State Age

At this carnival age group swimmers compete against other swimmers from New South Wales. In summer this carnival runs for a week. In winter it runs for three days. In summer the carnival is broken up by age groups with 12 years and under competing over a 2 day meet and 13 - 18 years swimmers competing over 6 days. In the older age groups there are heats in the morning and finals at night.

Qualifying Times
In order to compete at this carnival swimmers must make qualifying times. The qualifying times are announced each year by Swimming New South Wales and can be found on their website. (link on left).

Marshalling
Swimmers need to marshal for their event 3 events before their race. Swimmers should also take note that some swims are timed finals and wont be swum in the heats section.

​Beginning of the Heats
Heats generally begin around 9am and finish at about 1pm. Please check the timeline and ensure you are at the pool two hours prior to your event.

When to arrive (timeline)
A timeline is provided by Swimming New South Wales. This is a guideline only. Swimmers should aim to arrive two hours before their first scheduled event, or if swimming at the beginning of the session at the start of the scheduled warm-up.  (link on left).
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Where to meet the team
Can parents and swimmers please sit together where possible. During the week we usually have a spot where we aim to sit. This makes it easier to know who is here and sort out any problems or changes that need to be made. It also helps with team building. The team usually sits on the far side seating from the entry. Typically we are in line or close to the dive end of the competition pool. There is a small food booth (usually closed) just near the stair entry. Can swimmers please aim to sit together.

Warm Up
At representation meets swimmers do an individual warmup. Please make sure you have spoken to your coach and gone over this warmup in the week before State. A good warmup is objective based and targeted. Typically swimmers can start their warmup themselves (check in with coach before hand if possible) and then spend some time with a coach for starts, race practice/plan and addressing any tightness or injury.

Swimmers should allow around 20-30 minutes to warmup, 10-15 minutes for light stretches and 10-15 minutes in the marshalling area before the race. Swimmers should also consider if they need more time to change into a race suit. Ideally swimmers warm up around an hour to an hour and a half before their race. Be aware that sometimes the timeline can run fast so it is always better to allow extra time in case. Some swimmers will find they want more time before the race, others will like to go directly to the race from warmup. Fine tuning and evolving an effective warmup over time is a good skill for all athletes.
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Warm Down
State can be a long meet. Effective recovery is essential if you have multiple events throughout the week. Doing a quality swim down after every race is very important. Talk to the coach about the specifics of the objective based swim down. Typically swimmers will want around 300+ for a short race such as 50m and around 600 for 200+. Some swimmers may want up to 8-900m swim down to fully allow for recovery. If parents need to go immediately after a race, talk to coaches about methods on how to loosen up and recover outside of the pool.
Withdrawing from an Event
If a swimmer is not swimming an event they have entered in, they need to alert the officials at the marshalling table at least two events prior. If swimmers 13 and over qualify in heats in one of the top twelve positions and are not coming to the finals they need to alert the officials within 30 minutes of the results being posted.

​Finals
Final nights are often filled with a lot of atmosphere and energy. It is encouraged for any swimmers and parents to come along, even if they don't have an event that night, as simply being there as a spectator can be very motivating and fun. Finals generally begin around 5,30pm and conclude at about 8.30pm. To make it to finals a swimmer must swim in the top ten during the heats session. If a swimmer comes in top twelve they may also make it to the finals if there other swimmers withdraw.

If a swimmer qualifies in the top twelve events during the heats they must alert the officials a the marshalling area that they will swim in finals. Note that there are no separate finals during winter state.

If a swimmer makes a top twelve place in the heats and can not swim in the finals at night they need to notify the race office 30 minutes after the results are posted to scratch them from the race.

Swimmers that qualify 11th and 12th in the heats are reserves for the finals. Swimmers in these positions need to attend the final night. If a swimmer cannot attend the night they also need to notify the pool deck office 30 minutes after the race is posted. Swimmers who are qualified in these positions can often tell if they will likely be racing by seeing if finalists have withdrawn. Swimmers still need to attend unless they have told the pool office they cannot.

Result Sheets
Results sheets are posted on the wall next to the marshalling area. Red lines means a swimmer has withdrawn from the final.

