SEACOAST SWIMMING ASSOCIATION

HOW TO BE YOUR BEST AT CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS

1. Warm-up & Warm-down - Arrive early and be ready to get in the water at the start  of warm-up. Warm-up time is usually limited and every minute counts. Do your stretching before warm-up, not during the warm-up. If the facility has a  diving well or another pool area, take advantage of being able to also warm-up right before each race as well as warming down right after each race.



2. Speak with your coaches - Before and after each race, it is important to speak with your coaches. Before the race, coaches can give you valuable advice and race strategies. After the race, coaches can give you feedback about your performance.



3. Be excited and involved - When you are not preparing for an event, it is important that you watch your teammates race and be involved in the meet. Cheer for your teammates - that’s the best team spirit!



4. Eat and drink the “right stuff” - Eat healthy foods by staying away from foods that are high in fat. Eat fruit, dry cereal, energy bars, bagels, crackers, and DRINK. Make sure you bring your own water bottle with water - the #1 choice. Other fluids should include juice, gatorade and powerade. But, please remember that you are at a swim meet, not an eating meet!



5. REST- Make sure you get plenty of sleep leading up to the meet. During the meet, take time to sit down or lie down. If you are at a trials and finals meet, it is vital that you rest between sessions.



6. Practice makes perfect - Be sure to go to your practices and to be on time! Practices are designed to flow from day to day, thus to gain the benefits of the practice, good attendance is essential! Please listen to your coach and follow their guidelines at every practice. The coach is there to help you be the best you can be, but YOU are the one who has to do it!



7. Stay healthy - Take care of your body by eating right, getting enough rest, taking care of your ears, stretching and doing all exercises correctly. We STRONGLY advise that you not try any new or different sports right before your championship meet. You may be using different muscle groups and putting yourself at risk of injury.



8. Shave & Taper - Some of our older swimmers will be asked to shave down before a big meet. Coaches will make all decisions as to who will shave and when. During the days before an important meet, workload will change and thus giving the swimmers more energy. During this stage of training (taper), swimmers may be bouncing off the walls. It is important to SAVE that energy for the meet!