CAC By-Laws (*new* 4/24/2024)
Signing up for Timing or Job Slot
Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP)
TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More
What makes a thriving swim team?
Motivated Swimmers + Committed Parent Volunteers + Effective Coaches
Competitive swimming would not exist without committed parent volunteers. Volunteering can range from timing at swim meets to running the swim meets themselves. We recognize that everyone is busy, and many of you have multiple children who are involved with different activities. Teams are always assigned timing chairs at swim meets which are filled by our parents. So our swimmers need you in the timing chairs to achieve their personal goals.
CAC also hosts two to three (home) swim meets a year where all families are needed to pitch in to run a successful meet. If you desire to do more throughout the year, we are happy to utilize your talents with: transporting swim canopies, awards sorting, party/banquet preparation and general donations.
Parent support and positive involvement are essential ingredients to make CAC a thriving & successful team! Together everyone achieves more!
Cerritos Aquatic Club is sponsored by Arena. Athletes must wear Arena suits when competing in swim meets. They must also only have Arena backpacks and parkas. All team apparel can be purchase from The Swim Guy who can also customize your gear with your athelete's name and team logo. When you purchase items, please remember to tell them you are from Cerritos Aquatics to receive a team discount.
- The Swim Guy
- 4107 N Viking Way, Long Beach, CA 90808
- (562)354-6958
- theswimguy.com
- EQUIPMENT
- Team backpack
- Pratice suits, Competition suits / Tech suits
- Fins, hand paddles, kickboards, pull buoy, snorkel
- Parkas and warm ups
We are a competitive sweam team and have a competition offered for every group at least once a month. Be sure to consult the Team Calendar.
Swim Meet: Warm-Up, Check-In, Event Postings, Your Race
- Arrive before the designated warm-up time per your coach
- Check in for your events at the Check-In Table
- Find your team (typically look for our CAC canopies!) and leave your bags in the designated area
- Find your coach, and you will get instructions for warm-up
- Warm up with your team
- After warm-up, find a spot in the team area. Have snack. Locate and get familiar with the Event Postings.
- During the meet, pay attention to the Events & Heats that are announced. The first sheet posted will be the swimmers registered for that event.
- You must check back often until the heat/lane assignment sheet come out. This heat/lane assignment sheet will tell you exactly what heat and what lane you will be swimming in - IMPORTANT!!
- Your Heat & Lane assignment is typically posted about 5 events before your race.
- As soon as you know your lane assignment, see your coach and let her know your Event/Heat/Lane.
Before your Race:
Wait behind your assigned lane until your Event/Heat is called. Notify the timers that you are here for Event/Heat/Lane (this is a good double-check that you are in the right spot).
During your Race:
The official will blow the whistle – this means walk up and stand behind your starting block.
- The 2nd long whistle means to step up onto the block. The official will say, “Take your mark.” Go into starting position and hold still.
- If a swimmer moves, all swimmers will be asked to stand. The official will say, “Take your mark,” again.
- The BEEP signals you to dive in! When you finish at the wall, your time is recorded.
After your Race:
Report to your coach to hear their comments on your race. Warm-down in the designated area (your coach will tell you what to do). Hydrate, have a light snack, get ready for your next event, cheer for your teammates, and HAVE FUN!
Swim Meet: Timing for AWAY Meets
Timing is mandatory for all parents who have a swimmer signed up for a meet. Without timers, a swim meet will not happen. So we need all of our parents to volunteer to help our swimmers achieve their best times.
Timing schedules are FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE and generally open on the Thursday prior to a meet at 8 pm. Information will be emailed prior.
You are only required to sign up for a session in which you have a swimmer participating in. If you have swimmers in multiple sessions, you will need to sign up for a timing slot for EACH session in which you have a swimmer participating in
- Example 1:
- Alice swims in the morning and Buddy swims in the afternoon
- Sign up for BOTH a morning chair and an afternoon chair
- John is swimming in the afternoon
- Sign up for a afternoon timing chair
- Sara is swimming in the morning.
- Sign up for a morning timing chair
- Example 2:
- John swims in the afternoon and has an OPEN event in the morning
- Sign up for BOTH a morning and afternoon chair
- John swims in the afternoon and has an OPEN event in the morning
- Alice swims in the morning and Buddy swims in the afternoon
Timing shifts can vary depending on the meet length, how many chairs our team is assigned, and how many parents we have present. Once you go to the timing chairs for your shift, you will relieve one of the CAC parents of the previous shift. Announce that you are replacing a timing chair for Cerritos (sometimes, the lane is being timed by more than one team)
*Timing schedules will change. Please refer to the clipboard at the team canopy before the start of the session as that is the Master Timing Schedule.
You are responsible to sign up for each session your swimmer is committed to attend. If you fail to sign up or time, you will be assessed a non-timing fee of $50 per session.
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You are not obligated to come to a meet or time if your swimmer has not committed to attend the meet.
