Barracuda Aquatic Club

• Meets

  At BAC, we believe that competitions are an important step in the progression each swimmer goes through as a swimmer, so we therefore encourage all our members to take part in the meets. However, none of our competitions are required and each family finds the meets to attend that best fit their schedule.

  At all MSI meets, the events in which swimmers compete are determined based on the age of the swimmer. Each age group has their own set of events chosen to ensure that swimmers compete in a wide variety of events without requiring any athlete to swim an event he or she is unable to do (e.g. an 8 year old will not compete in the 200 fly). Each age group also has it’s own set of time standards designed to provide a set progression of improvement relative to the group’s age and physical maturity, while also ensuring that swimmers always compete against other swimmers of like ability. The USA Swimming designated age groups are 8 & Under, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and Senior.

  At almost all meets BAC attends, swimmers compete only against swimmers of the same gender and in the same age group, and seeding is done by time, which means your swimmer will always compete in a heat of swimmers of roughly the same ability level.

  Types of Meets

  USA Swimming Meets come in a variety of different formats, from Novice all the way through Junior and Senior National Championships. All of these formats, however, are determined based on time standards which indicate the minimum (and sometimes maximum) achievements under which a swimmer may compete in a designated meet. All MSI meets use the Minnesota Swimming Time Standards, while regional or national meets typically use standards based off of the USA Swimming Time Standards.

  Minnesota Swimming classifies their time standards into 5 groups: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Championship and ZONE. These levels represent a progression upward and usually indicate the type of meet a swimmer may compete in.

  Below is a brief description of all the types of meets you will likely encounter as a swim parent.

  Open or Invite: This is the most frequent type of meet attended by BAC. These meets allow anyone to swim, regardless of ability and regardless of whether or not a swimmer has ever competed before.

  Minnesota Championship meets

  • Minnesota Achievement Championships (MAC) is a meet that will allow Broze level swimmers to have a final meet to see their growth over the year and a chance to achieve Silver times to qualify for MRC.
  • Minnesota Regional Championships (MRC): Takes place after MAC. This is a meet that will allow Silver and Gold level swimmers to have a final meet to see their growth over the year and a chance to achieve Champ times to qualify for the State Meet.
    
    These meets are not considered open meets; swimmers must have a provable USA Swimming time that meets the time standard within the last calendar year. Swimmers will not be eligible to compete in events with times below Bronze or above Silver (MAC). Swimmers will not be eligible to compete in events with times below a Silver or above a Gold (for MRC). Finals meets are held both at the end of the Winter Season in March and the Summer Season in July.

  State Championships: This is the meet that uses the CH or Champ time standard. This is the end of the season meet for Minnesota Swimming, held for the Winter Season in March, and in late July, early August for the Summer Season. No times below Champ will be allowed, but times faster than Champ are permitted.

  Zones: For comparative and competitive purposes, USA Swimming has divided the country into "zones". Each LSC (such as Minnesota Swimming) is placed into a zone, and every summer following the Summer State Championships, there is a Zone Championship Meet, in which the LSC’s in each zone compete against one another. Swimmers at the Zone Championship Meet compete for their LSC, not for their home club. What this means is that NSAC does not attend zones; Team Minnesota attends zones, and any BAC swimmers competing in the meet will swim for Team Minnesota. Zones is a great way for swimmers who have typically been rivals to come together as teammates in a fun, competitive atmosphere. Travel to the zones meet is the swimmers families must make their own accommodations, depending on how MSI chooses to organize the team. Team Minnesota has its own coaching staff made up of coaches from around the state that may or may not include anyone from the BAC coaching staff.

On our Web site  - You will find Location of the Meet, Timeline for the day, Events your swimmer is entered, Programs for the meet will all be on the BAC web site or you can find programs events on "Meet Mobile" App

At the Meet

Every meet has a Warm-up time, your swimmer should be there 15 min before warm-ups start. Most meets are held in two sessions—morning and afternoon. Check to see which session your swimmer is entered
Locate where the Cudas are camped out for seating. This is the area where your
swimmer should stay between events. Parents are not allowed in the swimmer area or the swimmers locker rooms. This is a Safe Sport regulation.
Swimmers with the help of their coaches should keep track of what event the meet is on. The coaches will help get them to the block if they are new to the sport. However, it is ultimately the swimmer’s responsibility to make they are where they are supposed to be.
Before and after each race, the swimmers should talk to the coach about their races. They can visit parents and friends after talking to their coach.  A printout of the electronic results will be posted in a specified area near the pool, usually within 15 minutes of the race. Check the results and record your swimmer’s time in your program. Later you can record it in your swimmer’s logbook.
Swimmers are occasionally disqualified (DQed) during their event. Reasons for a
DQ range from false starts to performing strokes, turns, or finishes incorrectly.
DQs are judgments made by the USA Swimming officials. The coach will explain
to the swimmer the reason for the DQ. The coach will reinforce the judgment of the Official.
Parents should not question the judgment of an official. DQs can be difficult for
swimmers and parents to accept, but they do happen to every swimmer sooner or
later. It is helpful if the parent accepts the fact that USA Swimming has high
standards and that the same standards apply to every swimmer. Performing the
skills of swimming in accordance with USA Swimming standards is part of the
discipline process that makes swimming a character-building sport.

Stuff to Bring to the Meet
Experienced Cudas recommend bringing the following:
Team suit and a backup suit
Goggles—well-adjusted and leak-proof and a back-up pair
Team swim cap—coaches will have extras at the meet
Team apparel jacket, sweatshirt and sweatpants—maybe two sets
Towels—two or three are needed because the swimmer dries off after warm-ups,
between events, and when changing to go home
Plastic water bottle and/or drinks in containers other than glass
Folding lawn chairs, especially at outdoor meets
Quiet activities: homework, books, Walkman, playing cards, and so on
Highlighter to mark your swim program, Ballpoint pen/Sharpie to write on your swimmer’s hand
Food (almost all meets sell inexpensive concessions: coffee, juice, soda, hot dogs,
pizza, sandwiches, baked goods, and so on)
Some of these items may seem unnecessary, but when you arrive at your first meet,
you will soon understand the value of each and be glad you brought them.
It all may seem overwhelming at first, but remember this is supposed to
be fun. Sit back, take a deep breathe, and enjoy watching your child