Competition Check List – 10 steps to success.

For those new to competitions the following checklist may help in getting things organised. Please remember that each competition is a little different so a bit of research and checking in advance can prevent a lot of hassle.

1. Entering the competition

Your Coach will normally advise you of the events they want you to swim. Their advice will depend on a number of factors, such as whether you are new to competition and how much training you are doing.

You will need to fill in a form advising which races are being entered and submit this along with the appropriate entry Fee to the Open Meet Secretary.

Make sure your entry times are valid (if it’s your first competition your Coach will help here) and that all the events you want to swim have been included. 

Return your completed form and entry fee to the Open Meet Secretary by the deadline given – late entries are not usually accepted by the competition organisers.


2. Being accepted

About a week before the competition you will receive your “Cards” from your Coach or the Open Meet Secretary. You will have one card for each race and it will tell you your entry time and competitor number. If you do not get any cards it probably means that you have not gained entry to the competition (it happens!) and so you will get a rejection slip and a refund. The only exception will be if it’s a “Card-less Meet”, these are quite unusual and when they do occur are usually for senior competitions.


3. Check the venue details

Make sure you know the location and start times of the competition. In particular there is always a warm up period and you must be at the pool and ready on the poolside before this time. Give yourself plenty of time for the journey – even with Sat-Nav. parking can still take an infuriatingly long time to get sorted particularly if you are unfamiliar with the area. Remember the experienced competitors will already know the best spots so don’t be surprised if you have a bit of a walk to the venue.


4. Before you leave your house

Check you have the following:

* Competition swim wear (N.B. this is not usually what you train in!)
* Training swim wear (for warm-up only)
* Competition goggles (two pairs!)
* Maxwell polo-shirt/tee-shirt
* Maxwell silicon hat (Tip – have a spare!)
* Shorts
* Poolside footwear (flip-flops etc.)
* Towel – make sure that you have sufficient for the day – one may not be enough if you have a lot of races.
* Drink (at least 1.5 litres per 2.5 to 3 hour session)
* Light food/snacks – banana, biscuits etc. No high sugar items such a chocolate.
* Lunch – sandwiches or cold pasta etc. Try not to have anything too heavy.
* Money – have some cash (not too much) for buying the odd snack or drink and for the lockers to secure your belongings.
* Cards – Make sure you have your entry cards.

If for some reason you forget your cards, do not panic but seek out the event organiser/promoter and normally they will issue new ones.


5. When you arrive

When you arrive the first thing you must do is Post Your Cards. There is usually a sign indicating where this occurs. If you do not post your cards the organisers will not know you are attending and you will be excluded from the races.
 
Cards are normally posted at the beginning of every warm-up the card box closes usually an hour before racing starts so this is another important reason why you must arrive in good time.


6. On poolside

When you have got changed, put your belongings in a locker (make sure it is locked!!!!), take only a small rucksack style bag onto poolside to save space This should contain your towel, hats, goggles, drinks and a small snack.

Go onto poolside and find the Maxwell swimmers and Coaches. Make sure your Coach knows you have arrived.

Look and listen for the announcements about warm-up, not all the swimmers can enter the water at the same time so the warm-up period is usually split into males and females and also age groups.

N.B. Your Coach may want you on poolside up to 15 minutes before the actual warm up in the pool to do stretches and loosening exercises. Make sure you know what to do.

It’s also worth having something to occupy yourself with such as a book or media player. Remember though that its your responsibility to keep things safe and secure. Also remember that some items do not like water – even things like damp towels can damage an Ipod so think about how you look after your belongings.

Remember - Swimming pools can be dangerous places if people mess about. Maxwell expects all its swimmers to behave sensibly and responsibly.


7. Getting ready to race

Swimming competitions are designed to run with the minimum amount of delay or interruptions. This means that if you don’t keep an eye on when you race is due you will miss it – no one will come looking for you! It’s the swimmers responsibility to be in the right place at the right time so if you are at your first competition make sure you ask your Coach what to do.  Other experienced Maxwell swimmers will no doubt also help, providing you ask.

Normally the process is that two events (not heats) before your race you must go to the Marshalling area and look for your race card  (the one you posted on arrival). The Marshall’s will then ask you to line up by heat and in lane order (these are hand-written on the top of the card). You stay in that grouping and gradually move toward the start end of the pool. Depending on the venue, this may all happen on poolside or it might be in a separate room. Make sure you find out when you arrive.


8. At the end of your race

When you have completed your swim, make sure you stay in the water until the Referee or Starter tell you to get out. Always get out at the side of the pool, never climb out over the timing pads. Go immediately to your Coach and wait to have a discussion about your race – remember they may not be able to talk to you straight away especially if another Maxwell swimmer is in the water so take the time to dry off.


9. Results

Most competitions have mixed ages in races and you are seeded to swim against others with a similar entry time. That means that your finishing position in the heat is probably not your final position in your age group. Most races are heat declared winner – which means the time determines the result. Some competitions have finals, where the top 6 or 8 swimmers race again to determine the final result.

Results are normally posted on a convenient wall and if you do really well you may get a medal or trophy. Depending on the competition it can be the top three swimmers or sometimes the top six swimmers that get an award.

If you get disqualified, the first thing to remember is that at some time or other it happens to every swimmer. The second thing to remember is it’s not the end of the world and there is always another race – maybe not that day but certainly in the near future.

The most important thing about a disqualification is to understand why it happened and to learn from it. May sure you talk to your Coach and agree what you will do in training to avoid it happening again.


10. Enjoy your swimming

For someone new to competition all the above can look really daunting but after a few competitions it will become almost automatic. The most important thing about swimming and competition though is that you enjoy it. Being with your friends is fun, competing against others is a challenge and achieving a new personal best is very satisfying. It makes all the hard work at training really worthwhile.
 

Maxwell Swim Club