Tips for the winter swim & dive season

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Laurence Jacobs
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1 SWIM & DIVE TEAM NEW PARENT HANDBOOK Tips for the winter swim & dive season New Parent Liason: Angelina Bevivino

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS RSVPing for meets Dual Meets vs. Invitationals Lineups Explained What are they writing on their arms? What is an IM? How do relays work? What if my child DQs? What to bring to a meet Where to find ribbons after a meet Volunteering for meets Suit and Hair Care

3 RSVPing for Swim Meets When you go to the HHAA website, you will have access to sign up OR sign out for all of the meets. If your child will not be able to attend a meet, please RSVP noting they will not attend ***AS SOON AS POSSIBLE***. All RSVPs must be in by the Wednesday prior to the Saturday meet (no exceptions). The coaches spend days setting lineups and it helps so much for them to have advanced knowledge on who will be there. When you RSVP, you also have the opportunity to select your volunteer role. ALL parents are required to volunteer at a minimum of 3 meets during the dual meet season. The earlier you sign up, the more likely you are to get the job you want. Meet managers will assign volunteers to any unfilled volunteer slots. If assigned volunteers do not show up to the meet, their swimmer will not be permitted to swim. Scroll down to Volunteering to get a complete description of each job. RSVPing for Diving Meets At this time RSVP'ing and Volunteering for the Diving meets is being handled via a SignUp Genius which the coach will distribute via . 2

4 Dual vs. Invitational Meets (and what s the difference) Dual Meets Dual Meets are meets held between TWO teams. Our swimmers & divers go head to head with another team. They are also separated into boys and girls meets. Meets are on Saturday afternoons beginning at the beginning of November. Only 1 st -5 th place of the first heat of a dual meet count for points. The other heats are exhibition (even if swimmers in the exhibition heats have faster times). For swimming, if the girls team is home (at HHAA), the boys team will be away that weekend. Swimmers must arrive half an hour before the meet for warm ups. Meets typically last 2 ½-3 hours. Swimmers must swim in a minimum of two (2) of the five (5) dual meets. If a swimmer does not attend two of the five dual meets, they will be unable to swim or dive in the conference or league dual meets or champs meets. They may also be prohibited from registration for future HHAA seasons. Our team will typically be in every other lane (ex. Lanes 1, 3, 5) for an event so they are swimming next to an opposing team s swimmer. Sometimes, the final heat of an event for our youngest swimmers will have only swimmers from one team filling some or all of the lanes. This just gives those young swimmers an opportunity to race. Diving meets are coed and will be held either at Simmons or at our opponent s pool. The location will be communicated ahead of time. There is no additional cost to participate in the dual meets. 3

5 Invitational Meets An invitational is an opportunity for your swimmer to swim against any other swimmer in the league who chooses to go to that meet. So, many teams across the league will be represented. Invitationals are typically on Saturday or Sunday mornings for 10U swimmers starting around 7am for warm ups. 11and up begin early afternoon. These meets can run anywhere from 2 ½-4 1/2 hours depending on the number of swimmers. Some invitationals have 7+ heats of swimmers. Check the SAL invitational calendar to see a listing of all invitationals. You will be able to see a flier for each meet with specific details. Invitationals are NOT required. They just give your swimmer another chance to drop time and swim against other teams all in one place. Check the Meet Mobile app (you can download on the App Store) to see lineups and seeding for many of the invitational meets. You get to choose which events your child will swim and pay for them via the HHAA website. Cost is typically $4 per event. All invitationals offered are on the HHAA website under Meet Schedule. s are being sent out to remind everyone of deadlines. Lineups Explained Coaches will post the lineup at the Friday night practice. If your child isn t swimming that night, they will be posted on the walls along the pool deck. If you take a picture with your phone, you can then share the lineup with your child and have it in the stands for easy access. The line up will show you which events, heat and lane your child will swim in. Typically, they will be in anywhere from 2-4 events total including relays. 4

6 Find your child s name and take a look at the listing. The # shows the number of the event they are swimming. Then, the type of event will be listed and then you will see something like 1/5 or 3/4 or or 2/6. The first number is the heat they are in. At dual meets, swimmers with the fastest time in that event go first. Just to make things confusing, at invitationals, swimmers with the fastest times in that event go LAST. The number after the / is the lane they are in. In this example, Luca Bevivino is in event #11 which is the 25 Free. She is in heat 2 swimming in lane 3. The next section explains how that is translated onto their arms. **Lineups for invitationals are available for purchase AT THE MEET and cost around $3 (also check Meet Mobile as they may be posted there). What are they writing on their arms? Because there are so many events with multiple heats, the kids will write the Event, Heat, Lane and Stroke on their arms in sharpie marker so they know what they are swimming. It typically looks like this: 5

7 Children 10 and under will be lined up by deck parents. Don t worry. The deck parents/coaches will get your child ready and lined up for their race. Parents are NOT allowed to be on deck during the meet. Get your child settled and head up to the balcony. What is an IM? IM is short for Individual Medley. This is where a swimmer swims all four strokes in the following order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle. Ask Coach if she thinks your child is ready to try an IM. Remember, they can only learn by doing it! 6

