Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Head Coach: Drew Hansz Assistant Coaches: Jennifer Erichsen Brita Sharef Molly Tyler
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Welcome! Welcome to the Farmington Glen Gator swim team! We hope you and your swimmers have a great season. Much of the information you will need to have a fun and successful swim team experience is included in this handbook. This document is a continual work in progress, so please let us know if we missed something. The swim team is for Glen members up to the age of 18. We do not have a minimum age for our swimmers, as each child develops differently. If you’re not sure about your young child’s ability to swim on the team, please talk to Coach Drew. We think you’ll find that our team is a very welcoming environment for all swimmers. The Gators welcome swimmers of all abilities, from the novice paddler to the most experienced athlete.
Coaching Staff We are very fortunate to have Drew Hansz as our Head Coach. Coach Drew’s own competitive swim career began on an NSSL team at the age of 8 and was completed at the University of Michigan. He was a four-time High School All-American in both swimming and water polo. Drew has over 20 years coaching experience and has produced numerous USA Age Group Champions. But most importantly, Drew loves swimming, and that affection is contagious. He has a truly unique ability to connect with his athletes, regardless of their swimming ability. We will have three assistant coaches this season: Jennifer Erichsen, Molly Tyler and Brita Sharef.
Season Schedule Overview Practice begins on May 13, 2014, a few weeks before the official Memorial Day opening. If the pool has not yet received water quality approval from the Healthy Department, there will be dry land practice. From May 12 until school gets out, weekday practice runs from 3:00 – 7:00 pm. During the summer, weekday practice moves to the morning. Saturday practice is from 7:00 – 11:30 throughout the season. Each age group has their own practice time, but swimmers can come to other practice times if they have a conflict. Monday – Friday (May 12 – June 13)
Saturday Practice (entire season)
3:00 – 4:30 pm: 13 and Older 4:30 – 5:00 pm: 8 and Under 5:00 – 6:00 pm: 9 and 10 year olds 6:00 – 7:00 pm: 11 and 12 year olds
2
7:00 – 9:00 am: 13 and Older 8:30 – 10:00 am: 11 and 12 year olds 9:30 – 11:00 am: 9 and 10 year olds 10:30 – 11:30 am: 8 and Under
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook Monday – Friday (June 16 – July 25)
7:00 – 9:00 am: 13 and Older 8:30 – 10:00 am: 11 and 12 year olds 9:30 – 11:00 am: 9 and 10 year olds 10:30 – 11:30 am: 8 and Under
We have six regular season dual meets, which are held on weekday evenings. Three of these meets will be home meets, held at the Farmington Glen. The other three meets will be held at other NSSL swim clubs. In addition, we hold an internal Green and White meet in early June, which gives our coaching staff an opportunity to record times for each swimmer and also serves as a “practice” meet for our new swimmers. There are also age-group mini-meets throughout the season, the very important Farmington City Meet, and 2 League Championship Meets. In general, dual meets start at 6:00 or 6:30 pm. Coach Drew will announce the specific times of each meet via e-mail. Weekend meets are held in the morning, with the exception of A and B Finals, which are all-day meets, with swimmers 13 and older swimming in one session and 12 and under in another. If your swimmer cannot attend a Dual Meet or the City Meet, they MUST add their name to the appropriate sign-off sheet on the Web Site by the announced deadline. If they do not, the coaching staff will assume they are participating and enter them in the meet. Non-emergency late cancellations and no-shows create a tremendous amount of extra work for the coaches, have a negative impact on the entry strategy, and are disrespectful to the entire team and coaching staff.
Registration Please complete the swim team registration forms as soon as possible. Late registrants may not receive a team t-shirt or swim cap. Registration forms should be turned in to the Swim Team drop box in the Glen office.
Equipment The only equipment your swimmer needs is a swimsuit, towel, goggles, swim cap, a Sharpie marker and a bag to keep it all in. Team swim caps are provided to all registered team members. Representatives from Sun and Snow Sports will be at the pool on a date TBD for a team fitting day. They will have discounted team suits, practice suits and goggles available. Team suits will be ordered on this day and delivered the following week.
