PACKING FOR A SWIM MEET/CAMP

There are five basic guidelines to follow when helping your swimmer to decide what is needed for an out-of-town meet/camp.

1. PACK LIGHT  

Swimmers should only pack what they can carry themselves, and what they themselves can look after and remember to bring home. A good idea is to use one large duffel bag to hold their clothes, sleeping bag & pillow, and personal articles, in addition to their swim bag with their on deck requirements. Swimmers spend most of their time at the pool, and most of that time in their bathing suits, so multiple changes of outer clothes are an unnecessary waste of precious packing space. Send only sleepwear, clean underwear and socks, and maybe one change of outer clothes. Personal toilet articles, medications, etc. should be packed in spill and break proof containers. A good idea is to have the swimmer do his/her own packing – they are more likely to remember what to bring home if they packed it themselves.

Swim bags should contain swimsuits (both practice and meet suits), goggles, caps, and at least one towel and one set of on-deck clothes. The Bathurst Piranhas sell various sorts of deck clothing through the Equipment Chairperson. Pull buoys, hand paddles, flippers, and other training apparatus are not needed at meets. The Club chaperones at meets will have limited quantities of extra caps and goggles.


2. LABEL EVERYTHING 

Use indelible marker to label everything! When there are 40 Piranhas at a meet, each wearing a Black Piranhas T-shirt and shorts, it is easy to get things lost and mixed up. Monogramming is an excellent method. It is easy to lose two or three towels per child per season. If you have your swimmer’s name embroidered on the towel, the likelihood of losing it is reduced.

3. NO VALUABLES 

Thieves may be present at swim meets, and personal belongings can disappear almost from under their owner’s noses. Locks are not always available at pools – send a combination lock to meets. It is a good idea not to send anything that has significant monetary or personal value. The chaperones cannot be responsible for watching swimmers’ personal effects. We discourage swimmers from taking any valuable personal electronic equipment, jewelry, or other valuables on swim trips.

4. SPENDING MONEY 

Swimmers may need money for lunch and snacks at the pool and/or
for meals on the way to a meet and/or on the ride back home. Swimmers can bring a packed lunch from home for consumption on the bus on the way to a meet.
An average of $25 - $45 per day away should be sufficient (depending upon the age and appetite of your swimmer).

Set guidelines for your expectations about the use of spending money, but remember that cheap, good food is often hard to find at meets. Supper on the way home will general cost close to $20.
     Souvenirs such as meet T-shirts may be available at some meets. Your swimmer should know whether such purchases are permitted, and what their spending limit is. Some families send snacks with the swimmers. Packaged granola bars, fruit roll-ups and such may work if your swimmer will eat them. Soft foods such as muffins, fruit and vegetable sticks should be packed in an appropriate container as to avoid mess. Chaperones will look after swimmers’ money, if asked. If you want the chaperone to look after your swimmer’s cash, put the money in a labeled envelope and write the total amount on the envelope.

5. GIFTS 

It can be expected at times that swimmers will give a small thank you gift to their host.
Small, impersonal gifts are best. A price around $3.00-$8.00 is adequate. It is most of the time taken care of by the team manager and added to the price of the camp. If you are not sure you can always ask.