WELCOME TO EPISCOPAL AMBERJAX
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 

We have created this page to answer commonly asked questions of those who are either new to the team or interested in joining the Episcopal AmberJax family.
 

How do I join the Episcopal AmberJax?
Click How to Join for more information on how to join the Episcopal AmberJax.

Where does the team practice?
The Episcopal AmberJax trains at the Elizabeth Walton Aquatics Center located on the campus of Episcopal School of Jacksonville
 

When is practice and what are the fees? 
Spring Schedule

Training group descriptions and fees can be found here.

How do I view my account?
To view your account, login to the AmberJax website and click "My Account". Once logged in, you can view your account history, set up automatic payment methods and pay your bill. 

Where can I find information about swim meets?
Swim meet information can be found under the Meets tab at the top of the website. There you can find the meet schedule and entry deadlines, sign up for jobs, and view other important meet information such as meet letters and team hotel details. To view information on a specific meet, click on the individual meet name.

Which meets should my child enter?
Episcopal AmberJax swimmers should sign up for all AmberJax hosted meets. Check the meet description on the Meets page. If you're not sure about signing you child up, please go ahead and sign them up and the coach will remove them if they should not attend the meet. 

How do I enter my child in a meet?
Click Attend the event on the front page of the website under Upcoming Events. You must be logged in using your password to use this feature. Commit your child to the event or Decline the invitation. You may even select events that your child would like to swim. The coaches will review the entry and then make the final decision on the selected events. Championship Meet entries are completed by the coaches. In order to attend a championship meet, a swimmer must have achieved an event qualifying time. Event qualifying times are listed on the Meet Information Letter posted on the individual event's page.

How do I review my child's meet entry?
You can check your child's entry by logging in and clicking "Edit Commitment". You can then see the events entered and approved for your child.

Where can I learn more about the sport of swimming?
USA Swimming has many articles and tips for swimmers here and for parents here.

Where can I purchase an official AmberJax cap?
Official AmberJax caps are available for purchase at the swim office. You can email Coach Mantha to order one for your swimmer. Both latex and silicone caps are available. Latex caps are thinner and less expensive. Silicone caps are thicker and cost more. Both caps are acceptable for competition. Official team caps are mandatory at swim meets.

What kind of goggles do I need to buy?
There are a wide variety of goggles available for purchase, and which one you choose is up to personal preference. We recommend a style that is designed for competition, as they are more likely to stay put during water entry. Also, as the team swims outdoors, we recommend goggles with lenses that offer UV protection.

What kind of swimsuit should my child wear?
As with goggles, choice of swim suit is a matter of personal preference. Competition style suits, such as one-pieces for girls and briefs or jammers for boys, offer a better feel for the water and reduce drag in the pool, and are recommended for practice.

Is there a team suit?
Yes, there is an official team suit. Official AmberJax suits are available from Baker's Sporting Goods website here.

How do I become an official?
There is always a need for USA Swimming-certified officials. The first step to becoming an official is to express an interest! Please speak with an AmberJax official at a swim meet or a coach after practice about how to pursue this position. Officials begin as Stroke and Turn judges, then advance to Starter, and onto Deck Referee, before progressing to Administrative Referee. Each level requires an online, open book test, attendance of a clinic or seminar, and then apprenticeship hours with an experienced Official. Benefits to becoming an official include: hospitality at meets, paid Florida Swimming registration for the Official, and a discount on your family's annual assessment fee. 

What are psych sheets and heat sheets?
Psych sheets are preliminary listings of the swimmers in a meet, ranked by time, for each event in which they are entered. Psych sheets can give a swimmer an idea of where they will be seeded in an event. Heat sheets are the meet program and provide a list of the events, heats, and lane assignments.

What do the terms short course and long course mean?
Swim meets are categorized by the length of the pool, or course, in which events are swum. Short Course refers to meets swum in pools measuring 25 yards or 25 meters in length. Long Course refers to meets swum in pools measuring 50 meters in length. All American high school and collegiate swimming, and some age-group swimming, is competed in short course. Other age-group swimming, and Olympic swimming, is competed in long course. At the Episcopal School of Jacksonville's Semmes Aquatic Center, events can be held as either short course or long course. Due to differences in length of the courses and the number of turns per race, there will be a time difference between events swum in the different courses.

I hear other parents talking about cuts. What do they mean?
Some swim meets require that participants achieve a time standard, or cut, in order to compete. Swimmers must have swum faster than the time standard for an event during a USA Swimming-sanctioned competition in order to make the cut. In addition to meet specific time standards, USA Swimming publishes a series of times for each event by age group, which they consider motivation times. The series consists of B, BB, A, AA, AAA and AAAA times, with AAAA cuts being the fastest. Anything beyond AAAA is considered a National Reportable Time of NRT.

I keep hearing about JOs and FLAGS? What are they?
JOs is short for Florida Swimming Junior Olympic Age Group Championships, or Florida Age Group Swimming Championships (FLAGS). FLAGS is held twice a year, once at the end of Short Course season and once at the end of Long Course season. Swimmers are divided into the recognized age groups: 10 and under, 11-12 years old and 13-14 years old. In order to be eligible to compete at FLAGS, a swimmer must achieve a time standard, or cut, for an event. The time standards for each event are posted on the Florida Swimming website.