FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
MEY Swim Team
Below are some FAQ and basic info regarding our organization and competitive swimming.
BASIC INFORMATION
Q. What is the MEY Swim team?
A. MEY is a year-round competitive swim team offered by Metuchen YMCA for swimmers between the ages of 5 and 18. The goal of our team is to provide every member an opportunity to improve swimming skills and achieve success at his or her level of ability, while competing against YMCA teams and other competitive swim teams. MEY is a YMCA and USA Swimming/NJ Swimming affiliated organization.
Q. What is USA Swimming?
A. USA Swimming is the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming. It administers competitive swimming in accordance with the Amateur Sports Act. They also provide programs and services for members, supporters, affiliates, and the interested public. Visit http://www.usaswimming.org/ for more information.
Q. What is New Jersey Swimming?
A. Within the United States, there are fifty-nine (59) Local Swimming Committees (LSCs). Each LSC is responsible for administering USA Swimming activities in a defined geographical area and has its own set of bylaws under which it operates. A House of Delegates with representation of athletes, coaches, members of the Board of Directors and clubs is responsible for managing the business affairs of the LSC. New Jersey Swimming, Inc. is our Local Swimming Committee. Visit https://www.teamunify.com/team/eznjslsc/page/home for more information.
Q. What are the differences between short course and long course seasons?
A. Short course (SC) simply means swimming in a pool that is 25 (SCY) yards or (SCM) meters long. Long course (LCM) means swimming in a pool that is 50 meters (like the Olympics). There are seasons for each. SC season is September through March (February for most), and LCM season is May through August. The events are roughly the same, but LCM events tend to be slightly longer. For example, there is a 50 meter (LC) freestyle as well as a 50 yard freestyle, but a meter is slightly longer than a yard (1 meter = 3.3 yards).
State qualifying times are adjusted for the lengths of pools.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
MEY employs coaches, pays YMCA Swimming, USA and New Jersey Swimming fees, meet fees, purchases equipment/meet supplies for swimmers, and incurs other necessary expenses. These costs must be passed on to the swim team members in the form of program fees, registrations fees, and meet fees. Registration fee and all fundraised money pays for team cap, shirt and banquet and events for the swimmers.
Q. What do the membership fees cover? (Why do I need to be a full facility member?)
A. To participate in the YMCA swim team, each swimmer must be a full facility member of participating YMCA. There are five different options for full members: Family, Swim Team (5-9), Pre teen (10-12), Teen (13-17), or Young Adult (18-25). A full facility membership is started in the YMCA Swimming and NJ Swimming Handbook for all teams.
Q. What does the program fee cover?
A. The program fee is the fee that covers swim team participation in dual meets and swim practice. The fee varies according to a swimmer’s age and/or practice group. For example, those swimmers in a group that practices longer will have a higher program fee. Program fees may be paid in total at the beginning of the season or in installments throughout the regular season. Installments are required to be set up as auto draft or automatic payments through the welcome desk at the Y.
Q. What do the meet fees cover?
A. Invitational and championship meets have meet fees associated with them. These vary depending on location of the meet and type of the meet. Dual meets do not have any additional cost. Throughout the season, entry fees to invitational and championship meets will create an additional balance due for your swimmer. All additional meet fees will be charged on credit card on account and will be emailed a receipt with the meet name in header. Please note that Invitational meets cannot be refunded after you sign up. If you sign up for a meet and you are registered into the meet you are expected to attend and pay for related costs. If you need to cancel the meet, the host will still get meet fees.
EQUIPMENT NEEDS
Q. What equipment will my child need for practice?
A. All swimmers need suits, caps, goggles and a water bottle. I would buy extra cap and goggles as they do break. Fins, pull buoy and hand paddles are recommended for Junior 4 and Senior practices. Senior group swimmers I would also recommend snorkel and fins be shorties as they do not cause as much cramps. If you are unfamiliar with swim equipment, we will have it available at swimsuit fitting day and you can either purchase or get some ideas and purchase through another company.
