SWIM TEAM HANDBOOK Mighty Righteous! BROOKSIDE COUNTRY CLUB 901 Willow Lane Macungie, PA 18062 Main Clubhouse: 484-224-5484 Fax: 484-224-5509 Pool Office: 484-224-5507
Brookside Country Club Contact Information Summer 2013 Pool Manager & Head Swim Coach: Kevin Remaly 484-515-6666 BrooksideH2O@yahoo.com Assistant Pool Manager and Assistant Swimming & Diving Coach: Reik Foust 484-680-0976 foustreik@gmail.com Diving Coach: Assistant Coaches: Madeleine Ordiway Brianna Yates Riley Geis BROOKSIDE COUNTRY CLUB POOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS, 2013: Chairperson - Mrs. Kathleen McCourt mccourts@rcn.com Mrs. Maggie Bova mlbjfb@msn.com Mrs. Kathy McAllister kmmcallister@rcn.com Mrs. Katie Barnes kbarnes.01@rcn.com 2
Pool Events & Dates to Remember Thursday, May 9 th 5:00 PM Meet the Coaches Night Saturday, May 25 th 12:00 PM Opening Day of 2013 Pool Season! Monday, May 27 th 3:00 PM Summer Kick-Off & Cookout at the Pool Sunday, June 9 th 4:00 PM Poolside Happy Hour Monday, June 10 th 12:00 PM Regular Pool-Season Hours begin! Thursday, June 20 th 6:00 PM Volunteer Training & Sprint Night Sunday, June 23 rd 4:00 PM Poolside Happy Hour Tuesday, June 25 th 3:00 PM Pool closing for Home Meet vs. Lehigh Wednesday, June 26 th Dusk Movie Night at the Pool (Wreck-It Ralph) Tuesday, July 2 nd 3:00 PM Pool closing for Home Meet vs. SVCC Sunday, July 7 st 2:00 PM 4 th of July Celebration and Pool Games Tuesday, July 9 th 3:00 PM Pool closing for Home Meet vs. Northwest Sunday, July 14 th TBD Pig Roast Tuesday, July 16 th 3:00 PM Pool closing for Home Meet vs. Stonecrest - Team Pictures at 4:00 Thursday, July 18 th 12:00 PM Christmas-In-July (celebrated through 7/21) Sunday, July 21 st 4:00 PM Poolside Happy Hour Friday, July 26 th 5:00 PM Diving Championships at Stones Crossing Saturday, July 27 th 7:30 AM Swimming Championships at Stones Crossing Saturday, July 27 th 6:00 PM Swimming & Diving Team Celebration Sunday, July 28 th 9:00 AM Rest of the Best at Northwest Swim Club Wednesday, July 24 th Dusk Movie Night at the Pool (Kid-friendly) Sunday, July 28 th 4:00 PM Poolside Happy Hour Friday, August 3 rd 5:00 PM Pizza Party at the Pool Sunday, August 11 th 4:00 PM Poolside Happy Hour Sunday, August 25 th 4:00 PM Poolside Happy Hour Monday, September 2 nd 12:00 PM Labor Day Final Day of Pool Season 3
2013 Brookside Swim Team Meet Schedule (Directions to away-meets are provided near the end of this Handbook) Warm-ups at 5:00, parent volunteers arrive 5:30, meets begin at 6:00 pm Tuesday, June 25 Thursday, June 27 Tuesday, July 2 Tuesday, July 9 Thursday, July 11 Back) Tuesday, July 16 Thursday, July 18 Friday, July 26 Saturday, July 27 Sunday, July 28 Lehigh C.C. @ Brookside (Required Dive: Back) Brookside @ Trident (Required Dive: Inward) Saucon C.C. @ Brookside (Required Dive: Twist) Northwest @ Brookside (Required Dive: Forward) Brookside @ Westwood Heights (Required Dive: Stonecrest @ Brookside (Required Dive: Inward) *Team Pictures! Brookside @ Stones Crossing (Required Dive: Twist) Diving Championships @ Stones Crossing (Required Dive: Forward Swim Championships @ Stones Crossing Best of the Rest Meet @ Northwest Swim Club Home meets in bold italics denote closing the pool at 3:00 PM in preparation for the meets. What does it take to be a BULLFROG ULLFROG?!? To qualify as a member of the Brookside Swimming and Diving Program, one must be: (1) Under the age of 18 (on May 31 st )! (2) Able to swim one lap without stopping or needing assistance! (3) Willing to cheer-on and encourage others! (4) Willing to give 100% during Practices and Team Functions! Young swimmers that struggle to swim a lap should really consider participating in either Group or Private Lessons before singing-up for the Team (registration forms for both types of Lessons are found in the back of this Handbook). There are some needs that we can t meet as Coaches, and those demanding our specific attention due to safety concerns should be participating in a more developmental program for the safety of everyone! 4
