Piranhas Swim Team Handbook

Piranhas Swim Team Handbook

Dear Swimmers and Parents: We are happy to have you join us on the Fox Chapel Racquet Club Piranhas Swim Team! We extend a warm welcome to both new and returning swimmers and look forward to another great season. Summer league swimming is all about having fun while improving your swimming skills. It provides wonderful opportunities for making new friends, building character, working together as a team, and learning the value of working hard and being responsible. FCRC is a member of the North Hills Summer Swim League (NHSSL). This league, with 15 teams, is divided into two divisions, Gold and Silver. For more information, please visit their website: NHSSL.com where you can find a listing of swim events and a schedule for the league. Please take the time to read this handbook. It includes important information about being a member of the Piranha swim team. You will find this handbook and all team information on our Piranha webpage at foxchapelracquetclub.com. We will be using a Twitter account which will provide daily updates on Piranha news, meet information and overall communication from coaches to parents and swimmers. Make sure you follow us @ FCRCpiranhas Welcome to the team! We look forward to seeing you poolside each day. Jim Skirboll, Coach, Piranhas Swim Team The FCRC Pool Committee

Piranha Coaches We are very excited to have Jim Skirboll return for his third year as our head coach for the Piranhas and second year as the pool manager. Jim brings decades of coaching experience from all levels of competitive swimming from the smallest and newest of swimmers to Olympic athletes. Jim was named Head Swim Coach for Team USA European Maccabi Games. He is swim coach for Pine Richland and has worked with many of the local United States Swimming year round teams including the Fox Chapel Killer Whales. Jim brings to us a plethora of experience and real joy of swimming as well as his own motivational skills and proven coaching techniques. Dani Folino is an Assistant Coach that works with the 8 and younger group of swimmers. Dani was a swimmer at Oakland Catholic and an Academic All American at Clarion University. She has coached at Woodland Hills Aquatic Team, Team Pitt and in the ESA Summer Swim league. Dani has been coaching the FCRC since the summer of 2012, and does a terrific job with our youngest group. We are overjoyed that she is part of our coaching team. We also have a committee of parents who help run our swim team and pool programs. Libby Ernharth, Lhea Wiese, Dani Folino, Kristin Fox (Volunteer Coordinator), Amy Martin and Terri Ronald are all members of this group. Please feel free to reach out to any one of these parents if you would also like to be involved! Practice Every swimmer s participation is vital to the success of the team. Swimmers must do their best to attend all practices so they are prepared to swim in meets. A swimmer s dedication and winning attitude during team practice will determine his/her winning performance during swim meets. Swim team practice should be fun, while serving to improve the performance of each swimmer. For practice, swimmers are divided by age and/or ability into one of three sessions: 9 years and older: 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 8 years and younger are divided into two groups based on swimming experience and ability: 8 and under with no or little experience: 10:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m. 8 and under with swim experience: 11:00 a.m. 11:45 a.m. Practice will be held Monday through Friday beginning on the first full day of the Fox Chapel Area School District summer vacation. Coaches will often start some evening practices before school is out make sure to check the schedule online to be sure of those optional practices. Swim

practice is not cancelled because of rain unless there is thunder and lightning. Swimmers should arrive a few minutes early for practice and be ready to swim at the scheduled start times, with all goggles, caps, and fins in place. All swimmers must behave responsibly during practice. Rough housing, horseplay, unsafe, distracting, rude, or disrespectful conduct will not be tolerated. Practice time each day is brief and swimmers should be prepared to listen and follow instructions. Tips for Success Apply your sunscreen before arriving for practice. If you buy a new Piranhas swim team suit, best to save it for meets and do not wear it every day for practice. Goggles will not fog up if you apply a drop of no-tear baby shampoo to the inside of each lens. We use swim fins during every practice. Each swimmer should have a pair. They will be available for sale at the pre-season kick off party each year or can be ordered through Len Chorney, our Club Manager. Girls (and boys) with long hair need to use a hair tie or preferably a swim cap. Girls are expected to wear a team cap for meets. Boys are welcome to wear them, too. Caps reduce drag and allow you to swim faster. Put your name on EVERYTHING with a permanent marker. Pack a big trash bag in your swim bag for rainy days. Use ear drops (like AURO-DRI) after every day of swimming to prevent Swimmers Ear. You can also make your own drops by mixing equal parts of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. Handouts and award ribbons will be distributed throughout the season via the file box on the table in the coaches corner of the pool area. Please check it each week during practice. Parents are welcome to observe team practices. However, we do ask that you do not distract your swimmers during practice. If you have questions or concerns, please speak with Coach Jim between practice sessions. You can also text him at 412-287-8818 if you need to speak with him privately. Swim Meets Every swimmer s participation at swim meets is vital to the success of the team. We are counting on you to swim individual events and relays in this team sport.

