Cody's Top Carnival tips

Preparing for your first school swimming carnival is often daunting and nerve-wrecking, so our National swimmer swimming instructor, Cody Parsons, has provided us with her top preparation tips and race advice that she applies when she is leading up to her carnivals and about to race!

1. Eat a good dinner the night before.
2. Get a good night sleep.
3. Have a good breakfast/stay hydrated all the way up to your race.
4. Arrive with plenty of time in case the carnival is running ahead.
5. Stretch before your swim- warm up eg leg swigs & arm swings are good.
6. In your warm up swim, do a couple of dives.
7. Stay relaxed in the marshalling area, too much nerves use up energy!
8. Don't breathe first stroke out of your dives and turns.
9. Streamline for as long as you can out of dives and turns.
10. Don't breathe in the last 5-10m, keep your head down and get to the wall. 
11. If you're doing backstroke, know how many strokes you take between the flags and the wall.
12. Be confident about your race.
13. Try your best and don't give up!