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**If the swimmer is committed and becomes sick or cannot attend, PLEASE notify the following people: (1) Head Coach, (2) VP Home/Away Meets & (3) President that they will not be able to attend. This is important as the timing chairs are based on the number of swimmers we have. **
Timing Chair information
At swim meets, all teams attending are assigned timing chairs. Before the start of every meet, timing responsibilities are explained by a meet official. TIMING IS AN IMPORTANT RESPONSIBLITY, PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
There are up to 3 chairs per lane located behind the starting blocks where the race begins. When the swimmer touches the wall, timers press "pickles" (button connected to automatic timing system) and record the time for the swimmer.
Behind each lane, there are up to 3 timing chairs:
Chair 1: Responsible for; A) hand timing with a stopwatch and B) pressing the pickle. Make sure you know how to run the watch before the first race. Start the stopwatch at the flash of light which goes off at the start (don’t start at the BEEP). Stop the watch when the swimmer touches the wall. If you miss a start or make a mistake, don’t worry. Immediately raise your hand for a back-up watch, and continue on with the heat. After the heat, report your time to Chair 2 which will record it on the clipboard.
Chair 2: Responsible for the A) the clipboard and B) pressing the pickle. There is 1 clipboard per lane that lists the swimmers in your lane by race & heat. Check-in the swimmers prior to their heat. If your swimmer isn’t there, call their name (they might be in the wrong lane). At the end of each race, record the stopwatch time from Chair 1 in the space provided on the sheet. If there is a DQ (disqualification) the official will make notes on the clipboard. A meet volunteer will deliver and pick up the sheets from time to time.
Chair 3: Responsible for the A) the pickle.
Be sure to stay at your chair assignment until you are relieved by the next timer. Timing is FUN, and you get the BEST SEAT to watch your swimmer and congratulate them after their race! If you have more timing questions, ask to be paired up with a veteran swim parent, and they can walk you through the process.
Signing up for Timing (Away Meet) or Job (Home Meet)
- Sign into your TEAM UNIFY ACCOUNT (Cerritos website)
- Click the EVENTS TAB
- Click JOB SIGN UP
- Follow the directions on "How to sign up Event Jobs"
- After you selected your job -- make sure to click the (+) SIGN UP button to confirm
Swim Meet: What to Bring
Whenever you are not timing at the meet, you can sit with your swimmer, watch her race, or watch other races, snack, etc. Most of the meets are in outdoor pools, and it might be too cold or too hot depending on the season. Here is a simple checklist of the basic items you should bring to a meet:
- Outdoor folding chairs
- Plenty of dry towels, (usually one per race + warm-up)
- Snacks that are nutritious and easy to digest
- Water or sport drinks
- Games, books, or homework for in between the races.
- Warm jackets, shoes/boots, hat, etc. for cold weather
- Sunscreen
- Extra goggles, swim cap, swimsuit (just in case!)
- Sharpie pen/marker (for swimmers to write their event/heat/lane)
- Money for snack bar
It might seem a lot, but it is better to be prepared. You can always leave things in your car and pull them out as the need arises. If you don't have a designated backpack for towels and swim things, you can buy one at the swim meets, or use a duffel bag.
Our main fundraiser is hosting two or three swim meets during each calendar year. Running these meets requires the assistance of ALL families each meet we host. Parental participation is MANDATORY. Any family not working 6 hours per home meet will be fined $200.00.
Supplemental income is derived from two or three swim meets hosted during the year and provides awards, team equipment, social events and enhancements to our Club.
During the home swim meets, we offer several different jobs for parents/guardians to participate in to fulfill their mandatory 6 hours. You may sign up for a job you are interested in once the Sign in is open. They sign up is usually open 2-3 weeks before the home meet is to commence. All jobs are FIRST COME FIRST SERVE.
As this is a fundraiser, it is mandatory for swimmers to participate in the meet and for parents/guardians to also work the 6 hours at the meet. If you have more questions, please contact the VP of Home/Away Meets.
You must notify the Registration/Membership Person via email by the 23rd of month regarding your intent to cancel your account. Any notification after the 23rd of the month will be considered late notification and will not be processed.
As of April 1st, 2024, Cerritos Aquatic Club has a no-suspension policy. Accounts are either Active or Cancelled. Please see Membership policy in the CAC By-Laws for details.
CAC usually holds 2 club meetings per year. A representative from each family is requested to participate. These meetings discuss all the necessary info for Home meets, Volunteer hours and all team issues.
ALL GENERAL MEETINGS ARE MANDATORY. ACCOUNTS THAT ARE NOT REPRESENTED AT THE GENERAL MEETING WILL BE BILLED $20.00 FOR NON-ATTENDANCE
CAC holds one major mandatory fundraiser each year. All members are required to participate. In the event a second meet is not held, a second fundraiser may be scheduled in its place. Fundraisers help purchase much needed equipment for the club as well as fund special events.
Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy:
Please read the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP) policy.
Acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy in your Account under Agreements.
