Frequently Asked Questions
 
How do I know if my child is eligible to be on the team?
The Breakers is a recreational competitive swim team with swimmers of all abilities. It is not a learn-to-swim program. As long as your child can swim across the pool unassisted, we can help them hone their competitive stroke techniques.
  • Children 8 years old and younger who can swim one length across the pool unassisted are eligible to be on the team.
  • Children 9 years old and older who can swim two lengths across the pool unassisted are eligible to be on the team.
We have registered & paid, why is my account not active?
Most likely it is because you did not yet pay your pool usage fee. Or, it could be that our registrar has not had a chance to approve the account. This is a manual process that is done by a team volunteer. If it has been longer than 48 hours, please contact Danielle Bushell ([email protected]) .
 
Why do we have to work jobs at meets?
If parents don’t work, meets don’t happen. Period. Swimmers need to be timed. Events need to be judged. Awards need to be givn. Concessions need to be sold. To ensure that this is fair, all families who commit to the team are also committing to work their fair share of meets. Championship meets and Time Trials are an additional commitment.
 
Do we have to go to all meets? How do we sign-up?
Meet attendance is strongly encouraged, though not required. It is a great way to monitor swimming progress. HOWEVER--if a swimmer wants to participate in a championship meet, they need to have participated in at least 3 regular season meets to do so. This is a Naperville Swim Conference rule.
To sign-up:
  • Go to the Swim Meets tab.
  • Click MEETS & JOB SIGN-UP
  • Click EDIT COMMITMENT for your chosen meet
  • Select your swimmer (if you have more than one, do them separately)
  • Choose YES or NO to participate or decline
  • Click SAVE CHANGES
  • Do not choose individual events, a coach will do this later
  • Do not leave notes in the notes field. No one sees them.
  • Do pay attention to meet deadlines.
  • When in doubt, say yes. It is easier to scratch from a meet than add in late.
What is disqualification? Why did my swimmer get disqualified?
Just like other sports (soccer, football, etc.), swimming has a set of rules that must be followed in order for the swimmer’s race time to count. Any swimmer can get infractions for their start, stroke, touch-turn, finish, and even bad sportsmanship.
When a swimmer is DQ’d, the reason is recorded on a yellow DQ card. Though they can be disheartening, DQs are common. Especially in younger age groups at the beginning of the season, and especially in butterfly and breaststroke. The best thing to do is learn from them. Also just like in other sports, sometimes officials do not see an infraction. In this case, the swimmer will not get DQ’d.
 
My swimmer got second place, where do I get their ribbon?
Twelve and under swimmers will earn ribbons based on where they placed in their heat. Thirteen and over swimmers do not receive ribbons. Ribbons are placed in family folders sometime the day after a meet, so check there. If your child did not receive the ribbon they were expecting, most likely they were DQ’d. If you have any questions, please contact our awards chair.
How do I know if my swimmer has City times?
Qualifying for the City Meet is exciting! You can find a list of qualifying times here. To see your swimmer’s best times and if they qualify follow these steps:
  • Login to the Breakers’ website
  • Click MY ACCOUNT on the left sidebar
  • Click MY MEET RESULTS after that
  • By TIME STANDARDS, select 2014 NSC CITY STANDARDS
  • By TIME CONVERSION, select SCY (short course yards, not meters)
  • By MEMBER, select your child
  • Click SEARCH
  • Any time that qualifies for City will be highlighted in green
  • Any time that falls short will be highlighted in orange
  • Be sure you are looking at results from the current season
What do we do in the case of bad weather?
For morning practices: We will hold practice every morning unless you receive an email from the coach directly. Even in the rain, or in temps under 65*, dryland conditioning can be done instead of getting in the pool. Practice will be canceled in the event of lightning. Ultimately, parents have the final authority on whether or not a swimmer comes to practice. If you feel it is too cold, or too rainy, you can keep your child home.
 
For meets: If it is storming before a meet starts, a coach or other team leader will send an email notifying everyone of a meet cancellation or delay. During a meet, if lightning is visible, the referee will clear the pool for a minimum of 15 minutes. At Breckenridge home meets, it will be 30 minutes. If there is no lightning or thunder in that time, the referee may resume the meet. During the wait time, swimmers will be directed to take shelter in the locker rooms or their vehicles, but they should NOT leave until directed to do so.