Meets Overview
The Sea Wolves participate in several meets of different levels each season (September to June). We try to go to at least one meet each session (Fall, Winter, Spring) that fits the development level of each swimmer, including at least one pass meet, one open meet, one LMR+ meet as well as BC Championship meets. These meets are open to any swimmer that meets the qualifying standards (if there are any). All of the meets outside of Whistler are optional.
Most of our meets take place in the lower mainland in Vancouver, however, we do travel to Vancouver Island and Kamloops once each season to give our swimmers a chance to test themselves in different venues, meet new people, and have a great time staying together as a team.
As a club we have had great success running one annual pass meet (usually in October) and one annual Open Invitational meet (in May). All swimmers are expected to participate in these meets.
If your child is eligible to participate in a meet, you will be notified two to three weeks in advance and asked to sign up if they would like to compete. The Coaches will then enter your swimmer in the events that are appropriate for their age and development level.
Meet Fees
Every meet has an entry fee assessed by the hosting swim club and in most cases an additional fee is added by our club to cover our coach's time and travel expenses. Charges will vary depending on the meet as well as the number of competition days and events .The total per swimmer will likely fall in the range of $65-$100 per day, but could be higher. Refer to the meet package and/or talk to the Head Coach if you have questions.
For most Whistler home meets, these fees are included with your registration payment. Additionally, depending on what competitive option you selected at registration, you may need to pay an additional Swim BC upgrade fee for your child to participate in certain meets.
Our Administrator handles these payments and can be contacted at info@whistlerseawolves.com.
Also please be advised, that once an athlete commits to a meet, the meet fees become due and payable to the club and can not be reversed and/or refunded unless:
The swimmer cancels prior to the meet entry deadline, or
If the meet is cancelled by the organizers or our participation in the meet is cancelled due to lack of interest, or
If there is a medical issue, and the athlete meets the hosting club's specific rules for a refund.
LMR is shorthand for Lower Mainland Regional qualifying time: a sub-four minute 200 Individual Medley (IM).
Once a swimmer achieves their LMR, they will be eligible to enter more meets.
How Swim Meets Work
When you sign up for a swim meet, our Coaches will have to enter your swimmer and submit their best time for each event (or “NT” if they have not yet recorded an official time.) Those “entry” times will determine the seedings in each event at the meet. Events at a meet are swum in heats, usually with 6-8 swimmers (depending on the size of the pool), and heats are organized on the basis of seed times. Heats for each event progress from slowest to fastest.
As the meet progresses, officials will post the results, organized by gender and age group. Most meets we attend are run in a Timed Finals format. This means that the final results are based on the times from the heats. At the bigger meets, there may be a Heats/Finals format, where swimmers can qualify to swim in finals. Generally there is an A Final (fastest 8 swimmers from the heats) and a B Final (swimmers who placed 9th through 16th in the heats.)
Heat sheets and results will be distributed at the meet. Alternatively, Meet Mobile is a mobile app that has live meet information such as heat/lane assignments and results.
Types of Swim Meets
Sanctioned vs Unsanctioned Meets
At the simplest level, there are two types of swim meets: sanctioned and unsanctioned. Sanctioned meets must be organized through Swim BC, our governing body, to ensure that all Swim BC and Swimming Canada rules, regulations, and policies are followed.
Unsanctioned Meets
Pass meets
Pass meets are non official (unsanctioned) meets that are typically open only to swimmers that have NOT achieved their LMR qualifying time. At the Whistler Pass Meet, we typically include all of our swimmers by running the events for our LMR swimmers as time trials.
Pass meets are a great way for swimmers to get a taste of competition and provide an opportunity for swimmers to achieve their LMR qualifying time, which opens up the possibility of higher level meets.
Time Trials
Occasionally our Coaches will organize time trials to give swimmers a chance to measure their progress. We did this during the 2020-21 season when COVID-19 meant that there were no swim meets.
Sanctioned Meets
LMR meets
LMR meets are sanctioned meets for swimmers who have achieved the LMR qualifying time by the meet entry deadline.
Invitational meets
A host club organizes an Invitational meet and invites other swim clubs to participate. The host club decides the level of competition and any qualifying criteria. The “Open” in Whistler Open Invitational Swim Meet means that the meet is open to swimmers of any level.
Swim BC Championships
For more information about the Swim BC championships, please refer to Swim BC’s 2020-2025 Provincial Championship Competition Summary.
| Dates | Age Groups | Qualifying Standards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional | early February, early June | 10&U, 11-12, 13-14, 15&O | Regional Coaches to Determine |
| Divisional | mid-February, mid-June | 12&U, 13-14, 15&O | Division Specific Standards |
| Provincial | early March, early July | 11-12, 13-14, 15-17, 18&O | Provincial Championship Standards |