Swim Team Parent Handbook Summer 2014

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Melvyn Marshall
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1 Swim Team Parent Handbook Summer 2014 COACHES Daniel Jessen Lizzy Wall Abigail Fleming Colleen Nary TEAM REPS A Meet Rep - Maureen Carlstrom (703) B Meet Rep Melissa Gillis (703) astswimreps@gmail.com

2 Welcome to the 2014 Annandale Red Tide Swim Team! Welcome back to all our returning Red Tide swimmers and parents! We are happy that you have come back to swim for what we consider one of the best summer swim programs in the Northern Virginia area. Also we would like to welcome all our new Red Tide swimmers and parents. Thank you for coming onto the team and we know that your family will make a great additional to our team. We welcome back Daniel Jessen, Lizzy Wall and Abigail Fleming. We also welcome our newest coach Colleen Nary. Are we ready for an exciting 2014 season?? After a flawless victory season last year we are in Division 13 this year. We will be swimming against five pools. Look for information regarding the annual Woodley Mini-Meet, the annual Swim-A-Thon, movie day and hoping to have other exciting events! The last page of the handbook includes a calendar and a listing of where all the away meets will be held at. Communication We as a team cannot successfully survive without communication all around. We know that there are several new families and families that do not have English as their first language please do not allow this to stop you from speaking to the coaches and reps. It is very difficult to have veteran parents come to us and explain situations. Veteran parents

3 please walk those new parents over to us and help by making sure that the communication lines are open. is the primary source of information from the coaches and the reps. The coaches will have a new account this year and as soon as we have it we will get the information out to you. The reps use astswimreps@gmail.com. This goes to both team reps. Please use for any and all communication. Phone numbers for reps are on the front of the handbook please put these in your phone! If you re late to a meet, calling us is the best and fastest way for us to get your swimmer taken care of on deck. At the front desk there is a file folder holder that contains ribbons from every meet for all swimmers. The folders are grouped by families be sure to check your folders weekly they fill up quick! Safety Safety is of high importance not just at our pool but at all pools we visit too. Please encourage your swimmer to follow all pool rules posted. At our pool one important safety rule is to stay off the bulkhead. The only time a swimmer is allowed on the bulkhead is when they are directed by a coach, rep or deck official. NO ONE is allowed to push ANYONE while standing on the bulkhead. If this rule is not followed during a swim practice or swim meet, your swimmer will be asked to leave and if it s a meet their spot in their race will be forfeited. Some swimmers do ride bikes to and from the pool for practice and meets. Please be aware when driving through the parking lot.

4 Meet and Practice Attendance Swim season lasts 9 weeks from the first practice through Divisionals. While we understand and respect that there is life outside the swim team, we ask that you commit to attending all practices and meets. Beginning the morning after Fairfax County Public Schools are out (Thursday, June 26), practice times are every weekday as followed: 10 and under 7:50am-9:00am 11 and up 9:00am-10:30am Afternoon practices will be Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday and will begin Thursday, June 26 and are as followed: All ages 4:30pm-5:30pm Swimmers are expected to be on time and ready to swim. Please make sure that they have goggles and a swim cap. YES all swimmers should have a swim cap even boys. Latex caps are allowed but silicone caps are more comfortable for swimmers. You can purchase either at any sport store. We do have silicone Red Tide caps available to purchase. Please see one of the reps. RULES FOR PRACTICE: Swimmers are expected to attend every practice however we do know that things come up like appointments and vacations. If your swimmer misses two or more practices in a week, regardless of their swim time, they will not be allowed to swim in that week s A Meet unless there is an empty spot in their age group and stroke. For missed practices we are requiring a full 24 hours notice before the morning practice. Please the reps so that we can report it to the coaches.

5 If you have a vacation planned during the swim season, we ask that you the reps as soon as possible that your swimmer(s) will miss practices and the meet they will miss. Please know that this is not a punishment for our swimmers. We are a team and every swimmer is putting forth their best effort. Please speak to one of the reps if there s any misunderstanding to this new rule.

