Banbury Woods & Hunters Landing Swim Team Handbook 2017 The Banbury Woods swim team began in 2000. We started with 23 swimmers. By our third year, with the Homeowner Association s support, the team joined The Tarheel Swimming Association (TSA). Our team became the Banbury Woods/Hunters Landing swim team to increase the number of swimmers on the team and give Hunter s Landing swimmers access to a regulation pool and team. Our team has grown to about 75 swimmers each summer. Whether your family has a new or seasoned swimmer, being on a swim team is fun, and provides exercise, friendship, and low key competition. Below, families can find out everything they need to know about the Banbury Woods & Hunter s Landing summer swim team. What is TSA and how does it work? The Tarheel Swimming Association is a sanctioned summer recreational youth swim league. Swim teams are divided into leagues by pool location. Each league is then divided into divisions based on the team s prior year record. Most divisions have four teams. There are fees associated with being TSA members; the team is charged a flat charge plus a per swimmer fee. These fees provide us with six meets, meet paperwork, training for coaches, stroke and turn judges and starters and meet management support. For more information about TSA you can visit their website at www.tsanc.org. Registration Fees Team registration fee covers the cost of the TSA membership, coaches, ribbons, trophies, medals, and equipment. Our equipment includes: starting blocks, pop ups
tents, treasure box items, PA system, team banner, and lane ropes. We have a concession stand at home meets for expenses that fees do not cover. Families are asked to make a financial contribution to the concession stand. This replaces any and all fundraising for your swimmer. Signups Team signups take place at the Banbury Woods pool in May. At this event, swimmers can talk to the swim team managers and coaches to find out about the season, meet schedule, and fill out any necessary paperwork. Practice Schedules The swim season runs from the middle of May until the end of July. All practices are held after school, Monday through Friday. There is no practice on Tuesdays, when swim meets begin in June. Please note: In 2017 the 4 th of July falls on a Tuesday. The meet that week will be held on Wednesday, July 5th. What to expect during practice Swimmers are grouped with other swimmers their age. There are times a novice swimmer will be placed with a younger age group until their strokes are evaluated and strengthened. It is important that a swimmer is placed in a safe, learning environment. Once they improve, they will move into their age group. There may be occasions where swimmers are asked to practice with an older age group by the coach. This decision will be made by the Head Coach and the Team Manager(s) and will be made based on the swimmer s ability or a need to adjust the number of swimmers in an age group's practice session (due to safety concerns of swimmer/coach ratio). Parents will be consulted before their swimmer is moved to a different practice session; otherwise, coaches ask that your swimmer practice with their assigned group. If you have schedule conflict, please talk to the team managers to help find possible assistance or solution. Please be on time for practice. Swimmer should be ready to enter the water. This includes having a practice suit on, goggles in hand and bathroom business completed. There is a water fountain at the pool or you may send a water bottle with your swimmer. Swimmers still need to stay hydrated. Please note: some swimmers will never master butterfly and/or breaststroke during the summer swim season. Information is provided prior to the season about swim clinics, stroke clinics and swim practices offered through Parks and Recreation and other swim associations during the winter and spring months. A summer season is a short amount of time to learn and perfect a stroke. Some swimmers may need many seasons for the
strokes to click. Have patience, please, and remember your swimmer is having fun, getting in shape, learning dedication, and making friends in the meantime. Inclement weather policy Weather in summer can be vary by the hour. The team will practice anytime the swimmers will be safe, this includes rain. We do not practice in thunderstorms. If we have thunder/lightening during practice, the swimmers immediately leave the pool for 30 minutes. No one is to enter the water for any reason. A message will be posted on the Dolphins Facebook page and a text message blast will be sent with the status of the practice impacted by the weather (sneakers will be needed if dryland workouts replace pool practice). If the pool and/or air temperature is not considered to be safe during practice, the team will do land practice at the coach s discretion. The coach may choose to do a modified water practice following land practice. You know your child best. If you feel that it is too cold for your child, they can skip the in pool portion of practice. If the weather turns severe and you need information please contact the pool or managers. The pool number is (919)845-0490. Inclement weather during meets will be assessed at the time. There are times that a meet will have to be rescheduled (usually to the next day), delayed, or cancelled. Safety is the first priority. Meets Swim meets usually start the second week in June and runs for 6 consecutive Tuesday nights. In 2017 the 4 th of July falls on a Tuesday. The meet that week will be held on Wednesday, July 5th. There will be 3 home meets, and 3 away meets. Warm ups are at 5pm for our home meets, and 5:30 for away meets. A schedule of dates and location of meets is on the team calendar. Meets begin at 6pm and run for approximately 3 hours. Time Trials
