Equipment
We recommend that you bring the following items to all practices and meets:
Competition swimsuit (we prefer athletes have a Black or Blue suit). You can purchase these locally at Dicks Sporting Goods or order online. Please see the coaching staff if you have questions about what type of suit you need.
Two pair of competition goggles (can be purchased locally at Dicks or Walmart). They will likely be Speedo, Tyr, or Dolfin as those are the most common brands. You will always want two pair on hand as they can break. It is a good idea to have some extra straps, as well. The coaching staff will have some on-hand, as well.
Towel
Water Bottle (no glassware)
Warm clothes to change into. It's cold outside at night after we get out of the pool; please dress appropriately.
If you feel you may not be able to afford any of the necessary equipment, please contact Coach Denham.
The team has kick boards, pull buoys, and hand paddles that we will use during the course of practice. If you have your own, you are welcome to bring them. Please ensure your name is written on your personal equipment.
Swim Techniques
There are multiple resources online. The videos in these playlists will demonstrate the proper techniques for each stroke and show you a few drills that you can work on in practice.
This playlist is from the Speedo International YouTube channel:
Speedo Swim Drill & Training Videos - YouTube
There is an instructional playlist on the TYR website as well:
Please watch these videos in your spare time and work on the techniques at practice. We will continue to have demonstrations from the more experienced swimmers, but the key to improving is making sure you are practicing the drills and getting the repetitions in the pool.
Nutrition
Meets can take 3 to 4 hours to complete, during which time you will go from very high intensity competition to sitting around waiting for your next event and cheering your team on. It is important to keep your energy levels up so you are not crashing in the middle of the meet or during your later events. The following is a general guideline for nutrition before a swim meet:
About 3 – 4 hours before the swim meet (around the time you get home from school):
- Have a big bowl of cereal with milk or a bowl of oatmeal. Try to avoid high fiber cereals before a meet (harder on the digestive system). Also have some fruit (a banana or a handful of your favorite fruit like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc). Stay away from heavy or fried foods. If you really need something more than cereal or oatmeal, you should stick with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a plain turkey or roasted chicken sandwich. You don’t want anything too spicy or acidic and you don’t want to eat so much that you feel full.
Below is what you should bring with you:
~2 hours before the meet (about the time we’re getting on the bus):
- Have a yogurt and some fruit. Again, a banana or a handful of your favorite fruit.
During the meet:
- You’ll want a series of small snacks and drinks to help replenish some of your energy. Cereal bars, juice boxes, chocolate milk, yogurt, banana or other fruit. Nothing heavy. Find your spots where you have the most time between events and use that time to snack.
- Make sure to stay hydrated and sip water throughout. I will bring some diluted Gatorade in a big cooler and some squeeze bottles; you all should bring your own bottles with water. You can fill them up with Gatorade throughout the meet as you finish them or use the team squeeze bottles.
- Avoid energy drinks and sodas; they are counterproductive for the meet.
After the meet:
- Bring a sandwich with healthy proteins like chicken, turkey, roast beef, or tuna. Peanut butter and jelly is fine too. If you normally like to have protein drinks or protein bars, this would be the time for those too. Otherwise, milk or chocolate milk will help with both protein and taming any acid build-up from the meet. String cheese and yogurt are good as well; whatever your preference and whatever you have on hand.
Throughout the day:
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! If you’re waiting until the meet starts before you’re drinking water, you’re too late. You should be drinking water throughout the day. Ideally, you should have already had 64oz of water before you even get on the bus.
So if you were keeping track, the recommended food packing list for a meet consists of the following:
1 full water bottle, 2 yogurts, 2-3 small servings of fruit and/or juice boxes, 1-2 cereal bars, 2 chocolate milks
(6-8oz), 1 sandwich, and 1 string cheese. Substitute as needed for your dietary needs/preferences.
Optional: protein drink and/or protein bar.