Illini Country Club Swimming and Diving Team The Swimming and Diving Team at Illini has long provided its membership with a wonderful opportunity for their children to participate in the sports of swimming and diving. Each year our team is made up of children who are swimming or diving for the first time, children who only participate in these sports during the summer, and some children who compete in these sports throughout the year. Our coaches have worked hard to design a program that meets the needs of all our team members and helps each of them improve their skills while they are enjoying the fun and excitement that being part of the Illini Swimming and Diving Team provides. We have put together some information that will hopefully answer some of the questions you might have if you are new to the team. However, there is some new information for those who are returning to the team again this year, so please go through the next few pages to be sure you are up to speed on what s going on with our program this year. We re looking forward to another great season and another fun experience for our team. And also hoping to defend our conference championship, but more importantly we want to provide an enjoyable swimming and diving experience again this summer for all of our team members and their families. If you have any questions that aren t answered here, please contact either Joe Burden or one of the pool chairs. Our Staff and Pool Committee Pool Manager and Head Swim Coach: Katie Jasmon Diving Coach: Alexis Ralph Pool Chairs: Paula Ryan (793-0280/341-4501) & Dave (899-0076) ICC Pool Phone Number: 546-0744
Frequently Asked Questions What is the age requirement for the team? Children can join the team if they turn age 5 by June 1 st, and can compete through the end of the summer following the year they graduate from high school. How do I register for the team? What is the fee? When is it too late? Sign up day is Saturday April 24 t. If you can not make registration on those dates, please go the ICC website and select the link for the Swim & Dive Team. All registration information will be provided there. There is a fee of $75.00 per swimmer, plus a suit and optional cap. You will be given information on ordering the suit at registration or online. It s never too late to join-talk to one of the coaches if you would like to register after the first week of practice. What are the parent s responsibilities? In addition to supporting your child and their coaches, it s the parent s responsibility to help out at the meets. It takes a lot of time and effort put on a swimming and diving meet, and there are a lot of ways to help. None of the tasks are too difficult to complete and most people find that volunteering to help is a great way to get to know the other parents on the team, and it helps them to feel they are part of the team too. Among some of the positions that need to be filled for each meet are announcers, judges, timers, and people to sort and distribute ribbons. This year we will be hosting 2 meets and traveling to 4. At the away meets we will need to provide one timer per lane, but at the home meets the need for workers is much greater. This year, every family is required to work a minimum of 4 shifts. Generally, there are 3 shifts during a meet. The diving portion is 1 shift, and the swimming portion is divided into two shifts. Each shift runs about two hours in length. The list of jobs needing to be filled at each meet will be available at registration. If there is a particular position you are interested please select the meet(s) you are able to work and sign up for it. If you don t care what you do the pool chairs will be in touch with you to see when you are available to work and will assign you to a task. Remember, you do NOT have to have experience for ANY of these jobs-we will train you! Does my child have to participate in both swimming and diving if they are on the team? No, but they certainly can if they are interested in doing so.
Does my child need to know how to swim before joining the team? Your child has to be able to complete one length of the pool freestyle without stopping before attending swim practice. If you are not sure if your child can do this, you can have them tested by one of the coaches. What if my child wants do dive and has never done it before? Children do not need any experience before attending dive practice. Coach Alexis Ralph will assess anyone interested in diving. She was a collegiate diver and is an excellent teacher. She will work with your child if they have the desire to learn, and is available for lessons if you want your child to receive more help outside of the regular practice sessions. In order to compete in the meets, a child under the age of 13 is required to do 3 dives. Once they reach 13, the number of required dives increases. So, if you have a brand new diver it may take some time before they can compete in a meet, but our experience is that most of the kids new to the sport learn pretty fast. When are the practices? Our regular practice schedule begins June 1, at which time we will offer evening practice sessions. Beginning June 8 th both morning and evening sessions will be held. In addition to the below posted practice schedule we offer the following two additional practice options: Additional workouts (geared toward the more experienced/competitor swimmer) begin at 8:00 a.m. every day there is a morning practice Stroke Clinic (geared toward the younger swimmers who want to develop their stroke and technique) every Monday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Morning Swim Practice 11+ Years Old 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday 6-10 Years Old 10:00 a.m. 11:00 am. Tuesday-Saturday Morning Dive Practice 6-10 Years Old 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday 11+ Years Old 10:00 a.m. 11:00 am. Tuesday-Saturday Evening Swim Practice 11+ 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday 6-10 Years Old 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday Evening Dive Practice 6-10 Years Old 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday 11+ Years Old 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday
Is my child required to practice every day? No, but the more they practice the more improvement they will likely see. Practices really help them improve their strength, endurance and timing, which is critical for them to advance in either of these sports. Also, the more your child attends, the more he/she will feel like they are part of the team, which makes it more fun for them. Will going to swim practice teach my son or daughter how to swim all the different strokes and flip turns? Yes and no. There is a certain amount of individual help with strokes, starts and turns that is given to swimmers during practice, especially in the younger age groups. However, the practice sessions are primarily intended to improve your child s strength and endurance. What if I want my child to receive individual help during the year? If you feel your child needs more individual assistance in developing their swimming or diving skills than is possible for them to receive during practice, individual lessons are available and are the best way for your child to get private, one-on-one help. Lessons are taught by members of the coaching staff, generally last 30 minutes and cost $15.00. You will be billed for the cost of the lesson on your monthly statement. If you are interested in a lesson, please talk with either the head coach or the coach of your child s age group to schedule one. Who do we compete against, and when are the meets? We compete against some of the other clubs that make up the Central Illinois Country Club Association (CICCA). They are the Bloomington Country Club, Champaign Country Club, Danville Country Club, Decatur Country Club and The Country Club of Peoria. We also have scheduled (tentatively) a warmup meet against Colony West this year. The meets are held on Sunday s during the months of June and July. Diving typically starts at 10:00 a.m., and the swimming meets generally start at noon or shortly thereafter. This years schedule has been posted on the club s website, which is www.illinicc.net. This year we will have 2 home meets, and 4 away meets. What is the Conference Meet? After the regular season is over, all of the clubs compete against each other in the Conference Meet. Each club takes a turn to host it, and this year it will be held at Danville Country Club the last weekend in July.
