The West U Piranhas Swim Team swims in the Southwest Aquatic League (SWAL), which also includes Bellaire Barracudas, Southwest United (JCC, Southside Place, Briar Meadow), and the Willow Wahoos.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. How do I let the coaches know that my child can/cannot swim in a swim meet?

You must declare on our website for each swim meet for each of your swimmers. Declaring for a swim meet is like RSVPing. Declaring for meets is important for the coaches to be able to assign events to each swimmer as well as putting together relay teams.

Please declare by the Wednesday prior to the meet in order to be placed in events.

How to declare for meets:

1. Log on to your account at www.westupiranhas.org

2. Click on the “Schedule & Calendar” tab

3. Find the swim meet in the list and click on the “RSVP” button

4. Click either “attending” or “not attending” next to your swimmer(s) name(s)

5. Click “Save”

Please note that you can declare for all meets at the very beginning of the season! 

2. How long does a swim meet last?

Swim meets are broken into three parts. Because they swim less events and because of their age, generally 5/6 year olds will swim first in their own meet. The 5/6 year old meet lasts approximately 1 hour. The 2nd part will be for the 7-10 year olds (25 yd swimmers). And the 3rd part will be for the 11 and up swimmers. The swim meets generally wrap up around 9:30 pm.

3. My kid got sick at the last moment. What should I do?

We get it, things happen! You must e-mail Coach Tim ([email protected]) asap once you know your child is not swimming. It is important for him to know so that he is not spending time during the meet looking for your swimmer and so he can rearrange relay teams if needed.

4. I forgot to declare for a meet! What should I do?

If you forgot to declare for a meet before the deadline, you can email Coach Tim ([email protected]). Your swimmer will be added to events on a space available basis.

Please note that you can declare for all meets at the very beginning of the season! We encourage all families to do do this. With over 350 swimmers, we would prefer that our coaches focus on coaching our kids and not having to deal with last minute additions, so we appreciate everyone helping out with this by declaring early!

5. How do I know what events my swimmer is participating in?

Coach Tim will send out the meet sheet prior to the swim meet via e-mail. It will also be posted in the Swimtopia App. 

Coaches will mark swimmers hands with their event numbers with a sharpie at practice the morning before the swim meet.  If your child does not attend practice on the morning of a meet, we ask that parents please write your child's event numbers on their hands with a sharpie before showing up to the meet!  

6. Where do I sit during a swim meet?

We love our swim team parents and encourage cheering and support! However, due to lack of space around the pools, we ask that parents move in and out from the pool-side viewing areas and wait away from the pool until it is time for their swimmer to compete.

7. How do I know what event is competing at the moment?

At all of our home meets, we use the Swimtopia App to send out which event is in the pool and which event is on deck. We encourage all families to DOWNLOAD THE APP.

8. What should I bring to the swim meet?

• Dress your swimmer in their team swim suit and team t-shirt.
• Pack your swimmer’s cap and goggles (spare goggles are recommended).
• Bring at least one towel per swimmer (often times kids like to have a second towel to sit upon).
• Sunscreen! Especially at away meets where the pools are not covered.
• Extra sharpie pen - sunscreen can erase the event numbers from your child's hands and may need redoing.
• Bug spray. It’s summertime. In Houston. Need we say more?
• Water and healthy snacks. See below for food options. Don’t forget to pick up your trash and RECYCLE WHEN POSSIBLE!
• Swim meets are long. Bring books, small games, cards, etc. to keep the kids entertained. Please note, the West U Piranhas and the West U Recreation Center and Department are not responsible for lost items.
• Chairs for the parents/caregivers.

9. How do prelims and finals work?

Swimmers need to have swam in at least one regular season meet to be eligible to swim in prelims.  The top 12 times (10 and under) and top 6 times (11 and up) in each prelim event will swim in finals. The results from prelims are posted as soon as they are available at the prelim swim meets. Note that there are 2 alternates per event/age. If your swimmer is listed as an alternate, please plan on coming to finals in case another swimmer can't make it. The coaches will form the relays after the finals results are posted. In some cases, relay swimmers may not have qualified for an individual event at finals so please check the meet sheets carefully.

10. Is there food available for sale at the swim meets?

At our home swim meets, we usually offer 3 food trucks (2 with entrée options, 1 with dessert options). Please note that some trucks are cash only so please plan accordingly. There are is also a vending machine within the West U Rec Center. 

At the away meets, food may or may not be available for sale. Please plan accordingly. Don’t forget to bring plenty of water for you and your family! It can get very hot and humid.

Other information:

• Please be on time to warm ups for swim meets. With so many swimmers, our warm up time is limited and we want every swimmer to have a chance to warm up.
• Practice good sportsmanship. Be friendly to the other teams, cheer for your teammates and shake hands or congratulate other racers after your event.

Swim meets are hectic and so much fun. Please contact a board member if you have any questions!

GO PIRANHAS!

CHOMP!