Granite Falls Swim Team Handbook Summer 2016 PURPOSE STATEMENT The purpose of the Granite Falls Swim Team is to promote competitive swimming in Caldwell County and the surrounding area. Further goals are to teach cooperation, leadership, self-control, decision-making, and good sportsmanship. The Tarheel Swim League is a place for all levels of swimmers to compete in a relaxed atmosphere. While winning is important, it is not the sole purpose of the Granite Falls Swim Team. Every swimmer on the team is a winner and should be made to feel that way. CONTACT INFORMATION An officer, board member, or experienced parent is your best source of information and we are all willing to share what we know. If you have any questions or concerns, contact a board member listed below: President: Kirsten McBurney Board Member: Denise Annas V. President: Jody Elkins Board Member: Debbie Chapman Secretary: Alice Dixon Board Member: Dianna Dula Treasurer: Megan Lovins Board Member: Chuck Dula *Non-voting members Board Member: Tonya Bentley *Meet Director: Ellen LaBrose Board Member: *Coach: Jessica Anthony Ex-Officio: 2016 Practice Schedule Evening practices begin Tuesday, May 24th. *Evening practices are held Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm & 7:30-8:30pm. Morning practices begin Wednesday, June 15th. * Morning practices are held Mondays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays at 9:00am & 10:00am. ** Morning practice age-group assignments are as follows: 9:00am: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18 10:00am: 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12 GFST Handbook 1
Registration & Stroke and Turn Clinics Saturday, May 7th, May 14th & May 21st GFST Registration from 12:00-2:00 Saturday, June 18th Stroke & Turn Clinic @ Valdese at 10:00am **The Stroke & Turn Clinic is for parents interested in becoming certified stroke & turn judges during the meets. We will watch an official video and see live demonstrations of strokes & turns done both correctly and incorrectly. We need 2-4 stroke & turn judges per meet - so it is important that as many of our parents as possible can attend. SWIM MEET Schedule 2016 Tuesday, June 21st Valdese @ HOME Friday, June 24th Transylvania @ HOME Thursday, June 30th McDowell @ HOME **NO PRACTICE July 1st - July 5th in honor of the July 4th holiday** Thursday, July 7th @ Valdese (away) Saturday, July 9th Sprint/Distance Meet @ 8:00 am at Forest City (Sprint/Distance Meet is for ages 11 & up only.) Tuesday, July 12th Forest City @ HOME Thursday, July 14th Black Mountain @ HOME Tuesday, July 19th @ Forest City (away) Saturday, July 23rd Conference Meet @ 9:00 am at Granite Falls (Swimmers must have participated in two meets) End of Season Celebration/Awards Ceremony (TBD) @ Granite Falls Rec Center GFST Handbook 2
DIRECTIONS TO MEETS Forest City: 217 Clay Street, Forest City, NC 28043 (Callison Recreation Center) Take I-40 West to Exit 103. Turn left wt the end of the exit ramp. Take HWY 64 to Rutherford County. After passing through Westminster Community, turn left on Hudlow Rd at the traffic light. Follow Hudlow Rd to West Main Street in Forest City. Turn left on West Main Street. Take the second right (Harris St). The pool is at the end of Harris St. McDowell: 25 Academy St, Marion, NC 28752 (McDowell County Recreation Ctr.) Take I-40 West to Exit 86 (Marion/Shelby exit). Turn right at the end of the ramp. Stay on this road until you come to the second stoplight. Turn right on Rutherfordton Rd. Rutherfordton Rd. takes you to Main Street. Go around the curve. The road will widen. Go straight. At the fourth stoplight, turn left on Court St. Go down a hill. Take the second right on Academy St. The pool is on the hill on the left. Valdese: 312 Massel Ave SE, Valdese, NC 28690 (Valdese Aquatic & Recreation Ctr.) Take HWY 70 to the town of Valdese. Go past Waldensian Bakery and turn left at the stoplight onto Laurel Avenue. Go straight. The pool is on Massell Ave on the right. Transylvania: 1325 Country Club Road, Brevard, NC 28712 (Brevard County Health and Racquet Club) Take I-26 to Exit 40 toward the Asheville Regional Airport. Turn toward the Airport and continue to Brevard (19.2 miles) Hwy. 280 will intersect at a stoplight (Pizza Hut) with US 64 West/US 276 Continue straight into the City of Brevard (around four miles). When you pass Ingles, stay straight (left lane) do not veer right. Continue straight through the town of Brevard to the next traffic light. As you approach this light get in the left lane. Continue straight onto Country Club Rd. You will pass Brevard High School on your left and continue over the hill. The club will be at the bottom of the hill to your left. Basically, exit at the airport, stay straight (make no turns at all) and you will end up at the club on your left. GFST Handbook 3
WHO S WHO Meet Director: The Meet Director is responsible for the logistical administration of the meet, including decisions regarding facilities and safety issues. Meet Referee: The Meet Referee is the head official of the meet with responsibility for resolving conflicts over scoring, order of finish, and disqualifications. Team Coaches: These are the appropriate contact points for parents during a swim meet. The coaches represent swimmers in dealing with the designated meet officials. Starter: (Training And Experience Required). This individual is responsible for starting the swim event. One person is required from the host team at all times. Stroke and Turn Judges: (Training And Experience Required). A clinic is usually available at the beginning of swim season. You may contact team President for more information & dates. These officials observe swimming events to ensure that swimmers are performing strokes and