Virginia Run Riptide

A swim meet is a competition where our swimmers race against swimmers from other teams. Swimmers are grouped into age groups and will swim against swimmers in their age group.

The Riptide swims in several types of meets:

• Time Trials: Our first "meet" of the year! This is a practice meet, where swimmers get a feel for how meets work, parents get to practice/train for their volunteer positions, and every swimmer gets a chance to get an initial time for their strokes. These times help the coaches determine who our fastest swimmers are for each stroke.
• A Meets: These are Saturday morning meets where coaches select our fastest swimmers to swim against the fastest swimmers from opponent teams; our opponents for these meets can be from anywhere in Northern Virginia (which sometimes means we have to drive a little far to get to them). Coaches select what strokes our swimmers will swim for A Meets. Click here to learn more.
• B Meets: These are Monday evening meets where all of our swimmers have the opportunity to swim. The opponents for these meets are generally in the Centreville/Chantilly area. B meets can sometimes go until later in the evening (10pmish). Swimmers choose which strokes they want to swim for B Meets. Click here to learn more.
• Special Meets: We participate in several meets throughout the season. Not all swimmers will swim in the special meets. These include meets like Relay Carnival, Divisionals, and All-Stars.

When swimmers arrive at a meet, they should proceed to the team area unless otherwise instructed. They will get a warmup period in the pool, which will be followed by the national anthem, then the swim races!

When they aren't swimming, going to the bathroom, or visiting their parents/the concession stand, swimmers should remain in the team area. Coaches and volunteers called the Clerk of Course will look for swimmers in the team area when it is time to get them lined up for their races. 

Races in our swim meets will generally be swim in this order: Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Relays (A Meet only), and Individual Medley (B Meet only). Within each stroke, we swim the youngest age groups first, proceeding up to the oldest age group. 

Any ribbons your swimmer wins will not be distributed at the meet - they will be handed out at practices later in the week.

For Swimmers:

• At least one towel
• Goggles (and a spare if you have one)
• Riptide swim cap
• Riptide swim suit
• Snacks
• Water
• Camp chair (most pools do not provide chairs for the team area)
• Sunscreen, bug spray, hat

For Parents:

• Camp Chairs (some pools provide parent seating, some don't - have a camp chair in the car in case you need it!)
• Water
• Cash or credit card for the concessions stand
• Sunscreen, hat/visor, fan

You will need to sign up for every swim meet ahead of time using our online system. 

For A meets, every swimmer should use the online system to "declare availability." This tells our coach if you are in town and available to swim should your swimmer be chosen. You should fill this out for all A Meets at the beginning of the season. You do not select which strokes your swimmer swims for an A meet.

For B meets, your swimmer must select which strokes they want to swim by the Saturday evening before the meet. We recommend selecting some default strokes for every meet at the beginning of the season, and then you can change them later if you change your mind.