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What is a swim meet?
A swim meet is like a rugby or netball game. It is where all
of the hard training pays off as swimmers pit their skills against
swimmers from all over the local area, region and country. Swimmers
compete in timed races and aim to get the fastest time possible.
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Why should my child compete?
North Shore Swimming Club is not a swim school but a competitive
club. The training has one aim, for swimmers to become more competent
and faster swimmers so that they may compete against other swimmers
from other clubs and earn points for our club.
North Shore is highly competitive and is the top club in the
country based on points. As swimmers compete they become more
proficient swimmers and over time decrease their times by gaining
PB's (personal bests).
As their times decrease they are eligible to enter more competitions
with tougher competition but with greater glory.
When a swimmer gains official times, they are recorded on the
books and they can then be selected for Club Relay teams, which
is a great honour.
Every year the club holds a prize giving which aims to find the
most talented swimmer for each age group in individual strokes
and overall. If your swimmer doesn't compete in a variety of events
they are less likely to achieve the points to achieve one of these
exciting prizes.
On top of this Swim Meets can be great fun and swimmers can make
lots of new friends. It is the perfect reward for all of that
hard training. All the pain and no glory?? We don't think so.
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How can I find out about a swim competition?
- You can find all swim meets on the Auckland Swimming Website.
See our Links Section.
- You can find all meets relevant to NSS Swimmers on the North
Shore Swimming Website under Members Section/Meets & Forms.
- The Notice Boards at the Takapuna Pool and Millennium Institute
Pools.
The closing date for all meets on NON NSS WebPages is the closing
date for the NSS Office to make sure entries are processed and
not for parents and swimmers to get their entries into the office.
The NSS Office closing date will be about 10 days before the Swim
Meets Closing Date.
All entries MUST go through the office to check registration,
outstanding fees, and so that the correct information can be delivered
to the club who is running the meet. If any swimmer enters around
the office their results will not be able to be confirmed as official
results and can not be counted.
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What swim meets can I enter?
You may enter any swim Meet that you have qualified for. Because
Auckland is much larger than the rest of NZ swimmers are split
into 3 Levels.
If you are a beginner you will start at a Level 3 Northern Zone
Swim meets. Once you qualify for an event in the level above you
may only swim in that level.
The only exception to this is if the meet is an ALL Level Meet.
Other meets to qualify for are:
- Auckland Championship Events
- National Championship Events
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How do I enter?
The only way to enter a swim meet is to fill in a NSS Entry Form
which can be found on our Meets & Forms page and all NSS Notice
Boards.
When Entering a Swim Meet please fill out ALL of the information
required including:
- Full Name
- Date of Birth
- Age
- Gender
- Name of the Swim Meet
- Date which the Swim Meet
Once all the information has been filled out you are to place
your entries in a sealed envelope with FULL payment. If Full payment
has not been enclosed the entries will not be accepted.
We would like all payments on separate checks and made out to
North Shore Swim Club.
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What do I do if I miss the NSS meet entry
closing date?
Unfortunately you can do nothing once the entries have been collected
and sent on to the club organising the swim meet.
Please make sure you check out our website and look at the notice
boards at the swimming pools for regular updates and notices.
A good idea is to do your entries early so you don't miss out.
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What races should I swim?
Please understand that your coaches aim for the best for your
swimmers and take on board their advice when consulted.
Swimmers should perform an absolute MAXIMUM of 4 events per session
unless otherwise directed. This is to allow adequate rest between
events.
Also on this rotation all events should be completed every 3
months.
Race choices should be kept varied and unless directed the same
event should NOT be swum at two consecutive meets.
At your first swim meet you should enter the 25 Free, 25 Back
and either the 25 Breast or 25 Fly.
Level 3 Swimmers should build up to swimming 50's in all events.
Please seek coach's direction with Fly and Breast.
The best Level 3 Swimmers will be able to compete in all 50m
events, and 100m and 200m events in Free, Back, Breast and IM.
Again please consult your coach.
Level 2 Swimmers should swim all 50m events and 100m and 200m
events in Free/Back/Breast and IM.
100m and 200m Fly should only be attempted under coach's direction.
