Macungie Bears Swim Team 2016 Parent/Swimmer Handbook Revised June 3, 2016

Macungie Bears Swim Team 2016 Parent/Swimmer Handbook Revised June 3, 2016 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Macungie Bears Swim Team! We swim at the Macungie Memorial Park Pool, 50 Poplar Street, Macungie, PA 18062. We are a member of the Suburban Swim League of the Greater Lehigh Valley (www.suburbanswimlehighvalley.org) which consists of the following eight teams: Hanover, Lower Macungie, Macungie, Nazareth, Northern Lehigh, Palmerton, Quakertown, Soleco, and Whitehall. Over the course of the summer season, there will be 7 swim meets, some home and some away. The League determines the schedule and rotates the meets, so that the meets we swam at home the previous year are away the following year and vice versa. PURPOSE The purpose of the Macungie Bears Swim Team is to aid and promote a recreational summer swim team by offering a means for increasing athletic ability and character development to our swimmers. We will promote a healthy competition among our swimmers and provide an atmosphere that will enable our swimmers to reach these goals. COACHING STAFF Brandon Mazepa, Head Coach coachmazepa@gmail.com 484-892-9250 Meredith Heydth Nadalyn Imbriaco Maggie Olock, Assistant Coach magsolock@gmail.com 2016 PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (PAC) BOARD MEMBERS Annie Kocon, President annie@jkocon.com 610-435-1330 Mary Engel, Vice President engelmk@gmail.com 610-392-7864 Liane zu Jeddeloh, Treasurer lianezujeddeloh@gmail.com 610-509-1719 Martha Wessner, Secretary mwessner1@gmail.com 508-930-0004 REGISTRATION AND FEES We welcome swimmers ages 5-18 to join our swim team. Children must be able to swim one length of the pool freestyle without the use of floatation devices and should have completed beginner swim lessons. If you are unsure about your child s abilities, you can request an evaluation by a coach. The coach will decide if the child is ready for the swim team. Coaches decisions are final. The registration form can be printed from our website, www.macungiebearsswimteam.com. Registration Fees for 2016 Before May 9 th, 2016: After May 9 th, 2016: 1st swimmer: $110 1st swimmer: $120 Page 1 of 10

2nd swimmer: $90 2nd swimmer: $100 3rd+ swimmer: $60 3rd+ swimmer: $70 (Returned check fee $35) Volunteer Commitment Fee for 2016 $50 per family In addition to the completed registration form and registration check, a separate check for $50 will be due. If you complete your volunteer requirements, this check will be returned to you uncashed at the end of the season. We cannot run successful meets unless parents help! See the Volunteering page on the website for details. All swimmers must be a member of the Macungie Memorial Park Pool. Costs for pool membership and the membership form can be found on the Macungie Memorial Park Pool website, www.macungiepark.com/park-pool. Pool memberships paid before June 1, 2016 will be at a discounted rate. EQUIPMENT A team suit is recommended, but not required. Team suits are available for purchase at D&J Sports 7001 Rt. 309, Coopersburg, PA (610) 282-5895 with a team discount. The 2016 team suit is Speedo Pulse. The alternative to the team suit is a plain black or blue suit. A team swim cap is recommended, but not required. Team caps are available through our team. Swim goggles are highly recommended, but not required. Mac-Bear-Wear Mac-Bear-Wear is our team spirit wear and is a fundraiser for our team. We sell items like t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, flannel pants, caps, and car magnets. All include our team logo. Show your team spirit, support our team, and order Mac-Bear-Wear online through our website! Because of delivery lead times and quantity requirements, we can only place one or two large orders early in the season. Remember to order early! CODE OF CONDUCT Swimmers At all times, exhibit good sportsmanship toward both your teammates and your opponents. At meets, it is considered good sportsmanship to remain in the water until all swimmers have completed an event in order to shake hands and acknowledge the efforts of all swimmers. Win or lose, cheer on your teammates. Strive for positive team spirit! Act and conduct yourself with dignity while demonstrating respect for others and the property of others. Behave respectfully at all times. Swimmers failing to follow the code of conduct may face disciplinary action. Parents Demonstrate good sportsmanship by conducting yourself in a manner that earns the respect of your child, other swimmers, parents, officials, and coaches at meets and practices. Enjoy your involvement with the Macungie Bears Swim Team by supporting the swimmers, coaches, and other parents with positive communication and actions. Volunteer! Page 2 of 10