Swimsuits: Swimmers will need one or more practice suits. I would not wear the Team Suit to practice as you will need it to last for the season. When buying the team suit you want it tight as it will stretch with each use. (Your child will not grow into the suit) I recommend polyester suits for practice as they last longer in the Chlorine.
Swim Cap: Each swimmer must wear a swim cap during practice. Caps come in a variety of sizes, materials, and colors. Choose one that is comfortable yet has a snug fit. Each swimmer will be given one team cap. A swimmer must wear the team cap during meets. You can also purchase a cap with your child's name on the side.
Goggles: Swimmers will need multiple pairs of racing style goggles. Googles tend to get lost and/or broken, particularly just before or during a meet. Some swimmers choose to replace the silicon strap of the goggles with a bungee strap to make the goggles easier to get on and off.
Pull Buoy: Swimmers will use a pull buoy. The YMCA has a small supply of pull buoys, but swimmers are required to bring their own. Recommend that all swimmers under age 10 or 75 pounds purchase a junior size pull buoy.
Fins: Swimmers will need swim training fins (not scuba or recreational fins/flippers). Fin sizes align with a swimmer’s shoe size. Seniors if you get shorties they will not cause as much cramps.
Snorkel: Must be a center-mounted snorkel such as a FINIS brand snorkel or Speedo Bullethead snorkel. Benefits of wearing a snorkel include building lung capacity, perfecting stroke, head balance and alignment, and body position.
Paddles: Recommended brands are FINIS Agility or Speedo Power Paddle Plus. Benefits of wearing paddles include building shoulder and arm strength and correcting hand entry and pull.
Q. Where do I get the equipment such as suits, caps and goggles that my child needs?
A. Equipment can be purchased on our fitting day with Ultimate Swim Shop.
Equipment is also available online through a variety of retailers. Metro Swim Shop in Gillette, NJ has competitive swim gear (https://www.metroswimshop.com). Online retailers, such as Amazon.com, Kiefer.com, TheLifeguardStore.com, as well as other sporting goods stores, have competitive gear available as well.
SWIM PRACTICE
Swimmers are divided into groups according to age and ability and the practice schedule for the regular season (which runs from September to March) is set in August.
Q. Where are swim practices held?
A. All practices are at the Metuchen YMCA, 65 High Street, Metuchen, New Jersey. The facility has a four-lane 25-yard pool.
Q. How many days a week will my child have swim practice?
A. The current practice schedule consists of three different age groups Junior 1 and 2, Monday through Friday 5:30 to 6:30pm, Junior 3 and 4, Monday through Friday 6:30 to 7:30pm and Sunday 11am to 12pm, and Seniors’ Monday through Friday 7:30pm to 9pm and Sunday 9am to 11am. We have additional dryland practices for Junior 3/4 and Seniors.
Q. Who will be coaching my child? What is this coach’s background and experience?
A. All MEY coaches are registered with USA Swimming and YMCA Swimming and have completed all required certifications, training and testing required by USA Swimming and YMCA Swimming. Coaches also undergo regular background screenings and participate in ongoing professional development sessions.
Q. Can I stay and watch practice?
A. Parents are welcome to watch practice. However, parents are not permitted on the pool deck with street shoes, nor are they allowed to interrupt practice. If parents need to communicate with their swimmer during practice, they should inform the coach and the coach will take the swimmer out of the water. If parents need to communicate with their child’s coach, they should send an email. Interruptions make it difficult to run practices.
Q. What happens if there is thunder or lightning during practice?
A. In the interest of protecting its members and staff, the Aquatics staff will close the pools when lightning strikes within an 8-mile radius of the YMCA. When this occurs, all swimmers must clear the pool and leave the pool deck immediately. Swimmers will move to alternative rooms and wait for the staff to give the “all clear” to return to the pool. The “all clear” typically comes 30 minutes after the last lightning strike in the area. If a storm looks like it will continue through practice, practice may be canceled, and swimmers will be sent home. If a swimmer does not have a phone or other device to notify a parent or guardian of the cancellation, a swimmer may ask a coach or the front desk for assistance.
BE READY TO SWIM AT EVERY PRACTICE!!!
