Very first meet EVER! Help please!!!!

I swam at my first meet three years ago and had never dived off the blocks until the practice session. I explained my plight while waiting in line (and shaking like a leaf) and several people offered to help and actually coached me through it! I did my races without losing my goggles and felt a tremendous relief at having survived. I must say that before my first race I was so nervous that I felt sick, but the second race was almost enjoyable. Ultimately, I decided that since I'm a distance swimmer (the 500 is my shortest race), I would just dive in from the side. It reduces my stress level considerably and my coach says that in the longer races and at my level, it won't make much difference in my times. Heck, I won my heat last year diving from the side. Even at the larger meets I see others diving from the side or doing pool starts, so I wouldn't drive yourself crazy over it. I am continually amazed by how friendly other people are at the meets. Not many people from my club compete and I really appreciate all the help I've received from people who are strangers. Good luck and have fun!

They will almost certainly open a sprint lane during warmups and you can work on your starts then. If it feels too intimidating you can start from the side.No one will care.Of couse you'll get butterflies in your stomach before the swims,thats natural.Visualize your swims for several minutes before the race Go through the whole thing in your mind including stepping up to the block. then swim.Enjoy your experience. You'll find the people are great.

It sounds like your coach was trying to calm your nerves. Humor can help make light of things. Anyway...it will help you to know that everyone is nervous for their first meet...no matter how many they did in their past lives. Over the past few seasons I've done my best to recruit fellow swimmers to sign up ...regardless of their experience level. The only thing they seemed to have a little nerves about were the starting block. A long story short, everyone had a super time...and were actually surprised to see the majority of swimmers were just like themselves. Not everyone is in the elite group...and not everyone comes off the blocks with grace and agility.:) It will certainly boost your confidence to get a feel for the start...and that said...try working on them in the next few weeks. Maybe all it takes will be 3 or 4 dives after the end of each practice. Have a great time...and I'm sure you will feel at ease to hear from others who had shared your current feelings. Trust me when I say you will become hooked after your first meet.

Thank you so much for your reply! The problem is that our club is a non divin club :rolleyes: . So the only way I can practice is with my private coach from the side of the pool....... Anyway, thanks again for your support! :hug:

I say relax and go for it Gerdrick. I bet you will will really enjoy this new experience and become hooked on it (as quicksilver said) after that first meet is under your belt. Make sure to let us know how it went too. I wish you the best of luck! Oh yaeh....its only natural to be nervous about a new experience...but that is also what makes it soo exciting too! Newmastersswimmer!

You are very welcome. It's all about experiencing fun...not fear. Don't confuse adrenaline with that. I will admit though...my heart pounds every time I look at a race application. So the only way I can practice is with my private coach from the side of the pool....... This is great, You should be able to practice the starts with no problems. ;)

If it's a small enough meet then you may be the only one in your age division, and since you don't have any times to post, you'll be in the slower heats. Maybe as a strategy, you could take it easy on your events, swim nice and easy, and then at your next meet go all out - then brag about how much progress you've made. :D Well....I am "jumping" right into a pretty big one...South Central Zone SCY Championships! Crazy, ha?! Anyway, you guys are the best! If most people at the meet are as nice as you are, I should do it as much as I can!!! :) One of the guys I swim with told me that this meet is set by time not by age....is that possible? So if I am pretty slow I can be swimming side by side a 90 or an 18 year old? I know that on an application form I need to enter my seed time, is that what it's for? I am a bit confused about it.......The same guy told me that only "grandmas" start from the wall or jump off the side....he is very nice but this comment really messed me up. Sorry I have so many question! Thanks again for all the help! :notworthy:

Try contacting your local High School or College swim coach. They may let you practice your starts. That's what I did, at the "Y' you can't dive, so I go up to the HS and practice my starts. The coach should give you pointers if needed. You'll may be surprised how helpful they are and willing to let you practice. Don't be afraid to ask, all they can say is "no" and I hear that all the time, it's "yes" you have to worry about. Because that means you really have to do something then. Good Luck....

I only just got into competitions in January. Trust me, when I say you'll be fine. Just breathe easy. Get on the blocks relax and think about how you're going to tear up the pool. Push your goggles in so they airlock (I forgot this step--lol) reach down grab the fom of the block when they tell you to set. Hold. When the beep goes, launch yourself and begin pulling into the streamline position, ticked head hands on top of each other. If you can dive from the edge you can dive from the block. Also like Allen suggested if you feel the dive will be a worrisome thing. Advise the officals that you want to push off. Hop in and start from a push...give it all you can on that first push and streamline tight. Remember this: As a breaststroker you already have a leg up on the other stroke swimmers because only the gifted can do ***. Ask anyone ;) I think you'll do fine. If you do dive, just don't over think it at this stage--get off the blocks and into the water as smooth as you can.

Well, I guess I'm a "grandma" b/c I have gone off the side and started from the water. I practiced block dives, but in my few meets, I was still too uneasy to do them in an actual race, and ppl assured me that it was fine to start either in the water or off the side. Sure I'll eventually give the blocks a try in a meet but since I was doing the meets for fun (and my times won't set the world on fire ... the opposite, I think), I thought it better to start within my comfort zone and do my best, not worry about what anyone else was doing. I remember taking a weight training class, and the instructor reminding us all the time, "this is YOUR workout. Don't be intimidated by the people benching 100-200 pounds. You're here for you, not them." That's what I try to take into any swim or run workout, race, meet, although sometimes I do better w/ that than other times. If someone wants to say I'm a grandma, that's their problem! I think it's cool you're doing a meet. Don't let anyone mess w/ your mind!