LANSDALE FROGS SWIM & DIVE TEAM New Parent Handbook Revised May 2015
Team & League General Information What is the Lansdale Swim and Dive Team? The Lansdale Swim and Dive Team is sponsored by the Lansdale Borough Parks and Recreation Department and supported by the Lansdale Swim and Dive Team Parents Association. Our team is comprised of approximately 150 swimmers and divers through the age of 18. The objective of the Lansdale Swim and Dive Team is for young athletes to learn skills and team concepts while having fun. Lansdale s program offers team members a lot of individual attention. However, this is a competitive swim league and winning will be a factor. The program is held at White s Road Pool and runs from late May through early August. From late May through the end of the school year, the team practices after school Monday through Friday between the hours of 4:30 PM & 6:30 PM. Morning practices start once North Penn School District is out for the summer. Morning practices are every weekday during late June and all of July between 8:30 AM & 11:45 AM, depending on a swimmer or diver s ability and experience. What league does the team compete in? The Lansdale Swim and Dive Team competes in the BuxMont Swim League (www.buxmontswimleague.com), which is comprised of 8 teams in our general area: Fanny Chapman, Harleysville, Hatfield, Nor Gwyn, Souderton, Pennridge and Towamencin. There are seven dual meets during the season and championship meets are held in the final week. There are two Diving Championships (Senior and Junior). There are three Swimming Championships, which are divided according to ability (A s, B s, and C s). How do I join the team? Registration is typically held in May at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Building (660 Lansdale Ave, Lansdale). You can register for the team when you sign up for the pool or call and stop by the office. Check the team website or the Lansdale Borough website, www.lansdale.org, for dates and times. The fee is $45.00 per team member. Registrations cannot be accepted at Whites Road Pool, you must register through the Parks and Rec department at 660 Lansdale Ave. Must my swimmer/diver belong to the Lansdale Community Pool to participate on the team? Yes. The BuxMont Swim League requires team members to be members of the pool. How old must my swimmer/diver be to join? Pool members under the age of 19 are invited to register and compete on the team. Swimmers and divers must be able to swim one length of the pool freestyle without stopping. There will be no exceptions to this requirement. If your child is unable to swim this distance, he or she should be enrolled in the swim lesson program. Young swimmers and divers will be evaluated for this requirement during the first two weeks of practice. Can an athlete be on both the swim and dive team? Yes. There is a limitation, however, as to the number of events a participant can enter per meet (discussed further in this document). There are separate practices for swimmers and divers. Am I required to purchase a team swim suit? The team suit is not required; however, all swimmers and divers must wear a racing suit while competing. During the 1 st week of practice, there will be a swimsuit try-on/purchasing opportunity at Whites Road Pool. It is recommended that your swimmer or diver accompany you for proper sizing. Are there Team Pictures? Yes. This is normally held during the 1 st week of practice after North Penn Schools are off for the summer. Fliers will be available at the front desk at Whites Road Pool. In addition to the team picture, individual and family shots will also be available. Be prepared for a long morning! Swim practice will still be scheduled. Pictures normally start at 9:00am. After pictures, there is usually a combined practice. 2
Expectations for Parents and Swimmers/Divers From the parent resource site of USA Swimming, an authority on swimming in the United States: Parents serve as role models and their children emulate their attitudes. Be aware of this and strive to be positive role models. Most importantly, show good sportsmanship at all times toward coaches, officials, opponents and teammates. The USA Swimming website has a number of great resources to help new parents understand the sport of swimming and the expectations of parents: http://www.usaswimming.org/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=1503&alias=rainbow&lang=en Parents of Lansdale swimmers and divers are expected to: Have a positive attitude toward all participants, coaches, officials and other parents Show good sportsmanship at all practices, meets and events Abide by all rules and regulations of the BuxMont Swim League, LSDT, and all community pools used in competition. Help team members arrive on time and prepared for practices and meets Fulfill their meet volunteer commitments and participate in fundraising activities What are family files? Each family will have a family file in which some information will be inserted, i.e., info on upcoming activities, etc. You will also find time improvement ribbons here. Please instruct your swimmer to check their file after practice each day. The files are located at the front desk. Of course, you can always get information on our website. How can I contact the coach? For questions or concerns, parents can contact the coaches through written notes, placed in the coach s folder. To report a swimmer or diver absent from a meet in the event of an emergency, please call the front desk at White s Road Pool at 215-361-8355. The staff will notify the coaches. Practices When are the practices? Swim/dive team practice begins in late May and the season ends in early August. The practices in late May and early June are held after school in the late afternoon. At the conclusion of the North Penn School District school year, practices move to the morning, with various practices divided by