All you need to know about Summer Swimming: A Guide for New Members
How do I sign up for a meet?
You can sign up for meets at the outdoor pool. Check the bulletin board for a Swim Meet Sign Up Book. You can sign up your child for 4 events. If you have questions about which event, please ask your child's coaches, and they will be able to help you choose appropriate events for your swimmer dependent on their skill level and abilities (typically 3 events for beginning swimmers).
How will I know what to do?
A few days before the event, the Head Coach will send out an email about the meet, which will include: warm-up time, a listing of participating swimmers, and their events.
What is the schedule?
Weekend swim meets or A/B meets, usually have early warm-up times (as early as 6:30 am), with events beginning at 8:00 am and concluding at around 4:00 pm.
For development meets (usually held on Wednesdays), warm-ups are usually at 4:00 pm and the racing begins at 5:00 pm. The meets normally end at around 8:00 pm.
What do I do when we get there?
• Find the Sunfish group set up in tents by Sunfish logo flag.
• The coaches will let your child know when there is the team cheer, to start off the meet.
What should I tell my child to do?
• Have your child check in with their coach. They will be sent into the pool for warm-ups and then team cheers.
• Each race is assigned a number and the marshal will call out the races in order. Marshalling is the area where swimmers are organized into their heats in preparation for the race. Listen carefully to the announcements. When you hear the event before your child’s being called, have your child go and see the coach for the pre-race pep talk. After your child’s pep-talk, have them go straight to marshalling. Parents will be asked not to enter the marshalling area.
• After your child is finished the race, they will go straight to the coach for their post-race talk. The coach will talk to your child about what went well in the race, as well as what to work on. Then your child is free until their next event is called.
• After the event, the results (the times of all swimmers in the event) will be posted at pool by race division.
What should I pack for the day?
• Have your child arrive in a suit for warm-ups with a bag/backpack with an extra suit, goggles, and swim cap.
• Pack healthy snacks, a water bottle, and lots of hydrating liquids (not pop) for their day.
• Bring folding chairs, towels, warm clothes, blankets, sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts, flipflops and sunscreen. You may need to dress for the weather!
• Also pack activities to pass the time: cards, board games, books, iPods.
• Some parents prefer to bring their own pop-up sun shelter, that's great - just find the SUNFISH flag and set up with the group!
How can I help out?
As part of your volunteer commitment, you can sign up to be a timer at the beginning of the event. Ask where the sign-up sheet is. When you are timing, another parent will show you what to do: either recording a time, or using a stop watch. It is easy!
What happens with a relay?
The coaches organize relays (the last event of the meet), and your child will be likely placed in a relay grouping. These tend to be the most motivating and fun events for new swimmers.
Swimmers and Technical Tips: What to tell the beginning swimmer?
A new swimmer may be disqualified (DQ'ed) for technical reasons (i.e. not keeping their shoulders back on backstroke or not touching the wall with both hands during butterfly or breaststroke). The coach will explain this decision to the swimmer and work on improvements during practice. Tell your child it happens to everyone. It can be upsetting but the coaches will do their best to help your child learn from this. Our club tradition is for your first DQ as a swimmer, your parents take you out for a treat at DQ - Dairy Queen! A fun and silly way to help the kids shake off the bad and get back to it!
What to do if you have a question or a problem?
If you have questions, talk to other parents or the coaches. As always, it’s best to talk to the coaches not when they are coaching, but before or after.
How do I sign up for a meet?
You can sign up for meets at the outdoor pool. Check the bulletin board for a Swim Meet Sign Up Book. You can sign up your child for 4 events. If you have questions about which event, please ask your child's coaches, and they will be able to help you choose appropriate events for your swimmer dependent on their skill level and abilities (typically 3 events for beginning swimmers).
How will I know what to do?
A few days before the event, the Head Coach will send out an email about the meet, which will include: warm-up time, a listing of participating swimmers, and their events.
What is the schedule?
Weekend swim meets or A/B meets, usually have early warm-up times (as early as 6:30 am), with events beginning at 8:00 am and concluding at around 4:00 pm.
For development meets (usually held on Wednesdays), warm-ups are usually at 4:00 pm and the racing begins at 5:00 pm. The meets normally end at around 8:00 pm.
What do I do when we get there?
• Find the Sunfish group set up in tents by Sunfish logo flag.
• The coaches will let your child know when there is the team cheer, to start off the meet.
What should I tell my child to do?
• Have your child check in with their coach. They will be sent into the pool for warm-ups and then team cheers.
• Each race is assigned a number and the marshal will call out the races in order. Marshalling is the area where swimmers are organized into their heats in preparation for the race. Listen carefully to the announcements. When you hear the event before your child’s being called, have your child go and see the coach for the pre-race pep talk. After your child’s pep-talk, have them go straight to marshalling. Parents will be asked not to enter the marshalling area.
• After your child is finished the race, they will go straight to the coach for their post-race talk. The coach will talk to your child about what went well in the race, as well as what to work on. Then your child is free until their next event is called.
• After the event, the results (the times of all swimmers in the event) will be posted at pool by race division.
What should I pack for the day?
• Have your child arrive in a suit for warm-ups with a bag/backpack with an extra suit, goggles, and swim cap.
• Pack healthy snacks, a water bottle, and lots of hydrating liquids (not pop) for their day.
• Bring folding chairs, towels, warm clothes, blankets, sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts, flipflops and sunscreen. You may need to dress for the weather!
• Also pack activities to pass the time: cards, board games, books, iPods.
• Some parents prefer to bring their own pop-up sun shelter, that's great - just find the SUNFISH flag and set up with the group!
How can I help out?
As part of your volunteer commitment, you can sign up to be a timer at the beginning of the event. Ask where the sign-up sheet is. When you are timing, another parent will show you what to do: either recording a time, or using a stop watch. It is easy!
What happens with a relay?
The coaches organize relays (the last event of the meet), and your child will be likely placed in a relay grouping. These tend to be the most motivating and fun events for new swimmers.
Swimmers and Technical Tips: What to tell the beginning swimmer?
A new swimmer may be disqualified (DQ'ed) for technical reasons (i.e. not keeping their shoulders back on backstroke or not touching the wall with both hands during butterfly or breaststroke). The coach will explain this decision to the swimmer and work on improvements during practice. Tell your child it happens to everyone. It can be upsetting but the coaches will do their best to help your child learn from this. Our club tradition is for your first DQ as a swimmer, your parents take you out for a treat at DQ - Dairy Queen! A fun and silly way to help the kids shake off the bad and get back to it!
What to do if you have a question or a problem?
If you have questions, talk to other parents or the coaches. As always, it’s best to talk to the coaches not when they are coaching, but before or after.
SWIMMING RELAY POLICY
| relay_policy_2019.pdf |
Sunfish meet records
| sunfish_meet_records_-_google_sheets.pdf |