Brookside Country Club Swim Team Rules 1. Attendance: Please review the swim meet schedule and advise coaches if your child will be unable to attend a meet. Coaches need this information in-writing, as soon as possible! Coaches would appreciate if you could make every effort to have your children attend all practices. Attendance at practice the day of a meet is required in order to participate in the meet. Exceptions will be made if the coaches are notified prior to the practice. This Handbook has a form for parents to fill-out and return so that you will be able to make them aware of what meets your child/children will not be able to attend due to vacation or other activities. (The Swim Team Registration was included in an email to all Members, but the information will also be available at the Pool Office!) 2. Team Spirit: Swimmers and divers should remain poolside (or in their assigned area at a meet) so that they are ready to compete when their events are called. We appreciate efforts of older swimmers helping younger swimmers be prepared for their events. All swimmers and divers should be cheering on their team for the entire meet, even if they are finished with their events. Remember, one of our goals is to Be Loud for the purpose of cheering-on our fellow Bullfrogs! 3. Nutrition For Swimmers: Swimmers should eat and drink smart during meets. No swimmer should be eating junk food during the meet. Sugar is the worst thing to put into your body during competition. Water is important to have for meets and practice. Your body can lose as much as 30% of peak performance due to dehydration. Replenishing fluids is essential for keeping your body ready to swim fast. 4. Communication: Please communicate any concerns directly with the coaches outside of practice time. Coaches will make every effort to honor every reasonable request. You can email Kevin directly at BrooksideH2O@yahoo.com, call the Pool Office at 484-224-5507, or speak to Kevin directly after a Practice or a time at your convenience when visiting the Pool! 5. Code of Conduct: Swimming and diving can become a very dangerous sport if rules are not followed and coaches (and teammates) are not respected. Swimmers or divers not in compliance with coaching directives and/or disrespecting and/or compromising the safety of themselves or others will be given a verbal warning. Parents will be notified of any inappropriate behavior, and in the situation of continued offenses, an athlete could be suspended or not be permitted to participate on the Team from that point forward. 5
Swimming and Diving Practice Schedules Practice attendance is strongly encouraged (but not mandatory, except for the day of a meet)! May 28 - June 7: Practices for swimmers and divers from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. (2 one-hour practices offered daily during these times) June 11 - July 20: Practices will be held rain or shine (providing there is no thunder/lightning) Monday - Friday. Practice Times: Swimming: 12 & Under 9:00 to 10:00 AM 13 & Older 9:30 to 11:00 AM Diving: 13 & Older 9:00 to 10:00 AM 12 & Under 10:00 to 11:00 AM Coach Maddie will be available for diving practice and assisting children in setting-up their dive sheets for meets. Coach Maddie will be assisted by Reik, whom will also be helping with Diving throughout the summer. Please contact Reik or Kevin with any questions. Coaches Kevin, Reik, Brianna or Riley are always willing to arrange private lessons for anyone interested in further instruction on improving starts, turns, and strokes. Please contact them directly at the Pool Office, 484-224-5507, for scheduling (please also investigate Private Lesson options included in the back of this Handbook). 6
Inclement Weather Please call the Pool Office at 484-224-5507 for information about Meet and practice cancellations/postponements. If at all possible, the home team will make a decision by 3:00 PM (in rare cases, a meet could be called as late as 4 PM). Please check the Brookside Country Club website for possible updated information. Text messages and emails will be sent out in the case of an emergency postponement. If during a Home Meet we encounter a storm-front which causes a delay in the Meet, ALL swimmers, divers, volunteers, spectators, coaches, and officials must clear the deck. Swimmers will be escorted to the basement entrance to the Club House (door near the Diving Well) and will be monitored by coaches, swimming mentors, and any volunteers! Things to bring to a Swim Meet