Fieldstone Farms Flippers

Sign up for meets you plan to attend so the coach knows to assign your swimmer to events. 

The coach will let you know the deadline (usually noon, two days prior to meet), but if you can do this for all meets at the beginning of the season, then you won’t have to worry about it. You can always go back and change it if you need to.

Declare your swimmer for each meet in Swimmingly.

• Log in to your swimmingly clubhouse account.
• Click "Go to Meet Schedule" in center section or "Meet Schedule" in left sidebar.
• Find the applicable meet and click "Meet Declarations"
• Select "yes" or "no" for each swimmer.

Additional directions for swimmingly are located here. 

• Suit (team suit from any year or any black/green racing suit) also maybe an extra in case of wardrobe malfunction
• Team cap (you can wear a plain cap, but no school/club caps)
• Goggles (bring a back up pair just in case!)
• Towels 
• Snacks, Dinner, and/or money for concessions (some venues offer more than others, FF snack bar does NOT take cash so bring your card/phone/however you pay), we usually have food vendor(s) of some sort
• LOTS of Water/Drinks (it's HOT!)
• Sunscreen (apply early so you can mark your swimmer)
• Heat sheet/event information (print at home, we don't provide hard copies)
• Folding sports chair(s), if you want to sit
• Tent for shade, if you like
• Sharpie to mark your swimmer
• Playing cards, books, games, etc., especially if you have non-swimmer siblings to entertain
• Patience 

Swimmers are sorted into heats by their fastest time in that event and evenly between teams. "NT" means "No Time," because that swimmer has not previously completed that event.

Based on the information found in the heat sheet (which will be emailed to you by the coach the day before the meet), use a sharpie to mark your child. If it’s your first time, you can do this once you get to the pool and ask a veteran parent for help. 

You should apply sunscreen at least 20-30 minutes prior to doing this, as sunscreen will remove the sharpie and/or make it wipe off on everything your swimmer touches.

Each swimmer is assigned a three-digit ID that you will see on the heat sheet next to your child’s name in parentheses (you can see this number any time in Swimmingly). Write this number on their shoulder blade along with the swimmer’s last name. 

On their forearm, it's helpful to write your child's event number- heat number- lane number. In the photo, "E" stands for event number, "H" is heat number, and "L" is lane number, all of which are on the heat sheet. Heat number is listed right under the event number, and lane numbers are to the left of your swimmer's name.

This helps the swimmer know what they're swimming, but also the volunteers can check your child's arm and help make sure they are lined up when needed.

• The coach will choose each swimmer’s events, up to 5 in total: 2 individual stroke events, an IM, and 2 relays per swimmer. Over the course of the season, your swimmer can expect to compete in every stroke available to his or her age group that they can competently swim.
• Try to arrive 10-15 minutes before warmup starts, so your swimmer can get capped and goggled and ready to roll.
• Flippers under age 10 will be hanging out in our Dolphin Pods, near Clerk of Course, so they can easily be herded into their events. When swimmers are scattered, it is hard to find them and they sometimes miss a race, which causes tears. If you want to be WITH your swimmer, feel free to volunteer as a Dolphin Pod Parent!
• Clerk of Course helps gets swimmers lined up and ready for their event. Your swimmer should make their way to this area a few events before they swim. The Dolphin Pod Parents will take care of this with those swimmers! At home meets, clerk of course is in the western corner of the pool deck. 
• The SwimminglyFan app will allow you to follow the Flippers at each meet, keep up with the events, see the results, track the scores and follow your favorite swimmers across the season. 
• Medley Relays: Medley relays are events where each of the swimmers swims a different stroke. They are in order: Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Freestyle. The order the swimmers are listed on the heatsheet will tell you which stroke your swimmer is swimming.
• If your swimmer is DQed (disqualified), let them know it's okay and it happens to everyone! The coach will help your swimmer improve their technique. If you have questions, save them for the coach- you should not approach the officials. 
• Ribbons for heat winners will be distributed at the end of each heat to the swimmer than finishes first (even if that swimmer is DQed). Event ribbons (for 1st-8th place) will be distributed at practice, usually the Friday after the meet. 
• When your swimmer has finished their last event, you're free to go! If you're in a relay, please don't miss the race. The other 3 swimmers will be disappointed that they don't get to compete. If you aren't sure if you're in a relay, ask a coach before you leave! 
• Official results are usually available the next day.
• Have fun!