FAQs - Common questions asked by Ohio families
Question: I usually enter meets through my team. Why can't I do that for Zones?
Answer: The Age Group Central Zone Championships is a USA-Swimming All-Star meet; it is the highest level of swimming for age groups sponsored by USA-Swimming. In order to host such a large meet and collect entries from so many athletes across nearly a fourth of the country, it is much easier for the organizers to collect entries by Chapter (e.g. "Ohio") than it would be from all clubs. Therefore, Ohio Swimming setup this website for Ohio family to setup an account, enter the meet, and select races.
Are my child's Coaches Involved?
Yes. Whether or not your club coaches attend Zones this particular year or not should still not prevent you from informing your coach your swimmer's desire to be on the Ohio All-Star Zone team. It's up to your club or coaches to help you plan for the Zone meet, which is generally a couple weeks after the Ohio Junior Olympics. While at the Zone meet, Ohio coaches are not there to critique stroke techniques or provide advanced instruction; their primary role is to chaperone, cheer, motivate, provide split feedback, and create a wholesome atmosphere for the entire team.
Question: My athlete's birthday is a few days before Zones, can she still enter the meet if she does not have the qualifying times in her new age group?
Unfortunately no. The age of the athlete on the first day of the meet will determine his/her age and the athlete must have the qualifying standards for that age.
Question: Is there an Open Water event at Zones?
Answer: Beginning in 2012, the Open Water event has been removed from the Central Zone Age Group Zone Championships pool events. The Open Water Zone Championships is now held on a separate date and separate location each summer. Ohio Swimming, Inc will compile OW entries as a single team and, like the pool meet, do not enter the OW Zone meet through your club or on your own. More information at www.centralzones.org on future dates of OW Zone meets and instructions on how to enter the Ohio OW team will be posted on this website.
Question: I am selecting my swimmer's events and his best times do not appear. What do I do?
Answer: Beginning in 2013, Ohio leverages the Team Unify website for families to join the Ohio Zone team. In the process, there is some behind the scenes work to reconcile your athlete's times from the official USA database to the Ohio website. In most cases, you will see your swimmer's best times. If you don't, and you are able to still select the race -- select it! Then, when the deadline nears -- go back in and check again as sometimes times are loaded to the Ohio website as the sign-up deadline appears. If the deadline passes, send an email to the Ohio Zone Coordinator with your precise time(s) and event(s) that need corrected, as well as the meet from which those times occurred for manual override. Ultimately, verification of entries and times fall to the families signing up for the meet
Question: When will a psych sheet be posted?
Answer: There is no rule that requires the host to post a psych sheet. If it is posted, it will be available after Tuesday of the week of the meet.
Question: How do I purchase Pictures from the meet vendor?
Answer: Each year, the vendor will setup whatever process they decide to support the meet. Some vendors will post preview pictures on their website, or have a special table setup at the meet. Team Pictures are usually offered as well. Please check the official meet website for picture information or inquire at the meet.
Question: I entered my child into Zones on the Ohio Zone Team Unify Site. Did it go through?
Answer: You will receive a report from the website within 24 hours after you setup your account – follow the directions in the email to activate your account. Then, you can long in, declare your intent to swim the meet and select your races. You will not receive an auto-notification after you select your races, but the Ohio Zone Coordinator will post entry reports and send an email when entries are compiled so you can verify them.
Question: I'm not getting any emails - how come?
Answer: After checking your SPAM folder, the only reason would be that your account on the Ohio Zone Team Unify website is not active. Once you setup your account, and the Ohio Zone Coordinator "approves/ your account -- you will receive an email with instructions. Follow those instructions; once you are able to log in to the site, your account is active and you will receive any emails sent by the Ohio staff.
Question: My swimmer is traveling with the team. Can I check her out one evening and then return her to the team?
Answer: Sorry, that is not permitted for insurance reasons and the difficulty for our chaperones and coaches to manage the team. Parents may check out from the Travel Team but will not be able to return. If a family checks out a swimmer during or at the end of the trip, they will need to sign a Check-Out form – those forms are on the Ohio Zone website.
Question: Are there Time Trials offered?
Answer: No, Time Trails are not offered at Zones
Question: Ho do I make my payment for entries, swimmer and coach surcharge, and Travel Team (if traveling with the team)?
Answer: Beginning in 2017, Ohio Swimming, Inc setup a credit card payment system. When you first sign up for an account, you will be asked to enter your credit card information and pay a registration fee. Then, additional charges such as entry fees and travel team fees will be charged at dates listed on those event pages. The payment dates will generally be several days after the deadline and stated in the information. The Ohio Office Manager will be closely monitoring the transactions to handle any situations that may arise.