3
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook The official team suit is a solid black one-piece suit with a Glen logo. Swimmers are not required to wear the team suit, but it is strongly encouraged. Swimsuits should fit tightly, so as to reduce drag in the water. While it’s tempting to buy a bigger suit that your child can grow into, doing so may affect their performance in the water. Also, suits stretch out as they are worn, so it’s likely that the suit will become even bigger on your child after they’ve worn it for a while. Each swimmer should try on several pairs of goggles to determine which is the most comfortable and best fitting. Proper-fitting goggles should suction onto the face and stay on without the strap. It’s always a good idea to have an extra pair of goggles as a back-up.
Fees and Other Costs The swim team registration fee for the 2014 season is TBD that’s a phenomenal deal for 11 weeks of training with a top-notch coaching staff. This fee includes the team t-shirt and most meet entry fees. There are additional meet entry fees for the mini-meets if your swimmer choses to participate in them.
Team Communications Our most important source for relaying information will be through e-mail. You may give Coach Drew as many e-mail addresses as you wish to include on our distribution list. There is also a swim team section on the Glen Web Site and also on the wall between the office and the men’s’ locker room. Information and sign-up sheets will be posted here. Please be sure to check it regularly. Each Gator family will have a mail folder that will be kept in a file box in the Manager’s office. Ribbons not claimed at meets will be placed in their folder for pick-up. Team photos will also be delivered to these mailboxes. Please remind your swimmers to check their folder regularly. Anything left in the folders at the end of the season will be thrown away.
Events Your child’s age as of 5/31 will determine the age group in which (s)he swims.
8 and under 4
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
9-10 11-12 13-14 15-18
8 and under races are 25 yards long, which is 1 length of the pool. All other age groups swim 50 or 100 yard races. All age groups swim Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly. 11 and 12 year olds and all older age groups also swim Individual Medley events. Many swimmers also have the opportunity to swim in relays. Mini-meet participants have an opportunity to swim different events than are available at dual meets.
Northwest Suburban Swim League (NSSL) The Glen Gators, and all the teams that we compete against, are members of the Northwest Suburban Swim League (NSSL). Information about the NSSL is available at http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=nsslswimleague .
5
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Meet Sign-off and Sign-up While we expect that all swimmers will make every effort to participate in every meet, we realize that may not always be possible. If your swimmer will not be attending a dual meet or the Farmington City Meet, he or she will need to add their name to the Sign-Off sheet for that meet, which will be posted on the Glen Web Site prior to the deadline announced by Coach Drew. It is assumed that anyone who does not add their name to this list prior to the deadline will be at the meet. Non-emergency late cancellations and no-shows, create a tremendous amount of extra work for the coaches, have a negative impact on the entry strategy, and are disrespectful to the entire team and coaching staff. Participation in the mini-meets is encouraged, but optional. Swimmers will need to sign up for these meets. Swimmers should also let Coach Drew know as soon as possible if they will not be able to swim at A or B finals.
Dual Meets Schedule At most meets, each swimmer will be entered in two individual events. They may also be entered in one relay event. Relays are held at the end of the meet, so swimmers entered in relays need to be prepared to stay for the entire meet. Coach Drew will communicate the timeline for each meet via email. Check-in time ranges from 4:00 – 5:30 pm, depending on the meet location. If you know your swimmer will be late for warm-up, please let Coach Drew know so that he does not withdraw them from the meet. Most meets end between 9:00 and 10:00 pm.
Swim Meet Procedures Swimmers should check-in as soon as they arrive at the pool for a meet. They should then find a place to leave their gear and get ready for warm-up. The home team will warm up first, about an hour and a half before the start of the meet. The meet starts immediately after warm-up. There will be several heats of each individual event. This is especially true for the younger swimmers. All swimmers should use a Sharpie marker to write their event, heat and lane numbers on their arm. Younger swimmers may also want to add the event name to avoid last minute confusion.
6
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook If a swimmer forgets what they’re swimming, any parent on the team can help them get where they need to be if they’re events are written on their arms.
Marshaling 8 and under swimmers can be overwhelmed by the task of getting to their races on time, so we Marshall them together before their events. At home meets, our Marshaling area is on the lounge chairs next to the diving board. Our marshaling location varies at away meets. At the beginning of the meet, swimmers competing in events 7 and 8 should immediately go to marshaling. When the event starts, volunteers will lead the swimmers to the starting blocks. They will make sure that each swimmer races in the correct heat and lane. Marshaling for events 17 and 18 begins immediately after events 7 and 8. This pattern continues throughout the meet. It may seem like you’re asked to get your swimmer to marshaling very early, but this gives the volunteers time to get everyone in the proper order and find anyone who hasn’t shown up. Older swimmers are not marshaled, but many 9-10 swimmers tag on the end of the 7-8 marshaling lines. Some 8 and under will have no problem getting themselves to marshaling, while others will need your assistance. It is the responsibility of you and your swimmer to get to marshaling on time.
