By its very name, the purpose of competitive swimming is to compete and attend swim meets! Individuals seeking membership in the Thames Aquatic Club are encouraged to attend meets.

For many new swimmers, taking the first step and going to their first competitive meet is a big undertaking. Our coaches understand this and are happy to share information about each meet and what meets may be good for beginners.

When you are notified of meets, you should read the information carefully and ask your child’s coach whether that meet would be appropriate for your swimmer. If your coach suggests that your swimmer’s friend participate in a meet but doesn’t make the same suggestion to your swimmer, the coach surely has a good reason. There are appropriate and inappropriate meets for all swimmers.

NOTE: If a swimmer is attending a meet, that swimmer must have a parent or guardian in attendance; it is not acceptable to drop off a swimmer at a meet and leave him or her unsupervised.

Thames Aquatic Club is a USA Swimming member of the New England Swimming Local Swim Committee. We attend USA Swimming sanctioned events and all swimmers must be USA Swimming registered. In addition, we offer Intra-Squad meets so our swimmers get extra practice racing and knowing what to expect at meets.

USA Swimming Registration Number

Each swimmer is assigned a personal USA Swimming registration number. This number is used to identify swimmers when they sign up for meets. The ID number is easy to remember. It is composed of:

• Swimmer’s date of birth: (mm/dd/yy)
• First three letters of swimmer’s legal first name
• First letter of the swimmer’s middle name
• First four letters of the swimmer’s last name
• Example of a registration number: 040991MOLEHOWL

The link for USA REGISTRATION is through the button below. Please click on to register your swimmer. New swimmer registration must be completed within 2 weeks of joining Thames Aquatic Club and returning swimmers must register every year by December 31. If a swimmer is not registered within the appropriate timeframe, participation in practice or meets will be on hold until the swimmer is USA Swimming registered.

Stuff to Bring to the Meet

Experienced Dolfins recommend bringing the following:

• Team suit
• Goggles—well-adjusted and leakproof
• Extra goggles just in case
• Team swim cap—or two in case one rips
• Sweatshirt and sweatpants—maybe two sets
• Team jacket, if you have one
• 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
• Sleeping bag
• Pillow (optional)
• Folding lawn chair for parent
• Quiet activities: homework, books, electronic devices, playing cards, and so on
• Highlighter to mark your swim program
• Ballpoint pen to write on your swimmer’s hand
• Stopwatch (optional)
• Food (almost all meets sell inexpensive concessions: coffee, juice, soda, hot dogs, pizza, sandwiches, baked goods, and so on)
• Money for a program ($2 to $10)—they’re helpful, but you’re not obligated to buy them; equipment is usually for sale
• For summer meets: sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, sunglasses
• Good luck charms!!!

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.