PRACTICE Swimmers are divided into practice groups based on age and/or skill level. The exception to the age groups is our Skills/Cubs group. Skills/Cubs are our swimmers who are new to competitive swimming, need to build endurance, and need more instruction in learning the four basic swim strokes. Swimmers will have the opportunity to move from the Cubs to their respective age group practice during the season at the coaches discretion. After school pre-season practices will begin in late May/early June from 4:30-6:00PM (2016 after school practices will begin on Tuesday, May 28). Attendance at after school practices is optional. If dropping off your child, please be prompt in picking them up at the end of practice. Summer season practices are held each weekday morning after the end of the East Penn school year for all groups. Currently, the 2016 morning practices will begin on Tuesday, June 14th. Practice Times for 2016 (subject to change at head coach s discretion) Red Group (Ages 14+ and advanced): 8:00-10:00AM White Group (Ages 9-13): 8:00-10:00AM Blue Group (Ages 8 and under): 9:45-11:00AM Skills/Cubs: 9:45-11:00AM Practice is highly dependent on weather conditions. If it is too cold or rainy, practice may finish early or may be cancelled. All parents and/or car pools are responsible for being available at the pool immediately upon completion of practice. Coaches assume no responsibility for the time outside of regular workouts. When they arrive for practice, swimmers should check their name in the attendance book. Each swimmer has a file folder that must be checked daily before and after practice. Information and ribbons will be distributed to the swimmers via their file. Swimmers must be ready to get in the water when their practice group begins. Parents should supervise non-swim team siblings. Coaches are not responsible for non-swim team members. Any suit that is appropriate for team swimming may be worn for practice. Team suits are expensive and you may wish to reserve them for meets. Bring a full water bottle to stay hydrated and several towels, as the morning air can feel very chilly. Bring goggles and be sure to put your name on them! Coaches are responsible for the safety of every swimmer and should not be distracted during practice. Swimmers are not to be in the pool office area without permission. Changing rooms are available for the swimmers use. Horseplay will not be tolerated in and around the pool, the pool deck area, or in the changing rooms. The coaches will determine the consequences of failing to exhibit appropriate behavior. Parents will be notified immediately of any problems. All swimmers are expected to follow pool rules. Page 3 of 10

SWIM MEETS Dual meets (Macungie Bears vs. another swim team) are held on Mondays and Thursdays, with the occasional exception around the July 4th holiday. Meets begin at 6:00PM and usually last about two to three hours. Swimmers are to check in with the Attendance Monitor upon arriving at the meet. Parent volunteers should report to the pool 15 minutes before the start of the meet and check in with the Volunteer Coordinator. All team members are required to follow proper rules of conduct. Home Meets: Swimmers should be ready for warm-ups at 4:45PM Away Meets: Swimmers should be ready for warm-ups by 5:15PM Check the line-up roster posted on the team bulletin board. It will be on a nearby fence, tree, or other stationary object. Swimmers can write their event number and lane on their hand with a waterproof marker or piece of paper as a reminder of their events. Swimmers should know their events and follow the progress of the meet so they are ready when the Marshals call on them. Parents of younger swimmers should also be aware of what event numbers their child is swimming, and make sure their child knows when their event is coming up. The team stays together in one general location. Swimmers should not leave this area unless swimming or using the restroom. The meet Marshal will see that each swimmer is where they need to be for their event. We do not want the Marshal to have to search the entire facility for a swimmer. We don t want anyone to miss their events! Swimmers should clean up the team area after every meet. The No Horseplay rule also applies during meets. Any swimmer who chooses to disregard this request will be disciplined at the coaches discretion. Determining Line Ups Line up sheets are prepared for every swim meet. They list each swimmer and show the events in which they are competing, their heat, and lane assignment. A swimmer may be placed in up to four events per meet, including exhibition heats. The Head Coach makes the final decisions about the line ups. If your child has something special they would like to try, encourage them to talk to their designated coach. Line ups are very time consuming, and with a large team it is sometimes difficult to fit everyone in. Understand that the coach is making choices based on times and proficiency in strokes. Missing a Meet If a swimmer will be missing a meet, they must sign OUT of the meet in the Meet Attendance Book. This must be done NO LATER THAN the Friday prior to the meet. The coaches begin making the lineup for meets several days in advance, so it is imperative that they know which swimmers will not be participating. Failure to notify them in advance may result in loss of participation in the next two swim meets. ALL swimmers, including Cubs, will need to sign OUT of meets. If an illness or emergency arises on the day of a meet, please notify Coach Brandon as soon as possible via text or phone call to 484-892-9250. What to Bring to a Meet The following is a suggested list of items for swimmers to bring to meets: At least two towels (perhaps a blanket or extra towels to sit on as well) Goggles Page 4 of 10