6 Monday Night B Meets Swimmers can enter any two events in B Meets except as detailed below: 1) A swimmer who places first or second during a Saturday A Meet may NOT swim the event in which they placed. 2) Any swimmer competing in an unofficial heat is ineligible for ribbons. Ribbons Ribbons for both A and B Meets are awarded for 1 st through 6 th places finishes. Ribbons may also be awarded at the end of the season for personal best times. Buddy Program Each year we assign buddies between the older and younger swimmers. Sometimes there are a group of three buddies. Older buddies are there to assist their younger buddies in things like putting on their caps, acting as legs for back stroke, stroke technique, and overall we hope that all buddies develop a bond throughout the season that can last for years to come. Buddies are encouraged to support their buddies while swimming by cheering them on or making them a poster. Some buddies do gift exchanges at meets we do not encourage nor promote this BUT we do not discourage it either. We ask that if you choose to do this keep the gifts limited to Gatorades or a snack after they are done swimming.

7 Buddies will not be members of the same swim family and we try to mix up the buddies as to not have people have the same ones each year. There is a Meet Your Buddy night please see the calendar for the date. Volunteering ***UPDATED RULE FOR VOLUNTEERING!!!!! The year we are requiring that all families volunteer for at least five (5) meets. Sign-Up Genius will be active again this year. Please use this to sign up. We advise you to get signed up now we will start to assign parents/families as the season goes on. This includes working in the concession area. We are heavy on swimmers but light on parents translation = lots of multi-children families. We know that this is A LOT to ask but please understand that this is strictly a necessity. Signing up for more is of course welcomed. Electronics All electronics, including and not limited to: Cell phones, Smartphones, iphones itouches, ipods Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Gameboys Are NOT PERMITTED to be in the team area during meets. There is no exception. If your swimmer is seen with an electronic device, a coach or team rep will take the device and bring it to you. The time frame of the meet includes from the moment they place their belongings down in the

8 team area to the end of the swim meet. If your swimmer is done swimming, they are expected to cheer on their team mates. Team Area The team area is to house the ENTIRE team during meets. DO NOT ENCOURAGE your swimmer to come up and sit with you. If you have a snack for them, please bring it to them in the team area. A coach or rep will ask your swimmer to return to the team area if they are seen not in the area. The reasons for this is to promote team spirit and also if coaches need to find your swimmer quickly. Weather Practice and meets will only be cancelled if there is heavy downpour, thunder, or lighting. Meets may not be canceled but may be postponed for a certain time (i.e. an hour later). Please do not leave the pool where the meet is being held. If the meet is cancelled you will receive an and/or hear from a coach or rep first hand. Practices that are cancelled will have an sent out as soon as the decision is made. Please be sure to have an updated address in the system. Officials Volunteering for meets is greatly appreciated. However, the NVSL does require specific attire be worn when working on deck. A white shirt and blue bottoms (shorts/skirt) is required. Footwear is not specific but beware - your feet will get wet so we recommend either water shoes or flip flops. Standing in wet sneakers is not fun.

9 Hints to Help Your Swimmer be more Successful Allow your swimmer to have a good night s sleep the night before the meet. Coaches do not allow swimmers swimming in an A meet to play around at the pool on the Friday night before the meet. If your swimmer is seen in the pool and they are swimming Saturday morning, a coach or rep will ask the swimmer to get out of the pool to rest up for the morning. Encourage good eating habits at home and at the pool. Coaches and reps request that you DO NOT feed your swimmer sweets or candy at the meets until they are completely done swimming. Please feed them fruit or other forms of protein. Candy and sweets will only make your swimmer feel weighed down in the pool. NO DONUTS!!! Find Mrs. Gillis and ask her about what happened to her kids last year at a meet with donuts. Avoid criticism of the coach or other team members in front of your swimmer. Remember kids hear more than you think! Don t try to coach your swimmer we have four great ones to do that. Your most important role CHEER and SUPPORT your swimmer! Swimmers should swim to their own goals and objectives. Try not to bribe or encourage them with rewards if they win a heat. Be enthusiastic and supportive! Be a good role model not just to your own swimmer but all swimmers. We like to think of ourselves as a family. Remember the end goal is for all swimmers to have FUN and to love swimming. Pushing your swimmer when they don t want it will only result in their distaste for swimming.