Prior to our first meet, we will hold team time trials. The pool is set up like a meet with timers, a stroke and turn judge and a starter. We set up the swimmers to go through all strokes. This is done for two reasons: to give the swimmer a feel for a meet, and to get a starting time for each swimmer. This time will determine our relays and placement in main events and heats. Time Trials are also a good time to try out a volunteer position to see what you would like to volunteer for during the meets. The Meet Central software will be used during Time Trials so Timers can practice with the software. Meets consist of Main Events and Heats The main events are the first race of each stroke for either boys or girls. Swimmers are limited to three main events per meet, 2 for 6 and Unders. Main events and relays are for points and determine which team wins the meet. Because these meets are sanctioned by TSA, the stroke and turn judges will determine whether a swimmer is doing the correct stroke. If a judge determines that the swimmer is Disqualified (or DQ ed) the team does not get the points for the swim. This is why practice is so important, so the stroke becomes second nature and coaches can identify areas that need work. Order of Events The order of events always starts with the boys in each age group. A swimmer swims in their individual age group as of the swimmers age June 1 st. A swimmer can swim up into older age group relays. Every effort is made to get as many swimmers into relays as possible. The 6 and under age group does not have relays and do not swim butterfly. ORDER OF EVENTS Medley* Relay 7-8 boys through 15-18 girls Freestyle 6 and under boys through 15-18 girls Backstroke 6 and under boys through 15-18 girls Breaststroke 6 and under boys through 15-18 girls Butterfly 7&8 boys through 15-18 girls Freestyle Relay 7&8 boys through 15-18 girls *Medley relays include all strokes with one stroke per swimmer in the order of Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Free style A heat is a race of the same stroke after the main event. For example: at a six lane away pool where we are in the even lanes, the other team has the odd lanes. Once one team has run out of heat swimmers for their lanes, we may fill our swimmers into all the lanes. All swimmer are timed to determine main and heat placement at the next meet. If a new time of a heat is the fastest at the meet and the stroke is legal, the swimmer will usually swim a main event in the next meet. Points for place position in main events 5 points for 1 st, 3 points for 2 nd and 1 point for 3 rd. In relays, only the 1 st place team gets points. What to bring to a meet Meets do require a bit of preparation and should include the following things; your swimmer, two towels, snacks and drinks, water (we don t always know if the away
meets will have a concession stand), team suit, team shirt, chairs, swim cap and goggles. There will be quite a bit of down time for your swimmer. You may want to bring toys, books or electronic games to amuse your swimmer between events. Your child will have their number written on their arm at the swim meet. This is for the timers, kid pushers and other officials to distinguish one swimmer from another. The swimmer has the same number throughout the season. The numbers are written with a water-proof marker, i.e. a Sharpie. Be sure your swimmer gets his or her number on before the meet begins. For emergencies our team has and/or brings a first aid kit, your team manager can help obtain items a swimmer may need. Please be aware of the following rules during swim meets for both you and your swimmer: No one is allowed in the pool during the meet except swimmers in an event and catchers for the 6 and Unders Parents cannot be behind the blocks during a swim meet, unless you are a timer, place judge, kid pusher or clerk of course Do NOT approach the Stroke and Turn Judges during a meet. If you have a question about a call, please talk to the TSA Rep Swimmers or parents should not approach, or hang out by the scorers or ribbon writers during the swim meet. The score will be announced periodically during the meet. Alcohol is not permitted at any TSA supported event. Tips for swim meets: Try to keep your swimmer from burning all his energies the day of the meet. In other words, don t spend the day at the pool or any vigorous activity Directions to away meets are in your parent package and will be emailed the weekend prior to the meet. Please be on time for warm ups. If you have signed up for a meet position (positions are defined at the end of this document), be at the pool by 5:30. Most teams hold a volunteer meeting prior to the meets start. At home meets, please park your car at the top of Shadowview Court. As a courtesy we give the close parking to the visiting team. It takes a village. Please have your swimmer prepared for every event, kid pushers (volunteers that assist in the lineup of an event) have a big job and need help at the time of the event. If we can t find your swimmer they will be replaced in his main event or relay. MEET CHECK OUT Before leaving the meet, check the meet board to see if your swimmer has been added to a relay. We sometimes have last minute changes, so be sure to check before you leave! Please check in with the coach and/or managers before leaving a meet early or during a weather delay. Posting of Meet Events This is how parents and swimmers find out what event each swimmer will swim at the meet. Meet events are posted on the bulletin board and the Meet Board Monday night prior to the meet. (This board is located right inside the pools entrance on the wall.)
