RACER X HELP SHEET
MEET ENTRIES
All registrations for meets are done using the TEAM UNIFY system. This is the same account that you used to register for the team. At the beginning of the Racer X Aquatics season, you will receive an email with the password for the TEAM UNIFY system.
Once you have logged into the system, you will need to declare you are participating in the meet. Once you declare for the meet, the meet events for which your swimmer is qualified will automatically pop up. Click on the events you would like to swim.
Remember to hit save or your entry will not be saved in the system. If your swimmer is not qualified for a meet, you do not need to indicate they are not attending.
Once your entries are in the system the coaches will review them. They will either approve or reject them. If a swimmer’s events are “rejected” the coach will select another event for the swimmer. The day after the entry deadline an Entry Report will be posted in the “Meets” page on TEAM UNIFY. Once entries are submitted to the host team NO changes or additions can be made. Check the Entry Report as soon as it’s available to make sure that your swimmer is in the correct events.
What to Expect at Your First Swim Meet:
A Guide for Parents and Swimmers
What to Bring To a Swim Meet:
1. Swimsuit, cap, and goggles. Packing an extra suit, cap, and pair of goggles is always a good idea. These items seem to rip and break at the most inopportune times!
2. Towels – wet bodies everywhere, so pack at least two.
3. Something comfy for your swimmer to sit on such as a sleeping bag, old blanket, or chair.
4. Something comfy for you to sit on, meets are long and you want to be comfortable. Most
parents bring lawn or camping chairs.
5. Several changes of clothes such as sweatpants, sweatshirts, and t-shirts. Swimmers need
to stay warm between events and there is nothing worse than pulling on cold, soggy
sweatpants.
6. Entertainment for the whole family such as travel games, cards, coloring books, books,
iPods, Gameboys, etc. - especially important if you are bringing youngsters who are not
swimming! Parents often bring newspapers, books, laptops, and sewing, anything to pass
the time!
7. Small cooler of healthy snacks and drinks. Suggestions for items to bring: water, fruit juice,
Gatorade, granola bars, fruit, yogurt, cereal, trail mix, sandwiches, bagels.
8. Sharpie marker, pen, highlighter. Most swimmers like to write their events on their arms.
9. Sunscreen!!! Most summer swim meets are held at outdoor pools. Pack plenty of
sunscreen, hats and even a beach umbrella or shade screen for protection.
Before the Meet Starts:
1. All swimmers must confirm their participation in a swim meet prior to the
Meet deadline. DUE TO MEET ADMINISTRATION REQUIREMENTS, SIGNUPS AFTER THE
DEADLINE WILL NOT BE HONORED. Signups are available on the Racer X Aquatics website at www.racerxaquatics.com . If for any reason you are unable to attend a meet in
If your swimmer is signed up, please contact Racer X Aquatics Head Coach Jim Skirboll at (412) 287 8818.
2. Coach Jim will post warm-up times a day or two before a meet. PLEASE ARRIVE AT THE POOL AT THE REQUESTED TIME. There is a lot to do before a meet begins. Having all swimmers there and ready will cut down on any pre-meet stress.
4. Find a place to put your swimmer’s “stuff.” The team usually sits together so look for familiar
faces and the team banner and then set up camp.
5. Help your swimmer find the Racer X Aquatics coaches. Look for coaches on the deck area to let them know you are at the meet.
6. There will be a coach who will have event info for your swimmer. Most often each
swimmer will get a small slip of paper (heat sheet) that lists each event, heat and lane they
are assigned too.
7. Write on your swimmer. Use the heat sheet your swimmer was given to write each event number, heat, and lane on your swimmer’s arm in “permanent” (i.e. waterproof) marker, like a Sharpie. This helps your swimmer remember what events he or she is swimming, what event number to listen for, and what lane to get lined up behind. This step is sometimes saved until after the swimmers are done with warm-ups. This also allows you to keep the heat sheet with you, therefore being able to keep track of what your swimmer is doing next.
8. Swimmers report to the pool and/or coach for warm-ups. It is very important for all
swimmers to warm-up with the team. Swimmers’ bodies are just like cars on a cold day;
they need to get the engine going and warmed-up before being able to go all out.
9. Swimmers return to the team area after warm-ups. Time to dry off, put on warm clothes, go to the bathroom, and write events on the arm if this wasn’t done earlier.
