Nottingham Forest South Neptunes

Swim meets are held Wednesday evenings and begin at 5:30pm.  If a meet is rained out, the meet will occur the following evening...same time, same place, same volunteers.

HOME team - swimmers arrive at 4:40pm.  Warm-ups begin at 4:45pm.

VISITING team - swimmers arrive at 5:00pm.  Warm-ups begin at 5:05pm.

Swim meets generally last three to four hours.  

 What should my swimmer bring to a meet?

• Team swim suit (optional) or a swimsuit that is comfortable for swimming
• Team shirt (optional)
• Goggles 
• Swim cap (optional, but per SSA guidelines must be TEAM specific if worn)
• Flip flops
• Dry clothes
• Towels 
• Snacks and Drinks - or money to purchase from the concession stand
• Something to do while waiting for the next event (cards, games, books, white board & markers, coloring books, cars and Barbies).

Do NOT send electronic games/phone as there is no way to guarantee personal items will not get wet.  

BEFORE THE MEET
It is a good idea to have your swimmer eat a substantial, high carb snack before coming to the meet so they can have smaller snacks during the meet. The heats go quickly, so plan their eating around their events.

Mark your swimmer's arm/thigh with their race information.

ARRIVAL

Upon arrival, find the team’s crash area and set up your gear there. Check in with the team parent and get ready for warm ups. Swimmers should be ready to enter the pool at the designated time for warm ups.

CRASH AREA
Swimmers should spend their down time in a “crash area.” Bring extra towels, a blanket or an appropriately sized lawn chair to sit in. The meet will have a variety of concessions but you can also bring your own snacks and beverages.

WARM UP
The coaches will direct a warm up in preparation for the meet. The children should be on the deck ready to swim (suit, goggles and cap on) by the designated time.

THE MEET ITSELF
Be prepared for the meets to last anywhere from 3-4 hours, depending on the size of the team. The order of the events is run by stroke and not by age. .

Once the meet begins, an event will be called and the swimmer is to report to the team parent in charge of their age group. The team parent will take the children to a staging area where the swimmers are organized before being escorted to the blocks.

The starter will announce the start of a new heat. He/she will direct the swimmers to step up on the block (or get in the pool for backstroke events). The starter will say “Take your mark” and then beep a horn to start the race.

Once the race is over, the swimmer should the go back to the crash area to rest and get ready for their next event.

IF YOU CANNOT FULFILL YOUR SCHEDULED VOLUNTEER SHIFT, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND A REPLACEMENT.

The Neptunes depend on the parents to help the season run smoothly.  

Each family is required to provide a volunteer for five half meets as a condition of enrollment on the team.  

• Volunteer assignments for the regular season will be made available prior to the first meet.
• First-half and full-meet volunteers must check-in by 5:00pm to get a name tag and assignment instructions.  
• Second-half volunteer shifts begin at the mid-point of the swim meet (event #xx).  Check-in by event #xx to get a name tag and assignment instructions.

If your family is swimming in the championship meet, you will be required to fill a volunteer position at that meet also.  Volunteer assignments for the championship meet will be determined at a later date.