Timed Finals
Swimmers in the long distance races such as 800 and 1500m need to check which heat they are seeded in. The fastest heat  for these events is not swam during the morning events but rather swam as a timed final in the night instead.

For long distance swims (800/1500) and where there is ten or less swimmers in an event, swimmers may go immediately to the finals that night. The top 10 fastest times for long distance swims are usually swimming at night. In order to swim the event the swimmer must acknowledge that they will be there prior to the final night.
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Relays
Relays are a big part of state and an exciting event. If you are lucky enough to be selected for a relay please come down and warm-up as a team. For these team events the goal is for swimmers to do the event as a team including before and after the race. These events are a great opportunity for swimmers to build relationships with the common objective of racing, and these events typically bring the swimmers best racing to the forefront. By doing relays swimmers improve their individual performances. 

In warm up the pool can be quite busy. The weekend nights in particular are usually very crowded and warmups are challenging. Because of this a useful way to warm up is to start with a short swim around 300m to create some circulation, then do dives, then complete the rest of their swim warmup. This works well as swimmers don’t usually have to wait as long in the dive lane for a chance to practice their dives and usually have a bit more space to swim while everyone else is doing dives.
For team leaders/managers: An additional relay form needs to be submitted at the beginning of the session on the day of the relay.

Club Representation
Please make sure you have your club shirt and cap. During your race you should be swimming with your club cap.

Coaches
When you arrive can you please check in with the coach letting them know you are there so they don’t stress over missing events. Similarly if you are not going to swim in an event please let the coach know so they aren’t waiting around to watch your event. 

Coaches can usually be found in one of two places. Either around the warmup pool or sitting in the coaches seating area next to the competition pool. Coaches spend a lot of time and money to attend solely so they can support swimmers, please respect this and see them. All swimmers need to check in with the coach. They are not hard to find if you make an effort.

After racing please come and chat to your coach even if you are feeling disappointed in your race. If you are feeling very emotional just let the coach know you will chat to them after you do a swim down and have a chance to relax.

Team Managers
If possible it would be good to get at least two parents to come and sit with the swimmers as team managers for each session. Team managers can check to see if swimmers are ready and assist swimmers if they have any issues. ​

Parking
The aquatic centre parking is usually available for state. During heats and finals parents can pick up a four hour free parking ticket voucher from the front desk of the pool (Sometimes it is simply a flat rate instead). If parking for longer then 4 hours it is possible to repark a car or otherwise it is approx. $6 per hour extra. Note you can pay for parking at the booth or also during exit with a card.

In the event the carpark is full it is an option to park in P3 (a 5minute walk).

Another option is to look for parking around Carter street. This parking is free (though can sometimes be restricted if there are events on) and a 5 minute walk to the aquatic centre, however the parking here can often be hard to find unless you are early in the morning. 

Caring for your gear and Lost Property
Please watch where you leave your gear. Devices such as phones and earphones shouldn't be left out in the open. Your gear should have your name on it. At the end of the meet there is a mountain of lost property in the officials room. If during the meet you have lost something, please go and knock on the official room door.

Merchandise 
There is a small booth where swimmers can purchase state merchandise. Some of this sells pretty fast. Swimmers can also pre order things and collect it at the meet.

Bring Two
A good rule of thumb for swimmers is to bring a backup pair of things they need to race. Two swimmers, 2 goggles, 2 caps, (2 towels).

Anti Doping
There is a  restricted substance list for athletes in swimming. This list can sometimes be worth checking if a swimmer is taking a new medication or a one of thing before racing.

If a swimmer gets selected for anti doping tests (this can be done randomly though is quite rare at state), They should notify the coach (and team manager). Swimmers will have a parent and/or coach with them during this.

Nutrition
Swimmers need to hydrate throughout the entire meet. Please have a fresh water bottle with you at all times. Swimmers may also want things like bananas, nuts, other fruits or light snacks. Occasionally some sugary snacks (minimally) may be useful. Avoid fatty and high sugar foods. Soft drinks and commercial energy drinks such as V and Red Bull are best to skip. Swimmers should also aim to eat foods they normally consume. Going out for dinner at a new type of restaurant can be fun, but please consider if the swimmer will have any issues with the food.