Friday Night Lights: What We Love About Intrasquad Meets

There is nothing better than an intrasquad meet. Racing event after event without a warmdown, arms feeling like weights, corkscrew relays, the whole team cheering behind lanes. A Friday Night Lights meet is time spent with teammates and family enjoying the sport of swimming (without the drama from the show). Here are a few things we love about intrasquad meets:

Racing Fun Events

Everyone has that one race that they have not raced in years. An intrasquad meet is the time to have fun and to race events that are outside of the norm. There isn’t the pressure of having to perfect your best races. These events are a good way to get on the blocks and to enjoy competing, and perhaps even drop more than 10 seconds – since the last time you raced the event was years ago.

Friendly Competition

Splitting into two competing teams for the intrasquad meet is the perfect way to have some friendly competition between teammates. There is an extra vibrance to racing the teammates you see every day, even if it is just for bragging rights.

Practice Races

Even if one of your best events is held after doing a corkscrew relay, getting another chance to swim the event under different conditions is helpful. Every time you race an event, you learn something new. The unique atmosphere and demand of an intrasquad meet helps preparation for racing under pressure.

Team Spirit

There are very few meets where every athlete of all age groups can swim at the same meet. Intrasquad meets are times where the whole team is competing together. This makes an environment that is full of joy for all members of the team.

Friday Night Plans

What else would we be doing on a Friday night? These meets are fun ways to send off the week and welcome the weekend. There’s no better way to start than by hanging out with teammates and doing a bit of racing.

Getting to Know New Teammates

Since there are teammates from all ages competing, some relays or events may be swum with kids of all ages. These meets are good ways to meet older and younger teammates and begin to develop relationships.

Eating Afterward

The end of a long day at school and a heap of racing means that it is past time for food. Going out with teammates to grab some food, or even having something to eat at the pool, finishes the night with a bang.

Team Cheers

In earlier events, teammates cheer each other to success. Sometimes, each intrasquad team creates their own cheers to say at the beginning. In the best intrasquad meets, the last couple of relays decide which team wins. In those moments, the whole team gets behind the lanes to cheer their teammates on. No matter who wins, the team always comes together to perform the team cheer at the end.

What are some of your favorite memories of intrasquad meets? Let us know in the comments.

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