ability. There are three sessions: 8:30am-10:00am, 10:00am-11:00am & 11:00am-11:45am. The older, faster swimmers typically have the earliest practice session. What happens if my kids are assigned to different practice times & because of the logistics of getting them to practice, I need them together? Speak to the coaches after practice or leave a note in the coach s folder. What do the coaches expect of the swimmers and divers at practice? The coaches expect swimmers and divers to listen to directions and give a good effort at each practice. They expect a cooperative, positive attitude and a genuine desire to be there. They also expect all young athletes to be on time and ready to go. What do the coaches expect of the parents at practices? The coaches expect parents to have their swimmers and divers to practice on time. Once practice has started the parents are expected to remain up by the front desk and snack bar tables. Parents are not allowed on the pool deck and are not to interrupt practice by asking the coaches questions or coaching the child themselves from the sidelines. 3
Are swimmers/divers expected to attend every practice? Swimmers and divers are expected to be at the assigned practice five days a week. There will be an occasion when it is necessary to miss and this should be communicated to the coaches ahead of time. Swimming is an endurance sport and it is important that they are there every day in order to achieve success. What do I do if I know my swimmer/diver will be missing a practice? It is very important that your young athlete make every effort to attend practice regularly. Attendance at practice will determine his/her participation in the meets, as well as overall success in the sport. If you know you will be missing practice, please complete the yellow Missing A Practice form and place it in the Coaches folder. Is there practice in the morning if there is a meet scheduled that evening? Yes. Practices are every morning, five days/week, even if there is a meet that evening. When the weather is bad, how do I find out if practice is cancelled? Practice and meets usually run rain or shine. If there is thunder or lightning or extreme cold, you check the team website to see if practice is on. You can also call the front desk at Whites Road Pool at 215-361-8355. BuxMont Dual Meets General Information When are the meets? Meets are typically held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings through late June and July. The meets consist of two portions: diving and swimming. The diving portion is held first with the swim portion following. For Lansdale, home meets are held on Mondays due to the White s Road Park Concert Series on Tuesdays. Check the LSDT Website for the time the swimmers/divers need to report, meet start times and warm-up times. How long is a swim meet and what can I expect? Generally, a meet will start at 5:00pm for diving, 6:00pm for swimming, and continue to approximately 10:00pm. It is a long night filled with excitement and fun! All team members should stay in the team area so that they do not miss any of their assigned events! The swim portion begins with 8 & under Freestyle Relays, and then continues by age groups with the Butterfly, Breaststroke, Backstroke and Freestyle. The meet ends with the Medley Relays. Throughout the meet, teammates cheer on other teammates or spend time with friends while waiting for their next event. Coaches want all team members to stay to the end! The team ends the meet with a TEAM Cheer! Where do Parents sit? Parents should bring folding chairs or sit in the bleachers. Most pools have designated areas for spectators in the interest of everyone s safety. Please abide by all pool rules. What if my swimmer/diver has to miss a meet? Bright green Missing a Meet forms are available in the INFO BOX near the family files for your use should a team member be unable to attend a meet. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that the coaches be told AT LEAST ONE WEEK in advance if your swimmer/diver will be missing a meet. Coaches spend a great deal of time creating a lineup for each meet. When a swimmer/diver is unexpectantly absent from a meet, the coaches need to change the lineup for an entire age group in a matter of minutes, which is very difficult to do and is unfair to all the other swimmers who are affected. Completed Missing a Meet forms should be placed in the Coaches folder. Of course there are times when a team member becomes sick just before the meet or must miss a meet due to a family emergency. In this situation, please call the front desk at White s Road Pool at 215-361-8355 as soon as you are aware that your team member will not be able to participate. The staff will notify the coaches. Where are the meets held? Home meets are held at the Lansdale White s Road Pool. Away meets are held at the opposing team s pool. Directions to the away pools can be found on the LSDT website. 4
What happens if it starts to storm in the middle of the meet? If the weather turns bad and there is thunder and lightning, the manager of the host facility will decide to suspend the meet. Parents, team members and spectators will be asked to leave the pool property. Parents should use their best judgement as to where their family will safely wait out the storm. If the weather clears, the pool manager will notify the participants and the meet will resume where it left off. If the weather continues to be bad, the coaches/officials will make a decision to stop the meet and reschedule at a later date. What is the maximum number of events per swimmer/diver in a meet? Competitors are allowed a maximum of four events per meet including relays and diving events. A swimmer may swim up in an older age group in individual and relay events; a diver may dive up an age group. What do the coaches expect of the swimmers/ divers at meets? The coaches expect that all team members