A Session is a schedule of events and rounds that are swum in a specified order. Although setting up a Session is NOT REQUIRED by Meet Manager, the advantage in setting up a Session is that when you go to print reports, seed, or run the meet, you don't have to think and remember "what events and rounds are being swum this afternoon". Another advantage in setting up a Session is that you can time-line that session and your entire meet. If you have a long distance session scheduled after a standard meet, or perhaps long distance events scheduled the evening before, or other natural separations those events should be in a separate session.

1. Select [Events]

2. Select [Sessions]

3. In the top table, highlight the desired session.

4. Select [Edit]

   • Start Time:  adjust to reflect the time provided in the meet announcement.

   • Course: confirm setting is properly set as a LC Meters or SC Meters as appropriate to your pool.  

Note: if you are conducting a meet at a facility with both LCM and SCM pools, and you intend to use both, you MUST put LCM and SCM events in separate sessions and select the appropriate course for each session.  Example: Session 1, 100 IMs, SCM.  Session 2, all other events, LCM.

4. • Confirm intervals:

     • • Interval: ‘45’

         • This is a generous interval. Teams should strive run their meets between 20 and 30

       • Extra Backstroke Interval:‘15’

Note: These settings determine the amount of time (in seconds) that is added to each heat to calculate the session timeline.  You may find that you need to adjust these times to more accurately reflect your team’s actual meet tempo. It doesn’t hurt anything if this is not set accurately, but the times on your session report won’t be accurate.  Figuring out what is accurate for your team is helpful for planning future meets, especially when estimating breaks and meet duration.

4. • Confirm that Max Entries for Meet Events Export to TM is set appropriately.  These limits will be exported in the event file.  Setting them correctly allows teams to have the appropriate limits on their team sign-ups for the meet.

   • Example Max Entries. Meet host may specify different limits in their meet announcement in accordance with the GMA:

     • • Max entries including relays:  ‘5’

       • Max individual entries: ‘3’

       • Max relay entries: ‘2’

       • Pentathlon

         • Max entries including relays:  ‘5’

         • Max individual entries: ‘5’

         • Max relay entries: ‘0

       • Other Configurations

         • Max entries including relays: Add the max individual entries and the max relay entries.

         • Max individual entries: Absolute maximum is 6 (USA-S §202.2.3).  Typically in the EFSL we limit to 5 or fewer.  This is completely at the discretion of the meet host.  Keep in mind that this number is the maximum for THIS SESSION only.
           → If you have more than one session, the maximum for the meet will be different than the maximum per session (see §3.7.3.2 Maximum individual entries per athlete).

         • Max relay entries: Usually 2, depending on how many relays you are offering.

5. Click [OK]

6. In the bottom right table labeled Session Schedule, check the order of events and make changes if needed.  Make sure all events are listed.

7. If you wish to add events in a second session:

   • Create a second session by clicking on [Add] if needed.  

   • Double click on events on the left side of the screen (Event List) to add to the Session Schedule on the right.  Double click on events on the right (Session Schedule) to remove from session.

   • Events should be listed exactly as they appear on the meet announcement.  If needed, edit events in the Events screen to adjust event details.

   • If you are offering the 1500 free, consult your meet announcement and referee to determine how the event should be seeded and swum.
     If allowed by your meet announcement, the referee may elect to swim these events fastest to slowest and/or alternating between boys’ and girls’ heats.  Confirm your event is set-up appropriately.

     • • Adjust seeding in the event setup on the Events page:

         • [Home] → [Events]

         • Double-click on the event to edit.

         • Heat Order: select radio button for ‘Slow to Fast’ or ‘Fast to Slow’

         • Click [OK].

       • Adjust alternating heats (girls/boys) on the Sessions page:

         • [Home] → [Events] → [Sessions]

         • To set up a pair of events to have alternating heats, you use the Alt column in the Session Schedule window.  

         • For example, to cause events 1 and 2 to alternate heats, you enter a 2 in the Alt column for Event #1 and a 1 will automatically be entered in the Alt column for Event #2.

         • Do not enter anything in the Alt Heats column.

         • When you print the meet program (heat sheet), the two events will be printed with the heats alternating.

