Ocean Community YMCA Mystic Hammerheads Swim Team 2014-2015 Season Handbook
Welcome Mystic Hammerhead Parents, Swimming is a wholesome, positive activity because no matter where you are in the swimming progression, the sport encompasses the fundamental elements that parents love. At the Mystic Branch, the Hammerhead Swim Team believes that the core benefits of swimming include: Fun- Whether it is the exhilaration of achieving your goal time or playing cards with your friends at a swim meet, we love this sport and stay involved because it is FUN. Healthy Living- Getting kids to be water safe, keeping them moving with fundamental aerobic activity, or a low impact workout for the joints as we age, swimming keeps its participants in incredible shape and teaches basic HEALTHY LIVING principles that last a lifetime. Friends- Ask any swimmer what they like most about the sport, more often than not it will be the friendships they made through car pools to practice, hanging out at the end of the lane, or pushing their FRIENDS to try just a little bit harder at practice. Over the years, many families have contributed and seen the benefits of our Hammerhead swim team experience. All of our staff is committed to bringing a rewarding opportunity to the swimmers. Fitness benefits are clear for any participant in the sport, but the other benefits can be seen by long term swim team participants for years to come. Swimmers and coaches are important to the team but are not the only pieces needed for a smooth running swim team. Parents are a very important part in the mix. Without our amazing family support, the Hammerhead team could not be the way it is. With each family doing their part we can continue to be a fun, successful team with our swimmers gaining the benefits. Welcome again to the Mystic YMCA Hammerhead Swim Team, we look forward to great season! We are very happy that your family is part of the Mystic YMCA Hammerhead Swim Team! Thank you, Angela Vargas Katie Romeo Amanda Dipalona Aquatics Director Head Coach Assistant Coach
YMCA Mission To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Team Vision To aid in the development of character, respect and personal responsibility of today s youth. Our swimming program is dedicated to the youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility of our children and their families. Y Swim Team Program The Ocean Community YMCA Mystic Hammerhead Swim Team is a great program for children ages 5-18. Children needing extra stroke work may be asked to join the Y Progressive swim lessons program or private lessons in order to continue with the Hammerhead Swim Team. Y programs strive to develop a healthy lifestyle and positive experience for all those who participate. We will help your children to reach their full potential both as swimmers and as individuals. Your responsibility to the Swim Team, the swimmers, and the Y is to actively participate in the program. Team Goal The goal of the Ocean Community YMCA Mystic Hammerhead Swim Team is to provide swimmers with the opportunity to develop their individual potential to the fullest and to improve their competitive skills. This is done while giving each swimmer the chance to experience the satisfaction of success in a fun and nurturing TEAM environment. A full team effort is important at every practice and meet, with every swimmer receiving the support of the team, volunteers, and coaches. Volunteering Parent support and involvement is vital to the success of the team. The swim team program would not be possible without significant parental involvement. We depend on the support and participation of 100% of the parents to make this program an excellent experience for our children. The swim team experience for all swimmers and families will be enhanced greatly if everybody gets involved. Meets are run by parent volunteers and Y staff. Most jobs do not require any special skills or training. Parent participation is absolutely necessary to organize and host successful meets. Due to swimming being a labor intensive sport and the size of our team, we are requesting that each family volunteer in varying capacities at a minimum of two home
meets and two away meets during the current season. In order for each home meet to be a positive and successful experience, it is essential to have a minimum of 30 parent volunteers on hand. Away meets require a minimum of 12 parent volunteers. You can volunteer in any of the following areas listed below, but not limited to: Timers and Officials (Training Dates TBA) Concession stand during home meets Meet scoring Help on deck for practices Fundraising & Event Planning Swim Team photographer Awards and Ribbon coordinator Locker Room Monitors Meet Herders Fundraising The Parents Booster Club has identified the need to raise additional funds throughout the season to help subsidize meet costs, awards, banquet and other special events for our swimmers throughout the season. The Parents Booster Club welcomes your ideas and participation. Before Practice If a child comes to family swim before practice they must be accompanied by an adult if they are 11 years old or younger. The swimmer must follow the Y s orange band deep water assessment rule. At the start of practice, all swimmers are to report to their designated swim team lanes. There are other activity s going on in the pool during family swim and swim team times, we need to be respectful to all! Practice Swimmers are expected to arrive 10 minutes early prior to the start of practice. Please bring a lock for your childs valuables that are left in the locker room. Every practice please bring goggles, caps, and water bottles. o Be prepared for dry lands at any time (sneakers and gym clothes). o The Y provides pull buoys, paddles, and fins. Although occasional conflicts occur, try to make each practice. If you need to leave early you must bring a note to practice. If you have a weekly conflict, please speak with the coach. If you will miss a number of practices due to a vacation, let the coach know ahead of time, and you will be provided workouts to do on your own.
