COMPETING AND EATING LIKE A PEAK
CHAMPION
SWIM MEETS 101
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Question: “What are the USA Swimming meets I am hearing so much about?”
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Answer: USA Swimming teams host swim meets in order for children to compete in an
environment that encourages and nourishes while promoting goals and fast swimming! It is
important for your child to compete so that they can see how their practices are helping them
perform in a racing environment. We want the children to see results in their swimming from all
of their hard work at practice and meets are a wonderful way to see improvement or assess
what needs to be worked on at practice.
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Question: “When are these meets?”
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Answer: USA Swimming has two seasons. Our short course season (these meets are swum in
25 yard pools much like Manvel and the Natatorium) is during the fall and winter months. Our
long course season (these meets are swum in 50 meter pools, just like the Olympic size pools!)
begins in the spring and goes throughout the summer. During these two seasons there are
typically 1-3 meets per month that your child might be eligible to attend.
SWIM MEETS 101
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Question: “Where are these meets located?”
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Answer: USA Swimming is nationwide and is broken up into zones and LSCs. We are in the
Southern Zone and the Gulf LSC, which means our meets range all over the Houston area
(Magnolia, The Woodlands, Katy, Pearland, Cy Fair, etc.) with the highest level championship
meets ranging from Austin to College Station and Dallas. However, most of our children in red
and blue group will attend local meets only. There is a basic championship meet at the end of
each season that each child can go to as well.
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Question: “How do I sign up and what kind of fee is involved?”
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Answer: You can sign up for meets via our website. Coach John sends out reminders about 3
weeks in advance on which meet is coming up and how to sign up. You just have to commit to
the event on our website and click on which days you can attend the swim meet. There is a fee
per event (usually around 5 dollars) and that gets billed to your account. There is a notepad on
there too that lets you leave notes for the coaches or preferences on what your child might like
to swim at the meet. Coaches will then put your child in the events we feel they should swim
based on the days you are attending the meet. We like our athletes to be well rounded and
want to have them compete in nearly all events if possible each swim season, not just their
favorites or best events every swim meet
SWIM MEETS 101
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Question: “What other kinds of information can I find on the gulfswimming.org
website?”
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Answer: About a week before the swim meet, the host team will put out a “TL” or timeline (so
you can see when the meet should end and when your child should swim based on the events
they are entered in). Our team’s “WU”, or warm up lanes, are located beside the date of the
meet as well. In the “ANN” (announcement) link you can find addresses and maps to the pool,
rules for the meet, etc. however, I also send this info to you before the meet so you know for
sure where you’re going and what the facility is like.
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Question: “What do I bring to swim meets?”
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Answer: In outdoor facilities, many families choose to bring pop up tents. Chairs are important
to bring too for every facility since the bleachers in most pools don’t hold all of the parents. If
you are sitting outside, most facilities allow coolers. Bring your child’s goggles, cap, suit, towel,
PEAK shirt, nutritional snacks and water or Gatorade.
SWIM MEETS 101
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Question: “How long do most meets last?”
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Answer: Most meets are three day meets (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) where you can choose which days you
wish to attend. Friday will have the longer events that our red and blue swimmers rarely do (like the 1650
freestyle!) so most children go on Saturday and/or Sunday. You can see which events are on which day on
that ANN tab for each meet. Most meets will last until mid-afternoon if run smoothly. See the TL tab on the
Gulf Swimming site to see when the anticipated ending time is for each day.
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Question: “I bought my heat sheet and see that my child has a “NT” by their name
on their races. What does this mean?
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Answer: A “NT” means a No Time and is found when the child has never swum that particular event in a
USA Swimming competition before.
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Question: “I forgot to sign my child up to attend a meet! The deadline to register
through PEAK has passed. Can I still sign he/she up?”
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Answer: Yes. Deck entering is what we call entering an athlete AT a swim meet instead of before the
deadline to register. All you have to do is show up at the meet about an hour before the start time and enter
your child yourself (or find a coach to help you). You can do this at the “Clerk of Course” table that every
meet has upon entering. The Deck Entry fee is DOUBLE the regular entry fee per event and you need to be
sure to bring cash to pay for it at the swim meet.
SWIM MEETS 101
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Question: “What else should I know about once I arrive at the meet?”
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Answer: I will email you before our meets and let you know what time our warm up is. We ask
that you get to the meet at least 10 minutes before warm up time so we know you are there and
you don’t miss anything. Right when you arrive, be sure to “circle in” (usually located at the
front of the facility on a wall or table, just follow the crowd of people!). This is a check in system
that you MUST do if you want your child to swim that day. At 45 minutes prior to the start of the
meet, they will pull the sheets down and if you are NOT circled in you CAN NOT swim at the
meet that day. Please be sure and arrive well before 45 minutes prior to the beginning of the
meet (Most meets begin at 9AM). I’ll remind you of this in the email I send before each meet.
