Parents Who Are New to Competitive Swimming

If this is your swimmer's first season on a competitive team, then the thought of a swim meet will be overwhelming for them at first. The best thing you, as a parent, can do is LISTEN to your swimmer. They may be experiencing anxiety over this event. You can reassure them that it will be FUN, EXCITING and a great experience!

The night before the meet your swimmer should try and get plenty of rest. A carbohydrate dinner the night before is good but lay off the fats. Check out USA Swimming's nutrition guide at www.usaswimming.org. There is a lot of good information for parents under "Member Resources" located on the top button bar, then follow the "Parents" link. "Topics for Swim Parents" contains a wealth of information and resources to help you and your swimmer prepare for the season and develop as swimmers and swim parents.

The day of the swim meet should start with a good breakfast. Some swimmers think they are too nervous to eat, but it's hard to be fast and strong when your body is hording calories to feed an empty stomach! It also leads to lightheadedness and early fatigue. A good breakfast might include a high fiber cereal (Kahsi Go Lean Crunch is a good example, it's naturally sweet but loaded with soy protein and fiber) or a wheat bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter. Adding yogurt is also good. Stay away from breakfast meats as these are hard to break down in a reasonable amount of time.

Encourage your swimmer to drink plenty of water; Gatorade is good too, but not too much before they actually start working out and burning calories. Don't encourage "pumped" up drinks like Red Bull; they're full of caffeine and sugars and can give one's hearts a race! Feel free to bring snacks for the entire day. Fresh fruit, meatless wheat bread sandwiches, and crackers are great. Our concession stand also provides healthy food and beverages at a reasonable cost.

Once your swimmer has finished their first event, they will feel proud and ready to go. Be ready to congratulate your swimmer, NO MATTER what the result of their event is!

Swimmers must "warm-down" after each race, either by spending a minimum of 15 minutes swimming in a warm-down pool, or just by walking continuously for 15 minutes. This warm-down is imperative to help the muscles prepare for upcoming work.

There is plenty more information in our handbook and on the USA Swimming web site.

This is just the beginning of a wonderful new time for your swimmer, so help them embrace it to its fullest!