If you are recovering from illness or injury please talk to the coach, you may be able to do a modified workout. If a swimmer wants additional workouts to do on their own, in the morning, or at other times, the coach will be happy to provide guidance. Only swimmers who have prior coach approval may swim up in the older practice times. Please make sure that your child is picked up and dropped off on time. All swimmers 11 years of age and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times, and must be escorted to and from the pool at all practices, meets and all other events. Equipment We recommend a good quality practice suit, swim cap(s), a pair of goggles, fins, and a water bottle. Swimmers should also come to practice prepared for dry land training at any time. They should bring sneakers, shorts, and a t-shirt that can be worn over their suits. Having extra suits, caps, and goggles is always good in case one breaks. A team swimsuit and cap is required for all swimmers to show team unity and spirit at the meets. We encourage that each swimmer have a hammerhead t-shirt and or sweatshirt, so that we look like a unified team at all swim meets. Information regarding ordering of apparel will be available once practices begin. Be sure to talk to the coach if you have questions about the equipment your child will need. October 9 th from 5:00-7:00pm, Beach Party Swimwear will be on hand for team suit fittings, we will be using the same suit as last year. New Suit Prices: Girls $58.00 Boys $38.00 New caps are in the works! For an old yellow cap to practice in please see Angela Vargas, Aquatics Director. Practice caps are $5.00 each. Y Dual Meets All swimmers on our team compete in a series of dual meets with other Y teams. The dual meets are almost always on Saturday afternoons; however, some may be held on Sunday afternoons. Your coach will provide you with specific arrival and warm-up times for each meet. Your child s attendance is very important, not only to your child, but also to the other children on the team. If you must miss a meet, please notify the coach by the Wednesday before the meet (last minute situations need to be brought to the coaches attention as soon as possible). Parents are responsible for the transportation of their child during swim meets. When attending a
swim meet, the following items are needed: team suit, cap, towel, sandals/flip flops, goggles, lock for locker, sweatshirt, snacks, water, and any money you might want for the concession stand. Meet Schedule 10/4 Mystic @ Westerly 11/15 Northern Middlesex @ Mystic 12/6-12/7 Cluster Invitational 12/13 Valley/ Mystic @ Hamden North Haven 1/17 Meridan @ Mystic 1/31 Wheeler/ Mystic @ Hamden North Haven 2/6 Distance Meet 2/20-2/22 Yankee Cluster League Championship *An additional four meets will be added, two away, and two home. Please keep a lookout in emails and on our website. Y Membership All Y Hammerhead team members are required to maintain active Y memberships throughout the length of the season. All swimmers must present their Y membership card each day upon entering the facility. Please help children to remember their cards by attaching them to their gym bag. All Hammerheads 11 years old and younger must be escorted to the pool deck at the beginning of all practices/meets and from the pool deck after all practices and meets. Safety of all children is our number one concern. Organization of Swim Team Coaches The swim team coaches will insure that your child s swimming experience is positive and productive. The coaches will lead the practices, prepare the meet line-ups, and provide leadership for the program. All email communication to swimmers and parents will come from the Head Coach or Aquatics Director. Swim Team Parents Booster Club The Swim Team Parents Booster Club consists of volunteer parents who are committed to providing key leadership for the team. These individuals dedicate a tremendous amount of time and effort to the smooth operation of our team. They will solicit the help of other parents throughout the season to help with meets, fundraisers, and social events. These parents are also the ones who meet with the Aquatics Director and Head Coach to discuss the needs of the swim team. If you would like to join the Booster Club please contact our Aquatics Director, Angela Vargas.
