Creating and Managing Meets

Creating and Updating Meets

Learn how to create and configure swimming meets in Huddleswim. This guide covers the complete process from initial setup through meet management and configuration updates.

Creating a New Meet

Prerequisites

Before creating a meet, ensure you have:

• A properly configured team
• Athletes added to your roster (recommended)
• Basic meet information (name, dates, location)

Step 1: Navigate to Meet Creation

1. From your team dashboard, click "Meets" in the navigation menu
2. Click the "Create New Meet" button
3. The meet creation form will open

Step 2: Basic Meet Information

Complete the required meet details:

Essential Information

• Meet Name: Full title of your meet (e.g., "District Championship Meet 2025")
• Course Type: Select the pool configuration:
  • SCY: Short Course Yards (25 yards) - most common for high school
  • LCM: Long Course Meters (50 meters) - Olympic/international standard
  • SCM: Short Course Meters (25 meters) - common for age group
• Start Date: When the meet begins
• End Date: When the meet ends (can be same day for single-session meets)

Lane Configuration (Optional)

Configure lane assignments for your meet:

• Lane Selection: Choose how lanes are assigned:
  • Even: Use even-numbered lanes only (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.)
  • Odd: Use odd-numbered lanes only (1, 3, 5, 7, etc.)
  • Custom: Define specific lane numbers for your pool configuration
• Scoring Lanes: Number of lanes that count toward team scoring
• Exhibition Lanes: Number of lanes for exhibition swimmers
• Number of Heats: Maximum heats per event
• Seeding Order: Choose whether fastest athletes are seeded in the first heat or last heat:
  • Fastest First: Traditional seeding where fastest athletes are placed in the first heat (default)
  • Fastest Last: Alternative seeding where fastest athletes are placed in the last heat

Entry Limits (Optional)

Set participation restrictions:

• Max Individual Entries Per Athlete: Limit individual events per swimmer
• Max Relay Entries Per Athlete: Limit relay participation per swimmer
• Max Total Entries Per Athlete: Overall entry limit per swimmer

Additional Information

• Meet Notes: Any special information about the meet

Step 3: Meet Location

Complete the venue information:

Required Address Fields

• Address 1: Street address of the meet venue
• City: City where the meet is held
• State: Select from the dropdown list
• Postal Code: ZIP or postal code
• Country: Select the country (defaults to your team's country)

Optional Address Information

• Address 2: Additional venue details (building name, pool name, etc.)

Step 4: Review and Create

1. Review all entered information
2. Make any necessary corrections
3. Click "Create Meet" to finalize

Meet Configuration Options

Lane Assignment Strategies

Even Lane Configuration

• Use Case: Dual meets or smaller competitions
• Lanes Used: 2, 4, 6, 8 (up to the number of scoring lanes)
• Benefits: Leaves odd lanes for warm-up or officials

Odd Lane Configuration

• Use Case: Special pool configurations
• Lanes Used: 1, 3, 5, 7 (up to the number of scoring lanes)
• Benefits: Alternative configuration for unique setups

Custom Lane Configuration

• Use Case: Complex meets or variable lane usage requiring specific lane numbers
• Flexibility: Manual assignment of any lane numbers (e.g., lanes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 for a 5-lane setup)
• Configuration: Define custom lanes as comma-separated values when creating the meet
• Benefits: Maximum control over lane assignments for unique pool configurations
• Seeding Integration: Auto-seeding respects custom lane assignments and fills center lanes first

Setting Up Custom Lanes:

When selecting "Custom" lane configuration, you'll need to specify which lanes are available:

1. Lane Numbers: Enter comma-separated lane numbers (e.g., "2,3,4,5,6" or "1,3,5,7,8")
2. Validation: System ensures lane numbers are valid and unique
3. Scoring vs Exhibition: Custom lanes work with your scoring and exhibition lane settings
4. Middle-Out Assignment: For seeding, fastest swimmers get center lanes from your custom selection

Common Custom Lane Examples:

• 5-Lane Pool: "1,2,3,4,5" - Use all available lanes
• Center Lanes Only: "3,4,5,6" - Use only center lanes of an 8-lane pool
• Skip Lane 1: "2,3,4,5,6,7" - Avoid lane 1 for timing system reasons
• Alternating Pattern: "2,4,6,8" - Similar to even selection but with specific lanes