turns as defined legally by USA Swimming Rules and Regulations. They will at times disqualify (DQ) swimmers for infractions of these rules. One person is required from each team at all times. Timers: (Volunteers Needed No Experience Necessary). Two timers per lane operate stop watches to determine each swimmer s time. Head Timer: (Volunteers Needed No Experience Necessary). At least one alternate timer starts his/her watch on every race with the starting signal and his/her time is used only to substitute in the event of the failure of an official lane timer s watch. Clerk of Course: (Volunteers Needed No Experience Necessary). The Clerk of Course is responsible for arranging the swimmers in proper position prior to reaching the starting blocks. Runner: (Volunteers Needed No Experience Necessary). This individual collects entry cards from the timers and DQs from the officials after each heat. He/She takes the cards to the table for placement after each event. Volunteers are needed to set up equipment before as well as to pick up trash after the meets. HOW TO GET INVOLVED Meet workers are required at both home and away meets. You may sign up to volunteer at practice when you sign up your swimmers for the meets. Take the opportunity to get involved in the swim meets as a timer, runner, or other position. These jobs are not difficult to learn. With a sufficient number of volunteers, no one has to work an entire meet. GFST Handbook 4
PRACTICE Attending practice is important. Swimmers should attend as many practices as possible. Remember, the more time in the water, the better swimmers will perform. Practice time also gives the coach a chance to see and to work with swimmers. Coaches will be available to parents 15 minutes before the first practice and 15 minutes after the last practice. If you need to speak with the coaches about something concerning your swimmer, please speak with them during these times or make other arrangements. Once practice starts, the coaches must focus on training. During practice is not the time to talk to coaches about your swimmer s needs The deck area is for the coach, helpers, and swimmers during practice. Please stay under one of the covered shelters. Valuables Swimmers should only bring what they need to practice. No pocketbooks or valuables should be brought. Swimmers should only need a towel, goggles, a swim cap for the girls, and shoes. The Granite Falls Swim Team and the Granite Falls Recreation Center are not responsible for stolen or missing items. Parents staying during practice should be aware of people entering the pool area who should not be there. Do not be afraid to ask strangers who they are and why they are there. Wet swimsuits are not allowed inside the recreation center. For safety reasons, the baby wading pool is strictly off limits at all times during practices and meets. Pick up your swimmers at the front gate or come in the pool area as soon as your child s swim practice is over. Any concerns regarding the responsibilities of the coach or assistants must be in writing and given to the president. It is the president s responsibility to handle these issues. Concerns and/or suggestions may be given to a board member who will forward the information to the president. HOW TO ENTER A SWIM MEET During practice, there will be meet books on the picnic tables as you walk in to the pool area. Parents/Swimmers are responsible for signing up for meets in which they choose to swim. List the swimmer s name under the appropriate age and gender. NOTE: Swimmers will not be entered into events if they have not signed up to swim at that particular meet and NO add-on swimmers are allowed after the meet deadline.) You may also list your child s event preferences, but the coach will ultimately make the decision as to which events each swimmer participates. The coaching staff will assign events both individual & relay to swimmers. Swimmers are usually placed a maximum number of events (generally 3 individual events plus 2 relays) at each dual meet. CONFERENCE MEET Make plans to attend Conference Meet: Saturday, July 23rd at 9:00am at Granite Falls. It is the meet we work toward all summer and we need everyone there in order to be successful as a team. **A swimmer must have participated in at least 2 meets in order to swim in the Conference. GFST Handbook 5
WHAT TO EXPECT AT MEETS Arrive early to set up camp (ie: tent, chairs, towels, etc.). Home meets start at 5:00 and away meets start at 5:30. Find the Event List. A list of swimmers and their events will be posted in the pool area near the Clerk of Course. Swimmers are listed in alphabetical order by gender. Find your swimmer s name and write their event numbers down. o A swimmer s event posting may look like this: John Doe #2 Medley Relay Team A #12 50 Freestyle #32 50 Backstroke #42 100 Freestyle #72 Freestyle Relay Team A Starting at 6:00, events will be called in order from the Clerk of Course. Once the swimmers arrive at the Clerk of Course, volunteers will help them get to the right lanes and prepare them for doing the right strokes. Swimmers will be placed in appropriate heats, according to slowest to fastest times. Scores will be posted after several events have been finished. General Housekeeping: o Remember, no wet swimsuits are allowed inside the recreation center during meets. o For safety reasons, the baby pool is strictly off limits at all times during practices and meets. o Before you leave the meet, make sure you pick up and dispose of any trash, even if it is not yours. After the Swim Meet Swimmers may pick up any ribbons (1 st 5 th ) earned during the previous meets at practice the following day. (NOTE: Away meets may take longer to return ribbons.) WHAT TO BRING TO MEETS Chairs which