How do the swimmers participate in swim meets? Our swim season consists of swimming against each of the eight teams in our division in a dual meet, where all members of our team have the opportunity to compete. There will also be a Fox Chapel Area Invitational Meet our swimmers will compete in and 2 Championship Meets through the league. Please check our website for our online calendar for those dates. A NHSSL dual meet typically consists of 42 events, with a mix of individual and relay events. Swimmers are grouped by gender and age, giving everyone an opportunity to succeed. Coach Jim works tirelessly to put together the meet line-up, which is a listing of who swims in what events. He prepares event line-ups to use the swimmers in the most competitive way. Points are scored for the first heat, or race, of an event. Subsequent heats are designated as alternate heats and give each swimmer the opportunity to swim in each meet, improve his or her skills, and build self-confidence and team spirit. Their progress and personal achievements are amazing to watch and celebrate year after year. Swimmers are expected to be able to swim in all meets unless they have contacted Coach Jim before the scheduled meet. If a swimmer is not regularly attending practice for any reason (camps, practicing with another team, et.), the swimmer or parent will need to communicate with the coaching staff regarding that swimmer s ability to swim in the meets. Swimmers who do not attend practice or do not communicate with the staff may not be included in meet line-ups. The bulk of our events in each meet are relays and last-minute changes are very difficult to make. If a swimmer does not attend when they ve said they would, three other swimmers are often eliminated from a relay event because of this one unreported absence. As a parent, if your swimmer becomes sick, it is imperative that you get in touch with Coach Jim as soon as possible. He can be texted at: 412-287-8818. A special award will be given to all those who have 100% attendance at swim meets. This includes attendance at the relay championships if you are asked to represent the FCRC. What is required at swim meets? All meets begin at 6:30 p.m. When we have a home meet, swimmers should arrive at 5:15. For away meets, swimmers should be at the host pool by 5:30. These arrival times allow swimmers to check in with the coaches, organize their gear, review the line-ups, warm up in the pool with the team, and work out any pre-meet jitters. If you are a volunteer, it is a time for checking in with the meet coordinator for your instructions.

Meet line-ups will be posted in the pool area on the fence. We encourage parents of younger or first-time swimmers to help their children in finding their name and then writing their events on their hand with a permanent marker. This will help both swimmer and parents keep track of their events and which strokes they will be swimming. Feel free to ask older swimmers and experienced parents for help in reading meet line-ups. During both home and away meets, it is very important for swimmers to stay in our designated team area. The coaches will let the swimmers know when it is time for them to report to the pool deck for their events. Please remind your child to stay in the team area during the meet the coaches do not have time to look for them!! Events at meets go very fast, but sometimes the time between a swimmers events can seem very long. All swimmers must behave responsibly during a meet. Rough housing, horseplay, unsafe, rude, or disrespectful conduct will not be tolerated. FCRC coaches, swimmers, and parents should always be models of good sportsmanship when representing our club during meets and league events. All team members are expected to stay for the entire meet. If you must leave early, please check with Coach Jim before leaving. What should you take to a swim meet? Suit Cap Goggles: one pair, plus a spare 2 towels Piranha t-shirt Sweats Hat or visor Sunscreen Trash bag (in case of rain) Healthy snack Water or Gatorade Deck of cards or small, inexpensive hand-held games Loud cheering voice Team Spirit Winning attitude and good sportsmanship skills Who officiates at the swim meets? You do! Parent volunteers representing both teams serve as starters, announcers, timers, place finish judges, scorers, runners, and stroke judges. We must have 13 volunteers to host a home meet and 8 volunteers for each away meet. No special training is required. The positions (aside from stroke judge) are all very easy to learn. Working as

a stroke judge requires additional training. We welcome all and any inquiries about becoming a stroke judge for summer competitive swimming. Check out the NHSSL website using the link on our webpage for detailed description about each position. Volunteering is fun and you re in the middle of the action. Each family must volunteer for at least two meets, either home or away. Failure to sign up and fulfill this requirement will result in a $100 fee ($50 per meet). Take a minute to select a meet when you register to swim. You will be contacted to confirm your dates and choose your volunteer position. A word about inclement weather and swim meets The summer swim season is a very short six weeks with very few dates to re-schedule meets. The league and coaches make every effort to swim each meet as scheduled at 6:30. Coaches do not call off meets until they arrive at the scheduled pool. When fast-moving afternoon thunderstorms are in the forecast, weather delays are possible to ensure the safety of the swimmers, yet they are impossible to predict. We ask that you please arrive at the scheduled meet times even if the weather looks less than promising in your neighborhood. We do not want to forfeit a meet because enough swimmers do not show up to swim. How else can you help? Friday Fun Days Each Friday, after a week of hard work, the coaches plan fun activities for the swimmers during team practice. This fun includes enjoying doughnuts or another treat at the end of practice. Our doughnut coordinator will be in touch with instructions on signing up. You will be contacted with all the details and to confirm your date. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures We invite all parents and friends to share any informal swim team pictures with the Club to use on our Piranhas webpage and in the Racqueteer. We are always looking for bright, candid shots of our families and young members. E-mail your favorites to Janine in the Club office at janine@foxchapelracquetclub.com. Picture Day The Club has a professional photographer that comes to take a formal team picture before a home meet in June. Make sure to check our online schedule for this year s date. All Piranhas should be at the pool by 4:45, wearing your team suit and ready to smile for the camera. Please bring your Piranha t-shirt with you as well. The photographer will also be available from 4:30 to 5:00 for informal pictures of each swimmer, swim

friends, and Piranha siblings. You will be able to charge the cost of the pictures to your Club account. Fox Chapel Invitational Meet. This exciting morning meet matches the fastest swimmers in each age group from the five Fox Chapel area swim teams. These swimmers, from our team, the Golf Club, Field Club, Community, and Chapel Gate are asked by their coaches to represent each club. NHSSL Relay Championships. Jim will ask the top four to six fastest swimmers in each age group to participate in this division relay meet. It is our last meet of the season where we swim and compete as a team. NHSSL Individual Championships. This meet is an opportunity for the top four to six fastest swimmers in each age group to compete for individual honors. This is a purely optional event which caps off our season of Piranha swimming. Coach Jim will speak with eligible and interested swimmers.