It is a shame to have to turn people down - do you really have to tell kids "no"?

Unfortunately Cincinnati is a very big swim area with many competitive teams.  Mason happens to be very competitive and this will naturally trickle down to the Mason Rec Rays program. If your swimmer does not make the Mason Rec Rays summer team, they are encouraged to participate in the Mason Community Center Swim Lesson Program. This program helps develop swimmer's skills so that they may become eligible to compete with the Mason Rec Rays. Swimmers should always be given the chance to swim, but there are only so many hours and so many lanes. Fortunately, there are other teams that are looking for swimmers so there is a place for everyone, just maybe not on the same team. 

What does my child need to bring to practice? 

Swimmers should wear a competitive-style swimsuit to practice. Your swimmer does not need to wear their Rays team suit to practices, as wearing them to the meets only will extend the wear of the team suit. Swimmers will also need a well-fitting pair of goggles,  a swim cap (especially for long hair/boys & girls- they are for keeping hair out of your face, not necessarily to keep the hair dry).All swimmers should have a pair of long swim fins and a kickboard as part of their training equipment. This is necessary for all age groups We have some kickboards on deck for swimmers to use if they forget their kickboard, but we do not supply them for the entire team. Swim gear can be purchased online at augustaswimsupply.com. Other websites that carry swim equipment include swimoutlet.com or Amazon.com. If you need to try on suits or would like to shop locally, Swimville USA is located in Kenwood. Please contact us if you are having issues finding equipment, and we will help you find what you need. 

My child doesn't have team suit , is it ok to wear any suit?  

Your child should purchase the team suit.  Just like basketball, soccer, or even ballet has a particular uniform for games/performances. So do we! Swimmers will need to have a team suit for meets. If our sizes do not fit your swimmer (as they are too small to fit into our largest size available), we recommend purchasing a solid navy suit to coordinate with the other team suits. All swimmers will receive team caps and tees, so they will still have most of the team uniform!

Does the fee we pay include meet fees? 

Yes, your fees cover all dual swim meets, invitationals, as well as team caps/tees and end of season awards. 

How do I sign up for a meet? 

You will sign up for a meet on the website using Team Unify. Swim Meets will be listed under 'Upcoming Events'. Instructions on how to sign up for a swim meet is under the 'NEWS' tab.  You will need to sign up by the deadline posted on each swim meet. Entries are due the week before each meet. There will be NO LATE ENTRIES, so I encourage everyone to sign up at the beginning of the season for all meets that your swimmer will be attending. 

What do we do when we get to a swim meet? 

Your swimmer will need to wear their team suit (or solid navy suit) & team swim cap for swim meets. Swimmers will not need their equipment bags, but we recommend bringing extra goggles in case of emergency (goggle strap breaking, etc.) 

Arrive on time! There will be a warm-up time assigned to our team posted on each swim meet. Warm-up times may vary, based on pool location. Please arrive at the time that is posted on the event. We need to have all swimmers ready to get in the water for warm ups at our assigned warm-up time.

IF your swimmer is in the first relay and misses warm-ups, your swimmer WILL be replaced by a swimmer that is in attendance. As soon as warm-ups are over, we line up for relays. We have to assure that there are (4) swimmers for each relay, ready to go, and this is done during warm-ups. (Relays will be sent out no later than the morning of each meet.)

Plan to write  E/H/L/S (Event/Heat/Lane/Stroke) on your child's arm (or leg) prior to arriving at the meet in a grid type fashion.  Please see the 'NEWS' section on the website for 'how-to' write this info on your swimmer's arm. This MUST be done before warm-ups/before you arrive at the meet. Coaches will not be able to do this for your swimmer, as there will not be enough time and we will be conducting warm-ups and coaching the swimmers. Heat sheets will be sent out via email as well as posted to the website no later than the morning of the meet, so you will have this information in plenty of time. 

The announcer will make a statement along the lines of something like "Event 26, boys 9-10 50 freestyle, first call."  When you hear that - you will want to send your child to the blocks and tell them to stand behind their lane (unless they are 8 & Under, then a Age Group helper will assist them in getting to the block). Please note – at swim meets parents are not allowed behind the blocks with their swimmer unless they are volunteering on deck. They will need to get use to standing in line and waiting for their swim. Please make sure they know what lane and event and they check in with the timers when they get there.

Once a swimmer finishes their event, they need to go to their coach immediately to get feedback. Then, they can go back with a parent or to their team area. When they are done with their last individual event, they need to double check they are not in a relay and then they are free to go. Swimmers should NOT leave the meet until they see their coach!

My son/daughter was put into an event and they are nervous about swimming it - can they really handle that? 

Many swimmers will be nervous about an aspect of swimming - going off the block, swimming in a deep pool or in a competition at all, completing an IM or butterfly in a meet, going to an invitational, even walking on deck with a bunch of kids they don't know and coaches who don't know them...but believe it or not, they can do it.  They will surpass their fears. They are taught they can do it!  With sports, especially swimming, we learn that our limits are not limits - they are just fears and fears can be overcome - and this starts at an early age. Many times we as parents are more afraid for our kids and we sell them short. Please know that we as coaches also have your child's best interest at heart and we would not put them in an event we felt that they could not do.

What happens if I signed up for a meet and can no longer attend? 

Please email your swimmers coach as soon as you know about your conflict. If it is not past the deadline, you can stlll log onto the event and change your 'Yes' to 'No'. If it is after the deadline, please let us know as soon as possible, as your swimmer's absence may affect a relay team.  

If you know you DO NOT want a child in a certain event, please indicate this in the square notes box where you can leave notes to the coaches when signing them up on Team Unify. If your swimmer needs to leave early or will be coming late, please note this as well so we can put them in events that they can make based on timing!

What is a DQ?  

DQ stands for disqualified. Typically, there are certain reasons why this happens (turn on their stomach on backstroke to finish, touch with one hand on fly/breast, certain pulls on fly/breast, free kick on fly or breast, etc).  We will typically tell the kids why they were DQ'd. Remind your kids that EVERYONE GETS DQ'd - it is a learning experience and it means that they are trying something new and they will get better at it. Each of us as coaches has been DQ'd in their life and even in the highest races, people still get DQ'd. This is nothing to be ashamed of - just look at it as a way to learn a new part of the stroke and to work on fixing it during practice.

Are they improving? I don't see major time drops - are they getting better? 

We focus on technique, not as much on improving times. The belief, which has been proven over time, is that with technique comes speed. The good habits placed into them from the start will only make them faster as they grow stronger. Like most things, the more they practice the better they will become.

How can I help my child if I don't know the sport myself? 

Just keep encouraging them at every meet. This is Summer Swim League and should be fun! Be there with a towel and a smile for them, DQ or win, best time or worst. They are trying their best. Tell them you see their technique improvements. Ask them what the coach said. Just be there for them. It is our job to teach them the technique so don't worry about not "knowing" swimming - your only job is to keep them positive and to encourage them in both the good and the bad swims.