Level 1 Swimmers over the age of 12 should take part in ALL events.
If a swimmer qualifies for Level 1 and is under the age of 12
years then they are not allowed to attempt the 400m Plus Events.
This decision will be made under coach's direction.
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Should I talk to the coach about what races
to enter at a meet?
YES! This is Very important. Your coaches know your swimmers
ability best and have their best interests at heart. Some coaches
may do all entries for you. Please follow this advice as they
aim to give your swimmer the most positive experience possible.
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Should I enter different races at every meet?
YES! Your coach will help you with this. It is important for
swimmers to gain experience in a variety of events to gain confidence.
By leaving an event for a couple of months your child will have
a better chance of gaining a PB (personal best); a very positive
experience.
There are only a total of 17 competitive races in swimming. By
alternating between races swimmers should be able to complete
all races every 3 or 4 months before starting again.
This is also highly important at our own Club Awards. Swimmers
earn points for being in the top 5 in each distance and stroke
discipline. The more races that your swimmer takes part in the
more chance they have of being ranked as one of the top 5 swimmers
for their age in the club.
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What do I need at a swim meet?
To compete at an interclub swim meet you need to have NSS togs,
NSS Cap and a NSS T-shirt.
For all Auckland, Regional, National and International competitions
the NEW BLUE AND GOLD cap must be worn. For all local competitions
the White Cap is still acceptable.
Once you make Auckland Juniors, New Zealand Juniors and Level
1 Swim meets you should have a NSS Tracksuit.
At a swim meet make sure you have your Goggles, a couple of towels
and lots of healthy food snacks.
Your young swimmers should know what events they are doing that
session so they can focus on them in the warm ups.
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What should I eat at a meet?
You should ensure your child attends a meet with high energy
healthy foods and snacks.
Don't be fooled by TV or Advertising, V, Red Bull and Lift Plus
Drinks are extremely bad for your swimmers. Chocolate and Lollies
are also extremely bad for your swimmers. These products give
your swimmers a very large amount of initial energy, however,
these levels then plummet making them very tired.
Remember the habits you teach your swimmers about eating will
stay with them for the rest of their lives.
To find out more about Nutrition see our Links page under the
nutrition section.
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Do I need to rest between sessions at a swim
meet?
For Level 3 swimmers the intensity of swimming is still low enough
for this not to be a major concern.
Swimmers competing at Level 2 should begin to learn good resting
habits.
For Level 1 swimmers and those who qualify for any Auckland or
National Championship event, rest should definitely factor into
their preparation and recovery at meets.
Go home and sleep or relax and watch a bit of TV. It is not a
good idea to go shopping, go to the movies, or to a friend's house
to play.
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Parent Participation
Each swimmer (family) who enters a competition is required to
assist in the running of that competition.
Assistance may take the form of help in any one or more of the
following;
- Timekeeper
- Turn Judge
- Kitchen or Catering Duty
- Set-up and Set-down
- Chairs
- Computing
- Door Sales
- Split Sheets
- Team management
These are not onerous tasks if spread amongst many. It only becomes
so when only a few come forward to help. Helping at meets helps
your swimmer and ensures meets run to schedule and finish on time.
Parents are required to take a turn in supporting the functioning
of the club by assisting in the running of the meets. Many hands
make light work. Come forward, you will enjoy the experience.
Pam Loeffen is our head of volunteers and she would love to hear
from you. Please refer to our contacts page.
When you are not helping parents should relax, sit back and enjoy
the swimming. You might not realise this but stressed parents
equal stressed children. Simply enjoy the event and ENCOURAGE
your children. Leave ALL swimming discussion and feedback to their
coaches. This is their job.
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How are away meets organised?
When your swimmer makes a team that is travelling away to another
city or country it is important to know couple of things.
- The club will do the bookings for Accommodation and will organise
all major meals.
- Flights are sometimes done on a club basis but often on an
individual basis. Please ensure you liaise with the club to
ensure your child is on the correct flight.
- All information and budgets will be given to you about 3 -
4 months in advance so you will know what is happening.
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Should I train the day before a meet or should
I be resting?