The Meet Starts:
1. Know what events your swimmer is competing in. It is important for swimmers to know what
event numbers they are swimming. Again, a heat sheet and sharpie are a swim parent’s
best friends! There will also be an event board that will have what event # is swimming or
“in the water” and what event is “on deck” or next to swim. That board is updated in real time
during the meet. Show your swimmer where that board is so they may keep track of what
event # is swimming at all times.
2. Listen for event announcements. Upcoming events are usually announced over the loud
speaker, asking swimmers to report to the starting blocks or to the “bullpen”, a staging area used at some meets. Swimmers should report with cap and goggles. Example: “Next event #26, 10&Under Boys, 50 freestyle”.
3. Report to the blocks or the bullpen a few events prior to your event. The timers behind the
starting blocks often check to make sure that swimmers are lined up in the right order.
However, it is always a good idea to have your swimmer check in with the lane timers to
make sure they are in the right lane and heat.
4. Parents, find a seat. According to USA rules, parents are not allowed on deck unless they
are serving in an official capacity, such as timers or stroke and turn official. Parents must sit
in the spectator area, usually bleachers on the side of the pool.
5. Swimmers, swim your race.
6. Check in with the coaches...again!
7. Check in with parents. Take your swimmer back to the team area and relax, find something
to eat, and wait for the next event to be called. Be sure your swimmer is well hydrated and has a
a few small snacks throughout the meet.
8. When a swimmer has completed all of his events for the day, he/she is able to go home. Be
sure however, to check with the coach before leaving to make sure your swimmer is not
included on a relay. Sometimes a last minute change will be made on who will swim a relay.
Coaches will do their best to inform the swimmer as soon as they know if a last- minute fill in
is needed.
9. Ask for help!! If during any of this you feel lost or confused, be sure to ask other parents or
swimmers for help! We have all had our “first meets” and know it can be overwhelming.
Once you have attended one or two meets, it will all become very routine and enjoyable.
10. HAVE FUN!!! While we do compete at meets and strive to do our best, having fun, cheering
our teammates on and being proud Racer X Aquatics swimmers is the GOAL.
GLOSSARY OF COMMON SWIMMING TERMS
AGE GROUP SWIM MEET - all USA Swimming registered swimmers, 14 years of age and under, who have met the qualifying time standard for a specific event(s) are eligible to participate in their age category. Age on the first day of competition shall govern the entire meet. (See also: Senior Swim Meet)
AGE GROUP SWIMMER – all USA SWIMMING registered swimmers age 14 and under
CHECK-IN (POSITIVE CHECK-IN) - The procedure required before a swimmer swims an event in a deck-seeded meet. Sometimes referred to as positive check in, the swimmer must mark their name on a list posted by the meet host.
CIRCLE SEEDING - A method of seeding swimmers when they are participating in a prelims/finals event. The fastest 18 to 24 swimmers are seeded in the last three heats, with the fastest swimmers being in the inside lanes.
CLERK-OF-COURSE - an area at the meet where swimmers report before their event to be arranged into their heat and lane assignments. The clerk of course is generally located near the starting area.
DECK SEEDING - a procedure of assigning swimmers to proper lanes and heats immediately before each event at the Clerk of Course on the deck. (See also: Psych Sheet).
IM (INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY) – A race done by an individual swimmer consisting of one leg of each of the competitive strokes - butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and any other stroke (generally freestyle), in that order.
FINALS (CHAMPIONSHIP OR CONSOLATION) - the session of a meet where the meet winner is determined. It is generally swum in the evening. Finalists are determined by the fastest swimmers in the preliminary rounds (generally swum earlier in the day).
HEAT SHEET - a listing of all swimmers by event number, heat, and lane assignments in the meet. These are available for purchase at the meet. Funds go toward offsetting the costs of running a meet.
RXA - the official abbreviation for the Racer X Aquatics for use on all entry forms for meets.
LONG COURSE - a type of competitive pool, which measures 50 meters in length. The standard size for all international competition and all world record swimming is the 50-meter course. Typically meets conducted from the end of April through August are swum Long Course.
