Park Village Porpoises Swim Team Handbook 2013

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Laurel Underwood
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1 Park Village Porpoises Swim Team Handbook 2013 Welcome to the Park Village Swim Team! We look forward to sharing our summer with you. The coaching staff hopes to make this a fun and exciting summer for all of our swimmers. Our goal is to help all swimmers enjoy the summer while becoming stronger and more confident athletes in the water. Our team website can be accessed at Follow us on Coaching Staff: Head Coach: Maggie Keller This year we welcome Maggie Keller as the Head Coach for the Park Village Swim Team. Maggie is a rising sophomore at NC State and has been swimming for fifteen years. She grew up in the area swimming competitively for Devereaux and Kildaire Farms, and was part of several record setting relay teams while there. At Apex High School she swam on the varsity swim team all four years and captained the 4-A State Championship Team her junior and senior years. Maggie looks forward to continuing her swimming career coaching at Park Village. She is available to give swim lessons this summer to Park Village residents. Maggie can be reached at mpkeller@ncsu.edu. Assistant Coach: Matt Ellison Matt will be joining our coaching staff this year as an Assistant Coach. You may recognize him as a lifeguard who worked at our pool last summer. Matt has been swimming competitively for ten years and really enjoys it. He was a member of Apex High School s swim team and currently trains with the Marlins of Raleigh year round team. Matt enjoys surfing, longboarding, swimming, and hanging out with friends. He is a rising senior at Apex High and is available to give swim lessons this summer. He can be reached at wrightsvillesurfer@nc.rr.com or Swim Team Committee: Tracey Asbill- TSA Representative Julie Simpson- Treasurer Annette Carter- Volunteers Stan Hannen- Concessions You can the Swim Committee at pvporpoises@gmail.com. Dates to Remember 2013: Meet Schedule: Additional Dates: June 4 th HOME Mock Meet June 8 th - Pool party and swim team fundraiser June 11th HOME Kildaire Farms 4:00-7:00pm, Park Village Pool June 18th AWAY Sunset Ridge July 18 th - Swim Team Awards Party

2 June 25th HOME Devereaux 6:00pm, place TBD July 2nd AWAY Oxxford Hunt July 9th AWAY Regency Park July 16th HOME TCC July 20th AWAY TSA Championship Meet Practice Attendance and Times: Practices are important as they help swimmers improve their stroke technique and times. They also promote teamwork and help foster friendships within the community. Swimmers must practice with their own age group unless they receive approval from the coaches to practice with a different group. Practice Times May 20 th -June 10 th Evening Practice Monday- Friday 4:30-5:15pm11 and ups 5:15-5:45pm6 and unders 5:45-6:30pm7-8s 6:30-7:15pm9-10s **There will be no practice on Memorial Day, May 27 th or July 4th Practice Times June 11 th -July 16 th Morning Practice (M, T, Th, F) 8:00-9:00am 10 and unders 9:00-10:00am 11 and ups Evening Practice (M, W, Th) 4:30-5:15pm11 and ups 5:15-5:45pm6 and unders 5:45-6:30pm7-8s 6:30-7:15pm9-10s Registration Information: Registration will be held at the Clubhouse on April 21 st from 6:00pm-8:00pm and also on April 30 th from 7:00pm-8:00pm. Registration Fees per family: $87 First Swimmer $87 Second Swimmer $77 Third Swimmer $67 Fourth Swimmer The registration fee covers coaching salaries, TSA dues, a cap and t-shirt for each athlete, concession supplies, team website, swim team equipment, printing expenses and awards. Checks should be made payable to Park Village Swim Team. Registration forms will be filled out online via our team website. Refunds less $25.00 are possible for first time swimmers who choose to withdraw during the first two weeks of practice or who have not met the safety guidelines by the Mock Meet on June 4 th.

