Rogers Ranch Rapids

The following are a list of practices that are recommended you follow in order to help your swimmer achieve their goals by having them ready to compete.

DO…

• Participate in all of the meets.
• Read the meet entry report which is posted on the website and at the pool prior to the meet carefully to ensure you know which events your child is swimming.
• Inform the coaching staff if your child is entered in only 1 event
• Consult with the coaching staff to determine event selection and seeding times where needed.
• Download the location maps from the Rogers Ranch Rapids website.
• Check the team website for heat sheets and possible last-minute changes to the meet.
• Pack your swimmers bag ahead of time to ensure that it contains a competitive team suit, team cap, team t-shirt, appropriate clothing, 2 pair of goggles, two towels, and activities like playing cards, etc. It is recommended that swimmers do not bring electronic devices but it is up to parental discretion.  Leave the bag by the door so you don't forget it.
• Provide healthy and nutritious meals on the day of a meet for your swimmer.
• Hydrate your swimmer prior to the swim meet.  Water is the best source of hydration.
• Bring snacks and sports drinks when allowed in a small personal cooler.  There will be team water coolers available to refill water bottles to ensure good hydration.
• Try and carpool whenever possible.
• Arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of warm-up so as to allow your swimmer to stretch and get ready in a non hurried manner and report to the warm-up lanes on time.
• Buy a heat sheet and always bring a highlighter and a permanent marker.
• Draw the checkerboard graphic on your swimmer’s body (usually thigh or forearm/hand) so they know their event, heat, and lane numbers. This consists of a crossword puzzle graphic with the event, heat and lane # in the squares.  For example, if your child is swimming 7-8 25 Freestyle and 7-8 25 Breaststroke you would look for their name in the Heat sheet under the event numbers.  They will be seeded in a heat and placed in a lane.   For Breast, it is Event 35, and they are in Heat 2, Lane 7.  For Free it is Event 45, they are in Heat 4, Lane 2.  The Box would look like this:

__E__|__H__|___L___

__35_|__2___|___7___ 25 Br

__45_|__4___|___2___ 25 Fr

• NO OTHER BODY MARKINGS OF ANY SORT ARE ALLOWED such as “eat My bubbles”.
• Write your child’s last name on their back to help keep swimmers organized in the ready bench area.
• VOLUNTEER in some capacity at each meet.
• Have your swimmer check in when they arrive at the meet by highlighting their name on the check-in board.
• Ensure that your swimmer(s) stay in the designated team tent area. The tents are organized according to age group.  If your swimmer is not sitting with the rest of the team, it is very hard for the ready bench workers to find your swimmer which increases the likelihood they will miss their race.  It is ultimately the swimmer's responsibility to be ready for the event.
• Hydrate after each event. Swimmers should remove their caps so as to prevent possible overheating.
• Check the posted results at the pool and record them in your swim meet record book.
• Cheer and have fun watching your swimmer compete. They have worked hard to get ready.
• Praise them for a job well done. Your job is to love them. Let the coaches coach them.

DON'T...

• Sit in restricted areas, use the baby pool during meets, or park illegally.
• Enter the restricted area of the pool deck unless you are authorized.
• Mark your swimmer's body with any phrases or other designs as this is against LSSSL rules and regulations
• Leave the meet with out checking out with the coaching staff to ensure sure your swimmer is not on a relay team.  This is very disrespectful to the other 3 swimmers on that relay team.
• Distract your swimmer when they are behind the block.
• Yell or use flash photography at the start of the race.
• Approach an official if your swimmer is disqualified; let the coaching staff do it.
• Allow your swimmer run around at a meet as they can get injured and dehydrated.