Swimmers should take a shower before swimming to help with the chlorine levels that will build in the air. Swimmers should also have Cap on, Goggles ready and a swim bottle at every practice. Please have your kids use the restroom before swimming. The more your swimmers get out, show up late or are not ready to swim, the more they are missing with the practice. At every practice we start with a warm up, this is not just to warm up the body, but more importantly to stretch and loosen up the muscles that they will be using so we do not cause injury when we do harder sets. If your child misses the start of the class, please have the stretch on land so they do not get hurt. We use drills to help correct technique and timing. Each week the coaches have created a balanced workout to help every child regardless of the day they come.
SWIM MEETS
Swimming competitions are called meets. Meets are organized as either dual meets, invitationals, or championships; swimmers compete against other swimmers of similar ages and abilities.
Q. What are dual meets?
A. A ‘Dual Meet’ is one Y competing against another Y. Boys swim against boys, girls against girls. Most are around an hour-and-a-half to two hours. Our Dual Meet Teams are not set until early October.
Q. What are invitational meets?
A. An Invitational Meet is a meet with swimmers from many different teams, sometimes even teams from other states. Some Invitational Meets are geared specifically towards certain age groups; some are open to all ages and abilities; still others have qualifying cut times (i.e., a swimmer must be faster or slower than a certain time to participate). MEY attends both YMCA-sanctioned Invitational meets. At this time, we do not attend USA meets (NJ Swimming or NJS). The essential difference between these two is that at Y meets, the swimmer’s age is ‘as of December 1’ while at NJ Swimming meets, a swimmer’s age is ‘as of the first day of the meet’. So, for example, if your swimmer is 10 in December, but turns 11 in January, he/she would be 10 at Y States in March (age as of Dec. 1st) but 11 for NJ Swimming’s Junior Olympics, also in March. One more difference: at a Y meet, there will only be Y swimmers; at a NJ Swimming meet, you will see swimmers from aquatic clubs as well.
Q. What are championship meets?
A. Every time your swimmer swims at any meet, a dual meet or an Invitational, their times are recorded. These times will fall into either the Bronze, Silver, or Gold categories. These times will indicate which championship meets your swimmer can attend for each event. (It is possible for your swimmer to have times in different categories: for example, a Gold time in the 50 free, Silver in the 100 Back, and Bronze in the 50 Breast.) Don’t be concerned with end-of-the-year qualifying times (Silvers, Bronze, States, JOs) early in the season. Throughout the year, your swimmer will begin to accumulate times, and there will be many opportunities to race throughout the year. We will update our meet schedule if any changes occur. And remember, your swimmer’s coach is always available to answer questions about which meets your child should attend, or about various Time Standards.
Q. In which meets does my child compete?
A. All swimmers must attend their squad Dual Meets. If swimmers do not show, relays cannot swim, and coaches are left scrambling to fill in empty lanes at the last moment when they should be concentrating on warm-ups. If something unexpected happens, even if you are just running late to warm-ups, please email the Head coach or let a teammate know. We count on every swimmer as a member of our team. Invitational Meets are not mandatory for MEY swimmers; however, they are recommended. These do incur charges per event, plus athlete surcharge. An Invitational Meet is a great opportunity for your swimmer to try out events they might not swim at a dual meet. Our YMCA Championship Meets at the end of the season (in February and March) are all Invitational Meets, so it is also very beneficial for swimmers to get used to that kind of meet format during the course of the season.
Q. How do I enter my child in a meet?
A. Information on Team Meets is available under the “Meets & Events” tab on the team website. If you are unsure of which events to enter your swimmer, be sure to ask the coach. A coach may adjust entries after parents have entered their swimmer. Email announcements will be sent out to the team whenever a meet is posted. Every meet will have a “registration deadline”—be sure to respond “YES” or “NO” before that date to make sure your swimmer gets entered. Sometimes entries must be submitted within a week in advance to ensure our team’s spot in the meet. Therefore, it is important that you indicate whether your swimmer can (or can’t) attend each Invitational. Remember, once you commit “YES”, the cost of your swimmer’s individual events will incur an additional payment based upon the number of events and meet fees Also, at each Invitational meet, our team is usually asked to provide timers. Once your child is on the entry list, you may be asked to fulfill a timing assignment.
