Parent/Guardian FAQ's
Team | Meet | Online & Communication | USA Swimming
Q: What is WFYD?
A: Wallingford Family YMCA Dolphins (WFYD-CT) is what is called our club code and it stands for the Wallingford Family YMCA Dolphins. When we attend meets or events that is how you will recognize our swimmers on paper and in the water (as that code is also on our team cap!).
Q: I’m new to the whole swim parent thing. Where can I find some starter info?
A: Check out the website! We’ve linked some articles to read to get your started on this wonderful new journey. You should also ASK AROUND! There are many parents on this team who have been here 5+ years and have a wealth of knowledge. You can also email your PA representatives.
Q: How many practices should my swimmer attend each week?
A: Approximately 2/3 of practices offered, on average. Obviously, we’d love to see them every day, but know in this crazy world it isn’t always possible. Essentially, it all comes down to FLAG;
Fatigue: If a swimmer is doing three practices per week and is always exhausted, then adding more practices or private coaching doesn’t make sense. Basically, look at your swimmer’s ability to recover.
Level of performance: Two practices per week probably won’t get you to the Olympics, but 14 practices per week is a little too much to achieve those qualifying time standards. As a broad benchmark, world class swimmers spend one day per week, i.e. 24 hours per week training and the rest of the time eating and sleeping so the higher you want to go, the harder you have to work.
Available Time: If you kids does ten different after school activities, then adding more practices is unrealistic. Keep in mind your kid’s commitments... and the fact that they’re KIDS!
Goals: If your kid has serious goals, then the time, effort, and energy to achieve them must also be high.
Q: My kid can’t do breaststroke kick yet and it’s killing me. What can I do to help?
A: Bring them to practice! We’ll work on stroke technique- we learn something every single day. It can certainly be frustrating not to immediately excel at something but be patient. When their body and mind are ready I promise you, it will click.
Q: What do I feed this animal with a hollow leg?
A: Unless they have a medical condition, top swimmers typically follow a "4 MORE 4 LESS, 4 ME" diet:
More – complex carbohydrates like rice, bread, pasta.
More – lean quality protein like chicken, meat, fish.
More – water, fresh juices.
More – fresh fruit, nuts and vegetables.
Less – take away food.
Less – saturated fats and oils.
Less – processed and prepackaged foods.
Less – sodas.
Q: What does my swimmer need as far as practice equipment?
A: All swimmers should have a team suit and cap for meets. For Practices, girls should wear one-piece bathing suits and boys should wear jammers. Each swimmer should have two pairs of goggles, a latex or silicone swim cap, and a water bottle to bring on deck. In addition, practice groups have equipment requirements. A list of equipment by practice group can be found under the 'Practices' tab and by selecting the appropriate group.
Q: What about meets?
A: Meets are a TON of fun for swimmers and coaches to show off all of their hard work! They are also a fun way to bond as a team because we are split up into different practice groups during the week. We typically have four YMCA dual meets during the season.
Q: How long are they?
A: Dual Meets usually last no longer than 3 hours.
Q: Do we have to stay the whole meet?
A: With YMCA meets, Dolphin swimmers are required to stay the entire meet. Dolphin swimmers at USA meets are not required to stay the entire meet, but it is encouraged to cheer on teammates.
Q: Why can I select the events at some meets, but not all?
A: Every meet is different. For some championship meets, the team score is the most important factor so the coaches will select the events.
Q: How many times will my swimmer compete?
A: Meet requirements vary by practice group. All swimmers must participate in two meets to be eligible for Yankee Cluster Championships (the last meet of the season where our team competes as a unit to score more points than other teams!).
Q: What should my swimmer bring to a meet?
A: Oh goodness! A deck chair, two towels, bag, water bottle, snacks (but NO NUTS!), cards/coloring books/games/etc. (for when they’re not swimming), suit, two pairs of goggles, t-shirt to wear when not swimming, and team cap. There will also be a concession stand if the swimmers/fans/volunteers get hungry as well as a fundraiser mid-meet.
Q: What should my swimmer wear?
A: Your swimmer should wear the team suit or a black one-piece (girls) or jammer (boys) at all YMCA meets. Team suits are available for order at the beginning of each season.
Q: Can I help my child settle in on deck?
A: Parents are not allowed on deck. If you have specific concerns, please let a coach know and they can help your swimmer get settled in.
Q: How will you get in touch with me if there is an emergency on deck at the meet?
A: At swim meets, we do sometimes have emergencies crop up where we need parental assistance (for instance, a ripped suit!), so at that point we will text or call you (which is why it is important to check your account page and make sure the information is accurate). Or, if you’re running late to a meet and will miss warm-up, cell phone numbers for the coaching staff will be made available (but only in emergencies!).
Online & Communication Information
Q: Are there any other means of communication for the team that I should be aware of?
A: Short answer- Yes! Longer answer? See below…
- Email: Our primary means of communication is through email! Please make sure your email is up to date in TeamUnify.
- Team Feed: OnDeck Parent App allows Team notifications to be sent to your phone or computer using the OnDeck Parent App.
- Text Messaging: For urgent or time sensitive notifications, we will send messages to you through text message if you have registered to receive SMS messages.
Q: If I have additional questions, who should I ask?
A: There are many different resources in which to utilize when you have a question, but we ask that you refrain from asking coaches questions during practices so that they can stay focused on getting the kids into/out of the water. First, I’d recommend checking the team website- the answers to most questions can be found there, especially in the NEWS section. If the answer isn’t there, you can email any one of the coaches.
Q: I’m not getting your emails, what should I do?
A: First, check your spam (ha!). If you’re still not getting them, let me know ASAP. During the winter we tend to have some practices canceled due to inclement weather, holidays, or high school swim meets so we need everyone to have access to our email blasts, the website, and our app!
Q: What are the phone apps I see everyone use?
A: There are a few different applications which have different uses:
- OnDeck Parent: the application that connects to your TeamUnify account, so everything you can don on the website, you can do in the App; you can get best swimmers results and best times, use the stop watch tool to time your swimmer, register your swimmer for a meet, get notifications, sign up for jobs...
- Meet Mobile: the application that allows you to get real-time meet results if the hosting team subscribes to Meet Mobile. WFYD does subscribe, so the meet results of our home meets will be published. Please note there is a small annual fee for real-time results.
Q: Why do I have to declare my intentions for USA meets at the beginning of the season?
A: In order to get the team into USA meets, we have to know who intends to attend. USA meets can get very full- in reality there aren’t too many pools on Connecticut to host a large-scale meets so it can be difficult sometimes.
Q: If something came up and I need to withdraw my intention, what do I do?
A: Reach out by email to let us know (mobrien@wallingfordymca.org) About three weeks prior to the event, we can make *major* changes to the entry about three weeks prior to the meet (like adding swimmers with a full event list). About two weeks before the meet we can make minor tweaks (like switching out events). Then everything is set and you are financially responsible for the entries.