10 DOs and DON Ts of Proper Eating Habits DO carb-up for swim meets. Carbohydrate rich foods such as pasta help build the nutrition reserves your swimmer will need while swimming. The best time to carb-up is at least a day ahead. Make Wednesdays and Thursdays Pasta Nights in your home for Saturday meets. Spaghetti, Lasagna, Macaroni & Cheese and Pizza are all excellent foods to carb-up on. DO eat a light but healthy snack before swim meets. Fruits and dry cereals are excellent. Avoid sugar coated cereals and donuts. Make sure to have plenty of water, juice, or sports drink. DO bring a healthy snack to swim meets. Fruit or dry cereals (like Cheerios) are excellent. DO bring something to drink during swim meets. Swimming will dehydrate you, but because you re in the water you never notice that you re sweating. Dehydration is often overlooked in swimming because of this, and what is more dangerous is that a swimmer can pass out or greatly hurt their performance. Even if they are not thirsty during a meet, encourage them to drink more. DO get a good night s rest before a Saturday meet. DON T spend an active afternoon in the sun before an evening meet. DON T bring sweet juices and carbonated beverages to drink at a swim meet. Drinks should be limited to water, sports drink or diluted juice. DON T eat high sugar foods before or during a meet. This includes doughnuts, pastries, pixy stix, and bottle pops, among many other foods! You are welcome to indulge after you swim.

11 Event Against Location Start Date Start Time End Time Time Trials AST 6/14/2014 8:00 AM 11:00 AM PARENT MEETING AST 6/14/2014 IMMEDIATELY AFTER TIME TRIALS B Meet Forest Hollow AST 6/16/2014 6:00 PM 9:00 PM Suit try-ons AST 6/17/2014 4:00 PM 6:00 PM Pep Rally/ Buddy Meet AST 6/20/2014 6:00 PM 7:30 PM A Meet Olde Keen Mill AST 6/21/2014 8:00 AM 1:00 PM B Meet Sommerset Creek SOC 6/23/2014 6:00 PM 9:00 PM Pasta Night/Poster Night AST 6/27/2014 6:00 PM 7:30 PM A Meet SHRA SHRA 6/28/2014 8:00 AM 1:00 PM B Meet Bren Mar Bren Mar 6/30/2014 6:00 PM 9:30 PM Little Tides Begins (until 7/23) AST 7/1/ :30AM 11:00AM A Meet Lakeview Lakeview 7/5/2014 8:00 AM 1:00 PM B Meet Linconia Park AST 7/7/2014 6:00 PM 9:30 PM Relay Carnival Woodley 7/9/2014 6:00 PM 10:00 PM Swim-a-thon AST 7/10/2014 8:00 AM 11:00 AM Pancake Team Breakfast AST 7/11/2014 AM PRACTICE A Meet Parliament AST 7/12/2014 8:00 AM 1:00 PM TEAM PICTURES AST 7/12/2014 AFTER A MEET Pasta/Skit Night AST 7/18/2014 6:30 PM 8:00 PM A Meet Woodley AST 7/19/2014 8:00 AM 1:00 PM Woolley Mini Meet Woodley 7/20/2014 8:00 AM 2:00 PM IM Carnival AST 7/21/2014 6:00 PM 9:00 PM Divisionals Parliament 7/26/2014 8:00 AM 2:00 PM Banquet AST 7/27/2014 4:30 PM 8:30 PM All Stars AST 8/2/ :00AM 12:00 AM

12 AWAY MEET POOLS ONLY A Meet Pools SHRA, 3538 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church, (703) Lakeview, 5352 Gainsborough Drive, Fairfax, (703) B Meet Pools Somerset Olde Creek, 9703 Laurel Street, Fairfax, (703) Bren Mar, 5505 Montgomery Street, Springfield, (703) Relay Carnival AND Woodley Mini Meet Woodley, 7421 Camp Alger Avenue, Falls Church (703) Divisionals Parliament, 8510 Parliament Drive, Springfield, (703)

Swim Team. Parents Handbook

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