3 Team Swim Suits: We were informed in early spring that there was not enough inventory of the Rhythm Ripples suit we wore last year to outfit this year s team. Therefore we had to select something new. The new suit is called Alliance Splice Maxfit by TYR in black/blue. If your child can still wear last year s suit please have him/her do so! We chose this TYR suit because it has a simple design and should complement last year s suit. You also have the option to wear a plain black suit. If you are planning to purchase a new suit it will need to be done via the team website. Just click Team Suit for a direct link to the team store. The Park Village Swim Team will receive a percentage of everything purchased through the team store! This includes not only swim suits but everything else the store sells. Rules At Practices and Meets: It is important that our athletes are aware that the pool rules apply to all swimmers at all times. Pool rules are in effect to maintain safety. Only swim team members and their parents are allowed inside the pool area before the pool opens at 10:00am. If your child is not at least 11 years old, the rules require that a parent or guardian be present at the pool while your child is practicing. The coaches will be working with your child during scheduled practice times but are not responsible for their care before or after practice. No swimming other than at swim practice, in either the baby pool or main pool, is permitted prior to the official opening time of 10:00am as no lifeguard is on duty. If you have any questions concerning basic pool safety rules, please contact a lifeguard or the pool manager. It is important to be on time for scheduled practices and warm-ups. Disruptive conduct of any kind (including profanity, unsportsmanlike conduct, refusing to participate, lack of cooperation, etc) can result in dismissal from practice and/or a swim meet. During an actual swim meet swimmers are responsible for staying in their designated age group area at all times. If a swimmer needs to leave this area for any reason, he/she must inform the Kid Pusher. Failure to comply with the rules may result in missing your event. Swimmer Requirements: The Park Village Swim Team is open to all neighborhood children ages Families must also be in good standing with the Park Village HOA in order to participate. The age group you swim with is determined by your age on June 1 st. It is highly recommended that your child has completed formal swimming lessons before joining the team. Children who are comfortable in the water as a result of lessons will be safer and more likely to succeed in a group environment. Swim Team participation is not a substitute for swim lessons. Entrance and Safety Guidelines: Swimmers must meet the minimum requirements by the Mock Meet on June 4 th in order to remain on the team. Ages 6 and under must be able to swim 15 yards unassisted. Ages 7-10 must be able to swim 25 yards unassisted (one lap). Ages 11 and up must be able to swim 50 yards unassisted (two laps).

4 The Coaching Staff will be evaluating swimmers during the first two weeks of practice to determine swim team readiness. Their decision as to whether a child meets the team swimming requirements will be based on observations of the swimmer at practice and the Mock Meet. Once the Mock Meet has been swum, if the coaches determine that a child is not ready for swim team, the parents will receive a refund less $25. If you have questions or concerns about your child s status, talk with the coaches at an appropriate time outside of practice. Mock Meet & Time Trials: This year we will once again hold a practice swim meet. This meet is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4 th at 6:00pm. It is being held to accomplish the following things: -To give 1 st time swimmers exposure to the dual meet format -To provide parent volunteers a chance to become comfortable with their volunteer responsibilities for the first meet -To record times and determine stroke legality for each swimmer This information will then be used by the coaches to set the line-up for the first swim meet. It is very important for families and athletes to attend the Mock Meet if at all possible. Since it is considered a real meet you must declare your child s status for this meet on the team website. Additionally, each family will be assigned a volunteer position to work that night. If your child cannot attend the meet it is up to you to arrange another time with the coaches for your child s times to be collected. Dual Meets: Dual meets are held on six consecutive Tuesday nights during the swim season. The first regular season meet will be held on June 11 th and the last meet will be July 16 th. Arrival Times: 4:45pm for Home Meets, warm-up begins at 5:00pm 5:15pm for Away Meets, warm-up begins at 5:30pm Please be on time as dual meets begin promptly at 6:00pm and it is essential that each swimmer have time to warm-up. When you arrive at the pool the first thing you want to do is look for the coaches. They will be checking swimmers in and putting an assigned number on each athlete s arm. This helps insure that the timers record the correct time for the right swimmer. After that you should report to your age group area. The coaches will let you know when it is time to enter the pool for warm-ups. Parents need to be sure to bring their own lawn chairs to sit on as pool chairs go fast! Other items to bring include: towels, goggles, swim caps, t-shirts, drinks, snacks, games, cards, or other small items to keep your swimmer occupied between their events. Concessions will also be available. The meet is usually over around 9:30pm. If the meet must be postponed due to inclement weather it will be held at 6:00pm the next night, which is usually on Wednesday. Volunteer Policy: The Park Village Swim Team is a parent-run volunteer organization. As such, each participant s family is required to volunteer at a minimum of four regular season events PLUS the pre-season Mock Meet. Volunteer positions will be posted on the team s website and made available for sign-up once each family has completed the online registration process and the registration fee is paid. Additionally, each homeowner s

