Meet is Streaming -- Insights

With the current global pandemic closing swim meets to spectators, many parents are missing the opportunity to watch their kid’s progression as a swimmer. Some teams have scrambled to set up live stream systems, but with no easy way to see the scoreboard it is difficult (and sometimes impossible!) for viewers to know what event they are watching or what time their swimmer goes.

Occoquan Swimming (OCCS) had their first post-shutdown meet in August and has since hosted 10 meets at their northern Virginia facility. Central to the meet experience has been providing parents with one of the best live streams in the nation. Through lots of trial and error, and a desire to improve the live stream experience with every meet, the team has created a set up and viewing experience that has attracted more than 10,000 unique viewers since it started live streaming meets on its YouTube page.

“The creation of the OCCS Youtube channel, with the ability to livestream swim meets, has proven to be just the innovation OCCS, our families and frankly, what the entire swimming community needs right now,” said OCCS President Steve Maynard. “This technology is here to stay and will make sitting at a swim meet for hours to watch 30 seconds a relic of the past,” he continued.

The live stream has even allowed some of Occoquan’s youngest swimmers see what a swim meet was like to help calm nerves and encourage participation in something they otherwise may not have participated in.

The team has received so many inquiries about its live stream setup that it has partnered with other companies and developers to provide the same software and hardware it uses as a plug and play package that is available to teams in the local area and across the nation. For teams in the DC-Maryand-Virginia area, OCCS also provides free installation as part of the purchase of its live stream set up. While the package includes everything needed (streaming PC, software, cameras and cables) if a team already has parts of an existing live stream set up, OCCS can also provide any of these components by themselves to lower the barrier to entry.

• More information.
• If you have more questions about this live stream system or would like to get it installed at your facility please contact Nick Kulick.