Q. How often will my child compete in meets?
A. In a normal season we will have 6-8 dual meets between late October and early January, resulting in 1-2 meets per month. Additional meets and invitationals are scheduled each month. Attendance at these additional meets is often according to a swimmer's age (for example, a 12 and under invitational) or according to a swimmer's “best times.” Further information about qualifying times and time standards can be found on our website.
Q. Where are the meets held?
A. Some dual meets are at home, some are away at other YMCAs. If we are attending a Home Meet we will swim at South Amboy YMCA in their six lane pool. Invitationals are often held at Raritan Bay YMCA in Perth Amboy or Raritan Valley Community College in North Branch, NJ. Championship meets are held at locations throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We always recommend carpooling when possible.
Q. How do I find directions to away meets?
A. MEY is a member of the Northern New Jersey YMCA Swim League, which maintains a website with addresses /directions to many of the pools your swimmer will be traveling to this season. To find the directions, navigate your web browser to www.njymcaswim.org and click on the “Directions” tab at the top of the page. You can also look at the page where you registered as I will include the address to the away meet.
Q. Who is responsible for providing transportation to meets?
A. Parents or guardians are responsible for providing transportation for their swimmer.
Q. What do we need to do to prepare for the swim meet?
A. Make sure you bring all of your swim gear: team suit, team cap, goggles, and more than one towel. Usually, it is not a good idea to use new goggles for the first time at a meet. Be prepared for cold weather or a cool pool deck by bringing proper clothing (such as parkas, sweatshirts, extra pants, etc. if cold). Not all locations will have locker rooms where swimmers could change before or after a meet. Also, bring water, Gatorade, and nutritious food so your child will eat properly and stay hydrated. Make sure your swimmer gets a good night’s sleep before each day of the meet.
Q. What do we do when we arrive at the meet?
A. Make sure you arrive 10-15 minutes prior to the beginning of warm-ups or when the coaches tell you to be there. Check in with your coach to see when the swimmer should get ready for warm-ups. Many swimmers use a Sharpie to write event information on their hands, feet or legs to help them remember. Encourage the swimmer to conserve energy and to not use all of their energy playing around at the meet. Save it for the race. Sit with the team and cheer for each of the MEY swimmers.
Q. Why do I have to be there for warm-up when my child does not swim until later?
A. Warm-up is essential because it helps the swimmers get focused on their events and get accustomed to the pool in which they are racing (starts, turns, backstroke count, etc.). Swimmers are familiar with doing a good warm up every day at practice and need to create the same experience on meet day. Not warming up can lead to injuries in the future. In addition, if the swimmer is not there for warm-up, the coach will scratch (or remove) the swimmer from the meet per meet rules.
Q. What do parents and guardians do at the meets?
A. Typically, at Home Meets that are held at South Amboy Y, parents are required to perform functions such as timing, marshaling, helping with hospitality, setting up and cleaning up of the meet, etc. At Away Meets, parents may be asked to help with timing and marshaling. At every meet we need parents to Officiate. No Parent volunteers, we forfeit the meet and it does not run.
Q. What is an Event?
A. An event is a specific type of race such as "11-12 year old Girls, 100 yard butterfly". There may be many "heats" per event.
Q. What is a Heat?
A. When there are more swimmers for an event than there are lanes in the pool (for example, 16 swimmers in an eight lane pool), the first heat includes eight swimmers. The second heat includes the next eight swimmers. The best times from all the heats for an event determine the first, second, and third place finishers for the event. A swimmer can win his or her heat and still not place overall in the event.
Q. What does it mean to be “DQ”ed (DQ = DisQualified)?
A. It means there are aspects of the stroke that we still need to work on! When a swimmer is disqualified or “DQ”ed it means that there is something that they did that is illegal under the swimming rules. A DQ can be for something like a one-handed touch in breaststroke, false starting, or a stroke violation like doing a flutter kick when swimming butterfly. A DQ is no big deal and although it may cause some tears, it is best to keep it in perspective. Every swimmer has received or will receive a DQ at some point in his or her swimming career. We look at it as a teaching tool for the coaches and a learning experience for the swimmer.
