Behind the Scenes of a University Swimming Meet
Helena Roblas, D1 swimmer, shares her experience at a university meet and the excitement of travelling with the team for competitions
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to compete at a university swimming meet? Keystone Sports ambassador Helena Roblas takes you behind the scenes of a travel meet as a D1 swimmer. Helena earned a swimming scholarship in the United States and now competes at the highest level while pursuing her university degree. Dive in and discover everything about swimming meets!
A big part of being a student-athlete is competing, and this often involves travelling to different universities. While most of the time is spent either at the pool or the hotel, travel meets are still an exciting and fun experience to share with your team.
Some travel meets last only a day, but occasionally, we travel for an entire week. Here’s what our longest travel meet looked like.
Preparing for a University Travel Meet
I packed my bags on Tuesday afternoon and headed to the pool on Wednesday morning, fully prepared for the week ahead. The day started with a short wake-up swim at 6:00 a.m., followed by breakfast before we boarded the bus to Grand Junction, Colorado, at 8:00 a.m.
The journey was about seven hours, so most of us brought pillows and blankets to nap along the way. We spent the ride sleeping, listening to music, watching TV—sometimes we even brought films to watch together—doing coursework, or just chatting. We also enjoyed making TikToks and travel vlogs on the bus!
Arriving and Diving In
We arrived at the hotel at 3:45 p.m., dropped our suitcases in our rooms, and gathered our kit for the meet’s first session. This meet followed the format of a typical championship meet, running from Wednesday to Saturday.
We reached the pool at 4:30 p.m. for warm-ups, and the meet officially started at 6:00 p.m. The first session was relatively short, so we were back at the hotel by 8:00 p.m. to have dinner together.
The Routine of a University Swimming Meet
Championship meets involve preliminaries in the morning, finals in the evening, and relay races throughout.
On Thursday morning, I swam the 500 and an exhibition 50 freestyle. I qualified for the A final in the 500. At meets like this, you can only compete in a certain number of scoring events; any additional events are considered exhibition, meaning they don’t count towards the scoring finals.
Between sessions, we returned to the hotel for lunch, which was catered. Before travelling, we each submitted our food orders, so our meals were ready upon arrival. Some athletes spent time with their families, while the rest of us relaxed in our rooms.
With plenty of downtime between sessions—we’d be back at the hotel by 12:30 p.m. and not leave again until 3:15—I liked to take a nap or catch up on coursework if necessary. Luckily, this week I wasn’t too busy, so I could unwind!
Evening team dinners at the hotel were a highlight. We’d gather to eat, chat, and joke around, even with the coaches. After dinner, we’d review our team’s performance and plan for the next day.
After dinner, we all head back to our rooms; my roommate and I like to do some stretches before bed, and we usually watch a bit of TV together if it’s not too late. In the morning, we wake up about an hour before we need to leave for the pool, giving us time to have breakfast and prepare for the next session.
Cheering, Racing, and Bonding
During the meet sessions, we mostly plan our own schedules. Each of us knows when we’re swimming, so we can organise our dryland and swimming warm-ups accordingly, as well as when to put on our tech suits, head over to the competition pool, cool down, and so on. We’re all generally doing our own thing, but if we’re not swimming or getting ready to swim, everyone is always in the team area, cheering on our teammates who are racing.
Wrapping Up and Heading Home
With the final session on Saturday afternoon, we packed our bags before leaving the hotel so we could return home directly from the pool. Dinner that evening was pizza at the pool. We spent most of the bus ride home catching up on sleep since we were all so tired from the long week. By 2 a.m. Sunday, we were all back in our dorms and flats.
Travel meets are about more than just swimming. They’re an opportunity to strengthen bonds with your team, challenge yourself, and create lifelong memories. Whether cheering on my teammates from the poolside or celebrating a personal best, these moments remind me why I love being a student-athlete.
Keystone Sports specialises in helping international student-athletes secure sports scholarships in the US and Canada. Our team of experts has experienced this unique opportunity firsthand.
Interested in a sports scholarship in the US? Fill out our free evaluation form, and let us guide you on this exciting journey.
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