Swim Meet Entry Protocol

 

Beginning this season, your coach will choose the events your swimmer will participate in at swim meets. This entry procedure will be a collaborative effort between the coach and the athlete.

 

Key Reasons Why:

  • Balanced Development: Coaches often select diverse events to ensure swimmers develop all strokes and distances rather than specializing too early.
  • Expert Assessment: Coaches can strategically place swimmers in events that align with their current technical abilities while challenging appropriate growth areas.
  • Competitive Progression: Coach selection ensures swimmers advance through appropriate event progression rather than avoiding challenging events.
  • Team Strategy: Some meets involve strategic team point considerations that coaches are best positioned to coordinate.

 

Swim Meet Participation Policies:

  • Athletes are expected to participate in every swim meets for which they qualify. 
  • If a swimmer cannot participate in a meet, the parent should declare that their swimmer is unable to attend (see procedure below). 
  • All swimmers who qualify for a championship meet at the end of the season are expected to participate in all meets in which they qualify. 
  • If your swimmer needs to scratch a meet after the deadline, the parent should email the coach as soon as possible. If your swimmer is sick or can not attend on the day of a swim meet, please email the coach to let them know. 

 

Entry Procedure:

  1. If your swimmer can attend the meet, go to the meet’s page, click the ‘Attend/Decline’ button, click on your swimmer’s name, select “Yes, please sign up [your swimmer’s name] for this event” from the drop-down, and click ‘Save Changes’.
  2. If your swimmer can not swim certain days of a multi-day meet, add that information to the notes section prior to clicking the ‘Save Changes’ button.
  3. If your swimmer cannot attend the meet, go to the meet’s page, click the ‘Attend/Decline’ button, click on your swimmer’s name, select “No, thanks [your swimmer’s name] will NOT attend this event.” from the drop-down, and click ‘Save Changes’.
  4. The coach will choose events for the entire meet unless noted otherwise. 
  5. Once the coach has chosen the events, log back into your account to view the finalized entries. If you have any questions regarding the events or if something has changed with your swimmer's participation in the meet, please contact the coach immediately. Please do not change any of the events chosen. If there needs to be a change in events, the coach must make the changes. Once the deadline has passed, the entries for this swim meet are final. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

Q1: How are swimmers entered into swim meets under the new protocol? The coach will now determine the events each swimmer will participate in for all swim meets. This process aims to ensure balanced development across strokes and distances, leverage the coach's expert assessment of a swimmer's abilities and potential, promote competitive progression through appropriate challenges, and support overall team strategy in specific meets.

Q2: What is the role of the swimmer and parent in the swim meet entry process? Parents and swimmers are responsible for declaring their swimmer's availability for each meet once the information is posted on the CAA website and before the entry deadline. This is done by indicating "Yes, please sign up [swimmer's name] for this event" or "No, thanks [swimmer's name] will NOT attend this event." If a swimmer can only attend part of a multi-day meet, this should be noted in the declaration. While parents/swimmers declare availability, the coach ultimately selects the specific events.

Q3: Why has the responsibility for choosing events shifted to the coach? The primary reasons for this shift include facilitating balanced swimmer development by encouraging participation in diverse events, utilizing the coach's expertise to strategically place swimmers in events aligned with their current skills and growth areas, ensuring swimmers progress through appropriate competitive challenges, and allowing coaches to coordinate team strategies for meets where points are a factor.

Q4: What is expected of swimmers regarding participation in swim meets? All swimmers who qualify for a swim meet are generally expected to participate. This expectation is particularly emphasized for championship meets at the end of the season, where participation is required for all qualified events. If a swimmer cannot attend a meet, the parent must proactively "decline" their swimmer before the entry deadline.

Q5: How can parents and swimmers know which events they will participate in? Once the coach has chosen the events, parents and swimmers can log back into their account on the CAA website to view the finalized entries. It is crucial to check these entries after declaring availability.

Q6: What should a parent or swimmer do if they have questions about the selected events or if their availability changes? If there are any questions regarding the coach's event selections or if a swimmer's availability changes after the initial declaration, the parent should contact the coach immediately. It is essential not to change any of the events chosen by the coach independently. The coach will make any necessary adjustments to the entries.

Q7: What is the deadline for declaring participation in a swim meet? Parents and swimmers should declare whether or not the swimmer will participate in a meet once the meet information is posted and before the stated entry deadline. Timely declarations allow for better collaboration between coaches and swimmers in the entry process.

Q8: What happens if a swimmer needs to withdraw (scratch) from a meet after the entry deadline? If a swimmer needs to scratch from a swim meet after the entry deadline, the parent should email the coach as soon as possible to inform them of the situation.

Q9: What should be done if a swimmer is sick or cannot attend a meet on the day of the event? If a swimmer is ill or unexpectedly unable to participate in a swim meet on the day of the event, the parent should email the coach to inform them of the absence.