8 How Do Relays Work? At the beginning and end of each meet, there are relays. The first relay is a Medley Relay. This means that all four strokes are swam. The order of this relay is Back, Breast, Fly, Free (think of it as alphabetical order). 8U swim one lap of each so it totals to a 100Y relay. Since they only swim one lap of each, you will see swimmers that swim the 1 st and 3 rd strokes will be up at the starting blocks and the 2 nd and 4 th will be on the other end of the pool. 9 and over swim two laps of each so it totals to a 200Y relay. The lineup looks like this: Event 5 Girls Yard Medley Relay ============================================================================= == Team Seed Finals Points ============================================================================= == Hatboro Horsham Aquatic Associ-MA 'A' NT 2: ) Fazio, Elizabeth 10 2) Claveau, Laney G 10 3) Parker, Sarah E 9 4) Bevivino, Gianna E 10 The very last events of the meet will be the Free Relays. All four legs of this relay are Freestyle. They are an exciting way to end a meet. The same is true in terms of 8U swimming just one lap of the pool and 9 and up swimmers swimming two laps. So, 8U will have two swimmers at the starting blocks and two at the other side of the pool while 9 and up swimmers will all be at the starting blocks. Event 39 Girls Yard Freestyle Relay ============================================================================= == Team Seed Finals Points ============================================================================= == Hatboro Horsham Aquatic Associ-MA 'A' NT 2: ) Varlaro, Makayla A 10 2) McManus, Madison R 10 3) Soloff, Ava 10 4) Fazio, Elizabeth 10 7

9 What if my child DQs? DQ stands for disqualified and it will happen! Even the very best swimmers DQ on occasion. Whether it s too many dolphin kicks on the start of the breaststroke or they just plain out swim the wrong stroke, a DQ will happen at some point. After the meet, coaches will get a report from the meet which shows why the swimmer was DQ d. Send your coach an and they ll get right back to you. It s a great opportunity to get a better understanding of the stroke requirements and to get more technical knowledge. Bottom line is don t worry about it! What to bring to a meet: Two (2) Towels per swimmer Water (lots of water) Extra pair of goggles Sharpie Markers to write events on your child s arm Highlighters to highlight the events your child is swimming (for invitationals) Stadium Seats (these will really save your back sitting on bleachers) Wear short sleeves. Indoor pools are HOT. Games, cards, coloring books, toys for siblings to play with Healthy snacks fruits, veggies, crackers, cheese, etc. Emergency inhalers (for kids with asthma) CASH for snack bar (because you know they will want to go to the snack bar). Many folks bring lunch with them or buy it there. 8

10 Where to find ribbons Ribbons and medals are handed out for invitationals. Ribbons are also handed out when your child drops time from their fastest time. This is called a personal best. You can find these just in front of the entrance to the pool at Simmons, you will find two boxes of file folders. Each swim family s last name is noted on a file folder. Volunteering Outside of the coaching staff, HHAA is run completely by volunteers. For a home dual meet, it takes approx. 30 HHAA volunteers to staff the event. For an away dual meet, approx. 20 HHAA volunteers are required. This means that on any given weekend during meet season we look to 50 volunteers to lend a hand. Below is a description of each volunteer position. Meet Volunteer Positions No Experience or Special Training Required The following positions are ideal for new members of the organization as no special training or experience is necessary: Timers if you can start and stop a stopwatch, you can be a timer! o Meet managers will distribute stopwatches to volunteer timers at the event and can provide instruction on stopwatch use. Frequently asked questions from timers: Why are you giving me two stopwatches? Many meet managers will issue two stopwatches per volunteer. This can be especially helpful in a fast-paced meet as you can alternate stopwatches from one heat to the next which allows for more time for the times to be recorded before clearing the stopwatch. It is also helpful to have a back-up stopwatch in the event of a malfunction. 9

11 When do I start the timer? When do I stop the timer? Note that timers should start the stopwatch when the strobe light flashes on the starter system. If the strobe light is not functional, the timer can start the watch at the sound of the starter s signal. The stopwatch stops when the swimmer touches the wall. What if I mess up? 10 If you realize during the heat that the stopwatch is not timing the event for any reason, raise your hand high in the air. All meets will have a back-up timer who will then head to your lane to record the time for you. Also, keep in mind that to err is human and that is why you will find three timers in every lane! Why do some timers have a clipboard? Every lane will have one timer who records all three times from each timer in the lane and the time that falls in the middle will be circled the high time and low time don t count. Back-up Timer o There are 1-2 back-up timers at all meets. The back-up timer stands on the pool deck in a spot visible to all timers (often near the starter) and usually runs two stopwatches simultaneously for each heat so that they can step in to record a time in any lane in the event of human error or device malfunction Deck Parent o This is a GREAT way to get to know the younger swimmers. It s fast-paced and exciting. Deck parents are positioned on the pool deck by age group for the younger swimmers: 8 and under: 2 deck parents assigned 10 and under: 2 deck parents assigned 12 and under: 1-2 deck parents assigned o Deck parents help the coaches in the following ways: Assist children with writing their events on their arms before the meet Assist children with lining up for their events Escort the children to the blocks in preparation for their heats Ensure safety and maintain order at the poolside when the children are not swimming