Swim cap Flip-flops or slides Water bottle(s) Cards, books, crafts, etc. (swim meets last two to three hours and the kids need something to help pass the time between their events) Healthy snacks or money for the snack stand Folding chairs for seating for parents A good attitude and team spirit! Weather Meets are held rain or shine. Thunder or lightning are the only things that will postpone or cancel a meet. Swimmers are expected to be at the meet location unless the website or an email indicates a cancellation or postponement. Please check the *ALERTS/CANCELLATIONS* area on the homepage of our website. Thunder or Lightning Plan of Action In the event of thunder or lightning: 1. The pool manager and/or head lifeguards will decide if everyone needs to clear the water. At this point NOBODY questions their decision. 2. The pool and deck MUST be cleared immediately. There will no longer be a choice to wait in locker rooms - parents need to take their kids under pavilions or in cars. Guards and coaches are not to function as babysitters during this time. They need to worry about the safety of the pool area. 3. When the weather has passed, if there is time, the meet will start or restart. Do not leave the area until this is determined. 4. Rescheduled meets are hard to plan. We understand it will not work with everyone's schedules. Remember, the pool manager must close the pool to members for our meets, so we need to be thankful if we are able to secure a night that works for rescheduling. 5. Clean-up of the pool area can take place the next morning or when the weather clears. Again, safety is the number one priority. Distance The Macungie Pool is a 25-meter pool. Some pools in the league are 25-yard pools. In addition, Palmerton s pool is a 30-yard pool. Conversion rates for record keeping are as follows: 25 yards to 25 meters: Time x 1.094 25 meters to 25 yards: Time x.9144 30 yards to 25 meters: Time x.9113 30 yards to 25 yards: Time x.8333 Exhibition Exhibition heats give more swimmers an opportunity to swim a given event. At Macungie Pool, Lane 5 is our exhibition lane. The exhibition swimmers do not score points for the team, but their time can be used to determine qualifying for Championships. Ribbons Ribbons will be awarded for 1st 3rd places for all meets. Ribbons will be placed in the swimmers file folders at the pool. They can be picked up a day or two after the meet. Exhibition ribbons are awarded at home meets and at the discretion of the hosting team at away meets. Page 5 of 10

Official Rules The Macungie Bears Swim team is a member of the Suburban Swim League of the Greater Lehigh Valley. If interested, the official USA Stroke Rules and Regulations can be found on the Suburban Swim League's website, www.surburbanswimlehighvalley.org. CHAMPIONSHIPS AND SILVER CHAMPIONSHIPS At the end of each season, there are two additional opportunities for swimmers to compete. The Suburban Swim League Championships takes place on a Saturday in late July. Each of the eight teams in the League takes a turn hosting Championships. The Macungie Bears hosted Champs in 2013! This is an all-day event. Championships include all events normally included in the regular meets, and there will be multiple heats of each event. Swimmers qualify based on their best times for each stroke. This is a scored event. The head coach will determine which swimmers are eligible to go to Champs. The Silver Championships meet takes place on the Wednesday before Championships. This is a long night, since it includes all teams swimming all events, so there will also be multiple heats of each event. The only exception is that there are no relays or crescendos included in this meet. If a swimmer does not qualify for more than one event at Championships, they are eligible to swim at Best of the Rest. If they are swimming in a single event at Championships, they cannot swim that particular stroke at Best of the Rest. GENERAL POOL RULES 1. Please do not park in the grass around the pool for any reason! We have a large parking lot and other parking lots near the pavilions that we can use. 2. Clean up! Please encourage and even help your child clean up after meets and practices. 3. At 11:00AM on weekdays, swim team practice is over and swim team members must exit the water! Parents can swim laps at this time, but kids cannot return to the water until toddler time is over and the pool is open to the public at noon. 4. If you move chairs from the snack bar area, you must return them to the place that you found them. We need to work together to help keep the Macungie Pool in great shape! VOLUNTEERING Our team is run by volunteers. We need the participation from all families to make our team successful. Please see the Volunteering page on our website to sign up for Volunteer Jobs and Food Donations. You will need an access code in order to sign up. This code will be given to parents via email and at registration. It will not be posted online to avoid bogus sign ups. Minimum Requirements (UPDATED FOR 2016) Parents/guardians with swimmers ages 8-18 must volunteer at a minimum of three (3) swim meets. These are swimmers who are actively participating in meets and practicing in the Red, White, or Blue practice groups. This is per family (e.g., If you have more than one child swimming, the minimum requirement for your family remains at three (3) swim meets.). Page 6 of 10