Seeding Order Configuration

The seeding order setting determines how athletes are distributed across heats when using the auto-seed feature:

Fastest First (Default)

• Traditional Format: Most common seeding method
• Heat Placement: Fastest athletes are placed in the first heat (Heat 1)
• Use Cases:
  • Standard dual meets
  • Most high school competitions
  • When you want spectators to see fast times early
• Benefits: Creates excitement early in the meet

Fastest Last

• Championship Format: Alternative seeding method
• Heat Placement: Fastest athletes are placed in the last heat (final heat)
• Use Cases:
  • Championship meets
  • Finals sessions
  • When building excitement toward the end
• Benefits: Creates climactic finishes with fastest times at the end

Note: This setting only affects the auto-seed functionality. Manual seeding allows you to place athletes in any heat regardless of this setting.

Entry Limit Examples

Typical High School Meet

• Individual Events: 3-4 per athlete
• Relay Events: 2-3 per athlete
• Total Events: 4-5 per athlete

Time Trial Format

• Individual Events: Unlimited
• Relay Events: Limited or none
• Total Events: Variable

Championship Meet

• Individual Events: 2-3 per athlete
• Relay Events: 1-2 per athlete
• Total Events: 3-4 per athlete

Adding Events to Your Meet

After creating the meet, add the specific events:

Event Creation Process

1. Navigate to your meet details page
2. Click on the "Events" tab
3. Click "Add Event" or import events from a template

Event Configuration

For each event, specify:

• Event Number: Sequential numbering (1, 2, 3, etc.)
• Distance: Event distance (50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 1650, etc.)
• Stroke: Swimming stroke:
  • Freestyle
  • Backstroke
  • Breaststroke
  • Butterfly
  • Medley (Individual Medley)
• Gender: Male, Female, or Mixed
• Relay Type: Check if this is a relay event
• Age Ranges: Minimum and maximum ages (optional for high school)
• Division: Team division if applicable

Event Management Features

• Automatic Numbering: Events are numbered in the order you add them
• Reordering: Change event sequence by updating sort order
• Import from Previous: Copy event lineup from a previous meet
• EV3 Import: Import standard event lineups from EV3 files

Updating Existing Meets

Accessing Meet Settings

1. Navigate to your meet from the Meets list
2. Click the edit icon (pencil) next to meet information
3. Or go to the meet details and click "Edit Meet"

What You Can Update

Basic Information

• Meet name and dates
• Venue location and address
• Lane configuration settings
• Entry limits and restrictions

Event Configuration

• Add, remove, or modify events
• Reorder event sequence
• Update event details

Advanced Settings

• Course type (with caution)
• Scoring parameters
• Entry deadlines

Important Considerations

Before Athletes Are Seeded

• Most settings can be changed freely
• No impact on athlete entries
• Full flexibility in configuration

After Athletes Are Seeded

• Some changes may affect seeding
• Lane configuration changes require re-seeding
• Event modifications may impact entries

⚠️ Automatic Seeding Reset

When updating meets with existing seeded athletes, changing any of the following settings will automatically clear all seeded athletes and relay teams:

• Lane Selection (Even/Odd/Custom)
• Custom Lane Configuration
• Number of Scoring Lanes
• Number of Exhibition Lanes
• Maximum Number of Heats
• Seeding Order (Fastest First/Fastest Last)
• Max Individual Entries Per Athlete
• Max Relay Entries Per Athlete
• Max Total Entries Per Athlete

What Gets Cleared:

• All individual event seedings
• All relay team assignments
• All relay teams (A Team, B Team, etc.)

Why This Happens: These settings directly affect how athletes can be placed in lanes and heats. When changed, existing athlete placements may no longer be valid (e.g., athletes assigned to lanes that no longer exist).

After Making These Changes:

1. You'll need to recreate any relay teams for relay events
2. Re-seed all individual events using manual or auto-seed methods
3. Re-assign athletes to the new relay teams

Confirmation Required: The system will show a confirmation dialog before making these changes, clearly explaining that all seeded athletes will be removed.

