Encore Swim Team

Meet days are a team effort and require preparation, participation, and communication from every family. Swimmers should arrive on time, check in, warm up, and be ready for their events and relays, while parents fulfill assigned volunteer roles and remain through the completion of the meet. Families are expected to support a positive team environment, follow pool guidelines, communicate absences in advance, and help ensure the meet runs smoothly from start to finish.

Parent Participation

• Parent participation is required at all meets, including Time Trials and Championships.

Start Time & Warm-Ups

• Pool opens at 7:00 AM for warm-ups.
• Meet officially begins at 8:00 AM.
• Warm-up times:
  • Home meets: 7:00–7:25 AM
  • Away meets: 7:30–7:50 AM
• Swimmers must check in with their coach at least 30 minutes before the meet starts to be eligible for relays.

Arrival & Check-In

• Swimmers and parents must check in at the designated Encore area upon arrival.
• This ensures:
  • Relay teams are confirmed.
  • Volunteer shifts are covered.

Event Marking

• Before arrival or at check-in, write your swimmer’s Event, Heat, and Lane on their arm in permanent marker.
• This helps swimmers line up correctly and keeps the meet running smoothly.
• Sunscreen helps remove ink afterward.
• Swim events are also available in the SwimTopia app.

Pre-Meet Meeting

• Coaches meeting at 7:55 AM (home meets: outside the girls’ locker room area).
• National Anthem at 8:00 AM.

During the Meet

• Meets typically end between 1:00–2:00 PM.
• Please do not leave early — swimmers are needed for freestyle relays.
• Leaving early may result in a relay forfeit, impacting teammates.

Pool Conduct

• Clean your area before leaving.
• We are guests at every pool — including Encore — and represent our team at all times.

Attendance & Communication

• Notify coaches by Monday prior to the meet if your child cannot swim.
• This is critical for relay planning.
• For last-minute emergencies, contact the Data Entry Committee Chair.

Championship Eligibility

• Swimmers must compete in at least two regular-season meets to qualify for Championships.

Time Trials (Required)

• Last Saturday in May or first Saturday in June, 7:00–11:00 AM.
• Attendance is essential.
• Swimmers complete practice races to establish official seed times.
• Swimmers moving into the 11–12 age group must obtain 50-yard seed times or will start with “No Time.”
• Every swimmer needs a time for all strokes.

SWIM MEET EVENTS

The events at the meet are held in the following order:

1. Medley Relay
2. Butterfly
3. Backstroke
4. 50-yard Freestyle
5. Individual Medley
6. Breaststroke
7. Freestyle
8. Freestyle Relay

Swimmers can participate in up to three events per meet. The coaches will determine relays.

Swimmers must sign-up for events on the Tuesday before a meet.

If you are unsure whether you will be at a meet – please sign-up for events anyway, it is much easier to scratch a swimmer from a meet than to add the swimmer at the meet. If you do not sign up, your swimmer cannot swim. 

Plan to swim the events that you are signed up for. Do not try to change your events at the meet. This causes huge problems with the clerk of the course, timers and the computer table and will not be accepted.

Ribbons

Swimmers receive ribbons for participating in the swim events. Ribbons are given out for 1st though 8th place, (scoring is 1st thru 6th place). Participation ribbons will be given for those placing 9th or higher. Improved time ribbons will be given instead of the participant ribbon when there is an improved time. If there is an improved time for someone placing 1st through 8th, the placing ribbon will be stamped with an improved time.

Relay events will receive placing ribbons for 1st through 3rd place.

Ribbons will not be given out at a meet. They may be picked up in your folder in the File Box on the Tuesday after a meet.

Scoring:

Dual Meets:

(Second place points go to the opposing team if it had an entry in the event. If the opposing team does not have an entry in the event no second place points are awarded. A team cannot take 1st place and 2nd place points; a team can take 1st and 3rd place points.)

Awards Banquet 

There will be an Awards Banquet after the Championship Meet at the Encore pool. Awards are given by age group: