Champlain Valley Swim Academy- CVSA

Before the meet: 

• Check out event list for your swimmers and know what they are swimming. 
• Know the jobs you signed up for and know when and where to report.
• Read the meet information and parent Information sheet for each meet, there are always some really important details like parking and concessions to familiarize yourself with. It can change from meet to meet and venue to venue.
• Pack a good meet bag: Change of clothes, deck shoes, 2 towels, some healthy snacks, water bottle, and some light entertainment (not electronics- think cards, suduko, easy travel games, book, coloring items, music for the older kids, etc.) 

During the meet:

• Know warm up times, show up early for warm ups. Swimmers only get 20 minutes, so make the most of them.
• Swimmers stay on deck with the team. If you need to talk to your swimmer you can meet in the lobby briefly and then direct the swimmer back to the deck. Swimmers should save the stands for dry spectators.
• Only parents doing jobs are allowed on the pool deck. You are required to wear a job assignment lanyard at most meets and you get that when you check in for the job at the check in table. 
• If your swimmer can not make it due to illness let the coach at the meet know before the start of the session, if possible. Please call or text so we can know and scratch your swimmer. Scratching helps to eliminate swimming heats with empty lanes and makes meet directors happier.
• Scoreboards results are not final, so wait until official results are published before you worry about a result. 
• If you have questions about a DQ always go to the coach first, never approach meet officials with concerns. If an appeal needs to be made on a call, it must be made through the coach on deck and the head official. 
• Remember as parents try not to be overly critical of swims. Leave the coaching to the coaches. Try to pick out something good about their swim even if they were struggling, like "I love watching you try your best". If you need some tips for creating a positive youth sports parenting culture, consider reading Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids by John O'Sullivan. It is a phenomenal book in my opinion.