Sounds easy, no? No! This summer's Utah Long Course State Championship meet spanned five days, including nine sessions and 128 events. Hundreds of swimmers generated thousands of heat/lane assignments, and some heats launched from the east of the pool and others from the west end. For each of those thousands of heat/lane combinations, a swimmer had to be at the right end of the pool, at the right starting block, for the right event at the right time ... odds were high that someone would miss their race.
Not all meets match the complexity or size of a championship meet, but even the smallest of meets present challenges. The swimmer still needs to be at the right place at the right time ... and missing a race is like a punch in the gut to a swimmer. So, how does a swimmer (parent) make sure they get where they need to be? Two words: Heat Sheet.
Heat sheets show the lane assignments for all swimmers in every heat for every event. Going to a swim meet without a heat sheet is like going to the airport without knowing your airline, flight number or departure time. You're going to miss your
For a dollar or two, most meet hosts sell printed heat sheets just before each session starts. That will be the best dollar or two you will ever spend from your swimming budget. Bring a highlighter and mark your swimmer's events and follow along as the meet progresses. Knowing which event/heat is in the water at any given time is key. In addition to selling heat sheets, they typically tape a copy to a wall somewhere on deck (Look for the mob of people). In addition, Meet Mobile, a free swim meet app, sells digital heat sheets from your smart device.
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