If you have meets that are set up the way you like, you can easily save the setup of each type of meet as a Meet Template (except for multi-session meets, which are not supported as meet templates at this time). 

1. Go to the meet you want to use as a model from your Schedule page.
2. Navigate to Meet Setup > Events and click the Actions button.
3. Select Save as Meet Template to create a template from the events, rules, and configurations of the selected meet.
4. Save the template with a unique name for easy identification.

You will be taken into this new Meet Template, where you can review each of the settings tabs that make up the meet template rules to make modifications as needed.

If you do not have swim meets set up to save as Meet Templates, you can create Meet Templates from scratch either by importing a meet event file (preferred) or manually.

➧ Import Meet Event File with Template Settings

We recommend creating a new meet by importing a Meet Events file; then you can save your Meet Template from there. Choose the Add Swim Meet menu and then Import Meet Event File.

Go to Meet Setup > Events, click on the Actions button, then select Save As Meet Template (this will create a Meet Template you can continue to configure).

After saving, you will be taken to your meet template where you can complete the setup by going through each of the configuration tabs:

➧ Manually Create Your Templates

This option is not recommended, since you have to manually create each event, but it is an option when you do not have a meet event file to upload. 

Go to Schedule > Meet Templates > + Add Template > [enter details] > Save

➞ Meet Type: Choose what kind of meet this template is for (dual / tri / multi-team, invitational, championship, and so on). Meets created from or linked to the template inherit this setting, and league participation rules use this to decide which meets count.

Meet Events, including individual, relay, diving, and individual/relay event groups, can be imported (suggested - if possible) or manually created, edited, and deleted from within your Meet Templates or directly within the meet itself. Your meet events are the first page you are taken to when you create or edit your meet template, and will be listed under the Meet Setup > Events subtab within your meet.

➞ See Meet Setup: Events

School Team Events: The NHFS order of events is used in our default meet templates. If you are not seeing these meet templates, submit a support ticket, and we will update your site.

We have many entry rules configuration options, but not all rules are applicable to each team. From general rules like entry limits and results editing, to specific rules surrounding individual and relay entries. 

Like many configurations provided to offer flexibility to our customers, entry rules can vary greatly between leagues and teams. Before you can begin entering swimmers in events, you'll need to confirm that your meet entry requirements and rules are accurately set. 

Set the rules for your Meet Template under the Entry Rules subtab.

➞ See Meet Setup: Entry Rules

Meet entry fees can be set up on your Meet Templates (preferred) or directly within your Meet Setup. The fees will be calculated, but online payment or collection of entry fees during meet signup is not available at this time. There is a report available to track these payments owed, and we do have options for how you can collect these fees using a merchandise item or a non-swim meet event. 

Set the fees for your Meet Template under the Entry Fees subtab.

➞ See Meet Setup: Entry Fees

Eligibility / Participation Requirements are useful for tracking and enforcing rules that require a minimum level of participation. A common case would be a championship meet with a rule requiring athletes to have swum in a certain number of meets during the regular season to enter the championship meet.

Set the participation requirements for your Meet Template under the Eligibility subtab.

➞ See Meet Setup: Eligibility/Participation Requirements 

Many Leagues and teams will have varying seeding and scoring rules. For most teams, the league will have set seeding and scoring rules, but if not, they can be set in a Meet Template one time or individually for each meet. Settings for seeding and scoring transfer to Swimtopia Meet when you merge the meet.

Set the seeding and scoring rules for your Meet Template under the Seeding & Scoring subtab.

➞ See Swimtopia - Set Up and Preview Seeding & Scoring Rules

Templates are not static. As your needs evolve, you can edit your meet templates by going to the Meet Templates section and selecting the template you want to update. 

Changes made to the template will not automatically affect past meets, but they will apply to any future meets where the template is applied.

To edit, click on the name of the template.  There, you'll find four configuration tabs:  Events, Entry Rules, Entry Fees, Eligibility, and Seeding & Scoring (only for Swimtopia Meet users).

Click on the pencil icon next to the template name if you need to edit the name, description, or Meet Type:

➧ What is the Meet Type used for? Some teams and leagues use this setting to decide which meets count for participation.

Once you've created one Meet Template, you can Copy Template and make any modifications so the new template can be used with a different kind of meet, such as a Divisionals or Championship meet.

Now that you've set up your Meet Templates, you're ready to apply a Meet Template to your meets. If you haven't set up any meets yet, ➞ see our Help Center article about Creating Meets (Options).

Go to Manage Team › Schedule › Select a Meet › Meet Setup › Linking. 

Under Hosting this meet, or running it on your own? click Choose a Template… and pick the template. 

If the meet already has events, you will be asked to confirm any events the template would remove. Your meet then stays in sync with the template: later edits to the template flow to the meet, and the template's settings are read-only on the meet.

Locked Template View:

➧ What are Shared Meet Templates?

Leagues that take advantage of our free league site offer have the ability to create and share Meet Templates with all teams in the league using Swimtopia. This is a great time-saving feature for each team, AND when applied to meets by all teams, this guarantees that each team will be using the exact same list of events to avoid any meet hassles.

If your league offers the option of shared meet templates, these will be indicated on your site with a link icon and your league's abbreviations.

» Note: The link icon signifies the template is locked and cannot be edited by anyone outside of the league. If you feel changes are needed, contact your league.

Applying shared league meet templates to your meets follows the same process outlined above, with templates you have created.

While setting up a Meet Template, admins on a team or league can decide whether to lock the template to prevent any changes from being made to any meets that are linked to this template:

Once a Meet Template has been applied to a meet, when you click on any of that meet's four template subtabs under Meet Setup, you'll see a message saying the meet is linked to a Meet Template (along with the name of the template).

If the Meet Template is not locked, you'll see a message similar to this one:

Click on the Unlink Template button to make edits to any of the four subtabs or to apply a new Meet Template (from the Linking tab).

If the Meet Template is locked, you won't be able to edit any of the four subtabs, and you'll see a message like this one: 

When you change any part of a Meet Template, every upcoming meet linked to it updates within about a minute. Past meets are not updated. 

If a change removes an event that already has entries, the change still applies — the entries are "parked," not lost. The meet's Entries tab shows a Parked Entries badge, and the Parked Entries page lets the team move each entry to another event, discard it, or restore the event. 

Parked entries restore automatically if a matching event is added back with an applied template.

If a meet shows Out of sync with the meet template — needs attention on its Linking page, the items listed there explain what could not be applied.