First Colony Gators

Please note: this information is regarding a "normal" dual swim meet, which will begin May 31, 2022

What Happens at a Swim Meet?

PLAN TO ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 3:30 pm at home meets and 4:00 pm at away meets. We will warm-up first for home meets and the meet will officially begin at 5:00 p.m. Swimmers should wear their team suit to the meet and have their goggles properly fitted. When you arrive, take your children to their respective Age Group Tent. There, the Tent Parents will mark their swimmer number and meet events on their hand/shoulder/arm. Once marked up, the swimmers will warm-up before the meet begins.

PLEASE DO NOT PUT SUNSCREEN ON SWIMMERS BEFORE THEY ARRIVE. The marker won’t write on top of sunscreen. The Tent Parents may help apply it after marking them up if you send it with them.

HOME TEAM WILL BE ASSIGNED EVEN NUMBERED LANES.

6&UNDERS WILL COMPETE IN THE FREESTYLE AND FREESTYLE RELAY. They may leave after their last event, Event 20. We hope to have everyone swim in the 6U free relay, but that cannot always happen since the relays are run in groups of four. Some 6&Unders may be selected to "swim up" in a second individual event during the 7/8 age event; usually backstroke. 6&Unders could also "swim up" for the 7/8 Medley Relay if they are needed.

7/8′s AND 9/10′s MAY COMPETE IN UP TO TWO INDIVIDUAL EVENTS AND TWO RELAYS. The Coach will determine in which events they will participate. However, 11/12′s, 13/14′s AND OPEN (15 thru 18) MAY COMPETE IN UP TO THREE INDIVIDUAL EVENTS AND TWO RELAYS. The Coach will determine in which events they will participate.

EVERY SWIMMER RECEIVES A RIBBON FOR EVERY EVENT THEY SWIM. Even a disqualified swimmer receives a Participation Ribbon (10&Unders only).

WE WILL BE EMAILING AND POSTING RESULTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THE MEET ON OUR WEBSITE.

A SWIMMER MAY BE DQ’D (DISQUALIFIED) BY A STROKE JUDGE FOR IMPROPERLY PERFORMING A STROKE. This happens to even the best swimmers at times. If you want to understand stroke technique and help your child develop, please attend a League Stroke Clinic. Use of lane ropes, pool sides, or bottom of pool will result in a DQ. Swimmers may hold on the the lane rope up to three times and not result in a DQ, but pulling on a lane line, even once, will result in a DQ.

EARLY TAKE-OFF BY AN INDIVIDUAL IN A RELAY WILL RESULT IN A DQ FOR THE ENTIRE RELAY TEAM.

THE HALFWAY POINT IS USUALLY AROUND EVENT 30 OR 35. This is when first half volunteers are released and second half volunteers begin. Second half volunteers – PLEASE report on time. Announcements will be made by the meet announcer.

SWIMMERS SHOULD STAY IN THEIR TENT THROUGHOUT THE MEET. The Tent Parents assigned to the tent need to know where the swimmers are at all times. They must be available for their events. If you want to take them to the Concession Stand or elsewhere, please “check them out” with the Tent Parents.

THE MEET WILL LAST UNTIL ABOUT 9:00. At Home meets, we have concessions to provide food and drinks at a reasonable cost and a food truck. Most other teams also have some sort of concession stand. It’s a good idea to pack water and healthy snacks/sandwiches, though, to get you and your gang through the meet. Pack separately for each swimmer since they will be sitting with their groups.

FEEL FREE TO BRING THINGS TO ENTERTAIN YOUR CHILD DURING THE MEET. Books, coloring books, cards, are all good ideas. Don’t bring anything valuable, or anything you don’t want to lose. LABEL EVERYTHING.

GATHER YOUR THINGS BEFORE IT GETS DARK. Once the sun goes down it is hard to find things in the dark. Please, please, please help pick up trash and keep the area clean.

PARENTS MAY BRING LAWN CHAIRS TO SIT IN.