are easily transportable. Extra towels. Swimmers will appreciate dry towels when they exit the water later in the evening. A mat or blanket for the swimmer to sit on between events may also help. Many younger swimmers do not like to sit very long in chairs. An umbrella or some type of rain gear. Meets continue as long as there is no sign of thunder or lightening and if the rain isn t too heavy. A sweatshirt or jacket for you and your swimmer, as it tends to get cool in the evenings. Remember, swimmers are wet and any breeze may chill them. For away meets, you may want to bring a change of clothes for the ride home. Toys, games, or books for smaller children will help pass the time between events. Food fruit (grapes, bananas, apples, oranges, etc.) is best for swimmers during a meet. Avoid sodas if at all possible. Sport drinks and water are best. Food vendors are usually at meets and always at home meets so you can also bring money for refreshments. You may want to bring these items in a small cooler. Sunscreen & hats are helpful for those with sensitive skin. A waterproof pen, such as a sharpie, so that you may write your swimmer s event numbers on his/her arms. GFST Handbook 6
SWIMMING LINGO Age Group: a grouping of swimmers by age for competition. Summer league age group is determined as of June 1st. Clerk of Course: The Clerk of Course is an area clearly marked Clerk of Course where all swimmers must report as soon as their events are called. The volunteers at the Clerk of Course will distribute event cards and instruct swimmers where to sit and when to report to the blocks. If they leave the area, swimmers will be responsible for returning in time for their heats or events. Cards: Index-sized cards with the event number, name, team, heat, and lane. Sometimes the clerk of course gives the card to the swimmer to deliver to the timer in his/her lane. DQ (Disqualification): During the course of an event if a swimmer does anything that violates the official rules for performing the particular stroke or event, his/her time and place are disregarded. Some reasons for DQs: o Freestyle: pulling on the lane lines; pushing off the bottom of the pool; or walking on the bottom of the pool. o o o Backstroke: same as freestyle plus turning over toward stomach at any time Breaststroke: more than one kick or arm to a cycle; flutter kicking; feet not turned out; dolphin kicking; arms pulling past waist; not touching the wall at the turn; or not finishing with two hands Butterfly: anything but a dolphin kick; arms not coming out of the water; arms not mirroring each other; not touching the walls at the turn with both hands simultaneously; or not finishing with both hands touching simultaneously False Start: Moving on the start before the horn sounds. Generally, the heat will begin again. If the swimmer has a false start the second time, he/she is disqualified from the heat. Final Times: The official time after the times from each timer are averaged. Heat: A single round of an event. Most events consist of several heats. Heat Ribbon: A ribbon awarded to the fastest swimmer in each individual heat of an event. Winning the heat does not necessarily mean the swimmer has placed in the final positions of an event. Heat Sheets: This program lists swimmers, their events, heats, and lanes. Heat sheets are for sale at large meets, like conference. IM (Individual Medley): A race in which the swimmer swims the distance in the following order one-fourth, butterfly; one-fourth, backstroke; one-fourth, breaststroke; and one-fourth, freestyle. Freestyle Relay: A race in which four swimmers on each team all swim freestyle for one-fourth of the prescribed distance. Medley Relay: A race in which four swimmers on each team swim one-fourth of the distance continuously in the following order first, backstroke; second, breast; third, butterfly; and fourth, freestyle. GFST Handbook 7
CONDUCT AT MEETS ARTICLE V-A: Tarheel Swim League Code of Conduct For athletes: I,, as a member of the Granite Falls Swim Team agree to abide by the standards of conduct outlined below. I understand I am expected to arrive at practices and/or swim meets on time and be ready to begin at the designated times. I will display respect and good sportsmanship toward coaches, teammates, fellow competitors, parents and officials at all times. I will conduct myself with honesty and integrity at all times. I will respect the decisions of the coaches and the officials and any disputes will be handled through official channels. I realize that as a member of the [Insert Team Name Here], I am a representative and will do my best to demonstrate good sportsmanship, integrity and honor at all times. Swimmer s signature: Date: Parent/Guardian signature: Date: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For Parents/Guardians: I,, as a member of the Granite Falls Swim Team agree to abide by the standards of conduct outlined below. I understand that I am expected to have my child at practices and/or swim meets on time and to begin at the designated times. I will display respect and good sportsmanship toward coaches, athletes, parents and officials at all times. I will conduct myself with honesty and integrity at all times. I will respect the decisions of the coaches and the officials and any disputes will be handled through official channels. I will respect the authority of the Executive Board members to preside over board meetings, establish meeting protocol, and make rulings on team issues. I will abide by the Board Meeting Guidelines. I realize that as a member of the Granite Falls Swim Team I am a representative and will do my best to demonstrate good sportsmanship, integrity and honor at all times. Parent/Guardian signature: Date: GFST Handbook 8