What should you bring to a Swim Meet?
One or more towel Team swimsuit Goggles Swim cap Sweatshirt (it can get chilly by the end of a meet) A Sharpie fine-point permanent marker Books, games, cards, etc. to pass the time between events. Swimmers are strongly encouraged to leave their electronics at home. Water bottle and healthy snacks. Money for the concession stand. Concession stands are a primary revenue source for most teams, so please support them. Umbrellas or ponchos if rain is in the forecast. Chair(s). Most pools do not have enough seating to accommodate everyone, so you’ll want to bring chairs or blankets to sit on during the meet.
7
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Meet Scoring Meet scoring is rather complicated. Here’s a simple explanation: Individual Events The last heat (aka the “point” heat) of each event is scored as follows: -
First place – 5 points Second place – 3 points Third place – 2 points Fourth place – 1 point
Each team can only earn two places in each race. For example, if Glen swimmers come in 1 st, 2nd and 4th in race, they would receive 8 points for 1st and 2nd place. The opposing team would receive 3 points for 3rd and 4th place. Relays There are 6 relays at the end of each meet. The events are:
40 Mixed 200 Freestyle Relay (boys and girls whose combined age totals 40 or less, all swimming Freestyle) 40 Mixed 200 Medley Relay (boys and girls whose combined age totals 40 or less, each swimming one of the four competitive strokes) 52 Women’s 200 Medley Relay (girls whose combined age totals 52 or less, each swimming one of the four competitive strokes) 52 Men’s 200 Medley Relay (boys whose combined age totals 52 or less, each swimming one of the four competitive stokes) 66 Women’s 200 Freestyle Relay (girls whose combined age totals 66 or less, all swimming freestyle) 66 Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay (boys whose combined age totals 66 or less, all swimming freestyle)
Relays are worth more points and often determine who wins the meet. First place earns 8 points and second place is worth 4 points. Each team can only earn one place in each relay. For example, if Glen relay teams place 1st, 2nd and 4th in a relay, they receive 8 points. The opposing team would receive 4 points. Our coaching staff works very hard to create competitive relay teams in every event, which is yet another reason that it’s important to let Coach Drew know if your swimmer won’t be at a meet. Coach Drew also needs to know if your swimmers need to leave a meet early so that he doesn’t place them on a relay team. Last minute roster changes cause a lot of stress for our
8
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook coaching staff, so please be considerate of their time and don’t wait until the last minute to withdraw from a meet. Many younger swimmers may not have the opportunity to swim for points, since there are so many athletes on the team. If this bothers them, remind them that every time they swim, they have an opportunity to swim faster than they have before, to achieve a new personal best. Help them to track their times and watch their improvement throughout the season. This quote from Coach Drew, which appeared in the Farmington Observer last summer, sums it up well: “If you put too much emphasis on wins and losses, kids start to look at the wrong side of why this sport is so special. It’s a journey. You can’t just say, “I won first place in the NSSL meet and I’m done; I can’t get any better than this.” Kids do start thinking like that if you place too much emphasis on wins and losses, on what color the ribbons are. If you keep kids enjoying themselves, having fun doing hard work, it will just build naturally.”
Swimming Up Occasionally, if the team is short swimmers in a particular age group, the coaching staff may ask a swimmer to “swim up” at a higher age group. Swimmers should see this as an opportunity to compete against faster swimmers and improve their own performance.
Disqualifications (DQ’s) The referees at our meets may issue disqualifications at their discretion. Athletes can be disqualified for various rule infractions, including but not limited to: false starts, one-handed touches on breaststroke and butterfly, taking flutter kicks on butterfly or breaststroke, incorrect turns, early starts on relays, and illegal strokes. If a swimmer is uncertain about any of the rules concerning a stroke, s(he) should ask a coach for clarification. When a swimmer is disqualified, and almost every swimmer will be at one point or another, be supportive rather than critical. DQ’s should be treated as a learning experience, an alert that the swimmer needs to correct something in their technique.
