Practice - Parents- please stay back and let the coaches do their job. Distracting the kids during the practice often has a negative effect. If the coach is talking to you – they can’t watch your kid in the pool! The coaches are also typically available before practice starts or at the end of all practice sessions.
Meets
- Parents need to sign up their swimmer(s) for the meets prior to the deadline. You cannot miss this step and show up at the meet and expect your swimmer to swim. The lineups are due to the other team and we cannot add swimmers after the deadline.
- Swim meets would not happen without our dedicated parent volunteers. (Thank you!) In order to make sure that the meets run smoothly, each family is required to volunteer for a total of 8 hours throughout the season. There is a volunteer check in for all of our events prior to the meet beginning. If you do not fulfill your volunteer hour requirements, your child’s registration will be denied for the next season. All of the volunteer duty descriptions are on our webpage. If there are questions on what the duty entails, please contact one of our parent board members.
- All volunteers need to show up to the meets and events on time. Most of the positions are time sensitive and being late would mean that someone else needs to cover your spot. If you are late or don't show, you won't get the credit. Also, if you are assigned as a backup volunteer, you won’t get credit unless you get assigned to a real position.
- Swimmers need to show up on time for the meet. We expect all swimmers to be checked in by 7:45 am. This is a team sport! Please be there on time and if possible, stay for the whole meet whether you are swimming in all of the events.
- Warm up starts at 8 am. Each team gets a chance to warm up. Home team always warms up last.
- When you arrive at the meet, there will be people checking in swimmers and volunteers. Please be sure to check in or your child may not swim (or be DQ’d) and you won’t get hours for volunteering. When you check in, your child’s events will be written on their hand/arm/leg in sharpie marker. This will help you keep track and will let the clerk of course/shepherds know what events they are swimming in.
- Before the swim meet, the coaches make up the meet sheets that tell us who is swimming what events and in what lane.
- Be aware of what events your kids are swimming in and the pace of the meet. Meets are big and there can be a lot of down time in between events so it is important to follow along. A few days before the meet, a list will be emailed out to tell you what events your kid is swimming in.
- Meet Events
- Boys and girls generally swim each event separately.
- The events for each stroke go from youngest to oldest. The girls in a given age group swim the event first, followed by the boys.
- 100 Meter Individual Medley
- The first event of every meet is the 100 meter Individual Medley, aka the 100 IM. We use abbreviations for everything! It’s like learning a new language.
- Girls and boys ages 9 and up can swim this event.
- Ages 8 and under do not swim the 100 IM in competition.
- In the 100 IM, one swimmer swims one lap, one length of the pool, of each stroke in a specific order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
- Freestyle
- After the IM come the freestyle events. These progress as the events above, from youngest to oldest, with the girls swimming before the boys in each age category.
- The children 8 and under swim a 25 meter freestyle. That’s simply one lap.
- Ages 9-10 and 11-12 swim a 50 meter freestyle, or 2 laps.
- Ages 13-14 and 15-18 swim a 100 meter freestyle, or 4 laps.
- Backstroke
- Backstroke events follow the freestyle events.
- Ages 8 and under and 9-10 swim a 25 meter backstroke.
- Ages 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18 swim a 50 meter backstroke.
- Breaststroke
- Breaststroke events follow the backstroke events.
- Ages 8 and under and 9-10 swim a 25 meter backstroke.
- Ages 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18 swim a 50 meter backstroke.
- Butterfly
- Butterfly events follow the breaststroke events.
- Ages 8 and under and 9-10 swim a 25 meter backstroke.
- Ages 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18 swim a 50 meter backstroke.
- Freestyle Relay
- The freestyle relays are the last events of the meet.
- The children love relays and get a real sense of being part of a team by competing in them.
- The relay team has 4 swimmers; typically two girls and two boys.
- Ages 8 and under swim a 100 meter relay, which means each swimmer swims one lap of freestyle.
- Ages 9-10 and up all swim a 200 meter relay, which means each swimmer swims two laps of freestyle.
We have a big team, and everyone who declares will swim at least one event. But we will have several heats for each age group for each event. Meets can take up to 4 hours (it depends on the total number of swimmers at the meet and the number of lanes at the away pools). If there are thunderstorms, they will be delayed as long as the official can stay! Plan accordingly – especially if your child is in a relay.
**If your child is in a relay, you must stay until the end of the meet. If you have concerns about staying until the end of a meet, please email the coaches and let them know so that they do not place your child on a relay team. The relays are really fun though!!
The coaches are continuously evaluating all of the swimmers based on practice and the results of the meets. The coaches will determine what events your child will swim.
- Scoring
1st place = 5 points
2nd place = 3 points
3rd place = 1 point
- 6U do not get points for the team – this is a learning experience!
- Please note that your child may win a heat (and get a heat ribbon) but they may not actually place in the event.
- Event ribbons are handed out for the top 6 swimmers in the event.
- You may not get your event ribbons at the meet. They will be handed out as the season progresses.
- The age group that your child swims in is determined by their age on 5/30. If your swimmer’s birthday is on 5/31, he/she swims age below. Please contact Laura Hartman if you are not sure of your child’s age group.
- Results from time trials will be posted on the website. For the meets, the results are usually sent out the evening after the meet is over and then they will be posted on Team Unify. Time trials are a little different because they were entered manually but you will see your child’s times from time trials on the roster for the first meet. At the meet, the home team will post the results of each event as the meet progresses. Maple Lawn posts the results on the message board outside of the bathrooms.
- What do you need to bring to the meet?
- Canopy for shade (try to share with your friends and neighbors)
- Lawn/Camp chairs
- Team swim suit
- Goggles (suggest bringing a backup pair in case one breaks)
- Swim cap
- Team shirt
- Hair ties (for girls)
- Cash (there is always a food stand and a 50/50 raffle)
- Games/coloring books/entertainment for your kid!
- Flip Flops
Parents are encourage to wear the team colors.
If it is chilly or raining out, bring extra towels and several changes of clothes.
If parents are signed up to shepherd, clerk of course, or runner, I highly recommend sneakers!
Sometimes there are parent relays at the end of the meets. If you want to join, bring your suit!
- Home meets – PLEASE pick up after yourself and if you can stay after, please help to clean up. While we have volunteer roles for clean up after the home meets, it is a lot of work to put the pool back together.
Pep Rallys
We use this time for team bonding. You do not need to wear your suit and usually we don’t practice during a pep rally. The coaches and parents will help with an activity for the kids. Bring dinner to the pool and hang out.
We will have an end of season party on the last Saturday in July, which is the same day as Divisionals.
If you have questions, please email board members (emails on our website) instead of asking other parents. We want to make sure that you get the right answers! Our website is also a great resource.