PER SHRSL BY-LAWS, NO ALCOHOL, SMOKING, PROFANITY OR VERBAL ABUSE IS ALLOWED AT SWIM MEETS.

SWIMMERS / SIBLINGS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN OR NEAR BABY POOLS!

SWIMMERS MUST COMPLY WITH RESTRICTIONS OR REGULATIONS SPECIFIED BY THE HOME TEAM POOL.

New to Swim Team?
Feeling out of your league? A glimpse at a typical swim meet for new swim team parents.

So you’ve taken the plunge and signed the kids up for summer swim team – congratulations! You are set to embark on a terrific summer experience for both kids and parents. But what will the meets really be like? And how can you help out?

As a seasoned swim team parent, I want to give you a glimpse at a typical meet, as well as a look at the many ways parent volunteers help make the meets successful. The meets are exciting and a whole lot of fun for the kids and the parents, but we truly cannot have a meet without the help of many wonderful parents.

The first meet I attended was a real revelation. There were as many parents working as there were cheering swimmers on! It takes an unbelievable number of parents to run a meet efficiently. Poolside alone there are at least 25 parents performing specific roles at any given time including timers, stroke judges, runners, announcers and a starter. The real organizational miracle occurs even before the races begin, though.

On the afternoon of the meet, some volunteers arrive early to set up tents and supplies. At home meets, the host team has extra responsibilities – the facilities must be ready for the arrival of up to 200 swimmers on each team as well as their families and supporters. A big meet can include more than 1000 people!

At the tents, age-group team parents get ready for the arrival of the swimmers. These terrific parents keep the younger swimmers in line and get them ready for their races, escorting them to and from the pool. They also write the swim numbers and heat information right on the arms of the swimmers in permanent ink! Don’t worry, it comes off in a few days! Between races, kids hang out here to socialize with friends, play games, and snack on healthy (or not so healthy) foods.

During the meet, the pool is a whirl of activity. In addition to the poolside volunteers, there is a team of parents furiously totaling the scoring slips and ‘placing’ the swimmers from each race, while the next race is in full swing behind them. They in turn pass the scoring slips on to the awards team, who make sure that each swimmer receives the appropriate ribbon.

Are the meets long? They can be, but there is so much going on you won’t even notice! If you are volunteering while cheering your swimmer on, time will pass quickly, and you might not even notice the sunburn until the next day. As the meet winds down, you’ll gather up your tired but happy young swimmers and head for home. Another great meet is over, and you can rest secure in the knowledge that you helped make their swim team experience one they’ll always remember.

Remember, we were all new to swim team at one time, so jump in and get your feet wet!

Division Meet of Champions (MOC) and All Stars

After the regular five dual meets, there is a division meet of champions. Any swimmer can participate in the division meet of champions in as many individual events as they would like a long as the swimmer swam that event as least once during the season. The coaches will choose relay teams to swim at the meet of champions. This is a change for the 2015 season. In previous years there was a prelims and then a finals before All Stars. The division meet of champions is combining prelims and finals into one "Timed Finals" format meet.

The top swimmers and relays from the division meet of champions will qualify for All Stars. All Stars is only for swimmers who qualify and is the final meet of the season. All Stars consists of all the top swimmers from all the SHRSL divisions and is held at the FBISD Don Cook Natatorium on Lexington.   

Meet Rules & Regulations

One length of pool = 25 yards or 25 meters, depending on the pool

6&Under swimmers will swim only the freestyle and/or freestyle relay for 1 length of the pool.
7/8s and 9/10s will swim 1 length of the pool in no more than 2 individual events and 2 relay events.
11/12s, 13/14s and open swimmers will swim 2 lengths of the pool in individual events or 4 lengths of the pool in the individual medley and each swimmer may swim no more than 3 individual events and 2 relay events.
Swimmers will be disqualified for violating league rules, including the following:
*Use of the lane rope or pool bottom to enhance forward progress.
*After a second false start in the same event (younger kids) or one false start (older kids)
*Early take off in a relay event.
*Violation of a stroke rule.