will be on time for warm-ups. Competitors will be informed of their events at the beginning of the meet through posted lineups in the team area. Parents can view the posted lineups in the team area as well. All athletes are expected to stay with the team in the team area until the meet is over. What do the coaches expect of the parents at meets? Parents are expected to support all athletes in a positive manner and demonstrate good sportsmanship to competitors. They are to fulfill their volunteer duties and/or monitor their children for appropriate behavior in the team area. Parents are to avoid interrupting the coaches or athletes during competition and are not to challenge the decision of meet officials or coaches. What do I need to send with my swimmer/diver to a meet? All competitors need to wear a competition swim suit. All swimmers should have goggles and it is very highly recommended that girls wear a swim cap. Water is also very important. When the sun goes down, it can get quite cold after being in the water, so a sweatshirt or jacket is recommended. Provide several towels, as they tend to get wet and dirty. Many team members bring snacks, small games, and a blanket to sit on in the team area while they are waiting for their next event. Expensive electronics should be left at home. Label all belongings with permanent marker, as the lost & found grows to be very large by the end of the season. Please try to provide your young athlete a nutritious meal at least one hour before warm-ups. Is there an admission fee to the meets? No, there is not an admission fee to the meets or championships. At the invitationals and championship meets, programs and event t-shirts are available for purchase. How can swimmers find out their times achieved at meets? Times are recorded manually into a computer database during and after each meet. A report of the meet results can be found in the results binder located near the family files in the White s Road Pool front lobby. What are Time Trials? Time Trials is a practice meet typically held in mid to late June, before the first dual meet. Swimmers swim each of the strokes for time. Parents serve as timers to record the times, providing a great opportunity for new parents to learn how to be a timer before the first meet. It is very important that all swimmers make every effort to attend. Coaches use these times to plan the first meet line-ups of the season. Your child will receive a record of all his/her times at the end of the season. It is great to see the improvements made from the times recorded at time trials! 5
Technical Information What are the competitive age groups? Swimming 8 and under = 8 years or younger 10 and under = 9 and 10 years old 12 and under = 11 and 12 years old 14 and under = 13 and 14 years old Opens = 15 years old through graduation Diving Junior Diver = 12 and under Senior Diver = 13 and over What if my swimmer/diver has a birthday during the season? June 15 th is the BuxMont League age-up date. A swimmer/diver s age as of June 15 th determines his/her competitive age group for the entire season. What are the different strokes? Freestyle Backstroke Breaststroke Butterfly How many events are there? There are 50 swimming events and 4 diving events. How is a meet scored? There are a possible 466 points to be won in a swim meet. They are broken down in the following way: Diving competition 36 points 9 points each for Jr. Girls, Jr. Boys, Sr. Girls, and Sr. Boys 5 points for first place, 3 points for second place, and 1 point for third place Swimming Relays 70 points; the winning team in a relay gets 7 points. No other points awarded. Individual events 360 points 5 points for first place, 3 points for second place, and 1 point for third place Note: A team cannot sweep an event as long there is a person from the opposite team competing. In other words, if Lansdale had three swimmers or divers finish first, second, and third in the official heat of an event, but the opposing team had a member finish fourth in the official heat, the other team is awarded 1 point for third place and Lansdale is awarded 8 points for first and second place. The first heat of an event is the official heat (the only heat where points are scored). In case of a tie, points are split (4 each for first and second place or 2 each for second and third place). The middle four lanes of the relays are the only official relays. The heats other than the first heat are called exhibition heats. Times achieved in unofficial heats do not score points for the dual meet, but do count toward Champs and time improvement ribbons. 6
Parent Involvement What is expected of parents at meets? Anyone who has been to even one swim meet knows that it takes much effort on the part of parent volunteers to make it happen. Approximately 28 parent volunteers are needed for each away meet and at least 48 volunteers for each home meet as timers, judges, scorers, snack stand helpers, etc. The number for away meets, however, will vary depending on the size of the pool and whether extra help may be needed in the team area, etc. The team needs help from every family during the course of the season, and we are sure that every parent can find a meet job that he/she enjoys doing. What is the service fee? Shortly after registration, a $75 meet volunteer fee will be collected by the Parents Association from each participating family. Each family will commit to fulfill four (4) meet service obligations. Examples of service obligations include timing for one meet, or running ready bench for one meet. Your $75 check will be returned to you at the End of Season Party if you have completed all four of your service obligations. If you have any questions or have a problem finding a volunteer job, please see any member of the board for clarification. Meet Volunteers A description of the meet service obligation jobs is provided below: Meet Director: Insure that equipment and supplies necessary to run the meet are available, create a work schedule, insure that all persons assigned to jobs are present and make replacements as necessary. Distribute drinks to meet workers, collect supplies equipment at the end of the meet. This is a leadership position for an experienced swim parent. Timer: This is the most common job. You use a stopwatch which is provided by the team to time the swimmer in your assigned lane. There are typically three timers per lane. Head Timer: This is one of the three timers in the lane. This timer writes down all the times on the swimmer s card, circles the median time, and verifies the swimmer s name. Back-up Timer: Time each race and be available to step into a particular lane if one of the timers misses the start. Runner: Collects the cards the timers record the times on after each race along with the finish slip and the stroke & turn disqualifications. Scoring Table: Scores for each time record the results following each race and track the team scores. This is a skilled job for an experienced swim parent and requires you to take the clinic at the beginning of the season. Finish Judge: These judges stand at the end of the pool and observe the end of the race. They record the order of the finish. They need to focus their attention at the finish of close races. Attending the clinic and shadowing is recommended. Relay Starts Judge: These judges make sure the relay swimmers take off at the proper time. Some training is needed. Stroke & Turn Judge: These judges determine whether the technical aspects of the strokes, the turns, and the finishes were legal according to US Swimming rules and a willingness to fairly disqualify swimmers when necessary. This job requires attending training clinic and shadowing an experience person. Starter/Referee: This is the most technically demanding job. The starter/ref runs the events in the meet by ensuring that the swimmers start simultaneously and oversees all the other meet officials. This is a leadership position that requires experience and a take charge personality. It is up to the starter to keep the meet moving. Announcer: This is a great job for someone with a strong voice and an ability to correctly pronounce names. You announce the names of the swimmers in each event and work with the Starter/Referee to keep the meet moving quickly and smoothly. Ready Bench: This person helps the coaches find the swimmers scheduled for upcoming events and get them psyched up for their swim. Snack Bar: These people get to the meet early to help set up the snack bar as items are dropped off, then sell the items donated to the swimmers and their families. This position starts before warm up and winds up before the end relays when the snack bar is broken down. 7
I would like to become a stroke and turn official or a starter. Must I attend special training? The league holds a clinic every year at North Penn High School sometime in June for both judging and starter referee. Beyond that you may shadow a judge for a season and purchase a rule book. How else can parents help the team? Consider being a member of the board or serving as a project coordinator. The Lansdale Parent Association needs dedicated members to help the team. Board positions include President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Meet Director, Invitational Coordinator, and Diving Representative. Parents are also vital to coordinating the snack bar, fundraisers, time improvement ribbons, team party, etc. Contact a Board member if you are interested in helping with one of these projects as needed. Fundraising Are there any fundraisers? Yes. The Lansdale Parents Association supports the team with several fundraisers during the season. Your $40 registration fee goes to offset the costs incurred by the Lansdale Parks and Recreation Department in supporting our team. Therefore, fundraising is an important function of the parents association. Our largest efforts include the annual Comb Sale, hosting C Championships, and the snack stands at each dual meet. Examples of things that have been purchased as a result of our fundraising efforts are starting equipment, backstroke flags, kick boards, flippers, equipment carts, coaches gifts, clocks, office supplies, team party, team gifts and whatever else is needed to make each season a success. What is a Comb Sale? Our largest fundraiser each season is the Comb Sale. We need participation from everyone to make it a success. Team members, accompanied by parents, ask community members for donations to support the team while stationed outside of popular local businesses. The Comb Sale (we actually just give away the combs for any donation amount) has been a Lansdale tradition for many years. If your family cannot participate, you must speak to a member of the LSDT Board to OPT OUT of participation for a $75 fee. What is the LSDT Snack Bar? At each home meet, the Lansdale Swim and Dive Team runs a snack table. Each family is asked to provide a donation. Individual baked goods are big sellers. Salads and fruits are also popular in the heat. Place items in a cup covered in plastic wrap held in place by a rubber band. Please place any cold items in a small cooler or in a larger bowl packed with ice. Please note that we cannot sell anything at our snack stand that the pool snack bar usually sells such as soft pretzels, soda, and ice cream. Is there LSDT team spirit wear that I can buy? Yes. At home meets there is a table by the snack bar where you can buy team merchandise! Swim caps, shirts, etc. 8
