Coaches can NOT stroke judge, nor discuss calls with stroke judges. Go to the MD.
• Coaches can NOT point out bad strokes while kids are swimming
• Entries: Follow league rules at ALL TIMES regardless of # of kids on team
  • ONLY 13-14’s can be moved UP for both relays – NOT 11-12s to a 13-14.
    • Make sure you COMPLETELY understand this rule
    • If you do move 13-14’s up, they can NOT also swim the 13-14 relay – you have to choose (This will be viewed as an illegal swimmer – 100 pt deduction)
• Monitor your swimmers. 
• Have a plan for warm ups. It’s crazy. We know.

SUGGESTED SUPPLIES FOR MEET:

• • SCORE / MEET MGMT Area
    • 1-2 printers & cartridges
    • 2-3 Computers
    • Highlighter to mark ALL STAR ADVANCER
    • Ruler for straight lines ☺
    • Extension Cords
    • Flash Drives (2-3, or one per team)
    • Paper/Pencils/Pens
    • Staplers
    • Clothes Pins
    • 4-5 baskets for time card organization
    • NO KIDS ALLOWED
    • Copiers/Printers
      • Extra printer for JUST copying – set to B/W, draft for quicker printing
      • Back up printers
  • Tape for posting (duct tape is great when humid)
  • Clothesline & Extra clothespins for posting
  • Stroke Judge items (clipboards, DQ forms, Dual Confirm Forms, pens/pencils)
  • Timers (clipboards, pencils, timer pads, book lights, watches & more watches)
    • MARK YOUR WATCHES
    • MARK YOUR CLIPBOARDS

• Water – all teams bring water bottles in coolers already iced down

• Ink – donate money or cartridges. Split cost.

• Printers – figure it out. Don’t forget drivers……

• Batteries for mice. Yep, I said it.

• Extra lights for scoring area if outside.

• Tents: all teams bring 2 for meet use.

• Cover timers 

• Cover ready benches

• Cover score table/computers

• Throw in a few sets of flaps for rain…..

• First Aid Kit – tell people where it is ☺
• Batteries for Sound System microphones

MEET TIPS of the TRADE

• • Don’t make the home team/Division VP do EVERYTHING….
  • Meet Director: 
    • Wear something BRIGHT or have a plan to “hang out” in one area in case they need you
    • Check on the meet management/score room every now and then
    • COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE!
    • Keep an eye on awards and the “back up”
    • Have a 30 minute goal – See that each age group has at least 30 min between events (ex: from start of 7-8 relays to start of 7-8 freestyle = 30 min+)
    • Don’t forget your DQ forms & a ClipBoard – you need to record EVERYTHING at this meet!
  • Have a rain plan…just in case – COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE!
  • Announcer:
    • Give Tent/Age Group parents PLENTY of time to gather up swimmers 
    •  USE your announcer. Have a plan.
    • Use Event Order print out to keep up with event/heats (see Div VP below)
    • Get info from teams: Coach’s names, any sponsorship info that needs to be announced, post-meet plans
  • Organization:
    • Have an “Event/Heat” flip chart of some type for the starter/announcer/timers to view
    • Coolers of water…don’t need anyone dropping from heat/dehydration
    • Know where a doctor is…just in case
    • Clothesline & Clothespins are a good way to post results – easy up, easy down
  • Score/Meet Mgmt Area:
    • NO KIDS/FAMILIES w/o good reason
    • AC is really appreciated
    • Have a few extension cords
    • DOCUMENT on a separate piece of paper SCRATCHES…trust me, things get lost
    • Each team bring a flash drive
  • TIMING
    • Have a plan for who is in what lane PRIOR to timer checking
    • Have 2 back up timers if possible (and ones that can pay attention and hear)
    • RED PENS for timers to mark DQs
  • Pre-Meet Communication:
    • Parking issues?
    • Food – Concessions

• Weather – communicate with all teams involved and decide together

• Great apps for lightning and weather.

• Most are free (Try RadarCast, LightningCast)

• Remind all “we are in this for the kids”

• Protect the scoreroom/stat room (keep kids/coaches OUT)

• Respect one another. No explanation necessary

MEET REPORTS & SIGNAGE (2015)

• Each team is responsible from printing their OWN Meet Reports
  • File will be posted on website by 8pm the night before
    • MM4 File
    • Heat Sheet in PDF (for easy printing)
  • Tent/Age Group Parent Heat Sheets
  • Coaches Reports
  • ANYONE ELSE…that needs one
• Division VP (PRINT THE FOLLOWING)
  • Print own HEAT SHEET
  • Print 2 for READY BENCH – Mark them LEAVE IN READY BENCH/READY BENCH COPY)…or something of the sorts
  • One for ANNOUNCER
  • Signage & Communication (all will be on website – please print accordingly)
    • Print RESULTS signs
    • Print SCRATCH signage 
      • One for posting
      • One for announcer/meet director
    • Print ALL STAR ADVANCERS sign (All Star Advancers listed on SHRSL website)
    • Print EVENT ORDER for announcer “check off” (print 3)
      • Meet Director
      • Score area – (For updating what has gone out, come back in and what’s final)
      • Announcer