Volunteer Policy Running a swim team takes a lot of work. The more work that parent volunteers do, the more time our coaching staff will be able to spend coaching our kids. Therefore, all swim team 9
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook families are expected to work in a volunteer role throughout the season. Families who do not meet this obligation will be charged a $50 fee. There are many different volunteer positions available, requiring many different skills, both and meets and behind the scenes. Requests for volunteers will be sent out through email and our Facebook Group (search on Farmington Glen Gators to find us). We’re always looking to improve the swim team, so if you have a new idea as to how you’d like to help the team, please let us know.
Ribbons Swimmers who successfully swim in exhibition heats (all heats except the final “points” heat) receive exhibition ribbons. The ribbons will have a label on the back with the swimmer’s name, event, and time. Swimmers who are disqualified will not see ribbons. Every team has a different method of distribution ribbons, but they’re usually easy to find. Please remember that ribbons are assembled by volunteers, and that they will make them available as soon as possible. Repeatedly asking for does not make the volunteers work faster. If your swimmer was dq’d, please don’t ask the volunteers to give them a ribbon anyway. They do not have the ability to overturn the official’s decision.
Inclement Weather Late afternoon summer storms aren’t unusual. In the event of lightning or thunder, all swimmers and spectators will have to leave the pool and deck area. During practice, Coach Drew generally moves swimmers to the pavilion during rain delays. Every effort is made to hold practice. Practice is generally delayed instead of canceled completely. Swim meets are very rarely canceled because of weather. Rescheduling meets is very difficult, so every effort is made to hold the meet.
Social Events The team holds several different social events throughout the season, including the pancake breakfast, a team field trip, spirit dinner and the end-of-season banquet. More information on these activities will be communicated via email and on the team bulletin board. 10
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Year-Round Swimming You’ll hear many Glen members talk about swimming “year-round” with Coach Drew. Coach Drew is a coach with Great Lakes Aquatics, a USA Swimming affiliated team that practices at the Sports Club of West Bloomfield. Swimmers who are ready to commit to swimming on a more competitive level might want to consider swimming with the GLA.
Glossary USA Swimming’s website has a helpful glossary of terms, which you can find at http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1703&Alias=rainbow&Lang=en
11
Head Coach: Drew Hansz Assistant Coaches: Jennifer Erichsen Brita Sharef Molly Tyler
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Welcome! Welcome to the Farmington Glen Gator swim team! We hope you and your swimmers have a great season. Much of the information you will need to have a fun and successful swim team experience is included in this handbook. This document is a continual work in progress, so please let us know if we missed something. The swim team is for Glen members up to the age of 18. We do not have a minimum age for our swimmers, as each child develops differently. If you’re not sure about your young child’s ability to swim on the team, please talk to Coach Drew. We think you’ll find that our team is a very welcoming environment for all swimmers. The Gators welcome swimmers of all abilities, from the novice paddler to the most experienced athlete.
Coaching Staff We are very fortunate to have Drew Hansz as our Head Coach. Coach Drew’s own competitive swim career began on an NSSL team at the age of 8 and was completed at the University of Michigan. He was a four-time High School All-American in both swimming and water polo. Drew has over 20 years coaching experience and has produced numerous USA Age Group Champions. But most importantly, Drew loves swimming, and that affection is contagious. He has a truly unique ability to connect with his athletes, regardless of their swimming ability. We will have three assistant coaches this season: Jennifer Erichsen, Molly Tyler and Brita Sharef.