Other Meets Championships What are the differences between A, B, and C Champs? The Swimming Championships are divided according to ability (A s, B s, and C s). Qualifying times for these championships can be found on the BuxMont website at www.northpennswimming.com/buxmont. Your swimmer will be rated A, B, or C for each stroke depending upon their time. It is possible for a swimmer to compete in all three championships because each stroke is judged individually. After the final regular meet of the season, coaches will ask the swimmers which events they would like to swim at Champs. This will allow the coaches to enter your swimmer in the events of their choice at the appropriate championship meet. Invitationals What are the invitational meets? Invitational meets are optional meets that are held throughout the season. These meets give swimmers and divers an additional opportunity to compete. The swimmers and divers are able to select which events they would like to compete in so it gives them a greater opportunity to try out their skills. (You do not need to be invited to an invitational meet you just need to sign up for the meet in advance though our team representative.) There are entry fees for these meets and ribbons or trophies are awarded at these meets. Information regarding the meets and the entry deadlines are posted on the bulletin board at the pool and on our team website. Coaches do not go to all invitational meets, so if this is a concern for your child please check with the coaches to verify if a coach will be present. Some of these meets are geared towards B & C swimmers, so pick one that is good for your swimmer. What are odd-age meets? In most meets, the age groups are divided up by even numbers. Swimmers are in their up year when they are the oldest in the age group and tend to have more success. At odd-age meets the age groups are divided up by odd numbers (e.g. 7&under, 9&under, 11&under). This gives swimmers who are in their down year an opportunity to compete with swimmers their own age or younger. Fanny Chapman holds an annual odd-age meet called Fanny Fest. End of Season Party What is the End of Season Party? The team has an End of Season pool party. This is held at the White s Road Pool sometime after the last dual meet of the season. The pool is closed to the public so that only team members and their families can celebrate a great season. This is the one day that kids can bring swim toys to the pool, including inflatables! Pizza is provided by the parents association; parents bring a donation for the dessert table. Awards are presented by the coaches. Team members and their families have a great time! Check the LSDT website for details as the season progresses. 9
Swimming and Diving Terms DQ Disqualification. Your time or place of finish does not count. Dive Up When a diver chooses to compete in an older age group. Donut Days Donut Days are always a big hit! Donuts are sold for 50 cents during practice and swim lessons on Wednesday s. Look for the Donut Day helpers at the front desk. Swimmers may purchase donuts after their practice. Down Year A swimmer in the lower age of their age group. For example a 9 year old in the 10 and under age group. Event A portion of a meet broken down by stroke, age, gender, and relay type. Exhibition Heat Any heat in an event after the first, official heat. Also called an unofficial heat. The number of these varies from event to event, meet to meet. Times achieved in exhibition heats count towards championship qualifications and towards time improvement ribbons, but do not score point at the meet. False Start When a swimmer inadvertently leaves the blocks before a heat is started by an official (1 permitted per event, 2nd results in a disqualification). Heat Portion of the event. Hot Heat Some meets have Hot Heats, where the hosting team announces that it is a HOT HEAT, plays music and the winner of the heat wins something special! This encourages the kids to have fun & swim fast! IM Slang for Individual Medley, an event in which the swimmer uses all four competitive strokes in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Lane Lines The dividers used to designate the individual lanes. These are made of individual finned disks strung on a cable which rotate on a cable when hit by a wave. The rotating disks dissipate surface tension waves in a competitive pool. Lap The point from one side of the pool to the other (25 yards or meters). Leg A portion, normally one-quarter, of an individual event or relay event. Medley Relay A relay event in which each swimmer performs one of the four competitive strokes in the following order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. Meters Pool A pool where one lap equals 25 meters. In the BuxMont League Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield and Nor-Gwyn are meters pools. Official A judge on the deck of the pool. Various judges watch the swimmers strokes, turns, or finishes and are timers. Official Heat The first heat in each event. The only point-scoring heat for that event. Ready Bench Area where swimmers report for their events. Swimmers are reminded of the heat and lane in which they will swim. Relay An event in which four swimmers each swim individual legs of the race. Seeding The method of placing swimmers in lanes in order of their entry times. Split A swimmer s intermediate time in a race. Splits are registered every 25 yards or meters (depending upon the pool) and are used to determine if a swimmer is on pace. Swim Up When a swimmer competes in an older age group. Swimmers can swim up when the coaches deem it necessary for that particular event. Time Improvement Ribbon Every time a swimmer betters his/her time, a timeimprovement ribbon is earned. These ribbons are to reward swimmers for personal improvements. Ribbons are placed in the swimmer s family folder a couple days after the meet. Time Trials A time/date designated before the season starts allowing the coach to get times for the swimmers. Warm-up Used by the swimmer before the race to get their muscles loose and ready to race. Yards Pool A pool where one lap equals 25 yards. In the BuxMont League, Fanny Chapman, Pennridge, Souderton, and Towamencin are yards pools. 2