For meet officials
For meet officials
You are not the one buying tattoos, and that is fine — but a deck of swimmers who actually know their heat and lane is a deck that runs on time. When race info is legible and consistent, marshaling is faster and there is less confusion at the blocks.
Key takeaways
- Swimmers who know their own heat and lane marshal faster and seed correctly.
- A consistent, legible grid beats illegible marker scrawl at the blocks.
- Fewer scratched or missed heats from swimmers who lost track of their schedule.
- Officials don’t buy it, but clearer race info makes their job smoother — so many recommend it.
What you’re up against
- Swimmers arriving at the clerk or the blocks unsure of their heat or lane.
- Marker scrawl on an arm that nobody can read when it matters.
- Delays and re-checks that ripple through a tight session timeline.
- Repeating heat and lane assignments swimmer by swimmer at the start.
How EHLStat fits
Swimmers seed themselves correctly
When event, heat, lane, and stroke are readable on the arm, swimmers show up to the right place, and the clerk of course spends less time sorting them out.
Consistent info is easier to verify
A pre-formatted grid reads the same from swimmer to swimmer, so a quick glance confirms a lane assignment instead of deciphering a scrawl.
Legible through warm-ups and the race
Waterproof ink means the info is still readable when a swimmer reaches the blocks, not smeared away in the warm-up pool.
How to start
- 1
Point families to the heat sheet
Officials and coaches already steer families to the meet program — the same events, heats, lanes, and strokes that go on the tattoo.
- 2
Swimmers arrive marked and ready
With the lineup filled into the pre-formatted grid, swimmers reach the clerk and the blocks already knowing where they belong.
- 3
Run a tighter session
Faster marshaling and fewer "which lane?" questions keep the heats moving, which is good for everyone on deck.
Frequently asked
Do officials buy or provide these?
No. EHLStat is bought by families, swimmers, and coaches. Officials simply benefit when race info is legible and consistent, and many recommend clearer info for exactly that reason.
Is writing race info on the arm allowed?
Writing your own event, heat, and lane on the arm is a long-standing, common practice at meets. EHLStat keeps that info on a clean, waterproof surface rather than bare skin. Always follow the rules of the sanctioning body for your meet.
How does this actually speed up marshaling?
A clerk of course moves faster when swimmers already know their heat and lane and can confirm it at a glance. Consistent, legible info means fewer stops to sort out who goes where.
A deck that knows where it belongs
When swimmers carry clear, consistent race info, marshaling is faster and the blocks are calmer. Point your families to EHLStat.