SUMMER SWIM MEET SURVIVAL GUIDE

 
 

Swim meets are a big part of summer swimming, but for new swimmers attending their first swim meet it can sometimes be an overwhelming experience. With a little preparation and support of other swimmers and parents, swim meets can be a wonderful experience.

We hope these FAQ’s will help answer any questions you might have.

  • Swim meets that occur on the weekend are all day events usually starting before 8:00 am and ending around 4:00 pm. Much of the day is often spent outside with all of the swimming families waiting for your child’s next race.   Therefore, preparing for a swim meet is similar to preparing for a daylong picnic.  You will need adequate food, shelter, and activities to keep you, your swimmers, and their newfound friends occupied between races. We have Pirates canopies to protect their swimmers from the elements (weather can be variable during the meet).   Lawn chairs, lunch, nutritious snacks, an old blanket/sleeping bag, and a change of warm clothes are a must.  A hungry, cold, and bored swimmer is not a happy swimmer!

  • Here is a checklist of things to bring, both for you and your swimmers, to help you get organized:

    • Swimsuit and goggles, 2 of each

    • Swimcap

    • 2-3 towels

    • Warm clothes and blanket

    • Lawn / camping chairs (Small please - we have lots of Pirates to fit under the tents!)

    • Cooler packed with nutritious food and drinks (food is often available on site as well)

    • Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses

    • Water bottles (hydration is extremely important for the swimmers)

    • A pen or highlighter for the “meet sheet” and to write events on arms.

    • Books, games (cards / board games for more than 1 player are best)

    • Squamish Pirates has a NO PHONE policy at swim meets for swimmers.

  • Arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of warm-ups (we will tell you in advance when those start) and find where your fellow swimmers are.

    • Get your swimmers to the pool deck at the warm-up time.   A coach will be on deck to run activation and warm-up.  Warm-ups usually takes 30 – 60 mins.

      For quick referencing throughout the meet, use a pen or highlighter to mark your swimmers' event number and heat number for each race.

    • After warm-ups, show your swimmer where the marshalling area is and inform your swimmer what events and heats that they are scheduled to swim.  If this is your swimmer's first meet, an older swimmer will be available to accompany your children through the process – starting with the pre-race talk with their coach, then on to marshalling, followed by the race, and finally to the post-race assessment by their coach.

    • Get ready to cheer on the Pirates and have fun!   

      Keep your camera/smartphone at the ready.  The best memories usually take place at swim meets.

  • Swim meets are typically held over two days. About 2 or 3 days ahead of a swim meet, the head coach will send out an email to all swimmers letting them know what time warm up starts for each of the days. Warm ups typically start as early as 6am up to 7:30am, with most meets starting at 8am to 8:30am. Warm ups are divided into group 1 and group 2/3.

    When you arrive at the pool, look for the Pirates tents and flags. We try to arrive early to get the best tenting spots. Things to bring include a sleeping bag, warm clothes, 3 to 4 towels, pillow, cooler with plenty of healthy snacks, lunch, and water, chocolate milk, etc. All swim meets either provide a food truck, or make their own food on site, so bring cash if you want a burger.

    Parents are reminded that they are ultimately responsible for getting their child to each race. Swimmers first talk to the their coach, and then head directly to marshalling where they check in. You may accompany your child to marshalling, give them a big thumbs up, and wish them well. Any swimming advice should be left to the coaches. Most often the coaches will want the swimmer to work on one particular aspect of their swimming during the race, and adding your own advice is counter productive, so just leave them with plenty of encouragement, and go to the parents area to watch the race and cheer them on.

    Please read the parents code of conduct. This document was put together by the BCSSA and is worth the read. Click HERE.

    After the race, the swimmer heads back to talk to the coach and is then free to head back to the tents. Make sure your child stays well hydrated between races.

    Most meets finish anywhere from 3pm to 5pm. Relays normally happen at the end of the day, so check with a coach if your child is on a relay team. If you are assigned to a relay team, it is important to stay for that race, as other swimmers on your team are counting on you. If you cannot stay till the end of a day, you must let the coach know during warm ups on the day of the race. description

  • It is the expectation that one parent per family volunteers at a swim meet. Meets are fully volunteer led, so we need all hands on deck!

    Registration to volunteer is typically done prior to the event. There are opportunities to time or officiate. No experience is needed as you will be paired with a more experienced parent if you are new.

    Most shifts are 2 hours in length. For timing, each club is assigned 1 or 2 lanes. As a smaller club, we normally get 1 lane with 3 parents per shift, and 3 shifts per day for a total of 9 shifts per day.

    Being a timing volunteer means you get to sit pool side with a great view of the races. It's a good job. If you are a deck official, there is a separate sign up sheet.

  • The 2026 Summer Swimming Schedule can be found here - along with other key summer dates.

  • Coaches will choose the events a swimmer will swim for each swim meet.

  • Relay events typically occur at the end of each day of a swim meet an swimmers are chosen during the meet based on performance at that meet. If a swimmer does not want, or cannot swim in a relay event, please let your coach know A.S.A.P, and preferably before the meet. If a swimmer is assigned to a relay team, he or she is expected to stay for the relay event. If a relay team swimmer leaves the meet before the relay, this costs the rest of the team the opportunity to race.

  • The Squamish Pirates will pay all swim meet fees and you will be charged after the meet.

    You will have a certain amount of time to declare if your swimmer will be interested in swimming at each meet.

    If you declared for a meet and no show - you will still be charged the meet fees.

  • Swimmer swim in Divisons based on their birth month and year. April 30th is the determining date for ages. Age Locators can be found here.

  • Summer swimming has 2 tiers of competition at some meets, ‘A’ and ‘B’. Swimmer compete in one of these tiers based on their times. If they have an A time in an event, they cannot swim in a B event, but if they have a B time, they are able to swim in an A event.

  • The Individual medley consists of four strokes, swum by one swimmer in the following order;

    Butterfly, Backstroke, Breastroke, fFeestyle

    The Medley Relay consists of four different swimmers in one relay event, each swimming one of the four strokes. The relay is swum in the following order

    Backstroke, Breastroke, Butterfly, Freestyle.

  • The Squamish Pirates are part of the Vancouver & District Region along with the following clubs.

  • The most important swim meet of the season for highly competitive swimmers is the BCSSA Provincial Championships, also known as “Provincials”. The 2026 Provincials will take place in Kamloops from August 14-16. You can learn more about provincials HERE .

    In order to be able to swim at Provincials, swimmers must qualify at the BCSSA Regional Championships, also known as Regionals. The Squamish Pirates are part of the Vancouver & District Region. Regionals in 2026 are August 1st and 2nd at Brennan Park. All swimmers can attend Regionals.

    To qualify for Provincials, swimmers must finish top 3 in finals in an individual event at Regionals, or be part of a relay team that finishes top 2 in finals at Regionals.

    Any swimmer who swims a Provincial Qualifying Time (PQT) in a finals at Regionals automatically qualifies for Provincials regardless of what place they finished in the race.

  • To qualify for provincials you must finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in an individual event at the Vancouver and District Regionals, be on a 1st or 2nd place relay team, swim a PQT Time in the finals of a race at Regionals or be added as a Wildcard. (2022 PQ Times will be added once they are public)