After Results Are Entered

• Very limited changes recommended
• Historical data integrity is important
• Consult with administrators before major changes

Meet Templates and Import Options

Using Previous Meets as Templates

1. Create a new meet with basic information
2. Navigate to Events → Edit Events
3. Use the "Previous Event Dropdown" to select a source meet
4. Import events from the selected meet

EV3 File Import

Import standardized event lineups:

1. Obtain an EV3 file with the desired event format
2. Go to Events → Edit Events
3. Click "Upload EV3 Events File"
4. Select your EV3 file and upload

Note: EV3 import will replace all existing events in the meet.

Creating Custom Templates

Save time by creating reusable configurations:

1. Set up a meet with your standard format
2. Use it as a template for future meets
3. Customize as needed for each specific competition

Meet Status and Workflow

Meet Lifecycle

1. Created: Basic meet information entered
2. Events Added: Competition events defined
3. Seeded: Athletes entered into events
4. In Progress: Competition is running
5. Completed: Results entered and finalized

Seeding Status

The system tracks seeding progress:

• Unseeded: No athletes entered in events
• Partially Seeded: Some events have athletes entered
• Seeded: All events have appropriate entries

Results Status

Track meet completion:

• No Results: Competition hasn't started
• Partial Results: Some events completed
• Complete Results: All events finished

Advanced Meet Configuration

Relay Team Management

For meets with relay events:

1. Set up relay team names (A, B, C, etc.)
2. Assign athletes to relay teams
3. Set swimming order for each relay
4. Enter relay seed times

Championship Meet Setup

Special considerations for championship meets:

• Qualification Standards: Entry time requirements
• Entry Limits: Restricted number of entries per athlete
• Seeding Rules: Special seeding procedures
• Finals Format: Preliminary and final sessions

Multi-Session Meets

For meets spanning multiple sessions:

• Session Planning: Divide events across sessions
• Time Management: Allow adequate time between sessions
• Warm-up Scheduling: Plan warm-up times
• Results Processing: Session-by-session result handling

Integration Features

External Software Integration

HyTek Meet Manager

• Export meet files in HY3 format
• Import results from HyTek systems
• Maintain data synchronization

USA Swimming

• Submit times to USA Swimming database (when applicable)
• Verify athlete registrations
• Check time standards automatically

Equipment Integration

Timing Systems

• Colorado Time Systems support
• Daktronics timing integration
• Manual stopwatch backup procedures

Meet Technology

• Live results display systems
• Meet mobile app integration
• Parent/spectator communication tools

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Meet Creation Problems

Problem: Required field validation errors

• Solution: Complete all required fields (name, dates, location)
• Check: Ensure start date is before or same as end date

Problem: Address validation issues

• Solution: Use complete, valid addresses
• Tip: Verify state and postal code combinations

Event Configuration Issues

Problem: Cannot add events to meet

• Cause: Meet may be locked or have existing entries
• Solution: Check if athletes are already seeded

Problem: EV3 import fails

• Cause: Invalid file format or existing seed entries
• Solution: Verify file format and remove existing entries first

Update Restrictions

Problem: Cannot modify meet settings

• Cause: Athletes may be seeded or results entered
• Solution: Check meet status and existing data
• Note: Some changes require removing entries first

Best Practices

Initial Setup

• Complete Planning: Have all meet details before starting
• Venue Verification: Confirm pool configuration and address
• Event Planning: Plan complete event lineup before creation
• Timeline: Create meets well in advance of competition

Configuration Management

• Standard Formats: Develop standard meet formats for consistency
• Template Usage: Use previous meets as templates when possible
• Documentation: Keep meet information documented
• Testing: Test configurations with sample data

Change Management

• Early Changes: Make configuration changes early in the process
• Impact Assessment: Consider how changes affect existing data
• Communication: Inform coaches and athletes of significant changes
• Backup: Keep backups of meet configurations

Integration with Other Features

Athlete Management

• Meet creation enables athlete entry processes
• Entry limits are enforced during seeding
• Division settings affect event eligibility

Results Processing

• Meet configuration determines result structure
• Lane assignments affect result imports
• Event setup enables proper result categorization

Reporting and Export

• Meet information appears on all reports
• Configuration affects export file formats
• Venue details support meet promotion