For new swimmers and parents alike, a swim meet can seem a little overwhelming at first, but hopefully this checklist will help relieve some stress and keep the meets FUN!!! Swim Suit! Extra suits (if you have any extra racing suits, just incase of a tear) Goggles (2 pairs, of goggles) Towels and/or swim chamois Extra sweatshirt or something to wear over the swim suit, as it can get cold at meets and sometimes clothes/towels get too wet for the purpose of warming-up! Drinks. Water, Gatorade, Powerade, etc. (no Redbull or soda!) Snacks. Crackers, Teddy Grahams, Cheese-Its, apples, granola bars, etc. Something to keep kids entertained in the event of inclement weather and unexpected delays deck of cards, book to read, video game, etc. something that gets your child to sit relatively still in our designated team area. (We always encourage our Swimmers and Divers to cheer each other throughout the meet when not lined-up for an event or participating in an event!) Swim Team Handbook (for parents if desiring to follow along with meet scoring or events) 7
Parent Volunteers For a Swim Meet to run smoothly it takes many volunteers. Each Meet requires a minimum of 15 volunteers in various capacities. Some jobs require training, but the majority of the positions is easy, fun, and requires no training. If you find you are unable to meet a volunteer commitment, it is required for you to find someone to fill in for you! All parents of swim team members will be required to volunteer for only 2 swim meets. It is a fantastic opportunity for you to be in-the-action, be an integral part of your Child s Team experience, and make your Child proud of you for your participation! It s truly a win-win situation! The jobs involved in running a meet include: timers, scorer s table workers (good for those organized and good in math), ribbon writers, stroke-&-turn judges, diving judges, runners, finish judges, round-up helpers, and announcer. Two timers run a stop watch for each swimmer in their assigned lane and average the times recorded by each respective stopwatch (there is also a back-up timer for each event in the event of missing the start of a race or desiring to watch your Child perform). One scorer from each team sits at the scorer s table and records a running score of the meet. Another person at the scorer s table writes names and times on ribbons for winners of each event. Stroke-&-turn judges determine that strokes and turns are legally performed and interact with the respective coaches. Illegal strokes and turns result in disqualification. Diving judges award scores of 1-10 for each dive. Finish judges determine the order in which competitors finish the race. Runners collect time cards from each lane (and finish judges) and walk them to the scorer s table. The Round-up position was created during the 2012 Season to help find and organize our 10 & under swimmers prior to them having to report to the blocks and to ensure that no swimmer misses an event. We will need 4 people in this position at each meet (2 people for the events that occur PRIOR to diving, and 2 people for the events AFTER diving). This will allow for more parent volunteers to participate and will allow for any parent who cannot arrive to a meet until later in the evening to also help. 8
Parent Volunteer Training Sprint Night! We strongly encourage you to attend our Volunteer Training Night on Thursday, July 20 th @ 6:00 PM at the Pool. This training is an opportunity for parents to learn about the team and to learn what the volunteer jobs entail. We hope parents new to the sport will make an effort to attend this important event, so that our meets will run efficiently. This evening also enables children new to the swim team to get an idea of how a swim meet is run, including the utilization of the starting system, and to give the coaches a chance to evaluate times for the swimmers. Swim Team Awards Our special evening of celebrating our Team s accomplishments will be held on Saturday, July 27 th beginning at 6:00 PM. We would love to see all of the swimmers and divers participate in this fun ceremony. There will be several different types of awards (both fun and serious) presented to Team members. Team Scoring for Meets Individual Events 1 st Place - 5 points 2 nd