This is a decision to be made by your coach and the training
schedule they are following.
Unless otherwise directed training continues as normal!
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Do I have to go to every meet?
It is important to get as much racing practice as you can. You
can access this through the Auckland Level swim meets and our
own Club Night once a month.
Regular race practice is vital and you should enter as many as
possible.
Remember it is important to race so you can get your qualifying
times to compete at the Auckland or New Zealand Champs. If you
don't race you can not qualify!!!
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Where can I find qualifying times for meets
and levels?
Qualifying times are best found in the ASA Handbook or on the
NSS notice boards.
Please see our Links page for regional and national swimming
bodies which post constantly up to date qualifying times.
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What happens on the day of a meet?
Make sure you know when Warm up starts!
- You must arrive 20min before the start of warm up for:
- Team talk
- Warm-up instructions
- Team Stretching
- Check Your Race Entries are correct
NSS Coaches will take the warm up, NO PARENTS ARE ALLOWED TO
INTERFERE with the coaching. If a parent is seen to be coaching
at a swim meet they will be asked to leave the pool. If it continues
they will be BANNED from all Swim Meets.
If you have a question or concern the process is to find the
NSS team Manager and ask them to deal with the problem. They will
then contact the coach or an official. NO PARENTS ARE ALLOWED
TO APPROACH OUR VOLUNTEER OFFICIALS.
Any Parent seen to be acting in an inappropriate way will be
removed from the pool. At a number of swim meets the parents will
have a separate viewing area and are not permitted to sit with
the team. Please sit in the designated viewing areas.
Once your swimmer has finished their team warm up they will then
go back to their team area and wait until the manager calls them
up to go to marshalling. Normally our NSS banner will be hanging
over our team area.
Every Meet has a volunteer manager from one of the swimmers parents
who are swimming at the meet. It is their responsibility to make
sure the swimmers are looked after whilst sitting with the team
and are told to go to the marshalling area when it is time.
When your swimmer is waiting with the team is very important that
they keep warm. Tracksuits are on, shoes are on their feet. If
they are cold they will swim slowly. Swimmers should keep wearing
their gear right up until the race before them finishes ensuring
their body temperature is kept high.
The team manager will tell you when to go to your coach before
your race. The coach on duty will give your swimmer a racing plan
and will tell your swimmer what they need to work on. At younger
levels this is kept very basic and as they grow in the world of
swimming so will the racing plans become more detailed.
Then it is time for them to go to Marshalling. ALL swimmers MUST
see a coach before going to marshalling. Once in Marshalling they
will be put in their races and sent to the start line.
RACE TIME!!!!!!
After their race the swimmer is to get out and come back to see
the coach straight away for instant feed back. At older levels
they will then be sent to a warm down pool to recover. At younger
levels they only need to go back to their seat, dry off and get
warm. They will then wait for the manager to call them for their
next race.
If a swimmer needs to go to the toilet or needs to go away from
the team then it vital that they tell the NSS Manager where they
are going and how long they will be. If a swimmers misses their
race because they could not be found then no responsibility will
be taken by the NSS staff on duty.
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What is a PB?
PB stands for Personal Best. The first time you swimmer swims
a race they will be given a seeded time. When they beat this time
their new time will be recorded and will become their new seeded
time. Every time they beat this time it is called a personal best
and this will be recorded.
Every PB is a GREAT achievement and one which will become harder
and less common the more your child swims.
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What is a disqualification?
A disqualification occurs when a swimmer fails to comply with
the rules of that race and stroke. This could be an incorrect
turn, failure to touch with two hands in Breast and Fly, an, incorrect
kicking infringement or early starts in relays.
When a swimmer is disqualified their time for that race is not
counted. Younger swimmers are often learning these rules and may
not know the reason they have been disqualified.
If your child is disqualified please find something POSITIVE
from their race to comment on and leave the disqualification feedback
to their COACH. All swimmers will be disqualified at some point
and it should be seen as something to learn from and not do next
time.
Swimmers will generally feel bad about being disqualified, they
don't need to be told that it was bad, simply what to do instead
next time.
Swimming should be kept fun and positive. This is the path to
succeed.
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