Greater Baltimore Swim Association

Hello new GBSA families!

Your swimmer is now a member of USA Swimming - the same team as all of their idols - Michael Phelps, Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky, Caleb Dressel, and all of those who represent USA Swimming.  Meets are run very similarly at the age group level (where your kiddos are now) all the way through Olympic Trials! At the same time, the meets at the age group level are meant to be both fun and rewarding, yet very different from the summer meets that you may be accustomed to.

1.  As much as possible, please encourage your swimmer to discuss any of their concerns WITH A COACH. On their own. Yes, even at just 8 years old. This will make your swimmer a more confident and resilient human being.
2. Let your swimmer pick their events! A good routine is to print out the events list for each meet, find what they qualify for, and give them a highlighter. As the season progresses, your swimmers’ coaches may have more input, but for now, let your swimmer pick. This is just one of the ways that GBSA is VERY different from other clubs, and it makes for a more engaging experience for your swimmer! They can also ask their coach what they should swim. Whatever you do, let this be THEIR experience.
3. PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON DECK. Swimmers are safe on deck, under the supervision of coaches, officials, and vetted volunteers. A GBSA coach will be on deck at least 15 minutes prior to warm-ups (the coaches at the meet may not include your swimmer's regular coach). Before your swimmer goes on deck, tell them where you will meet them after they are done swimming for the day.
4. Send your swimmer with a water bottle, at least 2 towels, their gear, healthy snacks, Uno cards, playing cards, a folding camp chair if requested. Don’t send character cards or anything precious that can’t get sopping wet and/or lost. Remind them to gather up all of their belongings and especially their trash at the end of their session.
5. Be mindful that anything sent with a swimmer for a meet is their responsibility.  There is always a possibility that something could be lost or broken, particularly with water damage.
6. Review the Code of Conduct with your swimmer in an age-appropriate way, especially as it pertains to locker room conduct and on-deck conduct with physical touch and language.
7. There are designated viewing areas where parents can gather. It’s a little bit different at every pool, and we typically as a team try to sit together - it’s part of what has always made GBSA so great. At some pools, we sit outside the viewing area and go in just to watch our kids’ events, as space is limited. At some pools you may get to sit with your swimmers between events - but that is the exception more than the rule. Always keep a camp chair in your trunk for yourself - some pools have bleachers; others just have a hard floor.
8. Make sure your swimmers know which events they are swimming! Heats and lanes for each event are usually available on the Meet Mobile app before warmups. Write their event info on their arm or show them how to read the heat sheet ahead of time so they know which heat and lane they are in. Tell them to listen to the announcer and keep track of which event and heat is in the water. They might miss an event - it’s ok!!!!! For most of them, they’ll only ever miss one. For some swimmers, it might be a problem that they will learn to work through. It’s such a great opportunity to develop independent executive functioning skills that they don’t get anywhere else.
9. IF they are disqualified (DQ) - an official will pull them aside and explain the infraction. “Swimmer, you disqualified yourself when you … xyz”.  They might cry. Many of them do. The growth happens when they wipe away the tears, take a deep breath, and step back up on that block to try again - acknowledge THAT and let the coaches address the DQs.
10. You can use the Meet Mobile app to track live results. But please note that meet results come through are “unofficial” - they are NOT the final times. For example, if your swimmer misses their pad at the end of a 100, their time that comes through Meet Mobile may be their 50 time.  The officials will review all of the available information (buttons, watches, and order of finish) to determine the final time. Similarly, a time may come through as a No Show when you just watched your swimmer swim.  If after the meet, there is still an incorrect result, have your swimmer let their coach know. Only a coach can protest a result, and there is a process for the review of the information.
11. Official results for your swimmer will be available in SwimTopia 24-48 hours after the conclusion of the meet. Full meet results will be posted to MD Swimming.
12. Tell your swimmer to have fun, do their best, and that you love being their parent and watching them swim!