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After circle in sheets are pulled, the host team will put athletes in their lanes and you can
purchase a “heat sheet” which lets you know exactly where your child will swim (heat and lane
assignment) in each of their events. Coaches have them too, and they are posted on deck for
the swimmers. We ask that your child check in with us upon arrival and before and after races
so we can coach them and provide feedback. Otherwise, look for our PEAK parents and PEAK
tents as we try to sit as a team. Coaches will be on deck watching races and giving feedback.
Results will be posted at the meet so you can see how your child did compared to others and
compared to their best times. Results can also be found on the Gulf Swimming website a few
days after the meet is completed.
NUTRITION 101: WOULD YOU PUT REGULAR GAS
IN A JET?
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Carbohydrates Intake
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The Right Kinds of Carbs
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Make sure that the bulk of your diet comes from complex carbohydrate sources (approximately 50 60% of your total caloric intake).
• predominantly in the form of whole grain breads and cereals, whole wheat pasta, brown rice,
yams (or sweet potatoes) and beans.
• Try to stay away from white pasta, rice, breads and bagels as much as possible. They have an
unfavorable effect on blood sugar levels and can really hamper your performance.
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Protein Intake
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Try to opt for quality, low-fat protein sources
• skinless, white meat chicken and turkey, lean beef, eggs, tuna, flounder, sole and cod
• skim and low fat milks, low-fat yogurt (not the "fruit on the bottom kind") and tofu.
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Limit your intake of high-fat cuts of beef and pork, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fried chicken and pretty
much all fast food, as much as possible.
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Proteins should make up anywhere between 20-25% of your total caloric intake.
NUTRITION 101
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Watch the Fat
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Keep an eye on your fat intake. As a general rule, try to limit your intake of saturated fats,
or any type of "hydrogenated oils" and "trans" fats. You can do this by cutting down on
higher-fat cuts of beef and pork and all types of fast food.
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read as many nutrition labels as possible, as most clearly list the breakdown of both total
fat, and saturated fats.
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Make sure that any food you choose has no more than 3 grams of fat per every 100
calories (i.e. in a 200 calorie food, 6 grams of fat is the limit), and that no more than about
1/3 of the total fat comes from saturated fat.
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Overall, fats should comprise anywhere from 15-20% of your total caloric intake.
Don't Forget Fruits and Vegetables
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Eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits as you possibly can. Most kids fall way short of
the recommended 5-9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables. They provide tons of
vitamins and minerals, as well as much needed fiber.
NUTRITION 101
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Hydrate! Proper hydration is absolutely key!
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Overall water consumption for kids age 9 to 13 should be 2.0 to 2.5 liters per day,
whereas 14-18 year-olds should strive for 2.5 to 3.5 liters, with girls falling near the lower
end of the range, and boys at the higher end. Keep in mind, we're talking about water
here, not juices, sports drinks, or soda. This should be your target for each and every day,
with your fluid requirements increasing with athletic activity.
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Sports drinks are really only necessary for activities lasting at least one hour in duration,
but can otherwise be consumed in moderation if they encourage young athletes to drink.
Watch the sugar content, though. When choosing a sports drink, look for one with a 6-8%
carbohydrate concentration, or 50-80 calories per 8 ounces, with 120-170 milligrams of
sodium.
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NO ENERGY DRINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SWIM MEET NUTRITION
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Swimmers MUST eat breakfast!
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Pre-Meet meal suggestions
• Breakfast burrito with egg, ham, cheese
• Bowl of cereal, piece of fruit, yogurt with granola and milk
• 2 slices of peanut butter toast, fruit, yogurt and milk
• **Orange juice**
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Swimmers should eat throughout the competition
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Meet Snack suggestions
• Pretzels with peanut butter
• Crackers with peanut butter
• Fruit, veggies
• Chicken or turkey sandwich with light mayo/mustard
• Water and gatorade
SWIM MEET NUTRITION
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The Post meet meal is just as important as breakfast, especially if they are
swimming the next day
• Post meet meal suggestions
• Any past meal with salad and *chocolate milk*
• Grilled chicken, steak, pork with veggies, salads chocolate milk or water.
• Grilled chicken, steak, pork tacos, veggies, chocolate milk or water
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Q: What do we do if we leave the house without breakfast or snacks? Can we eat
from the concession stand? A: Yes, but know what to buy and what to stay away
from.
• OK to buy: bagel w/cream cheese, muffins, pasta bowls, fruits, power bars, water,
*Gatorade, peanut butter crackers, cereal.
• Stay AWAY from: nachos, burgers, hot dogs, candy, snocones
NUTRITION 101
• USA Swimming Nutrition Center
• PEAK Coach’s Corner