Disqualification in a heat will result in the swimmer not receiving points or awards. However, the swimmer will receive a purple ribbon for participation (10&Unders only)

A swimmer’s age for competition is determined by his/her age as of May 31st. A swimmer may not compete if he/she has reached their 19th birthday as of May 31st of the current year.

6&Unders may swim with the 7/8 age group. All others must swim with their respective age group, except in the Open relays where up to two 13/14 age swimmers may move up to compete. See league rules for additional conditions.

Swimmers 10&Under can only swim in up to 2 individual events – there is a 100 point penalty if this rule is broken.
In order to participate in the Division Meet of Champions, a swimmer must participate in 2 league swim meets and they must swim in the event during the season as least one time.
Home team swims in the even numbered lanes while the visiting team swims in the odd numbered lanes.

Order of Events

• 1 Girls 6&U 100 Free Relay
• 2 Boys 6&U 100 Free Relay
• 3 Girls 7-8 100 Medley Relay
• 4 Boys 7-8 100 Medley Relay
• 5 Girls 9-10 100 Medley Relay
• 6 Boys 9-10 100 Medley Relay
• 7 Girls 11-12 100 Medley Relay
• 8 Boys 11-12 100 Medley Relay
• 9 Girls 13-14 100 Medley Relay
• 10 Boys 13-14 100 Medley Relay
• 11 Girls 15-18 100 Medley Relay
• 12 Boys 15-18 100 Medley Relay
• 13 Girls 11-12 100 IM
• 14 Boys 11-12 100 IM
• 15 Girls 13-14 100 IM
• 16 Boys 13-14 100 IM
• 17 Girls 15-18 100 IM
• 18 Boys 15-18 100 IM
• 19 Girls 6&U 25 Free
• 20 Boys 6&U 25 Free
• 21 Girls 7-8 25 Free
• 22 Boys 7-8 25 Free
• 23 Girls 9-10 25 Free
• 24 Boys 9-10 25 Free
• 25 Girls 11-12 50 Free
• 26 Boys 11-12 50 Free
• 27 Girls 13-14 50 Free
• 28 Boys 13-14 50 Free
• 29 Girls 15-18 50 Free
• 30 Boys 15-18 50 Free
• 31 Girls 7-8 25 Breast
• 32 Boys 7-8 25 Breast
• 33 Girls 9-10 25 Breast
• 34 Boys 9-10 25 Breast
• 35 Girls 11-12 50 Breast
• 36 Boys 11-12 50 Breast
• 37 Girls 13-14 50 Breast
• 38 Boys 13-14 50 Breast
• 39 Girls 15-18 50 Breast
• 40 Boys 15-18 50 Breast
• 41 Girls 7-8 25 Back
• 42 Boys 7-8 25 Back
• 43 Girls 9-10 25 Back
• 44 Boys 9-10 25 Back
• 45 Girls 11-12 50 Back
• 46 Boys 11-12 50 Back
• 47 Girls 13-14 50 Back
• 48 Boys 13-14 50 Back
• 49 Girls 15-18 50 Back
• 50 Boys 15-18 50 Back
• 51 Girls 7-8 25 Fly
• 52 Boys 7-8 25 Fly
• 53 Girls 9-10 25 Fly
• 54 Boys 9-10 25 Fly
• 55 Girls 11-12 50 Fly
• 56 Boys 11-12 50 Fly
• 57 Girls 13-14 50 Fly
• 58 Boys 13-14 50 Fly
• 59 Girls 15-18 50 Fly
• 60 Boys 15-18 50 Fly
• 61 Girls 7-8 100 Free Relay
• 62 Boys 7-8 100 Free Relay
• 63 Girls 9-10 100 Free Relay
• 64 Boys 9-10 100 Free Relay
• 65 Girls 11-12 100 Free Relay
• 66 Boys 11-12 100 Free Relay
• 67 Girls 13-14 100 Free Relay
• 68 Boys 13-14 100 Free Relay
• 69 Girls 15-18 100 Free Relay
• 70 Boys 15-18 100 Free Relay