12 Encourage kids to show team spirit Help to keep the poolside clear for meet officials (timers, judges, coaches) Helpful Tip: If you don t know the swimmers you are assisting as a deck parent very well, write their last name in sharpie on their back. This will help you to know who is who when you are preparing the heat line-ups! Runner o Runners circulate on the pool deck and assist with collecting the following items and delivering them to the Scorer s table continuously throughout the meet Stroke and Turn Judge slips Finish judge slips Timer slips Helpful Tips: Wear shoes with good traction the pool deck is slippery! Coordinate which lanes/judges you will cover with the other runner splitting the job makes it more manageable and saves you steps! Snack Stand o Volunteers at the snack stand work under the direction of the snack stand coordinator. Volunteers help with snack stand setup and take-down and help sell snacks and merchandise during the meet Frequently asked questions from snack stand volunteers: How do I know how much items cost? There will be a sign posted at the snack stand with the price list for all items 11

13 Do I need to be trained on a cash register? No training required! The snack stand coordinator will have a cash box. Will I miss all of my child s events? No! We staff the snack stand with three volunteers so that they can cover for one another when their children are swimming. You can simply step right onto the pool desk to see the heat and then return to the snack stand. Meet managers can also cover for snack stand volunteers for a brief period of time if needed. Meet Volunteer Positions Experience helpful, no special training required Finish Judge o Record all Heat 1 swimmers in order of finish o This role calls for a keen eye, attention to detail, and the ability to maintain concentration and focus for the entire meet o Example: Place Lane 1 st 3 2 nd 4 3 rd 2 4 th 5 5 th 1 6 th 6 Helpful Tip: Grab a Friend! The difficulty in this job is in visualizing the finish and recording it simultaneously.many volunteers for this role find it helpful to work with a partner one to watch and call out the lanes as they finish and the other to record on the judge s slip Scorer s Table 12

14 o Volunteers for this position are seated at the scorer s table and assist with sorting through timing slips, judging slips, and stroke and turn slips as they are delivered to the table by runners. Helpful Tip: If you are an early bird this is the job for you! The scorer s table is a hubbub of activity throughout the meet but is particularly hectic prior to meet start as the timing systems and computer are being programmed for the competition and slips are being printed. Volunteers for this role are encouraged to proceed directly to the pool deck when they arrive to be available to assist. Your help will ensure the meet starts on time! Announcer o The announcer sits adjacent to the scorer s table on the pool deck and completes the following tasks: Ensures the playing of the National Anthem prior to the meet start Announces the event, heat, and swimmers by name for both teams Works closely with the starter to keep the meet moving o There is no training required but many find it helpful to shadow an announcer at one meet before going solo Meet Volunteer Positions Requiring Special Training and/or Certification: 13 Stroke and Turn Judge o These judges determine whether a swimmer touched the end of the pool during a turn and whether the technical aspects of the swimming stroke were legal. This role requires knowledge of the US Swimming stroke regulations and a willingness to fairly disqualify swimmers when appropriate. Those who are interested in this job usually apprentice with someone who has done it before and attend a stroke and turn clinic sponsored by the league. If you are interested in obtaining this certification, please reach out to a Meet Manager (contact information available on the HHAA website) Timing System Operator o This job is for someone who likes to play with electronic gizmos. The Colorado Timing System uses an electronic signal from the starter s device and the touchpads in the pool to determine the

15 swimmers times and order of finish. This information is displayed on the scoreboard and is fed into the computer program used by the scorekeeper to track the official meet results. This job requires several training sessions please reach out to a Meet Manager if you are interested in training for this role. Starter o This is the most technically demanding job. The Starter runs the meet by ensuring that the swimmers start simultaneously and overseeing all other meet officials. This is a leadership position that requires experience and a take-charge personality. Suit and Hair Care Suits Chlorine will wear away and damage a suit over time. To extend the life of your suits, racing suits should not be washed with detergent. After each practice/race, rinse the suit in cold water and drip dry. Washing with detergent and drying in a dryer will ruin the elasticity of the suit. Hair Care Encourage your child to shampoo with a clarifying shampoo like Paul Mitchell clarifying and follow up with a deep conditioner. You can also have your child apply coconut oil to their hair each month, leave it in for about min. (you can wrap their hair in saran wrap). Then, wash out. May take a few washes. The most important thing is to HAVE FUN. Ask other parents questions and feel free to reach out to the New Parent Liason with any questions you may have. Let s go HHAA! 14

Aberdeen Rays Swim Team. Handbook

Aberdeen Rays Swim Team. Handbook Aberdeen Rays Swim Team Handbook About the Team The Aberdeen Rays Swim Team is a competitive, co-ed swim team consisting of swimmers ages 4 to18. We are based in Saint Johns, Florida and serve the Aberdeen