The meet starts on Saturday with the diving competition, which generally start mid-morning and runs into late in the afternoon. The swimming portion of the meet starts early Sunday morning with an opening ceremony for all the teams around the pool. Warm-ups will probably begin around 7:00 a.m. or shortly thereafter, and the meet is typically over mid-afternoon On Saturday evening the host club puts on a party that is a fun event for both the kids and their families. There is typically great food and wonderful entertainment for everyone. It s a fun way to end the season and we encourage all our team members to attend. For those of you who will be attending the party or for those who want to come up to Danville the night before the swim meet, we have reserved a block of rooms at two different area hotels. Hotel reservation information is below. We urge you to make your reservations immediately as these rooms won t last long. HAMPTON INN-Danville Book Online at: http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/groups/personalized/dnvilhx-swm-20100723/index.jhtml or call 217-442-3300 and Identify yourself as Illini Country Club $105+taxes/night (Double Queen) OR HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS-Danville Call 217-442-2500 and Identify yourself as Illini Country Club $109.99+taxes/night (Double Queen) Does my child have to participate in every meet? No, we understand that everyone has other commitments and that summer is a time when many families take vacation, so you re certainly not required to attend every meet if you re on the team. However, we do encourage you to make as many as you can, both home and away. What events will my child compete in? The coaches will decide which dives your child will complete and/or which events they will swim. They will compete against other children in their age group, both on our team and on the opposing team. They may also be asked to swim on one of the relay teams. There are a lot of factors that go into placing your child in an event, so it is VERY important to let the coaches know the week before if you cannot attend the meet. Do I have to stay at the practices and meets? It is highly recommended that any child under the age of 8 have either a parent or guardian at practice. A guardian can be another parent or a babysitter. If for some reason you or the guardian cannot stay,
please let the coaches know and make sure they know how to reach you. Sometimes the younger swimmers may not want to stay throughout the whole practice and it s necessary for us to contact you. Regardless of your child s age, they should have a parent or guardian at each meet. What do I bring to a meet? Please be sure to bring extra towels for your swimmer, especially if the weather is cool. It s always a good idea to have an extra set of goggles and cap on hand, and make sure you have plenty of sun screen for you and your swimmer. If you want to keep track of your child s events you should pack a highlighter for the heat sheets, and bring some sort of permanent marker to write down their events on their hand so they can keep track of when they re swimming. The coaches do a good job of keeping track of the younger kids, but they are very busy during the meet so each child needs to be aware of when they are swimming. There s usually some down time between the events your child will participate in, so if you want to take a break from the meet -a book/magazine will come in handy. You ll probably find though that even when your child is not swimming it s fun to watch the other events, so make sure to bring your best cheering voice! How is communication given to parents? There is a file box that has a file for every family on the team. It will be somewhere on the pool deck or in the bath house each day. You should check this box frequently as it is the main manner in which we will communicate with you about practices, meets, the events your child will swim and your worker assignments. The file box is also where you can pick up any ribbons your child wins. We will also be creating a bi-weekly newsletter for our swim families this year that will be communicated to you electronically. If you have not done so, please be sure to give Joe Burden your email address so that we can create a distribution list for the swim team. Joe s email is jburden@illinicc.net Information is also available in the members-only section of the club s website (www.illinicc.net). Just log in and select Swimming under the Club Info Tab. Email is also used for periodic updates and information sharing. Please make sure the club has your email address on file. Is there a swim banquet? The end of the season swim banquet will be on Tuesday July 27 th and will begin at 6:00 p.m. This is a fun, family event where there is food, a DJ and awards. This is also an opportunity to thank the coaching staff. Look for additional information later in the season.