Volunteers Many volunteers are required at each practice, meets and events. Our coaching staff and other experienced parents will offer ongoing training sessions for all parents who will be on deck and hands on throughout the season. This will provide our swimmers with additional instruction and guidance. Parents are expected to actively participate. Please say yes when asked to participate. Please dress appropriately for it is an indoor pool. Each family is responsible to volunteer at a minimum of two home meets and two away meets. Each practice will also require four parent volunteers. It is expected that practice participation be rotated amongst our families. Swimmers RED TEAM: T/Th 5:00-6:00pm Be Kind to these swimmers- it's their first time on a competitive swim team! At this level, swimmers learn and refine swimming skills and begin to compete against their peers. We expect swimmers to be able to swim Freestyle (front crawl) unassisted from one end of the pool to the other and kick on his or her back. We will be introducing all 4 strokes as well as learning how to dive off of the starting blocks. BLUE TEAM: M/W/F 5:00-6:00pm It's True, these swimmers are here to have fun and compete! As swimmers mature, the goals become a little bigger and they move into another level of swimming. At this level swimmers still refine skills, but training becomes more serious and is designed by coaches to get athletes to peak performance when they are physically and mentally prepared to do so. GREEN TEAM: M-F 6:00-7:30pm Some Responsible athletes have the talent, dedication, and commitment to reach this level of the sport. They compete at higher level competitions and strive to make national times to represent their team in the New England Finals. YELLOW TEAM: M-F 6:00-7:30pm Our senior athletes are still part of the Hammerhead swim team, but may also compete for a high school. They treat each of their teams with equal Respect as model athletes. They continue their training during the off seasons of their high school schedule as they work for placement and scholarships on a college team. Here are some tips from our veteran Hammerhead families for swim meets: Eat at least thirty minutes before each practice and bring water. Pay attention to the coach and parent volunteers.
Shower quickly so others don t have to wait. Remind your swimmer to be respectful in the locker rooms at all times. Arrive early to all practices and meets. Stock up on travel-sized shampoo. Check driving directions well in advance. Bring your own snack/food in case you don t like what is sold at the concession. Bring something to keep kids/adults busy as there will be long waits between events. Bring and use a lock at all times in the locker rooms. Advise swimmers to try to beat their own time first, rather than focus on other swimmers time or record to manage their expectation. Disqualifications will happen. Swimmers learn from their mistake by attending practice to work on corrections. Being on the swim team means that your child is expected to swim in every home and away meet. Arrive to home meets early to get a seat and help with set up. Expect to be at meets most of the day. First thing you need to do when you get to a meet is find a schedule of events (for sale at concession stand). It s important to know when your swimmer(s) will be swimming. It all happens fast and you don't want to miss it. First thing each swimmer needs to do is arrive on pool deck and locate age group posting. All swimmers will then be marked on their hand which includes events/lane number/heat information. Bring at least two towels for each swimmer. The kids dry off after each event. Become a timer or herder. It's a fun and easy way to get involved and you always have a front row seat when your child is swimming. Wear a short sleeve shirt and bring earplugs to meets. It can be really warm and loud. You will be amazed by the amount of support you and your child will get from the other parents and children. Communication Y Staff Aquatics Director: Angela Vargas avargas@oceancommunityymca.org Head Coach: Katie Romeo 1kromeo@gmail.com Assistant Coach: Amanda Dipalona adipaola9970@gmail.com Office Hours The Head Coach will be in the Aquatics office for questions from 4:30-5:00pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Please email the Head Coach or Aquatics Director to schedule an alternate time, if needed.
All communication will be distributed through the Head Coach or Aquatics Director. *Please notify the Coach or Aquatics Director if your child has any food allergies. Swimmer Information Please speak with our Aquatics Director or Welcome Center to make sure all contact information is up to date in our system, this is for contact purposes. Website Information Notifications and Swim Team Info will be updated our new web site, please go to www.oceancommunityymca.org. From the home page, click on Locations, the Mystic Branch, then Swim Team. Please review this page weekly for updates on our team. Weather Updates For inclement weather updates, communication will be sent via email and updated on our website.