Note: The events will print as alternating heats, but they remain separate events in the Run screen, and the statistician will need to alternate between the two events to enter results for each heat.  Example of heat sheet with 1500 free seeded fast to slow, alternating heats:

8. Close window when finished.

To save time later, it’s best to create your Time Trial (TT) events before the meet.

• If your TT events are distance- and stroke-specific (e.g., 50m freestyle), create them just like standard events. Be sure to check both Manual Seeding and Time Trial

• If you are running distance-specific events with stroke of choice, build out all the possible stroke options (e.g., freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, IM). Again, check Manual Seeding and Time Trial for each.

Next, add a new session and name it Time Trials, then move the newly created TT events into this session.

Important: When exporting events for teams, do not include the Time Trial events. Refer to the Export Events instructions for detailed steps.

1. First, make sure you have downloaded the current standards file from the EFSL website.  

2. Click [Events]

3. Click [Standards]

   • Note: If there are old standards which need to be removed, highlight the tag in the bottom left of the window and click on the delete icon (looks like an ‘X’, just above the tags), then [Yes].  Repeat this for each standard tag which needs to be removed.

4. To import the new time standards, click [Import] at the top of the window.

   • Navigate to wherever you saved the time standard (*.st2 or *.std) file which you downloaded. Click [Open].

   • Select the ‘QT**’ tag.

   • Click [OK].

5. Repeat the steps for the remaining tags.

6. Close the Time Standards window and Events window when complete. 

1. Meet Mobile is an application available for iOS and Android.  When Meet Mobile is enabled in the meet file and the computer running Meet Manager has internet access during the meet, anyone with the app (parents, grandparents, swimmers, etc.) can receive near real-time results (unofficial) directly on their personal devices.  Meet Mobile use is not mandatory, but it is an added and appreciated benefit if you are able.

   • Select [Set-up] → [Meet Mobile Publishing]

   • Select Settings tab

     • Check: 

       • ‘Full Meet Data’

       • ‘Free Heat Sheets’

     • [View Contract to Agree] → Enter full name and date of birth → [Agree] → [Confirm].

   • Select the Publish tab

     • In the top section, Meet Mobile General Meet Information, under ‘Team scoring options’, select ‘Male, Female, and Combined’ from the drop down box.

       • If hosting a Division Championship meet, do not post scores.

     • Check the ‘Display the event time line (recommended)’ check-box.

     • Click the [Publish General Meet Information] button.

2. Close the Meet Mobile Publishing window.

Complete the following steps to export your meet events for other teams and to import into Team Manager.

1. Select [File] → [Export] → [Events for TM]

2. Confirm meet information and click [Yes].  Pay particular attention to the dates and max entry limits.  Make corrections if necessary.

3. In the Export Events to TM window

   1. Under Conversions check ‘Team Manager...entry times CAN be converted…’

   2. Under Events, Check ‘Standard Events’

4. Select [OK]

5. In the Meet Events window, navigate in the ‘Copy Meet Events File to:’ window to your desired meet folder.

6. Select [OK]

Pentathlon and IMX events are not scored individually.  Each swimmer’s times from each of the five events are added together, and scoring is based on fastest total times.  Swimmers who do not compete in all five events or who receive a DQ in one or more events are not eligible for pentathlon awards, regardless of performance in any individual event.

The EFSL Pentathlon and IMX meet template should already be configured for combined events (pentathlon scoring).  If you are building a new meet file, follow these directions to set up combined events for a pentathlon.

1. Open your pentathlon or IMX meet file.

2. Select [Events]

3. Select [Combined Events]

4. In the Combined Events section (upper table), if there are combined events visible, delete each event by clicking to highlight, then clicking on [Delete] → [Yes] → [Yes].

5. When there are no more combined events remaining in the upper table, select [Add].

6. In the Add New Combined Event window:

   • Gender: Check ‘Alt Gender’ box, check ‘Girls’.

   • Age Group: Check ‘8 & Under’

     • Note: The age groups used are for demonstration purposes only. Your meet announcement may have different age groups.