Meet event sheets will also be posted at the meets. Our coaches will tell your swimmer what they are swimming after their practice on Monday. Please keep in mind, relay participation may change after the posting, due to availability of the swimmer. If your swimmer cannot make the meet, or has to leave during the meet, please let the Coach and Manager(s) know. Please do not just leave a meet, the Coach may need to adjust the roster and inform both the Clerk of Course and the other team. 6 and under Considerations There are no 6 and under relays. This is because they do not swim all the way across the pool. 6 and under can swim in older age group relays. 6 and under swimmers do not swim butterfly. These swimmers only swim 2 main events. There can be an assistant coach or team catcher in the water during heats to encourage a nervous 6 and under swimmer. For Main events the assistant coach will be at the line waiting for the 6 and under swimmers. Although some pools have lifeguards, please always keep an eye on your swimmer during the meet and know where they are at all times and when they swim. Awards WE ARE ALL ABOUT THEM! Ribbons Every swimmer should get a ribbon for the events they swim. There are heat winner ribbons and good job heat swimmer ribbons that are given the day of the meet directly after the event. If your swimmer swims a heat, be sure they get a ribbon. If they do not get a ribbon, walk them over to the heat ribbon person and ask for it. Main events ribbons are given to the Manager at the end of the meet and awarded the next day at practice. Please do not have your swimmer approach the ribbon writer for our team and ask for their ribbons. Speeding Tickets Speeding tickets are given out by the coach after a meet where the swimmer has beaten his/her last time for an event. These can be given out for heat and/or main events at the coach s discrection. POOL RECORD Ribbons At the end-of-season party, any swimmer breaking a team individual record, at our pool, will get a POOL RECORD ribbon in the families folder. The final relay record broken in each age and event will get a POOL RECORD, too.
MEDALS AND TROPHIES Each team member gets a medal at the end-of-season party. In addition, we award trophies under the following criteria: MVP Swimmers who have the top points earned at meets in their age group. This swimmer must attend 4 of the 6 meets. Good attitude and practice attendance are also taken into account. Most Improved Swimmers who have improved the most in terms of technical ability and time in their age group. YOU ROCK Swimmer with a positive attitude and good attendance. This swimmer is a team player, who sets a good example to others through their practice and meet behavior. Team Spirit Swimmers who show compassion for others by consistently cheering, consoling and encouraging teammates. Dolphin Award This is the coach s choice award for excellence in effort of performance, attitude and team spirit. Fun We work towards building balance, stroke technique, team building, and good sportsmanship. We combine fun activities to make the season challenging and exciting. Each year fun activities are added to the team calendar. These events in the past were movie nights, an ice cream party, and a pancake dinner. Kids do well and want to participate if work and exercise are both fun and rewarding. Treasure Box Our team has a treasure box filled with fun kid toys and goodies. Swimmers can visit the treasure box for completing lap challenges during holidays, when we do not have practice. There is also a lollipop given to swimmers after practices. This works well as incentive for younger ones to get to practice and see it through.