5 account must be in good standing and cleared by the PV HOA before access to sign-ups is granted. This year we will again require a volunteer fee of $ per family. Checks should be made payable to Park Village Swim Team. Volunteer fee checks will only be cashed if obligations are not met by the family. Having enough volunteers is vital for a swim meet to run smoothly and efficiently. If you are unable to fulfill the volunteer requirement, you may opt to have the $ check cashed up front in lieu of working at the meets. All volunteer fee checks will be kept in a secure location by our neighborhood management company, RS Fincher. At the end of the season if all volunteer obligations have been met the un-cashed checks will be returned to each family. In the event that you cannot be at a meet for which you signed up to work, you are responsible for finding a suitable replacement and notifying the Volunteer Coordinator of the change. If the meet is postponed due to the weather, no credits will be given for the portion of the meet that has already been swum. In order to receive the full volunteer credit you must come back to finish your job responsibilities on the rescheduled night. Additionally, each volunteer must stay at the meet until all job responsibilities have been completed. Before leaving, please see the Volunteer Coordinator to return materials and get checked out. This will insure that you receive credit for volunteering. Weather Policy: Rain alone is not grounds for delaying or rescheduling a swim meet. Please come to the meet at the scheduled time even if it appears that the weather may in some way impact the event. If at all possible the meet will be run on the scheduled night for these reasons: -Inconvenience to the host club and staff to reschedule the following night -Difficulty getting swimmers and volunteers back due to conflict with other activities The presence of lightning and/or thunder results in a 30-minute delay from the last occurrence. In inclement weather the Pool Manager will determine when the pool needs to be evacuated and when it is safe to re-enter the water. If the meet is still delayed after one hour, the two TSA Reps will conference to determine the status of the meet. If they mutually agree to stop the meet for the night, then it will be rescheduled for the next night at 6:00pm. Meet Absences: This year there will be a link on the team website to declare each child s status for the meets. Parents should go to and click the tab for the upcoming swim meet. Then you will need to indicate whether or not your athlete will be attending or not attending that particular swim meet. This must be done by Thursday night prior to the upcoming meet. If you sign up to participate in the swim meet but later find out you will not be able to come you must let the coaches know as soon as possible. The coaches will be filling out the line-up over the weekend. Once the line-up is set, numerous forms must be completed, copied and distributed to Meet Officials for both teams. As such, it is very time consuming to make last minute changes to all of the necessary forms. If a child is a no show, arrives late, or leaves the meet early without informing the coaching staff, it can affect not only the individual events that the swimmer was placed in but can also put relays and their

6 participants in jeopardy. If you fail to show up without informing the coaches, your athlete will NOT be entered in any main events or relays at the next meet. Parking at Home Meets: Emergency vehicles need to be able to navigate our neighborhood in the event of an emergency. Please park ONLY in the parking area at the pool or along the POOL SIDE of PARK VILLAGE DR. Directions to Away Meets: Sunset Ridge-215 Kingsport Dr. Holly Springs, NC Follow Highway 55 South. Turn left on N. Main St. Turn left onto Holly Springs Road. Turn left on Middlecrest. Turn left on Kingsport. The Aquatic Center will be on the left. Oxxford Hunt-201 Fallsworth Ct. Cary, NC From Park Village Dr. take a left onto Davis Drive. Turn right at Waldo Rood. Turn right on SW Cary Parkway. Turn left onto W. Chatham St. Turn left onto Fallsworth Dr. Regency Park-101 Killingsworth Dr. Cary, NC From Park Village Drive turn right onto Davis Drive. Stay straight to go onto N. Salem Street. Turn left on Center Street. Center Street becomes Ten Ten Road. Turn left onto Penny Road. Take first left onto Killingsworth Dr. TSA Championship Meet: The TSA Championship Meet will be held on July 20 th at the Triangle Aquatic Center. This is an optional meet that is swum indoors at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. 10 and under athletes will swim in the morning and 11 and up athletes in the afternoon. All team members are eligible to participate in this meet. 7 and up swimmers may compete in up to 3 individual events and 2 relays. Swimmers in the 6 and under age group are eligible to swim freestyle and backstroke events only. Additionally, 6 and under swimmers must swim 25 yards rather than the usual 15 yards. The meet will be run over two days although Park Village swimmers will only compete on Saturday. Once the entire meet is complete, results from both days will be compiled to determine where each swimmer placed overall. The top 16 finishers in each event will score points for their team and receive an award. There is a small fee associated with participating in this meet. Communication: Between Parent and Coach: Coaches are on deck during practice for the swimmers. This is not an appropriate time to be addressing concerns. If you do have a swim team concern please contact the coach by or phone to discuss it. There is not time in between practices to discuss in-depth issues. If you are not able to fully resolve an issue, please contact a Swim Committee member. Between Swim Committee and Parents: will be our primary source of communication so please check it daily for team news. The team website will give you access to sign up for events and volunteer jobs during the swim season. Please also follow us on to get updated team information. Lastly, keep a check on your family s folder in the Family File Box that we keep at the pool to pick up ribbons or paperwork that needs your attention. Volunteer Positions: TSA Rep (Home and Away): Represents the Park Village Swim Team on the TSA Board of Directors. Attends monthly meetings with Reps from other teams to make decisions about the upcoming swim season. Resolves disputes and answers questions that arise during a