   • Type: Check ‘Pentathlon’

   • Click [OK].  This creates the Girls 8 & Under Pentathlon event.  The gender should automatically change to ‘Boys’ and ‘Combined Event #’ should have increased by 1.  Click [OK] again.  This creates the Boys 8 & Under Pentathlon event.
     
     

Note: You will NOT see the events you are creating populate in the Combined Events table as you make them.  If you want to check your progress, click [Cancel] or close the window by clicking the ‘X’ in the top right corner of the pop-up window.  You should now see the new combined events you just created.

6. • Create the remaining events (pay attention to the alternating gender):

     • • Custom Age: 9-9

       • Custom Age: 10-10

       • Custom Age: 11-11

       • Custom Age: 12-12

       • Custom Age: 13-13

       • Custom Age: 14-14

       • Custom Age: 15-16

       • Custom Age: 17-19

   • When complete, close the pop-up window by clicking [Cancel].  The Combined Events table should now have combined events populated.

   • In the Combined Events table, select the first CombEvt#, ‘1001’.

   • In the Event List (bottom left table), double-click each event (5 total).

   • The Sub Event Schedule (bottom right table) will populate with each event you double click.  Confirm that all five events are listed here.

   • Repeat for the remaining events in the Combined Events table.

Did you know that Meet Manger has built-in PDF forms, and that you can add any custom PDF you wish?  First, you may want to see what is already available in your copy of Meet Manager.

1. Select [Reports] → [Administrative] → [PDF Forms]

You should see a selection of USA Swimming PDF forms, notably lap counter sheets for LCM and SCM 800 and 1500 free.

If you or your officials or other members of your meet management team have a strong preference for a particular form, you can add it to your copy of Meet Manager so it is available to be printed on the fly.

For example, you may wish to include a scratch sheet form.  There is one available in the EFSL Statisticians page of the EFSL TeamUnify website.  

1. First, download it to your computer and save it in your downloads folder or somewhere you can locate it.  Right click on the file and select [Copy].

2. Add the desired PDF to the Meet Manager install directory in the folder ‘PDFForms’.  For example, the default location for the ‘PDFForms’ folder in Meet Manager 8.0 is: C:\Hy-Sport\SwMM8\PDFForms

3. Right click and select [Paste] to put a copy of the PDF in your Meet Manager PDF Forms folder.

4. You will need to exit and re-open Meet Manager to find your new form in the PDF Forms available under the [Reports] tab. 

1. Select [Set-up] →  [Options]

2. Check box labeled ‘Change number of lanes for all Final Rounds to:’

3. In the block to the right of ‘Change number of lanes for all Final Rounds to:’ enter number of lanes your normal pool has or uses during a meet.

4. Click [OK] →  [OK] →  [Yes] →  [OK]

5. Click [Close].

Backing up a database means taking the currently opened *.mdb database file, zipping it so that the size of the file can be shrunk six fold or so, and then copying it to a zip drive or your hard drive.  Backing up your database is extremely important because it protects you from the loss of your data from accidental causes or from the malfunction of your hardware.

It is common practice to back up your meet file after each of the following actions:

• Initial meet file set-up

• Entries import

• Relay verification

• Before seeding

• After seeding

• After lane adjustments / combining events

Follow these steps to back-up your meet file:

Create Meet Backup File

1. Select [File] → [Backup] (Shortcut: CTRL + B)

2. In the Backup Current Database window, navigate to the folder in which you wish to place your backup.

3. Select [OK]

4. In the Backup Options window, you may check ‘Include a message’ if you wish to include notes with your backup, such as what actions you have taken in the file.  The message will be visible if you ever restore your meet file from this backup.

5. Select [OK]

6. Enter your notes about the actions you have completed

7. Select [OK] → [OK] 

Restore Meet Backup

If you are changing computers, or if you made a mistake and want to go back to a previous backup, you will need to restore a meet back up:

1. Select [File] → [Restore]

2. If you need to replace the current database with an old backup (if, for example, you made a mistake and want to go backwards), select ‘Replace currently open database in C:\swmeets8\filename.mdb’.  The currently open database will be lost.

3. If you are changing computers, or are trying to restore a database that is NOT the same meet as the file you are currently using, select ‘Unzip, copy database to a selected folder, and open this new database’.

4. Click [OK].