Place - 3 points 3 rd Place - 1 point A team is not permitted to go 1-2-3 or sweep an event if there is a competitor who finishes the race or list-of-dives legally. Therefore, if a team would happen to do just that, the athletes that placed 1 st and 2 nd would receive the respective points for their teams. The 3 rd place finisher would not be able to score points for their team but would still receive the ribbon for accomplishing the 3 rd place finish. If the opposing team had any swimmers/divers LEGALLY finish after the first three swimmers/divers from our team, that swimmer/diver and team would receive 1 point (and we would have outscored their team in that event 8-to-1). So, the most you can out score a team is 8-0 only if the opposition had no swimmers/divers finishing legally. 9
Relay Events Relays earn 7 points for the 1 st -place team, and no points are awarded after that. Relays are a huge point-getter and an important part of swimming. Winning one relay could win the meet! (We have seen it happen several times). Team Scoring (How is the Final Score calculated?) Each age group earns points and competes head-to-head with the opposing team s same respective age-group. If you are able to win an age-group, the team is awarded 2 Overall Points (different from individual swimmers scoring points). If there is a tie in the score for an age-group, each team is awarded 1 Overall Point. There are 5 different age-groups in addition to Diving and Relays. 8 & Under 9-10 11-12 13-14 15 & Over Relays Diving Therefore the most you can outscore the opposing team is 14-0. The scores of each age-group along with the Overall Score of the meet are always announced at the completion of the swim meet. Scoring for Championships Individual Relays Crescendos 1 st place 7 14 14 2 nd place 5 10 10 3 rd place 4 8 8 4 th place 3 6 6 5 th place 2 4 4 6 th place 1 2 2 *Note: The Medley Relay is a different person swimming each of the four strokes (Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle). The Crescendo Relay is a freestyle event comprised of one swimmer from each age-group. 10
Order of Events 1. Girls 12 & under Medley Relay 29. Girls 11-12 50 Fly 2. Boys 12 & under Medley Relay 30. Boys 11-12 50 Fly 3. Girls 13 & over Medley Relay 31. Girls 13-14 50 Fly 4. Boys 13 & over Medley Relay 32. Boys 13-14 50 Fly 5. Girls 8 & under 25 Free 33. Girls 15 & over 50 Fly 6. Boys 8 & under 25 Free 34. Boys 15 & over 50 Fly 7. Girls 9-10 50 Free 35. Girls 8 & under 25 Back 8. Boys 9-10 50 Free 36. Boys 8 & under 25 Back 9. Girls 11-12 50 Free 37. Girls 9-10 25 Back 10. Boys 11-12 50 Free 38. Boys 9-10 25 Back 11. Girls 13-14 50 Free 39. Girls 11-12 50 Back 12. Boys 13-14 50 Free 40. Boys 11-12 50 Back 13. Girls 15 & over 50 Free 41. Girls 13-14 50 Back 14. Boys 15 & over 50 Free 42. Boys 13-14 50 Back 15. Girls 11-12 100 IM 43. Girls 15 & over 50 Back 16. Boys 11-12 100 IM 44. Boys 15 & over 50 Back 17. Girls 13-14 100 IM 45. Girls 8 & under 25 Breast 18. Boys 13-14 100 IM 46. Boys 8 & under 25 Breast 19. Girls 15 & over 100 IM 47. Girls 9-10 25 Breast 20. Boys 15 & over 100 IM 48. Boys 9-10 25 Breast 20A 10 & Under 4 x 25 Free Relay 21. Girls 12 & under Diving 49. Girls 11-12 50 Breast 22. Boys 12 & under Diving 50. Boys 11-12 50 Breast 23. Girls 13 & over Diving 51. Girls 13-14 50 Breast 24. Boys 13 & over Diving 52. Boys 13-14 50 Breast 25. Girls 8 & under 25 Fly 53. Girls 15 & over 50 Breast 26. Boys 8 &under 25 Fly 54. Boys 15& over 50 Breast 27. Girls 9-10 25 Fly 55. Girls Crescendo 200 Free Relay 28. Boys 9-10 25 Fly 56. Boys Crescendo 200 Free Relay 11
Swim Camps The Swim Camps are designed for any child (Bullfrog or regular human being) who would like to take their competitive swimming skills to another level. Two Swim Camps will be offered this summer to accommodate the high demand for participation! Campers will be introduced to competitive swimming skills in Butterfly, Breaststroke, Backstroke, and Freestyle that will include starts and turns. For safety concerns, each camper must be able to swim a lap without assistance and is recommended that each camper have the ability to swim at least half a lap of Butterfly. The two different offerings available to Members will be the Pre-Season Camp and the Post-Season Camp. The Pre-Season