Season Schedule Overview Practice begins on May 13, 2014, a few weeks before the official Memorial Day opening. If the pool has not yet received water quality approval from the Healthy Department, there will be dry land practice. From May 12 until school gets out, weekday practice runs from 3:00 – 7:00 pm. During the summer, weekday practice moves to the morning. Saturday practice is from 7:00 – 11:30 throughout the season. Each age group has their own practice time, but swimmers can come to other practice times if they have a conflict. Monday – Friday (May 12 – June 13)
Saturday Practice (entire season)
3:00 – 4:30 pm: 13 and Older 4:30 – 5:00 pm: 8 and Under 5:00 – 6:00 pm: 9 and 10 year olds 6:00 – 7:00 pm: 11 and 12 year olds
2
7:00 – 9:00 am: 13 and Older 8:30 – 10:00 am: 11 and 12 year olds 9:30 – 11:00 am: 9 and 10 year olds 10:30 – 11:30 am: 8 and Under
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook Monday – Friday (June 16 – July 25)
7:00 – 9:00 am: 13 and Older 8:30 – 10:00 am: 11 and 12 year olds 9:30 – 11:00 am: 9 and 10 year olds 10:30 – 11:30 am: 8 and Under
We have six regular season dual meets, which are held on weekday evenings. Three of these meets will be home meets, held at the Farmington Glen. The other three meets will be held at other NSSL swim clubs. In addition, we hold an internal Green and White meet in early June, which gives our coaching staff an opportunity to record times for each swimmer and also serves as a “practice” meet for our new swimmers. There are also age-group mini-meets throughout the season, the very important Farmington City Meet, and 2 League Championship Meets. In general, dual meets start at 6:00 or 6:30 pm. Coach Drew will announce the specific times of each meet via e-mail. Weekend meets are held in the morning, with the exception of A and B Finals, which are all-day meets, with swimmers 13 and older swimming in one session and 12 and under in another. If your swimmer cannot attend a Dual Meet or the City Meet, they MUST add their name to the appropriate sign-off sheet on the Web Site by the announced deadline. If they do not, the coaching staff will assume they are participating and enter them in the meet. Non-emergency late cancellations and no-shows create a tremendous amount of extra work for the coaches, have a negative impact on the entry strategy, and are disrespectful to the entire team and coaching staff.
Registration Please complete the swim team registration forms as soon as possible. Late registrants may not receive a team t-shirt or swim cap. Registration forms should be turned in to the Swim Team drop box in the Glen office.
Equipment The only equipment your swimmer needs is a swimsuit, towel, goggles, swim cap, a Sharpie marker and a bag to keep it all in. Team swim caps are provided to all registered team members. Representatives from Sun and Snow Sports will be at the pool on a date TBD for a team fitting day. They will have discounted team suits, practice suits and goggles available. Team suits will be ordered on this day and delivered the following week.
3
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook The official team suit is a solid black one-piece suit with a Glen logo. Swimmers are not required to wear the team suit, but it is strongly encouraged. Swimsuits should fit tightly, so as to reduce drag in the water. While it’s tempting to buy a bigger suit that your child can grow into, doing so may affect their performance in the water. Also, suits stretch out as they are worn, so it’s likely that the suit will become even bigger on your child after they’ve worn it for a while. Each swimmer should try on several pairs of goggles to determine which is the most comfortable and best fitting. Proper-fitting goggles should suction onto the face and stay on without the strap. It’s always a good idea to have an extra pair of goggles as a back-up.
Fees and Other Costs The swim team registration fee for the 2014 season is TBD that’s a phenomenal deal for 11 weeks of training with a top-notch coaching staff. This fee includes the team t-shirt and most meet entry fees. There are additional meet entry fees for the mini-meets if your swimmer choses to participate in them.
Team Communications Our most important source for relaying information will be through e-mail. You may give Coach Drew as many e-mail addresses as you wish to include on our distribution list. There is also a swim team section on the Glen Web Site and also on the wall between the office and the men’s’ locker room. Information and sign-up sheets will be posted here. Please be sure to check it regularly. Each Gator family will have a mail folder that will be kept in a file box in the Manager’s office. Ribbons not claimed at meets will be placed in their folder for pick-up. Team photos will also be delivered to these mailboxes. Please remind your swimmers to check their folder regularly. Anything left in the folders at the end of the season will be thrown away.
Events Your child’s age as of 5/31 will determine the age group in which (s)he swims.
8 and under 4
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
9-10 11-12 13-14 15-18
8 and under races are 25 yards long, which is 1 length of the pool. All other age groups swim 50 or 100 yard races. All age groups swim Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly. 11 and 12 year olds and all older age groups also swim Individual Medley events. Many swimmers also have the opportunity to swim in relays. Mini-meet participants have an opportunity to swim different events than are available at dual meets.
Northwest Suburban Swim League (NSSL) The Glen Gators, and all the teams that we compete against, are members of the Northwest Suburban Swim League (NSSL). Information about the NSSL is available at http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=nsslswimleague .