Parents/guardians with a swimmer in the Cubs group are NOT REQUIRED to volunteer at meets. These are swimmers who do not participate in meets and practice with the Cubs group. If, during the season, the Cub begins to swim in meets, the parent will be REQUIRED to assist their child at all meets they swim as a Cub and maybe asked to volunteer at the discretion of the volunteer coordinator. This means helping them to remember which events they will be swimming and making sure they are lined up and ready to swim prior to the start of their events. Each family is required to donate a food or drink item to our bake/food table for a minimum of one (1) home meet. These are the minimum requirements. We encourage everybody to volunteer as much as they are willing. Volunteering can be a fun and rewarding experience. If you fulfill the minimum requirements, your $50 check that was submitted along with your registration will be returned to you un-cashed at the end of the season. Below are descriptions of various volunteer opportunities at the swim meets. Swim Meet Job Descriptions 50/50 Drawing: Sells 50/50 tickets to both teams at a swim meet. A winner is chosen at the Announcer s table towards the end of the meet. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Announcer: Operates the Public Address system. Announces the events, heats, and swimmers names. Makes other announcements to keep everyone informed, and announces meet results. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Attendance Monitor: Takes attendance as swimmers arrive at the meet and gives final attendance sheet to the head coach. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Bake/Food Table: At the direction of the Food Coordinator, sets up bake/food table prior to swim meet. Sells food during the meets and helps in clean up after the meet. Volunteers at the bake/food table will always get to see their child swim. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Baking/Food Preparation: Prepare baked goods or food items, such as a crock pot selections, fruit salad, or pasta salad to be sold at each home meet. All sales benefit our team. Sign-up required. All families are required to donate at least one food item for the bake/food table for one home meet. This will count towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Computer Operator: Operates the computer with the meet software, HY-TEK's Meet Manager, to input times, etc. for each race and heat. Training will be provided. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Marshal: Marshals control the crowd and swimmer flow at the meet. They maintain order amongst the swimmers and line them up appropriately for each event. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Ribbons: This person separates and places labels on ribbons during the meet. They distribute our team Page 7 of 10

ribbons into swimmer file folders. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Runner: Runners pick up lane timing sheets from each lane, organize them in appropriate order by event/heat, and deliver them to the computer operator s table. They also check with Stroke/Turn Judges for any DQ slips, which are also delivered to the computer operator s table. Requires walking and comfortable shoes. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Set-Up/Clean-Up: Assist in setting up and tearing down all equipment required to run the meet. This includes, but is not limited to tables, chairs, tents, flags, and lane lines. This also includes support in the bake/food table area. No sign-up needed. Any help is appreciated. Starter: The official in charge of beginning races and ensuring that the start of each race is fair, without false starts. The starter asks swimmers to step onto the blocks, gives the command for them to take their marks, and signals the start of the race. If there is a false start, the starter will call the swimmers back to the blocks for a fair re-start. PIAA-trained. Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Stroke/Turn Judge: These officials are positioned at the sides of the pool. If they see an illegal stroke or turn, they record it on a DQ (Disqualification) slip and hand the slip to the Runner. Sign-up required. PIAA-Training is needed to become a judge. If interested, please inquire with our head coach. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. Timer: Timers stand behind the starting blocks and/or the finish end of the pool. Responsible for using stop watches to time each event, recording these times on timing sheets, and handing the sheets to the Runner. Several timers are needed from our team for each meet. (Relief timers simply relieve the timers for breaks. Timing recorders document the times on paper and hand-off the paper to a runner) Sign-up required. Can be used towards fulfilling volunteer requirements. COMMUNICATION Team communications are sent out via a team email list that is compiled using email address furnished on the registration forms. If you would like to make a change to your email address, please send a message to macungiebearsswimteam@gmail.com. We will also use our website, www.macungiebearsswimteam.com, to communicate information, like alerts and cancellations, and important upcoming dates. Please check our website periodically. In addition, we have a public Facebook account. Be sure to Like us, so that you will receive important communications in your News Feed. The Parent Advisory Committee Board is available to answer any questions or help resolve any concerns that occur during the season. SPECIAL EVENTS Page 8 of 10

