Winooski Waves

Swimmers are not required to attend meets but it is strongly encouraged that new swimmers attend at least one meet to watch and try one meet once they are more confident in their ability. 

Swimmers looking to attend meets need to register for meets at least 48 hours in advance through the Signup Calendar. Swimmers can attend as many or as few meets as they would like in a season. 

During the summer league dual meets are the bulk of our competitive season. Dual meets are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with warm-ups starting at 5:00 or 5:30, for home meets and away meets respectively. During dual meets swimmers race in between 2 and 3 individual events and 1-2 relay events. Swimmers aged 10 & Under race only a single length of the pool (25 yards) in one of the four strokes and swimmers aged 11-18 race two lengths of the pool (50 yards) in one of the four strokes. Relays are comprised of 4 swimmers each either racing 25y or 50y (age dependent) and the first relay is one swimmer racing each of the four strokes and the final relay is each swimmer racing freestyle. 

At the end of the season there is a Champlain Valley League Championship held on a Friday evening and Saturday and then a State Championship held on a Saturday and Sunday. Only the State Championship has qualifying times. 

• Swim suit
• WINOOSKI Cap
• Goggles
• 2 towels (1 for in between races and 1 for the end of the meet)
• SHOES AND SOCKS other than gym shoes (think wet, cold feet)
• Sweatpants or pajama pants (something that can get wet with chlorinated water)
• Sweatshirt and extra t-shirt (again something that can get wet with chlorinated water)
• Snacks for between races
• Stuff to drink (water preferred)
• Board/card games, activity books, simple entertainment (for the down time between races)

EVENT: This is what the swimmer will be swimming. For example: Event 1 is 8 & under girls 25 yd. butterfly

HEAT: Different groups of swimmers doing the same event. For one race and one age group there could be as many as 4 or 5 heats. The first heat usually has the faster swimmers, with the slower swimmers going last (except in Championship Meets). For example: Event 1 Heat 3

LANE: This is what lane of the pool has been assigned to the swimmer to swim in. Most pools are 6 lane pools. The farthest lane to the right at the starting blocks is lane 1. For example: Event 5 Heat 2 Lane 4.

25 YARDS: Length of the pool. 10 and under swimmers swim 25 yds. (1 length), 18 and under swimmers swim 50 yds. (2 lengths).

BULLPEN: The designated area where each swimmer must go prior to their event. Volunteers help them get lined up in their lanes by heat based on the heat sheet. Lane shepherds help swimmers get from the bullpen to behind the lanes to ensure they are where they should be. 

HEAT SHEET: The printed report that shows the heat and lane assignments for each swimmer in each race for the entire meet. 

SCRATCHED: Didn’t show up for, or was taken out of an event.

DQ: Disqualified from an event because the start, stroke, turn or finish was done incorrectly or illegally. Each swimmer/coach will be told immediately following a race if a swimmer has been DQ’d and the reason for the disqualification.

FALSE START: When the swimmer leaves the blocks before the start gun is fired. The swimmer then returns promptly to the block for a second try or can be DQ’d. The starter will determine the ruling.

STARTER: The volunteer who shoots the start gun or horn to start each heat. This must be supplied by the HOME team for each meet.

HEAT RIBBONS / PERSONAL BEST RIBBONS: Ribbons handed out to the winner of each heat (for each event immediately after each heat. Swimmers times are recorded for each event at each meet. When a swimmer’s time in an event is faster than any previous time in that same event, the swimmer receives a Personal Best ribbon. This ribbon will be put in that swimmers family’s on deck mailbox within a few days following a meet.

MEDLEY RELAY: Group of 4 swimmers each doing one event in this order: back, breast, butterfly, free style. Coaches will determine relay teams and which swimmer will be swimming which event in the relay.

FREE RELAY: Group of 4 swimmers each doing free style. Coaches will determine relay teams and the order of the swimmers.

I.M.: Individual Medley; one swimmer, swimming each stroke: butterfly, back, breast, free, in that order.

AGING UP: If a swimmer’s birthday falls during the swim season, the swimmer would age up to the higher age group – even if the birthday is during the Championship Meets. 

BUTTERFLY, BACKSTROKE, BREASTSTROKE, FREESTYLE: Check out this video for what each of the 4 competitive strokes look like: https://youtu.be/sxPn_qEXXOg

Unlike other team sports, a swim meet requires many hands on deck. Without the cooperation and support of ALL families, a swim meet will not function. Below is a list of volunteer jobs that need to be filled.

BOLD duties at home AND away meets- REGULAR are JUST home meets

TIMER: We need about 9-12 timers total for a meet. 3 timers are assigned to each lane and will use stop watches to time the swimmer in that lane. All 3 times are recorded and the middle circled on the timer sheets. Timers need to check the swimmers name following each heat. This job can be done in shifts.

HEAD TIMERS: One person per meet is in charge of organizing the stop watches and timers, running the timers meeting and running the back-up watches for each meet.

SCORE TABLE: One person per team inputs times and DQs for each event into SwimTopia throughout the meet.

RUNNER: Three people per meet help to transport the timers sheets and the DQ sheets to the score table at the end of each event.

HEAT RIBBONS: One person per meet will hand out ribbons at the end of each heat to the swimmer who came in first for that heat. If boys and girls are swimming together each boy and girl who were first get a ribbon. For relays each swimmer gets a ribbon.

STARTER: One to two persons per meet will announce events, call swimmers to the starting block, and start each event with a starting system.

STROKE AND TURN JUDGE: 3 people per team per meet will watch all swimmers during each race to make sure they perform legal starts, strokes, turns and finishes. The judge will note on their DQ sheets if they do not do all of the above legally- they are disqualified (DQ’d). The judge may kindly explain to the swimmer the reason for the DQ. All judges must be certified through a course provided by the league to be on deck.

BULLPEN/LANE SHEPHERD: 3-4 people per meet will help organize the swimmers on a part of the deck in order of event, assign heat and lane and ensure that younger children get to the correct lanes/heats. This job helps the meet run smoothly.

CONCESSION STAND: 3-4 people per meet to help organize and run concessions during the meet.