What to bring to a meet
How to survive a swim meet
Plan on arriving at least 10 minutes BEFORE warm up starts: to check in, find the
team, to stake a claim on a piece of real estate for yourself, check the line ups and
write them on your child's arm, and check out the concessions.
Your Athlete's Swim Bag should contain: (label everything: bags, goggles, towels, etc.
look alike)
• TEAM SUIT: Bring your swimmer's competition suit and, if possible, a spare.
• TEAM CAP: Bring a competition swim cap plus an extra (they tear easy and are
easily misplaced!)
• GOGGLES: Bring two pairs! Have your child "break in" a new pair of goggles in
the warm-up pool prior to an event to make sure they are adjusted properly! Prior
to an event, make sure the goggles fit snugly or they will end up around your
swimmer's neck!
• DECK SANDALS: Make sure your swimmer wears deck sandals for protection.
• TOWELS: Bring one towel per event plus two extra (for warm-up and showers
after the meet).
• WARM CLOTHING: Pack your swimmer's bags with at least a couple pairs of
sweat pants/shirts, socks. Night meets will get chilly sometimes!
• SUNSCREEN: Apply waterproof sunscreen BEFORE your child suits up.
Sunscreen needs time to penetrate and get to work.
• WATER: Especially when the weather is hot, make sure your swimmer has
plenty of water bottles and/or Gatorade. Even though they are immersed in
water, swimmers dehydrate easily!
• FOOD: Bring plenty of nutritious snacks: Ritz bits w/ peanut butter, goldfish,
fruit, jerky, power bars, cheese sticks, yogurt, dry cereal in Ziploc bags, etc.
• MISCELLANEOUS: A black sharpie (for marking events, heat and lane numbers
on your swimmer's arm; Baby powder (for dusting swim caps); Swim
shampoo/conditioner, hairbrush, comb, toiletries, deck of cards, board games,
game boys, etc.
• INHALERS: If your child is asthmatic, this is the most important thing they own.
Different environments have different triggers that can set off an attack. Be sure
to tell the coach(es) if your child has asthma!
Other necessary items:
• Blankets and tarps (especially if you're setting up camp on a damp lawn)
• Tents and/or an EZ-up (during the summer, it's very important to keep swimmers
out of the sun; in the winter, tents/EZ-ups keep out the chill and rain)
• Sleeping bags are a good way to keep bodies warm in-between events.
• Lawn chairs (parents need to be comfortable, too!)