Parent Information for Summer Swim Team 2024
What's the difference between "A" and "B" dual meets?
This summer there will be "A" and "B” dual meets. The big difference between A and B will be the level of competition. B meets are structured for beginner swimmers, they will not disqualify swimmers for small infractions in their stroke, they will also not score B meets, but all swimmers will still receive ribbons for participating and based off their place. B meets are for kids to learn about dual meets and competitive swimming in a low pressure environment. A meets are more competitive and include higher level swimmers, these meets will disqualify swimmers for incorrect strokes and scores will be kept between the two teams. Swimmers can participate in both A and B dual meets, only for the conference meets can swimmers participate in only one or the other.
What's the difference between dual meets and USA meets?
Dual meets this summer will be on Tuesday, Thursday, and some Saturdays. Dual meets usually last 2-3 hours including the warm up, most swimmers swim 2 individual events and 2 Relay events. USA meets are on weekends, some go Friday through Sunday. For USA meets you will choose what days your child swims, all USA meets come with meet fees, these are extra charges ($2-$5) per event that all host teams charge. Based off of your child's age they will swim in the morning or afternoon session. Each USA session can be anywhere from 3-5 hours with lots of swimmers at the meet. Meet sessions, per USA swimming rules, cannot exceed a 4 hour time limit this is excluding warm ups. USA and Dual meets have some downtime so I highly suggest making sure your swimmer has something to do, stay warm, and sit on. Blankets are great for both styles of meets, most dual meets throughout the summer will be sat out on a lawn most USA meets will have swimmers in a gym.
What are the expectations?
Swimmers are expected to attend practice anywhere from 3-5 days a week. The more the better, but of course summer is a busy time and sometimes it is hard to make all of the practices, come as much as you can. Just remember one day out of the water is equal to being out of the water two days!
What are Volunteer hours?
We rely heavily on Volunteers for all of our home dual meets over summer. There are various jobs that parents will have to volunteer for in order for us to have a successful dual meet. Timers, runners, awards, and a few other positions that will need to be signed up for on Team Unify.
Volunteer Jobs for Home Meets
8 & Under Staging: The 8 & under staging crew will get the younger swimmers staged and then lead them to the blocks for their race. It is a great job for someone that likes to interact with the young swimmers, but also keeps you on your toes. We will need 4 parents in this position each home meet.
Awards: At a meet where awards are given, two volunteers will be responsible for placing stickers on medals and/or ribbons to be put into team assigned awards bags. Posting results and giving out heat winner prizes are also part of this. The Computer Admin will provide results and labels for the events. We will need 2 parents in this position each home meet.
Computer Table Admin/ Timing Admin Table: The computer operator will run the Meet Manager software. Entering DQ’s, verifying swimmer times with timer sheets, entering relay names, printing results, and clearing up any discrepancies are some of the duties. Training is required for this position. We will need 2 parents in this position each home meet.
Deck Marshals: The deck marshal’s primary job is they ensure the pool deck is safe for swimmers and coaches. From warm-ups until the end of the session, the deck marshal ensures that swimmers, coaches, and spectators follow certain standards of safe behavior. No parents on deck, no running, swimming only in the warm up /cool down lanes, no rough housing, etc. We will need 2 parents in this position each home meet.
Runner: Two runners will work each session. Runners are responsible for collecting lane timer sheets from each lane at the completion of each event. The sheets are taken upstairs, along with any DQ slips from the designated official, and given to the Computer Admin to be entered into the timing system.
Timers: Be part of the action! For our home meets, 2 timers per lane are required, for a total of 12 timers. Each timer will operate a stopwatch and one timer will also operate the electronic back-up button (plunger). The timer without the plunger will record both stopwatch times on pre-printed sheets for your lane that is picked up after each event by a runner. Before each timing session, a timer’s meeting will be held. The head official will go over your duties and answer any questions you may have. “First- time” timers will be paired with an experienced timer. No training is necessary but is available to you beginning of the meet every meet.
Head Timer: The head timer is in charge of the clipboards and stopwatches for each lane and to handle any timing issues. Head timer will start 2 extra watches for each race. If an individual lane timer watch fails to start, they can raise their hand and take one of the extra watches from the back-up timer. We will need 1 parent in this position each home meet.
Officials: We need registered USA officials to make meets sanctioned. This can range from a meet ref, admin ref, starter or stroke and turn. Officials play an integral role in the success of a meet. If you are interested in becoming an official, please reach out to Meaghan Bower for more information.