5
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Meet Sign-off and Sign-up While we expect that all swimmers will make every effort to participate in every meet, we realize that may not always be possible. If your swimmer will not be attending a dual meet or the Farmington City Meet, he or she will need to add their name to the Sign-Off sheet for that meet, which will be posted on the Glen Web Site prior to the deadline announced by Coach Drew. It is assumed that anyone who does not add their name to this list prior to the deadline will be at the meet. Non-emergency late cancellations and no-shows, create a tremendous amount of extra work for the coaches, have a negative impact on the entry strategy, and are disrespectful to the entire team and coaching staff. Participation in the mini-meets is encouraged, but optional. Swimmers will need to sign up for these meets. Swimmers should also let Coach Drew know as soon as possible if they will not be able to swim at A or B finals.
Dual Meets Schedule At most meets, each swimmer will be entered in two individual events. They may also be entered in one relay event. Relays are held at the end of the meet, so swimmers entered in relays need to be prepared to stay for the entire meet. Coach Drew will communicate the timeline for each meet via email. Check-in time ranges from 4:00 – 5:30 pm, depending on the meet location. If you know your swimmer will be late for warm-up, please let Coach Drew know so that he does not withdraw them from the meet. Most meets end between 9:00 and 10:00 pm.
Swim Meet Procedures Swimmers should check-in as soon as they arrive at the pool for a meet. They should then find a place to leave their gear and get ready for warm-up. The home team will warm up first, about an hour and a half before the start of the meet. The meet starts immediately after warm-up. There will be several heats of each individual event. This is especially true for the younger swimmers. All swimmers should use a Sharpie marker to write their event, heat and lane numbers on their arm. Younger swimmers may also want to add the event name to avoid last minute confusion.
6
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook If a swimmer forgets what they’re swimming, any parent on the team can help them get where they need to be if they’re events are written on their arms.
Marshaling 8 and under swimmers can be overwhelmed by the task of getting to their races on time, so we Marshall them together before their events. At home meets, our Marshaling area is on the lounge chairs next to the diving board. Our marshaling location varies at away meets. At the beginning of the meet, swimmers competing in events 7 and 8 should immediately go to marshaling. When the event starts, volunteers will lead the swimmers to the starting blocks. They will make sure that each swimmer races in the correct heat and lane. Marshaling for events 17 and 18 begins immediately after events 7 and 8. This pattern continues throughout the meet. It may seem like you’re asked to get your swimmer to marshaling very early, but this gives the volunteers time to get everyone in the proper order and find anyone who hasn’t shown up. Older swimmers are not marshaled, but many 9-10 swimmers tag on the end of the 7-8 marshaling lines. Some 8 and under will have no problem getting themselves to marshaling, while others will need your assistance. It is the responsibility of you and your swimmer to get to marshaling on time.
What should you bring to a Swim Meet?
One or more towel Team swimsuit Goggles Swim cap Sweatshirt (it can get chilly by the end of a meet) A Sharpie fine-point permanent marker Books, games, cards, etc. to pass the time between events. Swimmers are strongly encouraged to leave their electronics at home. Water bottle and healthy snacks. Money for the concession stand. Concession stands are a primary revenue source for most teams, so please support them. Umbrellas or ponchos if rain is in the forecast. Chair(s). Most pools do not have enough seating to accommodate everyone, so you’ll want to bring chairs or blankets to sit on during the meet.
7
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Meet Scoring Meet scoring is rather complicated. Here’s a simple explanation: Individual Events The last heat (aka the “point” heat) of each event is scored as follows: -
First place – 5 points Second place – 3 points Third place – 2 points Fourth place – 1 point
Each team can only earn two places in each race. For example, if Glen swimmers come in 1 st, 2nd and 4th in race, they would receive 8 points for 1st and 2nd place. The opposing team would receive 3 points for 3rd and 4th place. Relays There are 6 relays at the end of each meet. The events are:
40 Mixed 200 Freestyle Relay (boys and girls whose combined age totals 40 or less, all swimming Freestyle) 40 Mixed 200 Medley Relay (boys and girls whose combined age totals 40 or less, each swimming one of the four competitive strokes) 52 Women’s 200 Medley Relay (girls whose combined age totals 52 or less, each swimming one of the four competitive strokes) 52 Men’s 200 Medley Relay (boys whose combined age totals 52 or less, each swimming one of the four competitive stokes) 66 Women’s 200 Freestyle Relay (girls whose combined age totals 66 or less, all swimming freestyle) 66 Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay (boys whose combined age totals 66 or less, all swimming freestyle)
Relays are worth more points and often determine who wins the meet. First place earns 8 points and second place is worth 4 points. Each team can only earn one place in each relay. For example, if Glen relay teams place 1st, 2nd and 4th in a relay, they receive 8 points. The opposing team would receive 4 points. Our coaching staff works very hard to create competitive relay teams in every event, which is yet another reason that it’s important to let Coach Drew know if your swimmer won’t be at a meet. Coach Drew also needs to know if your swimmers need to leave a meet early so that he doesn’t place them on a relay team. Last minute roster changes cause a lot of stress for our
8
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook coaching staff, so please be considerate of their time and don’t wait until the last minute to withdraw from a meet. Many younger swimmers may not have the opportunity to swim for points, since there are so many athletes on the team. If this bothers them, remind them that every time they swim, they have an opportunity to swim faster than they have before, to achieve a new personal best. Help them to track their times and watch their improvement throughout the season. This quote from Coach Drew, which appeared in the Farmington Observer last summer, sums it up well: “If you put too much emphasis on wins and losses, kids start to look at the wrong side of why this sport is so special. It’s a journey. You can’t just say, “I won first place in the NSSL meet and I’m done; I can’t get any better than this.” Kids do start thinking like that if you place too much emphasis on wins and losses, on what color the ribbons are. If you keep kids enjoying themselves, having fun doing hard work, it will just build naturally.”