The Macungie Bears Swim Team also holds some special events each year for our swimmers, like Breakfast with the Coaches and our Family Picnic. Come join the fun! New swimmers are always welcome! TERMINOLOGY 25 s One length of the pool 50 s Two lengths of the pool 100 s Four lengths of the pool Back Backstroke Blocks The starting platforms located behind each lane. Blocks have a variety of designs and can be permanent or removable. Breast Breaststroke Crescendo A freestyle relay that includes one swimmer from each age group. Deck The area around the swimming pool reserved for swimmers, officials, and coaches. DQ d Also known as Disqualified. A swimmer is DQ d in a meet event when the Stroke/Turn Judge feels that the swimmer s stroke did not meet criteria for acceptability. A DQ d swimmer will not receive a time for that event. Dual Meet Exhibition Swimmers False Start Fly Free Free Relay Heats IM Invitational Medley Relay Relays Scoring Type of meet where two teams compete against each other. These swimmers swim for times only and do not score points for the team. However, these times still count as official times. Exhibition swimmers will receive an exhibition ribbon for their event. When a swimmer leaves the starting block before the horn/beep. Butterfly stroke Freestyle stroke or front crawl A relay where all four swimmers each swim freestyle. All swimmers entered in the event are divided into heats, or groups of swimmers. The results are compiled by the times swum, after all heats of the event are completed. Also known as Individual Medley. One swimmer swims fly, back, breast, and free. A type of swim meet that requires a team to request an invitation to attend the meet. A relay with four swimmers that each swims a different stroke. The first swimmer swims back, the second swims breast, the third swims fly, and the fourth swims free. Four swimmers compete in this event. One swims right after the other until all four have gone. Relays can be 100 meters or 200 meters (based on whether each swimmer swims 25 s or 50 s). Scoring for events is broken down as follows: Relays: 1 st = 8 points, 2 nd = 4 points, and 3 rd = 2 points Individual events: 1 st = 5 points, 2 nd = 3 points, and 3 rd = 1 point Points are added up after each event and a running total score is kept. The winner of the swim meet is the team with the most points at the end of the meet. Page 9 of 10

Starting System Races are started with an electronic starting system that makes a loud beep and flashes a strobe light. MEETS: ORDER OF EVENTS Girls Event Boys 1 8 & Under 100 Free Relay 2 3 15 & Over 50 Free 4 5 10 & Under 100 Medley Relay 6 7 12 & Under 100 Medley Relay 8 9 13 & Over 200 Medley Relay 10 11 8 & Under 25 Breast 12 13 10 & Under 25 Breast 14 15 12 & Under 50 Breast 16 17 14 & Under 50 Breast 18 19 15 & Over 50 Breast 20 21 12 & Under 100 IM 22 23 14 & Under 100 IM 24 25 15 & Over 100 IM 26 27 8 & Under 25 Fly 28 29 10 & Under 25 Fly 30 31 12 & Under 50 Fly 32 33 14 & Under 50 Fly 34 35 15 & Over 50 Fly 36 37 8 & Under 25 Back 38 39 10 & Under 25 Back 40 41 12 & Under 50 Back 42 43 14 & Under 50 Back 44 45 15 & Over 50 Back 46 47 8 & Under 25 Free 48 49 10 & Under 25 Free 50 51 12 & Under 50 Free 52 53 14 & Under 50 Free 54 55 15 & Over 100 Free 56 57 All Age Crescendo 58 Page 10 of 10