Competitions can be daunting for many swimmers and their parents. Here's some tips to help.

Just click on one of these topics to jump straight to it, or browse down the page to get all the information you might need.

• Competition Entries
• Swimming Victoria Entry Forms
• What to do before a Competition
• What to take to a Competition
• What to do during a Competition
• What to do at the end of a Competition

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Competition Entries:

The following checklist should help when entering a competition:

1. Check that the competition is appropriate for you. The target squads are noted on the Club Calendar listed below and you will be told by your coach. Take special note if there are Qualifying Times for the meet or for specific events.

2. Ascertain the Closing Date for entries - this will be on the flyer for the meet.

3. Fill out the entry forms - see the section below on how to fill out the Swimming Victoria forms.

4. Check the rest of the entry details for the meet on the flyer. Look for things such as how much it costs (usually an amount per event entered), who to make cheques payable to, where to send the entries (sometimes they are to be done through the club), etc.

5. Make a note of the meet details such as the day & date, the pool location, warm-up time, start time and your event numbers. Keep this note so that you can refer to it later.

Swimming Victoria Entry Forms:

This year we are switching to paper entry forms from the green cards that have been used for so long. Entry forms for the Waterlions meets are on the club website on the "Flyers and Results" page and will have some details already filled out for you. The new forms for other swim meets can be downloaded or printed from the Swimming Victoria website.

Copies of Swim Meet programs together with Swimming Victoria entry forms are kept in the holder next to the noticeboard. Please do not remove the program for a swim meet from the actual noticeboard itself.

You should always check with your coach to decide which events you should choose before filling out an entry form for a competition.

It is very important you take care when filling out these entry forms especially for meets conducted by Swimming Victoria. We have been advised by Swimming Victoria that due to the high number of mistakes and omissions on entry forms they will no longer process entries that are illegible or incorrect.

The following points are designed to help you fill out these forms:

1. Fill out all details

Make sure you fill out the details in all sections of the form in clear, neat writing.

2. Registration number

Your Registration number is simply:

The 1st three letters of your last name,
followed by the 1st two letters of your given name,
then your full date of birth in the format "ddmmyy".

E.g. Jason Smith born on 21 July 1989 would have a Registration Number
SMIJA210789

3. Correct event number and stroke

Be careful to enter the correct event number and stroke. Make sure if you are a male that you enter male event numbers and vice versa. Check against the program.

4. Converted Times

Converted times should only be used when directed by your coach.

Conversion Factors must be used where the time that you wish to use as an entry time was swum in a different length pool to the one to be used for the meet. That is, a time swum in a short-course meet (ie. in a 25m pool) must be converted to a long-course (ie. 50m pool) equivalent if you're entering a long-course meet, and visa versa.

The conversion factors are simply a number of seconds to add or subtract to your entry time. If you're unsure of whether to add or subtract, remember that short course is normally faster than long course so subtract the time to convert a long course time to a short course time. See the noticeboard or the Swimming Victoria website for the Conversion Factors.

5. Qualifying Times

Qualifying Times apply to some meets such as Victorian Championships.

You must have swum the time since 1st January of the year prior to the closing date of the meet at an approved "qualifying meet" - these include most district, state and national meets and most club meets.

There is a list of qualifying meets on the Swimming Victoria website.

See the noticeboard or the Swimming Victoria website for the latest Qualifying Times for State or National competitions.

You may incur a fine if you swim slower than the qualifying time and cannot supply evidence of having a valid qualifying time.

6. Entry Times

Entry times should always be accurate especially if Qualifying Times are asked for.

You must fill out where and when times were swum (so you will need to keep a record of details of previous swims).

If the meet does not have qualifying times, please enter an estimated time rather than just entering with no time, and just write "estimated time" in the meet details for that event. That way the swimmer is placed in an appropriate heat and also enables an accurate timeline for the meet.

If a time has been converted from long course to short course or visa versa, put a "C" after the time.

7. Correct times

Make sure that you enter the correct time for the event (for example, don't enter a 50m time for a 100m event) otherwise you may feel a bit foolish seeded in the fastest heat with an impossibly quick time.

8. Help

If you need help in filling out an entry just ask a committee member.

What to do before a Competition:

  Rest, relax, try to stay in your normal sleep patterns, and have full nights' sleep.

  Eat carefully during any tapering phase of training with a lighter workload. During this period, your energy requirements are lower so any surplus energy consumed in your diet may be converted to fat.

  "Carbohydrate-loading" for a day or two before and during the competition is usually beneficial to ensure that your body has sufficient energy stores. This is done by eating plenty of carbohydrate-rich foods, especially those with a low Glycaemic Index (GI) rating.

  Ensure all gear is ready, including spares.

  Prepare food & drinks.

What to take to a Competition:

Please read the Club Uniform Policy for details on uniform requirements for competitions.

  Warmup bathers, goggles, club cap and kickboard/pullbuoy.

  Club uniform (this should be worn to and from the competition).

  Racing bathers, goggles and club cap, plus spares of each. The bathers should be either club bathers or racing bathers of navy, black or royal blue material.

  Shoes or appropriate footwear to wear in the stands and to marshalling.

  Some swimmers find a small lightweight bag handy to take to marshalling to carry a waterbottle, towel, spare cap and goggles, etc.

  High energy (carbohydrate) snacks.

  Towels.

  Drinks (sports drinks or water only).

  Hat, long sleeved shirt and sunscreen if outdoor pool in warmer months and club jacket or parka and long pants (tracksuit pants are ideal) if it is cold.

What to do during a Competition:

Arrival:

Plan to arrive around 1½ hours before the start time, or 15 minutes before the start of warmup. Confirm this with your coach beforehand.

Warmup:

Gather on pooldeck with the coach(es) at the start of warmup and follow their instructions. You should bring your warmup cap and goggles, a drink bottle, kickboard and towel.

What to wear:

Team uniform must be worn to and from the venue and at all times at the pool. Please refer to the Club Uniform Policy for more details.

What to do:

All swimmers should sit together in the one area for team spirit and to support their teammates.
Younger swimmers may prefer to sit with their parents, but they should still be in the same area as the rest of the team.
Do not go for extended walks away from the team in case there are changes to the program or if the coach needs to talk to you. It is important to keep active to keep your muscles warm, but do not be too active! (Go for occasional walks to check results, or maybe accompany teammates to marshalling or warmup).
Be positive and supportive, both of yourself and your teammates.

Pre and post race:

Ask the coach when to do a pre-race warmup - this would be upto an hour before your race.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to check in with the coach before going to marshalling to get last-minute instructions and again after the race to get feedback.
After your race you should do a warm-down swim of at least a few hundred metres - ask the coach what to do.

Marshalling:

Watch the marshalling board for your event number. Allow time to collect your gear, check in with the coach and get down to the marshalling area. DO NOT BE LATE FOR MARSHALLING!

How to act:

You are representing the Haileybury Waterlions - be proud of that.
You must follow the Swimmers' Code of Behaviour at all times.

What to do at the end of a Competition:

  Write down the meet details and your times and placings for each swim which may be used for later competition entries and for future reference. For this you should set up a recording system such as a book or computer spreadsheet. The additional benefit of recording your swims is to enable you to measure your progress. Also, many swimmers like to look back on their career many years later and these notes are invaluable for that.

  Let your team manager &/or coach know that you're leaving.

  Reflect on the day's experiences, both good and bad. Don't dwell on any negatives and always take something positive away with you.