7 meet. Makes decisions about the status of the meet in the event of inclement weather. Calls a meeting with volunteers and officials before the start of a meet. Signs the score sheet with the opposing team s TSA Rep at the conclusion of each meet. Reports meet results to TSA website after Home Meets. Volunteer Coordinator (Home and Away): Organizes and insures all Meet Volunteer positions are filled prior to the meet each week. Prepares materials for volunteers and collects them when the meet is over. Responsible for checking in and out volunteers that are working at the meet. Keeps a record of the number of meets each family has worked. Announcer (Home): Communicates information to swimmers, officials, and observers over a public address system. Calls swimmers to report to the Clerk of Course for each event. Announces scores. Welcomes the visiting team to our pool and announces the names of Meet Officials. Helps get meet started with the playing of the National Anthem. Kid Pushers (Home and Away): One for boys and one for girls in the 6 and under, 7-8, and 9-10 year old age groups. Helps supervise swimmers in their designated gathering area. Lines swimmers up when their event is first called by the Announcer and escorts them to the Clerk of Course. Stays with them until the Clerk of Course places them in their lanes for the event. Clerk of Course (Home and Away): One for boys and one for girls. Gets swimmers to proper lanes for their event and makes sure they are swimming in the correct heat. Hands Event Sheets off to the Runner who delivers them to the Recorder. Starter (Home): Has the opportunity to attend a preseason Starting Clinic. Has complete control of swimmers once they are delivered to the starting blocks by the Clerk of Course. Remains stationary, poolside, at the starting end of the pool. Prior to the Main Event, ensures that Judges and Timers are ready before starting the race. Announces the gender, distance, and stroke being swum. Directs swimmers to Take your mark, and then operates the starting device to begin the race. Is also responsible for determining false starts. Place Judges (Home and Away): Six Judges are needed for each meet- three from each team. Responsible for determining first through sixth place at the conclusion of a Main Event race. The First Place Judge also records the official time for the event winner and gives that information to the Recorder. Recorder (Home): Records the placement of the swimmers and the winning time in the Main Event as specified by the Place Judges. Hands the results to the Runner who takes the information to the Scorer s Table for tabulating the score. Runners (Home and Away): One Runner takes the Event Slips from the Clerk of Course to the Recorder. The other Runner carries the Event Slips from the Recorder to the Scorer s Table. If a disqualification slip is written by the Stroke and Turn Judge his/her hand will be raised. One of the Runners is then responsible for picking up the DQ slip and taking it directly to the Scorer s Table. This is a very mobile position. Stroke and Turn Judge (Home and Away): *Required to attend a preseason clinic and pass a test to be certified by TSA. Each team provides one Judge. Judges determine whether proper strokes, turns, and finishes are executed correctly by the Main Event swimmers. If a swimmer commits an infraction, the Judge will immediately raise his/her hand. A disqualification sheet detailing the event, lane, and reason for the disqualification will then be filled out. A Runner will pick up the DQ sheet from the Stroke and Turn Judge and take it directly to the Scorer s table.

8 Timers (Home and Away): Two timers per lane, six timers total per meet. Each group of timers is responsible for recording the swimmer s time in their lane for all events. Heat Ribbon Distributors (Home): Two per Home meet. Responsible for handing out heat winner and participant ribbons to swimmers who are not swimming in the Main Event. Ribbon Writers and Filers (Home and Away): Three per meet. Two people take the place information from the Scorer and record it onto the ribbons. The Filer then places the ribbons in each child s folder. Set-up/Clean-up (Home): Prior to Home meets this group is responsible for setting up the tents, chairs, ribbon writing table, volunteer check-in table, spectator seating, Clerk of Course area, Coaches chairs, concession stand tables and coolers, starting system, announcing system, and No parking signs on the street. At the conclusion of the meet all of these items will need to be put back in their proper place and the pool deck will need to be cleaned up. Concessions (Home): Workers monitor the concession table during home meets and clean up when the meet is over. Concession sales are a fundraiser for the team.

A Guide to Walden Creek Wahoos Swim Meets

A Guide to Walden Creek Wahoos Swim Meets Purpose of the Booklet The purpose is to assist families new to swim team. Requirements Children must be able to swim the length of the pool unassisted. It will