Swimming Carnivals
Indooroopilly Swimming helps organise teams of club members to participate in these meets. When should I start entering my child into swim meets?Swimmers are generally not encouraged to swim in external meets before they reach the age of 8 and even then in the first few years parents should consider restricting the number of external meets in which their children swim. Carnivals can involve long periods of waiting for both children and parents and this can be a discouraging experience. Generally until they reach the age of 10 or so, parents should think of limiting their children's appearances in carnivals to 4 or 5 a season. What Carnivals does the club support?Each year the club's coaches choose a series of carnivals called Targeted meets. The current list of targeted meets for Indooroopilly Swimming can be accessed on our calendar of events. The list of targeted meets varies from year to year, but generally falls into four categories.
Local carnivals are such events as the annual Jindalee Carnival. All swimmers are encourage to participate in these meets. Generally, swimmers are not required to meet certain qualifying times for these meets, so they provide a good place for beginners to start. BSA Carnivals are usually held at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, at Chandler. They contain a mix of carnivals designed for inexperienced and intermediate swimmers and at elite athletes. Some BSA carnivals require swimmers to prove qualifying times but some do not. State Level meets are also usually held at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, at Chandler. These meets centre on:
National Championships. National Age (Ages 13-18) and Open (all ages) championships are usually held in March/April of each year. Indooroopilly Swimming usually sends a team to these meets under the supervision of a coach and team manager. Strict qualifying times must be achieved to enter. Short Course Meets.During and just after winter training, a series of 'short course' meets are held in 25 metre pools. Please check the 'targeted meets' calendar for details. How do I nominate?Notices of targeted meets are posted on the notice board outside the boys' change rooms at the pool. The notice will state:
If you wish to nominate, pick up a nomination form from the canteen. The nomination form is an envelope. You need to complete the details on the form including your qualifying time. The meet flyer will set the rules for qualifying times, but generally only electronic or semi electronic timing is acceptable for major meets. Times swum in 25 metre pools are generally not acceptable for 50 metre (or long course) carnivals. Even if the event does not have a qualifying time, please nominate your best time, as that will enable you to be put in the correct heat. If you have no swum the event before, please put 'NT'. Please calculate the entry fee and put the entry fee in the envelope. The club will not make nominations which are not accompanied by the entry fee. Please do your best to put the correct money in the envelope as giving change can be very time consuming. When must nominations be in by?Nominations must be placed in the nominations box in the canteen or given to Indooroopilly Swimming's 'Race Secretary' at least one week before the 'official' closing date for nomination. This gives the race secretary time to check the forms and to lodge the nominations. Getting to carnivals
Swimmers are encouraged to wear their 'Indooroopilly Swimming' T Shirts so that they stand out in a crowd! If an Indooroopilly Swimming coach is at the meet, check when you should do your warm up and what warm up you should swim. If no Indooroopilly coach is scheduled to attend, ask you coach what warm up you should do at your last training session before the meet. What to bringIt is a club requirement that you compete in an Indooroopilly Swimming club cap. Make sure you have enough clothes to stay warm between events and a pen to write down your times. After that, what you bring is up to you. However, swimmers often bring spare togs, cap and goggles, a couple of towels, food (generally pasta and lollies), water, reading matter and sometimes even playing cards to while away the hours. Parents often bring cushions, as the seats at Chandler can be quite hard! For outdoor meets, remember to 'slip, slop slap'. Marshalling and competing.Every swim meets operates on a system like the one at club nights. Events are marshalled in advance. In major meets, signage on the pooldeck advises what events are being marshalled. Keep an eye on the signage, and when your event is called, you need to go to the marshalling area, where your name will be called out. You will be placed in heats and you need to sit where you are told. In meets at Chandler, your time will be displayed on the electronic scoreboard. In case you don't catch the time on the scoreboard, your time will also be posted on a sheet on a grandstand wall. After you swim.In bigger pools there is often a separate facility that allows you to 'swim down' after your event. Your coach will advise you whether and how you should swim down. If a coach is present, check in with your coach for any advice on how your swim went. What if I don't swim the qualifying time?At major meets, if you don't make the qualifying time, you will be required to prove that you swam the time and if you cannot you will be required to pay a fine. The club will pass these fines on to the swimmer's family for payment. |
Once swimmers reach a level of confidence at club nights, they are encouraged to nominate in external swim meets or 'carnivals' to gain more experience in competition and improve their times.
You should arrive at the carnival at least an hour before you are due to swim. Usually the Indooroopilly swimming people sit together.