Camp will cost $40 and will run Saturday and Sunday, June 8 th and 9 th from 9:00 to 11:30 AM. The Post-Season Camp will cost $50 (due to more time devoted for a deeper analysis of each stroke) and will run from Monday, July 29 th through Friday, August 2 nd between 10:00 to 11:30 AM. Each day will be devoted to stretching, dry-land exercises, and instruction of each competitive stroke. Each Camp will culminate in a video-lesson personalized for each camper. Each Camp will also include a folder for each camper with stroke guides, tips, and dry-land training that will certainly enhance the all-around physical prowess of each camper! Please register by June 1 st for the Pre-Season Camp and by July 15 th for the Post- Season Camp so materials for each camper can be produced! Final Note We want to thank everyone in advance for your support and your time during this 2013 Season. As a result of your efforts to make the Swim Team a success, our children become better swimmers and divers, learn good sportsmanship, make new friends, gain competitiveness, become better people, and have a great summer experience! We look forward to a completely fun-filled and successful Swimming & Diving Season, but it will only happen with your support and encouragement! Mighty Righteous! 12
Directions to Other Clubs Trident Swim Club - 1060 Flexer Ave., Allentown, PA 18103 From Brookside Country Club: Make right onto Willow Lane and follow until merging with Lower Macungie Road. Follow Lower Macungie Road for 2.3 miles until making a left onto Cedar Crest Boulevard. Follow Cedar Crest Blvd. for 2.1 miles and make a right onto Lincoln Avenue which becomes Flexer Avenue when as you bend to the left. Pool is after the 1 st stop sign on your left. Westwood Heights Swim Club, 1144 N. 38 th St., Allentown, PA 18104 From Brookside Country Club: Make right onto Willow Lane and follow until merging with Lower Macungie Road. Follow Lower Macungie Road for 0.5 miles until making a left onto Brookside Road. Follow Brookside Road for 1.3 miles and make a right onto Hamilton Boulevard. Follow Hamilton Blvd. for 0.9 miles and merge right onto I-78 W/PA-309 North. Follow I-78 W/PA-309 N. for 0.9 miles and merge right onto PA-309 North via Exit 53 toward Pennsylvania Turnpike/Tamaqua. Stay in the right lane and make a right onto the Tilghman St. East Exit (towards Allentown). Merge onto Tilghman St. and drive approximately 0.7 miles and take the 2 nd left onto Springhouse Road. Travel on Springhouse for 0.8 miles and turn right onto W. Highland Street. Make immediate left onto N. 38 th Street and the pool is on the left. Stones Crossing Swim Club - 1200 Stones Crossing Rd., Easton, PA 18045 From Brookside Country Club: Make right onto Willow Lane and follow until merging with Lower Macungie Road. Follow Lower Macungie Road for 0.5 miles until making a left onto Brookside Road. Follow Brookside Road for 1.3 miles and make a right onto Hamilton Boulevard. Follow Hamilton Blvd. for 0.7 miles and merge right onto I-78 E/PA-309 South. Follow I-78 E. for 16.5 miles and merge right onto PA-33 North (via Exit 71) toward US- 22/Stroudsburg. Stay on 33-N. for 1.5 miles and take the first exit onto the Freemansburg Ave.. Merge right onto Freemansburg Ave. for 1.2 miles until you come to the stoplight at Stones Crossing Road. Make right onto Stones Crossing Road for 0.2 miles and make right into the entrance for Stones Crossing Swim Club. Northwest Swim Club - 1470 Pennsylvania Ave., Bethlehem, PA 18109 From Brookside Country Club: Make right onto Willow Lane and follow until merging with Lower Macungie Road. Follow Lower Macungie Road for 0.5 miles until making a left onto Brookside Road. Follow Brookside Road for 1.3 miles and make a right onto Hamilton Boulevard. Follow Hamilton Blvd. for 0.9 miles and merge right onto I-78 W/PA-309 North. Follow I-78 W/PA-309 N. and merge right PA-309 North (Exit 53). Follow PA-309 for 1.6 miles and merge right onto US-22 East toward Bethlehem. Follow US-22 East for 7.1 miles and merge right onto exit for Airport Road South. Stay straight at the stoplight at the end of the ramp onto Catasauqua Road and follow for 0.5 miles. Make a right onto Pennsylvania Avenue and travel for about 0.5 miles. Northwest Swim Club is on your right. 13