Q. What is a False Start?
A. When a swimmer leaves the starting block before the start horn sounds.
Q. What is an Individual Medley?
A. An event where the swimmer swims all four strokes in a specific order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
Q. What are Relays?
A. Relays are a combination of four swimmers. The freestyle relay consists of four individual freestyle swims and the medley relay consists of four individual strokes--backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. The coaches will determine who swims on the relays.
Q. How long is each race?
A. Different age groups swim different race lengths. Short Course distances for 8 & Under swimmers are generally 25, 50 or 100 yards and their Long Course distances are 50, 100 or 200 meters. 9 – 12 year olds swim Short Course distances of 50, 100, 200 or 500 yards and Long Course distances of 50, 100, 200 and 400 meters. Swimmers, age 13 and older, swim Short Course distances of 50 freestyle only, 100, 200 of free, back, fly and breast, 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle yards and Long Course distances of 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 meters.
Q. How will I know my swimmer’s results for each event or meet?
A. The best way to keep track of your swimmer’s times is to download the MeetMobile app. The app provides real time meet results and times. More information about Meet Mobile can be found on their website https://www.active.com/mobile/meet-mobile-app or in the app store on your device. This is used for invitational meets and championship meets.
Another way to see results for most dual meets is going to the result tab or clicking meet results in App or Website for MEY. Parents will then be able to view their swimmer’s best times in relation to qualifying times for the YMCA and NJ Swim championship meets held at the end of season. You are also able to commit your swimmer to attend meets, sign up for volunteer opportunities, etc. using this app.
PARENT EXPECTATIONS
Most teams depend heavily on parent volunteers to perform a variety of tasks. Questions you should ask are:
Q. What is my role at a meet as a parent?
A. Parent’s behavior at swim meets is vital to the success of their swimmer. Parent’s behavior is also important for the success of the team.
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Don’t Coach. Leave the coaching to the coaches. This includes pre-race strategy, “psyching up”, and motivating. This also includes post-race critiquing and setting goals.
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Support the Coaches. They need your support for everyone to be successful. Coaches set different goals for different swimmers at meets. Some swimmers may be working on improving their time, other swimmers may be working on improving their technique. Contact the coach AFTER the meet if you have questions.
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Be Your Swimmer’s Biggest Fan. Support your child’s effort unconditionally. Do not get upset or withdrawn if your child does not “win” his or her race. Your child should not have to perform well to gain your approval and support.
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Remind your swimmer to be a good teammate. Swimming is an unusual sport in that it is technically “individual.” But when teammates support and encourage one another throughout the season, each member of that team will get stronger. Remind swimmers that teammates may often swim in the same races and strive for the same goals. But a great teammate will make this a challenge, and not a threat. Competitiveness is a great part of the sport, but it should not be at the cost of supporting your own teammates.
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Cheer for all swimmers on the team. An important way to do this is to stay until the end of the meet. Some of the most exciting events, such as team relays, occur at the end of a meet. By staying, you will add to the excitement around the race.
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BE RESPECTFUL!! At meets, it is imperative to act professionally and respectfully to coaches, officials and volunteers, and other swimmers and families. Remember that you are representing our team. If you have a question or concern for a coach, wait until AFTER the meet.
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Each swimmer achieves their own accomplishments by striving to beat their last best time. While everyone wants to come in first place it’s also rewarding to lose time (perform better) throughout the season and achieve personal goals.
Q. How can I contribute to my child’s team if I know very little about swimming?
A. You can contribute to the team by volunteering at meets. Your biggest contribution will be your unconditional love and support for your swimmer.
Q. What volunteer roles are available at meets?
A. There are many ways that parents can get involved at a swim meet. We the coaches thank every parent for their support and help wherever they can provide it. The swimmers also appreciate all the work and support you provide them so they can enjoy the Sport of competitive swimming.