Swimming Up Occasionally, if the team is short swimmers in a particular age group, the coaching staff may ask a swimmer to “swim up” at a higher age group. Swimmers should see this as an opportunity to compete against faster swimmers and improve their own performance.
Disqualifications (DQ’s) The referees at our meets may issue disqualifications at their discretion. Athletes can be disqualified for various rule infractions, including but not limited to: false starts, one-handed touches on breaststroke and butterfly, taking flutter kicks on butterfly or breaststroke, incorrect turns, early starts on relays, and illegal strokes. If a swimmer is uncertain about any of the rules concerning a stroke, s(he) should ask a coach for clarification. When a swimmer is disqualified, and almost every swimmer will be at one point or another, be supportive rather than critical. DQ’s should be treated as a learning experience, an alert that the swimmer needs to correct something in their technique.
Volunteer Policy Running a swim team takes a lot of work. The more work that parent volunteers do, the more time our coaching staff will be able to spend coaching our kids. Therefore, all swim team 9
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook families are expected to work in a volunteer role throughout the season. Families who do not meet this obligation will be charged a $50 fee. There are many different volunteer positions available, requiring many different skills, both and meets and behind the scenes. Requests for volunteers will be sent out through email and our Facebook Group (search on Farmington Glen Gators to find us). We’re always looking to improve the swim team, so if you have a new idea as to how you’d like to help the team, please let us know.
Ribbons Swimmers who successfully swim in exhibition heats (all heats except the final “points” heat) receive exhibition ribbons. The ribbons will have a label on the back with the swimmer’s name, event, and time. Swimmers who are disqualified will not see ribbons. Every team has a different method of distribution ribbons, but they’re usually easy to find. Please remember that ribbons are assembled by volunteers, and that they will make them available as soon as possible. Repeatedly asking for does not make the volunteers work faster. If your swimmer was dq’d, please don’t ask the volunteers to give them a ribbon anyway. They do not have the ability to overturn the official’s decision.
Inclement Weather Late afternoon summer storms aren’t unusual. In the event of lightning or thunder, all swimmers and spectators will have to leave the pool and deck area. During practice, Coach Drew generally moves swimmers to the pavilion during rain delays. Every effort is made to hold practice. Practice is generally delayed instead of canceled completely. Swim meets are very rarely canceled because of weather. Rescheduling meets is very difficult, so every effort is made to hold the meet.
Social Events The team holds several different social events throughout the season, including the pancake breakfast, a team field trip, spirit dinner and the end-of-season banquet. More information on these activities will be communicated via email and on the team bulletin board. 10
Farmington Glen Gators 2014 Swim Team Handbook
Year-Round Swimming You’ll hear many Glen members talk about swimming “year-round” with Coach Drew. Coach Drew is a coach with Great Lakes Aquatics, a USA Swimming affiliated team that practices at the Sports Club of West Bloomfield. Swimmers who are ready to commit to swimming on a more competitive level might want to consider swimming with the GLA.
Glossary USA Swimming’s website has a helpful glossary of terms, which you can find at http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1703&Alias=rainbow&Lang=en
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