How to sign up for swim meets

Alameda Gators Swim Team2011

Step 1 – Where to start?Go to Swim Connection’s Online Meet Entries (OME) webpage: https://ome.swimconnection.com/login

Step 2 – Create an accountClick on the Sign Up Now button to create your free account.

Fill in all required fields

Hints:• Use your own name and email for the account – not your swimmer’s. You will enter swimmer

information later in the sign up process.• Under the “Show Meets For” section, choose Pacific Swimming• Select “Yes” under “Notify me when new meets are posted.”

If you’ve entered all required fields, you should get the following message:

Follow the instructions in your email to activate your account. Once activated, click on the My Swimmers tab at the top to add your swimmers’ information

Click the button to Add Swimmer, and the following options will appear:

Type in your swimmer’s USA Swimming number in the Registration No box.

Their USA Swimming number is their birthdate (mo/da/yr), the first three letters of their first name, their middle initial, and the first four letters of their last name. So, Mary J. Smith, birthdate May 12, 1998 would have a USA Swimming number of: 051298MARJSMIT.

If there is no middle initial or the swimmer’s last name is shorter than four letters, use a * for any missing letter. Mary (no middle name) Li, birthdate 5/12/98 would appear as 051298MAR*LI**

If your swimmer has already been registered with Pacific Swimming, OME will find him/her in the Pac Swim records, and the swimmer will be added to your account.

Step 3 – Enter meetsClick on the Enter Meets tab to see a list of upcoming meets. Then scroll down until you find the meet that you are looking for, and double click on it.

The page for the individual meet will open. Click on the Meet Sheet link to get all of the when, where, and how details for this meet.

Sample Meet SheetThe meet sheet is lengthy, but very informative. Pay particular attention to the sections on LOCATION, RULES, ELIGIBILITY (minimum entry times required?) and the EVENT SUMMARY.

When you have confirmed that you want to enter this meet, return to OME and click on the online meet entry button.

Hit the Enter button, to enter your swimmer in this meet.

Click Get All Best Times and your swimmer’s best times from previous meets will be automatically entered.

If your swimmer does not have a time for a given event, some meets will allow you to enter NT (for “no time”) and others will require you to enter a fictional time.

Don’t have a best time yet?To enter a fictional time, you need to consult the Pacific Swimming time standards (http://www.pacswim.org/page/times_standards.shtml#anchor1290581).

Click on the appropriate list for your swimmer’s gender and age group.

If this is your swimmer’s first competition, find the events that you want to enter, and make up a fictional time that is SLOWER than the PC-B time listed. For example, for the 50 Free, you might select a time of 40.13.

Complete your entriesWhen you have entered times for all events that your swimmer will swim, hit the Save button.

Submit PaymentOn the next page, select Go to Payment Page and follow instructions listed there to submit your payment.

Step 4 - Email ConfirmationYou will receive two confirmation emails from Swim Connection.

A payment receipt…

…and a Meet Summary.

REMEMBER TO PRINT A COPY OF THE MEET SUMMARY AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO THE MEET. The coaches will NOT know what events your swimmer is swimming unless you bring this sheet with you.

Step 5 - Sign up for a timing shiftTiming at swim meets is done by family volunteers and each team is required to provide timers. At the Gators, all families are expected to work one timing shift on each day that their swimmer competes in a meet, unless they are volunteering for the team in another capacity that day. (Timing is VERY easy. Don’t worry!)

To sign up for a timing shift, Login to the ALGA website and click on the Events tab at the top of the page. Then hit the Job Signup button for the given meet.

Select the day(s) and time(s) that work best for you by clicking on the appropriate check boxes. Hit the Signup button, and you are done!

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AND YOUR SWIMMER AT MANY MEETS THIS YEAR!