FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: I forgot to register my swimmer for the meet, can they still participate?
A: If the deadline set by the coaching staff was not met, unfortunately they may not be entered in the meet. We send out plenty of reminders in order to prevent this, please understand our position. We're very sorry, and would love to include them in future meets.
Q: The weather looks bad, will there be practice?
A: If the pool is open and conditions are safe, practice is held! The lifeguards are required to shut down the pool if the rain is so heavy that the bottom of the pool is no longer clearly visible, or in the case of thunder/lighting. If practice is canceled, an email will be sent to the entire team as soon as possible.
If a practice IS canceled, all swimmers are considered to have attended that day, adding to their weekly total. However, if the weather is poor but practice is held, the absence is not excused. Until an official notice is sent out, practice is not canceled.
Q: What does my swimmer need for practice every day?
A: All swimmers should come prepared with their suit and goggles every day, as well as a towel. A cap is very helpful to those with long hair. Other good things to have on hand include: sunscreen, inhaler (if applicable), water bottle, extra goggles, etc.
Q: How can I best prepare my swimmer for their meet?
A: The entire coaching staff will do everything they can in order to send the entries out in advance. Please make sure your swimmer knows what they are swimming, and write their information on their arm: #, event, heat, lane. They should have a team suit (available at Good Sport) and goggles. Snacks are often available for purchase at meets, but not guaranteed--bring some of your own! Most importantly, be sure to get them excited! We offer a 'Cheat Sheet' of sorts with key information for meet preparation. You can find it here.
Q: Why do some swimmers have more events than others at a meet?
A: The coaching staff does its best to give every swimmer as many races as possible. We also try to put people in some varying events when we can. Decisions are made very carefully by the staff. Sometimes there are swimmers with fewer events because they get tired more easily in practice. Sometimes we're looking to develop a skill more before asking a swimmer to race it--for example, we need breaststroke kicks to always be done properly before we enter a swimmer in breaststroke! Please understand that these entries take hours for the coaches to complete, and we work very hard on them.
Q: What is the order of the medley relay?
A: Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Freestyle
Q: What about the individual medley (IM)?
A: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle
Q: Why are they different?
A: In the medley relay, the backstroke swimmer must be first, as they could not do a start otherwise! It is necessary to use the standard relay start (next swimmer leaves off the block when current swimmer touches the wall), and backstroke does not have a relay start--but rather a standard in-the-water start.
Q: Unfortunately, due to (xyz) my swimmer cannot attend practice. Can they still attend the meet?
A: Please email us! We know that there are extenuating circumstances, it is part of life! This is supposed to be a fun part of the summer, not added stress! We'll do what we can to accommodate certain issues.
Q: What should I have written on my swimmer's arm for the meet?
A: Using permanent marker, write the swimmer's meet info on their arm, so they have it for the entirety of the meet! Include: Event #, Event name, Heat, Lane.
Q: Why do I have a volunteer requirement?
A: The meets cannot run smoothly without the help of our parents/guardians. As members of the team, it is important for all families to engage with the meets--as the same people are simply unable to do so every single week! We have the fine system to leverage the need for your assistance. All proceeds from the incomplete volunteer requirement fine go towards the Cohasset Swim Team Scholarship Fund.
Q: Usually my swimmer has 3-4 events, why are they only signed up to participate in 1-3 at Championships?
A: The entries for Championships are extremely different than standard meet entries. Rather than allowing us as many swimmers as will fill heats, each team may enter up to 4 athletes per event. In our smaller groups (typically our 8&U and our 14&U/17&U groups), we can usually get a fair number of swims. In our larger groups (most often our 12&U group), we do our best to accommodate the massive roster into the available spots. When we need to, we even enter people into older age groups, in order to utilize every last entry available to us.