Ohio Swimming
5020 B College Corner Pike
Oxford, Ohio 45056
Question: I setup an account on the Ohio Zone Team Unify site on a previous year. Do I need to repeat those steps?
Answer: Probably not – try your previous login and password. If there are any problems, the website may direct you to setup another account before you enter the meet.
Question: Our athlete qualified for zones but cannot make the trip. Can we still purchase the Ohio Team equipment package?
Answer: Unfortunately, no. Only athletes that qualify for and compete in the USA Zone competition may purchase an equipment package.
Question: My swimmer is on the Travel Team but not competing on day 2. What will she do?
Answer: All travel swimmers will attend all sessions (prelims and finals) for the age group which they are competing in. This will allow swimmers to warm-up properly with their peers in preparation for events on future days, open water, or relays they may be on. If they are not on a relay then the swimmer may be able to attend the session in street clothes with coach/chaperone approval but will still need to be at the venue in the team area. The only time a swimmer on the Travel Team may not attend a sessions is in the event a scheduled event such as a movie, meal, or some other activity is arranged by the coaches and chaperones. For example, swimmers not competing in finals may be included in an activity outside of the pool.
Question: Our son is not on the Travel Team and we cannot arrive to the meet until Friday. How can we get his equipment package?
Answer: please send an email or note to any other family on the Ohio team to print off so they can pick-up your equipment package during Thursday’s registration. Coaches and chaperones have so many things to do they are unable to hold equipment for fear of it getting lost or stuck in the team hotel for the weekend.
Question: My swimmer is on the Travel Team, does he need to bring any food or snacks?
Answer: All meals, snacks, and drinks are included with the trip. The chaperones and coaches make sure to have plenty of water and sports drinks on hand. However, if your swimmer wants to bring snacks for the bus or hotel room, they are more than welcome to.
Question: Can my swimmer wear another suit than the one offered in the equipment package?
Answer: Yes, some swimmers have a particular suit they wear. If your swimmer is not competing in the suit that is provided, we recommend a solid black suit for team uniformity. The equipment package cannot be separated by item due to the low price point for the entire package, but swimmers are free to use the extra suit as a backup or training suit next season.
Am I required to purchase the Ohio Equipment Package?
No. The equipment package is optional and differs from year to year. Some years the team will purchase team shirts and caps directly from the manufacturer and include them as part of your registration; then, additional equipment may be ordered from a team vendor. Other years, the team vendor may supply all gear (caps, shirts, suits, etc.). As a minimum, you will want your athlete to have a team cap and the team shirts worn daily at the meet. After that, everything else is a personal family decision.
Will my child be on a relay?
By USA rules, we are permitted to enter an A and B relay (8 swimmers) for each relay event. For any 13-14 200 MRs, lineups from the strokes 100s and the next available fastest 50 Free are used. After the Zone entry deadline, we will import all results for all Ohio Zone athletes (even those events you did not swim at a recent meet!) and compile the fastest A and B relay based on times. We will then post relay reports for review. Our first posting of relays will be considered draft in case there are any errors or families that notify the Coordinator they are unable to attend a particular day. Errors are rare, but they could occur. As you might expect, integrating thousands of results for all swimmers in Ohio is not always perfect. There is bound to be some typo or data problem in the process. Therefore, we leave ourselves some extra time for families to review the relay report before compiling the team entries. We ask for your understanding between the time we post the “draft” relay report and the “final” relay report so that we can resolve any data issues that are brought to our attention. This process works well and is much improved over the days we locked coaches in a room with a pencil and paper and asked them to put together relays.
Who are the coaches for the Ohio Zone Team and how are they selected?
Names of current coaches that have confirmed their intent to coach athletes will be posted on the Ohio website, along with a short bio for each. All coaches are screened with background checks, have current CPR/First Aid and Safety certifications and are members of Ohio and USA-Swimming in good standing. Coaches are provided instructions about their role as Ohio All-Star Coaches.
We are traveling a great distance for a relay event one day, will relays change?
Relay lineups are setup before the meet based on best times that are loaded in the system – which include recent Junior Olympics and other USA meets your swimmer attended. Coaches are encouraged to not change relay lineups unless extenuating circumstances warrant it. If this occurs, the coaches are to meet as a group and review all scenarios; then notify all impacted swimmers with as much advance notice as possible – and coaches are to factor in travel by families. It is the policy of Ohio Swimming not to remove or switch swimmers if it impacts family logistics.
Can my swimmer wear Club attire?
No, all Zone swimmers are representing “Team Ohio” and therefore club logos on caps, bags, clothes, etc are not permitted. As with most youth sports, activities or behaviors that are considered inappropriate in terms of recruiting by coaches, families, and athletes are considered violations of USA-Swimming by-laws. Such activities can be forwarded to the Ohio Swimming governance board for review.
Ohio Zone Team Homepage:
