Swim Team FAQ

We've all been brand new swim parents before. Even those of us who swam growing up get overwhelmed with all the new things that come with being on a swim team. We've put together a Q & A with the most common questions we get from new parents! 

 

Q: When are the practices?
A: Practices take place Mondays-Fridays. Times vary by age group, but are in the evenings while school is in session and early AM once school is out. To view what time your child's age group practices, check out the schedule here

Q: Does my child need to be a good swimmer?
A: The Seminole Swim team is for all ages and abilities! Swimmers must be able to safely swim the length of the pool without stopping. This does not apply to our Shark Bites who must be able to swim across the shallow end without stopping or touching the bottom.  Please check out our practice group descriptions to learn more about the team. 
 
Q: I have a younger swimmer, should I still have them do swim lessons AND swim team?
A: Yes! The swim & dive teams do not take the place of lessons. For our youngest swimmers we strongly recommend swim lessons to help with stroke technique and to get more individualized attention. Please go to  Seminole Pool Swim Lessons  for more information on lessons.
 
Q: Does my swimmer have to go to every practice?
A: Seminole does not have an attendance requirement. We know that summers are full of vacations and camps and that not everyone will be at every practice. Although kids tend to feel more confident at meets the more practices they attend (plus more time to make friends!), there is not a certain amount of practices kids need to attend. 
 
Q: When are the meets?
A: Meets are mainly on Saturday mornings and are done around noon, and there usually a Wedensday evening meet so we can avoid a meet on 4th of July weekend. To find the full meet schedule, click  here . 
 
Q: What if my swimmer can’t make one of the meets?
A: It is not uncommon for a child to not be able to attend every meet during the summer. We know that families travel and have fun plans during the summer! 

The only thing families need to keep in mind is that swimmers who want to participate in the All City Swim Meet at the end of the summer, MUST have swam at least one individual event in THREE DIFFERENT MEETS. This is the All City rule that every swimmer in the league must follow. 

If you know in advance that you cannot make a meet, we ask that you go into Team Unify (the site used to sign up for social events, volunteering, and meets) and mark that your child is not able to attend. This will ensure that your child is not placed on a relay for a meet they are not there for. If your child wakes up sick on Saturday morning (because kids are kids), then we ask that you email a coach AND ask another family attending the meet to tell a coach your child will not be there. Because coaches are so busy on meet mornings and will not have time to check their phones, having another family tell a coach directly that your child will not be there allows coaches the time to adjust relays and not try and find your child before a race. 

Q: What is Team Unify?
A: Team Unify is the web-based platform used by the All City League, including the Seminole Sharks. You used Team Unify to register for swim team. Emails from coaches and boosters are sent through Team Unify. You will use Team Unify to sign up for meets and volunteer shifts. It is not the most intuitive system, so please see our Team Unify 101 for further instructions on how to sign up for meets. 
 
Q: What is a "dual" meet?
A: You will hear people talk about the "dual meet". These are the meets that are between two teams, or in this case, Seminole and another team. These are the meets that occur during the summer on Saturdays (and some Wednesdays). 
 
Q: So, what is All-City?
A: Seminole is part of the All City League. The league consists of 13 pools around Dane County that compete throughout the summer at dual meets. At the end of the summer (usually the last weekend of July or first weekend of August), all 13 pools come together for what is known as the All City swim meet. It is one of the largest outdoor swim meets in the country, and we think the most fun! When you hear a coach talk about All City, this meet is what they are talking about! 
 
This large  meet is hosted by a different pool each year. It spans 3 days, typically a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Any swimmer who has participated in 3 dual meets with Seminole is eligible to compete at All-City. You are not required to swim at the All City, but it is a fun meet and a great way to close a fun season! 

All City week is very exciting for Shark families! There are a lot of events and celebrations! It can also be overwhelming for new (and old) families. We will be hosting an All City Q & A Happy Hour prior to the week of All City to help you feel prepared for all the fun! 

Q: So what is the difference between Seminole and the All-City League and teams like BAC and VAST? 

A: Seminole is part one of the 13 teams of All-City League, all of which are in outdoor pools in and around Madison.  Our season is only a super-intense 2+ months, with practices 5 days a week for everyone, and meets every weekend.  Local teams like Verona Area Swim Team (VAST), Badger Aquatic Club (BAC), Madison Aquatic Club (MAC) and Oregon Community Swim Club (OCSC) are part of USA Swimming.  USA Swimming is a national orginazation that does everything from selecting the Olympic team and promoting swimming.  By being outside of USA Swimming, the All-City League can be more affordable.  We do require that our officials are USA Swimming certified, however.   

The 2 types of clubs work well together.  All-City is a great place to start competetive swimming, and it continues to be super fun as kids get older.  Kids look up to the seniors swimming, and graduating Seniors are proud of their 12 or 13 or more years of swimming in All-City League.  The USA club teams offer year-around swimming, broken down into Fall+/- Winter season, and a Spring-Summer Long Course (50 meter) season.  Usually younger age group practices are only a few days a week, swim meets are more variable with a bigger variety of distances, and meets will be offered in different cities, including up to National competitions.  

Q: How do swim meets work?
A: Swim meets are organized with a series of numbered event. These event numbers will stay the same all season. For example, the 8U Girls 25 freestyle will always have the same event number, it will not change meet to meet. Each event begins with the 8-and-under girls’ and boys’ races and works its way up in age groups before going on to the next event. 

Each event, in each age group, will have multiple heats. The number of heats will depend on how many swimmers are signed up to swim that event. It will change meet to meet. Swimmers are divided into heats based on entry time, often with the faster times being in the later heats. This ideally allows kids to directly compete with swimmers with similar times. Younger swimmers will be awarded a heat winner ribbon if they are the winner of their heat. 

Q: What races will my child swim?
A: Kids can swim up to two individual events and two relays per meet. Individual events can be selected by the swimmer in Team Unify. See our Team Unify 101 to learn how to sign up. If you have questions on what events to sign your swimmer up for, please reach out to their age group coach for advice! 

Q: How do relays work?
A: Coaches will determine relay teams. There are two types of relays: Freestyle and Medley. Coaches will not decide the relay teams until closer to the meet, so kids will often not know what relay team they are on until the day before the meet. 

If you do not "declare" in Team Unify that your child will be at a meet by the deadline, they will not be added to a relay. Reverse, if you don't specify "No Relays" in Team Unify for that meet, then coaches will assume your child will be there/wants to swim on a relay and coaches will assign them to a team. 

Relays are assigned based on coaches’ discretion. While at times there is a specific "formula" based on times, this will not always be the case and the coaches are allowed to mix things up. We ask that you do not ask coaches for your child to be on a specific relay. One of the best things about summer swim is meeting new people, and relays are a great way to do that!

Q: What is a heat sheet? 
A: A heat sheet is a document used in swimming that lists the order of events at a swim meet, including the heat and lane assignments for each swimmer. It essentially provides a schedule for each event, telling swimmers which heat and lane they will be swimming in. You will also see times next to a swimmer’s name. This is called a "seed time". A seed time is a swimmer’s best time to date. Some swimmers will have NT for a seed time — this means they have no time recorded for this event yet this season. 

Seminole sends out a digital heat sheet prior to the meet that you can either print or keep on your phone. 

Q: I keep seeing things written on swimmers arms at meets, what is that?
A: Swimmers write their event, heat, and lane information on their arms at swim meets using waterproof markers like Sharpies. This helps them keep track of their race schedule and find their assigned lane. They typically create a grid on their arm to organize this information, with columns for Event (E), Heat (H), and Lane (L). 

The most common information includes the event number, heat number, and lane number. For example, "E3 H2 L4" would indicate Event 3, Heat 2, Lane 4. This information will be available in the heat sheets for each meet. Fear not, this is something any swim parent will be willing to help you with! 

We highly recommend parents doing this for younger swimmers but also ask that you please pay attention to your swimmer’s event numbers, so you can help get them to Clerk of Course at the right time. 

Q: What is Clerk of Course?
A: Clerk of Course is an area where our younger Sharks  (9-10's and 8 & Unders) essentially "check in" for their events. There will be a dedicated area at each pool with volunteers there to help line up the kids where they need to be, ensuring that they get to their assigned heats and lanes. This helps the meet run smoothly and reduces stress for swimmers and families. 

We will have coaches and junior coaches checking in with swimmers while they are at Clerk of Course. While clerk can at times feel overwhelming for younger/new swimmers, parents are often not allowed in the Clerk of Course area. But don't worry, our Shark coaches are amazing at helping the kids feel comfortable and excited for their race! We do ask that you have a conversation with your children about keeping their hands to themselves while in Clerk and practice great sporting behavior. While we know kids are excited to race, Clerk of Course is a small area, and we ask for everyone’s best Shark behavior! 

Q: What gear does my swimmer have to have to be on swim team?
A: Swimmers will need to have a swimsuit. It is not a requirement to purchase a Seminole Sharks swimsuit from Simply Swimming, your child can wear whatever swimsuit they are most comfortable in. Swimmers will want to have a pair of goggles (or two in case one gets lost or broken). A lot of swimmers like to wear a cap when they swim. It is not a requirement to wear a cap, however we do ask that if your swimmer wants to wear a cap during meets that you purchase a Seminole Sharks cap. They can wear any cap they want during practices. 
 
Q: What if my kid doesn't want to get in the water?
A: We are pretty sure that there has been at least one day that every kid on the team has not wanted to get in the water. In fact, most of our coaches can talk about the time they didn't want to get in the water as a kid. Your child may not want to participate at practice or a meet for many reasons, be it feeling nervous or just thinking the water is too cold. This is common and something our coaches are trained to help with. Our Seminole coaches seem to have this amazing superpower to help kids feel at ease and want to swim. 
 
Q: Do I have to stay for practices?
A: Please use your own discretion if you need to stay during practice. We do ask that if you do stay, you do not stand next to the coaches or disrupt practice in any way. Each Age Group Coach has a lot of kids they are working with, so please wait until after practice to speak with them. 

Children and parents that are distracting to coaches or pool staff may be asked to leave the pool. Under no circumstances should a sibling or other child not practicing with the age group in the water be left unattended or unwatched at the pool. Athletes and siblings are not permitted to run on the pool deck or grass or climb on the bleachers. Those children will be asked to leave the pool and surrounding area. If you do drop your child off for practice, please pick them up at the correct time. 

We know some amazing friendships are made at Seminole and we always encourage building community. If your child will be meeting up with other Sharks after practice, please speak with them about appropriate behavior. It is not the responsibility of the coaches or pool staff to monitor children who are not practicing. Swimmers are not permitted to run on the pool deck or grass or climb on the bleachers. Those children will be asked to leave the pool and surrounding area. 

Q: Do I have to volunteer?
A: There is a volunteer requirement for swim team. The Sharks would not run without our families helping out! We need our families to help us run our amazing meets and social events. Volunteer requirements will change summer by summer based on how many meets we have to host and how many swimmers we have. Please click here for this seasons volunteer information. And don't worry, our volunteer coordinator will make sure that you feel comfortable and know what to do before your job begins! Even if you've never seen a swim meet, there is something fun for you to help out with! 
 
The Seminole Sharks Swim and Dive Board consists of all volunteers that spend countless hours setting everything up for a successful summer. We wouldn't be able to pull any of it off without our amazing families volunteering! 
 
Q: What's so great about summer swim?
A: EVERYTHING! 
Summer swimming is all about FUN! It is about friendships and making memories! As a Seminole Shark, your child will not only learn new skills in the pool, but they will also play games, learn cheers, meet new friends, learn about being a good sport, a good teammate. 

We have several Shark parents that did summer swim as kids and they all say that those were some of the best memoires they have! As a Seminole Shark, you child will have the same feelings as they grow up. Our goal is to make sure every kid feels included and has fun. We want everyone to still be cheering “we are the sharks, the mighty mighty sharks” fifty years from now! 

In addition to this Q& A, please read our Swim Handbook. ​Our team runs best when we're all swimming together. The handbook can be found under the 'Documents' tab on Team Unify.

We will be using e-mail for communication during the summer season. Please check our website often for news and announcements. Your family will also be assigned a folder in the breezeway that we recommend checking. You can also follow the Sharks on social media! 

If you have more questions, please reach out to your age group coach or the Sharks Co-President Kathryn Kuehn at kat. [email protected]