ALLEGHENY MOUNTAIN SWIMMING (AMS) - is the Local Swim Committee (LSC) for USA Swimming covering the counties west of Potter, Clinton, Centre, Huntingdon and Bedford in Pennsylvania; Hancock, Brook, Ohio and Marshall counties in West Virginia; and Columbiana, Jefferson and Belmont counties in Ohio.
PRELIMS (PRELIMINARIES) - in certain meets, the qualifying rounds held for each event to determine the finalists.
PROOF OF TIME- a requirement at some meets to make certain that all swimmers have legally met the time standards for that meet.
PSYCH SHEET- a ranking by seeding times for all the swimmers entered in each race of a meet, sometimes used at meets in place of a heat sheet.
REFEREE - the USA SWIMMING official who has the authority over all other officials at the meet. He makes all final decisions and sees to the efficient running of the meet.
SEEDING TIMES - the time a swimmer uses to enter a meet. This time, which is written on the entry card, determines one's heat and lane in the particular event.
SENIOR SWIM MEET - all USA SWIMMING registered swimmers who have met the qualifying time standard for a specific event(s) are eligible to compete.
SENIOR SWIMMER – all USA SWIMMING registered swimmers age 15 and over
SHORT COURSE - a type of competitive pool, which measures 25 yards or 25 meters in length. Typically meets conducted from October through the end of March are swum Short Course.
SPLIT - a per lap time that coaches often record for teaching the concept of pacing. For instance, a swimmer's time for each 25-yard leg of a 100-yard event is his split.
STARTER - the USA SWIMMING official at a meet responsible for starting each heat and calling the next to the blocks.
STROKE JUDGE - a certified USA SWIMMING official, who determines the legality of swimmers' strokes and disqualifies those who do not conform to USA SWIMMING rules.
TIME STANDARDS - certain qualifying times which have been set up annually by USA SWIMMING for all events in all levels of meets to insure that all competitors are of reasonably the same ability in their respective meets. The swimmer's goals should be betterment of his time progressing from the "B" standard to the Nationals.
"TOP 16" - a tabulation of the Top 16 times in every age group and every event of all USA SWIMMING competition from the previous season. The short course "Top 16" is published in August and the long course "Top 16" is published every December.
TOUCH PAD - the part of an electronic timing system that rests in the water at the finishing end of each lane. Swimmer's times are electronically recorded when the pad is touched.
UNATTACHED - the status a swimmer receives when changing from one USA SWIMMING club to another. A swimmer must be "unattached" for 120 days from their last competition with their previous USA SWIMMING club. During this time they may compete individually, but not in relays, without representing any club.
USA SWIMMING - the governing body for all amateur swimming in the United States. National Headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
USA SWIMMING # (ID) - the personal registration number of each athlete member in USA Swimming. The formula for deriving your USA SWIMMING # is: birth date (6 digit format MMDDYY), first three letters of the first name, middle initial, and first four letters of the last name. For example: John A. Smith was born September 1, 1959. His USA SWIMMING # is 090159johasmit
PARENTS ON DECK APP
If you have a smart phone, the FREE Parent On Decksmart phone app is now available in the Android store and the iTunes App Store .
This is a mobile application for parents of swimmers. This is a great app to have with you while attending swim meets...or just to kill time while at your kids’ practice! The app was created by Team Unify, the folks who run our website and team database and billing system.
Here are some features:
Meet Results-- You can use it to see your swimmer’s historical meet result times from every USA Swimming meet they have ever swum. And it is updated with new meet results every time you sync your app with the results on our website. Just a tap of the “sync” button on your phone is all that is required.
Account/Swimmer Management-- OnDeck pulls the up-to-date swimmer database exactly as we have your swimmer’s information in our website database. When you synchronize OnDeck with our data, you'll see exactly what contact information we have for you. If there are issues or changes needed, you'll know to login into your account to make changes.
In your Account view, you also see all of your kids with their age and the roster group to which they are assigned. Tap on one of your kids’ names, and you'll see a wealth of information -- a full history of all meets swum with instant access to results, plus best their times, with instant access to results and ability to compare times to local and national time standards.
You can see complete info about this application on Team Unify's web page.
Additionally, another useful and free app for tracking your swimmer's times and meet results is MEETMOBILE. Although it is not tied into our team database, the majority of meets in which we participate feed data to MeetMobile.
MeetMobile iOS in iTunes for iPhones