Swim Team Rules Pool Rules All rules must be followed. To be eligible to swim with the Banbury Woods/Hunters Landing Dolphins, families must be members in good standing with their HOA or meet the exceptions listed in the HOA covenants. There is no glass allowed on the pool deck. There is no lifeguard at the pool. Parents, you are responsible for your swimmers actions and behavior at all times. Please understand that coaches are there to teach and improve your swimmer. Please stay aware as your swimmer practices to ensure proper, respectful behavior. Swimmers must be 14 years old to be at the pool without adult supervision. They must be 16 years old to watch a younger swimmer. No swimmer is to enter the pool with gum or candy in their mouth. Parents are required stay the entire time their swimmer is in the water. The coaches are not babysitters. If your swimmer needs to come out of the practice and/or be watched, it is to be done by you. No rough playing, no noodle whacking, no running on the deck, no water balloons. No pets, scooters, skateboards, bikes or roller blades on the deck. The blocks, swim ropes and kick boards are for practice use only. Do NOT let your swimmers hang on the lane ropes and/or the dividing rope at the shallow end. These ropes break easily and are expensive to replace. Gate combinations are not given to anyone who does not live in the Banbury Woods subdivision. Behavior Expectations Anytime you get a group of kids together, every day, for weeks on end, there are bound to be behavior issues. Our policy is to give a warning to stop the behavior; some kids will do pushups or extra laps. If the behavior does not stop, your swimmer may be asked to sit with their parent and then, ultimately, to leave practice. If your swimmer is asked to leave practice or sit with you, they will not be allowed to enter the pool for play. If you did not see your swimmer s actions, please talk to the coach after the practice. We want to have as few distractions during practice as possible. We do not tolerate teasing, bullying, cursing, pushing or any other form of unsportsmanlike behavior. Please remind your children to be respectful of their coaches AND of their teammates. Also, if your child is in a group above the 6 and under, please let them know they are role models for the younger groups and their behavior will be an
impression on those around them. Part of being on a team, is learning to get along with everyone (all ages) on the team. If we have issues with a swimmer disrespecting a parent volunteer or coach at a meet, your swimmer will sit out the rest of the meet with you. This is a team and it takes all of us to make this summer season possible and enjoyable. Please respect and support this policy. Coaching Staff Each year we hire a coaching staff. Our head coaches all have 10 years of swimming, coaching and/or teaching lessons. We look for patient coaches who can pass their knowledge and skill onto our swimmers. This is a job description, with all expectations clearly outlined. We expect the head coach to know the swimmers, teach them 3 of the 4 strokes if they are first year, follow all pool rules, be respectful to swimmers, other coaches, and parents, and, above all, be a positive role model. The head coach along with the Coach Manager will hire assistant coaches for the team. These assistants are expected to follow the same requirements as the head coach: follow rules, respectful of others and be a positive role model. Our Coach Manager will help lead the coaches and be a liaison between the parents and coaches. We expect them to get the team excited to work hard at practice and do their personal best at the meets. There will be a minimum of two coaches at all practices for 6 and under, 7&8 and 9&10 year olds. The coaches will be in the water with the 6 and under and 7&8 age groups. Parent Responsibilities and Volunteering Requirements: Volunteering is ESSENTIAL to make all meets a success. Every family is expected to volunteer for 4 meet positions (this does not include Time Trials). Volunteering in these positions makes parents feel like part of the team and creates camaraderie with other parents that may not be part of your swimmer s age group. It s a great experience and shows support for your swimmer.
Meet Positions and Descriptions TSA Representative (Home and Away) All teams must have a TSA rep to be a part of TSA organization. This is a designated person, or persons who attend TSA meetings starting in the fall, vote on team and meet issues, sits on committees ranging from leagues and scheduling to grievances. The TSA rep handles all rule issues at meets. The TSA rep also meets with the officials and volunteers at the beginning of the meet, greets the visiting team, letting them know where to set up. The reps handles all rule violations and disputes between officials. TSA reps call the meet for weather, and decides when or if we need to eliminate heats to finish the meet. Starter (Home) Starters can be trained at our team time trials and through the TSA starter clinic. You will start every race with scripted voice commands and an air horn or other starting device. Stroke and Turn Judges (Home and Away) This position has mandatory training through TSA. One will have to have knowledge about the basics strokes, plus each year there may be changes in the swim stroke rules. Our team likes to have 3 or 4 stroke and turn judges, a couple of extras help in case the others go on vacation the same week. Clerk of Course (Home and Away) The clerk of course sets the swimmers into their lanes. They get main event swimmers into their lanes, heat swimmers wherever there is an open lane and then give the Recorder our team s main event sheets, (blue or pink in color). The clerk of course is always at the block end of the pool. Recorder (Home) The recorder writes down on the pink or blue event sheets the places of the main event swimmers. He/she does not determine the places; the place judges do that. We need a recorder only during home meets. Place Judges (Home and Away) We need two or three from our team depending on the number of lanes in the pool. The place judges will stand at the finish line of every main event and determine by sight (not time) who came in each place. Each judge is given a place to watch, for example, if you are 2 nd place judge, you will only watch for the swimmer who comes in second in the main events. She will tell the recorder what lane came in second place. TWO Kid Pushers (Home and Away) Before the meet, the Kid Pushers write the swimmer s numbers on their arms. 6 and under that need a coach in the pool with them will get a line under their number. During the meet, the Kid Pushers find the kids, organize them into main event and heat swimmers, and pushes (leads) them toward the clerk of course. Timers (Home and Away) Timers take times for every one of our swimmers. You don t have to know all the kids names, our team will all have numbers on their arms. The number is found with their name on the team event sheets.
Scorer (Home and Away) The Scorer scores the meet off the pink and blue event sheets. He or she will sit with a scorer from the other team and write down the name and place of each main event on a scoring sheet. Points are placed by the name, and a running score is kept. If you are scoring, please write the swimmer s name on the score sheet, not just the team name. Ribbon Writer (Home and Away) Writes the name, stroke, age group and date on the back of every ribbon our main event swimmers win. Stickers will be provided with the stroke, age group and date already filled in. Ribbons will be awarded at following day s practice. Heat Ribbons (Home) Heat Ribbons are given to every heat swimmer for both teams. A heat winner to the swimmer that comes in first and an AWESOME SWIM ribbon to everyone else at our home meet. Be sure your swimmer gets a ribbon for every event they swim. Remember the heat ribbons will be received the night of the meet, right after they finish the event. 2 Runners (Home) The runner runs info from the recorder to the scoring table: DQ slips from the stroke and turn judges to the scorer and event sheets from the visiting teams to our recorder. Meet Set-Up-(Home) This requires 3 people. It requires you to arrive the pool at 4pm. Set up the lane lines, backstroke flags, blocks, PA system set up, lane numbers put on fence, concession tables, set up pop-up tents for our team, set up ribbon writer/score table, check bathrooms for paper products, put up team banner, flag the street, answer the phone. Floater (Home and Away) The Floater will make sure that the other volunteers have time for a break during the meet. The Floater will also help the Clerk of Course and Kid Pushers get the swimmers in place for relays. In addition, the Floater will assist where needed, including provide hospitality (pass out water) to the volunteers. At home meets, we offer refreshments to volunteers for both teams. Volunteering is not limited to 4 meets/position. Any additional help is appreciated. ***NOTE: The amount of volunteers for a position or the description of the parent volunteer positions provided above, may have some variation based on the new swim software we will use to run meets this summer.
TEAM GEAR Our team swim suit design is for two years. Swim caps are required for all girls during meets. Boys who have hair long enough to move in the water will also be required to wear a cap during the meets. We also have team shirts available for purchase. FEEDBACK Feedback is essential for growth, improvement and stability. Parents will be asked for feedback from you and your swimmer at the end of the season. Keep in mind the people running the team are volunteers. If you ve got a great idea, please share it. Welcome to the team! Swim Team Committee Members Please direct questions to the appropriate committee member: Team Co-Manager & Communication Moira Mitchell Team Co-Manager Andrea Smith Pool Manager/HOA Liaison Kyle Smith TSA reps - Beth Black, Mike Brinchek, Rich Sawin Coach Management - Shelly Denman-Smith Committee Member at Large, Banbury Woods Mike Brinchek Committee Member at Large, Hunters Landing Brook Hagan Social Events Elizabeth Dolby, Andrea Smith Team Treasurer Ann Worthington Meet Volunteers - Nicole Foster Concessions Suzanne LaRocca