Swim Parent 101 – General Information

Registration:

• Who can swim? All kids age 5-18
• 5 and 6-year-olds are Shrimpers. They do not have to be proficient in all the strokes but must be comfortable in the water. This is NOT swim lessons. Shrimpers will swim in the first two meets. After that, swimmers must be able to make it across the pool INDEPENDENTLY to continue swimming in meets. All Shrimpers can continue coming to practice.
• If you have an older swimmer who is not proficient in strokes, that’s fine. We will be working this year to identify which swimmers might need extra stroke instruction to do strokes legally, and coaches will be working with them.
• Registration Fee includes a swim cap, T-shirt, Breakfast of Champions, and other team events.

Practices:

• Swimmers are divided by age. Practice times are listed on the calendar.
• Swimmers will be evaluated during early practices so coaches can understand skill levels and determine what instruction will benefit each swimmer most.
• Miss a practice? No worries, but please understand that it’s a short season!
• Parents – please sit back and relax during practice! The coaches are working with a lot of kids. If you have a concern, please communicate with them before or after practice. We want issues addressed ASAP, but also want to keep practice organized and moving.

Meets:

• Before each meet, you’ll be able to access heat sheets and entry reports. The entry report lists your child’s name, followed by all the events they will be swimming.
• You will want to print the heat sheet and BRING IT TO THE MEET. It lists every event in the meet, and tells you what heat and lane your child will be swimming in!
• Many swimmers like to have their events written on their arms and decorate their back. Use Sharpie, NOT washable markers. It’s also helpful to write swimmers’ first initials and last names on arms/shoulders.
• Now it’s time to pack! Some things you might want to bring: Heat sheet; an extra Sharpie; swim caps; goggles; snacks/dinner (The snack bar is open at our pool and many others, but expect LONG lines); towels; chairs for parents; entertainment for antsy kids.
• Swimmers wear team shirts over their team suits. Early in the season, a pair of warm pants and a sweatshirt might be VERY welcome by your swimmer for the ride home. And grown-ups: Wear team colors. Trust us on this.
• Parking: Expect it to be tough. Allow 15-20 minutes (extra) to find parking and get to the pool. WEEKDAY MEET WARMUPS ALWAYS START AT 5:30. You will want to be AT THE POOL no later than 5:15, which means you should be parking/looking for parking by 5pm.
• Events: PLEASE do your best to keep up with event numbers, as well as any Clerk of Course announcements. If your child misses an event, THEY MISS THE EVENT. It is their responsibility to get to the Clerk of Course to be in the right heat and to the right lane for their event.
• Order of events: Shrimpers go first. If your Shrimper is only swimming freestyle, they will be in Event 1 (girls) or Event 2 (boys), and then will be done. After that, you are dismissed! After Shrimpers, events go in this order, and by age group within each event, and girls swim before boys: Medley relays; freestyle; backstroke; individual medley; breaststroke; butterfly; and freestyle relays. Younger swimmers are often done after backstroke or breaststroke.
• Friendly warning: If you sit directly by the pool, you WILL get wet (especially when the older kids swim).
• Ask a friend: there are typically 150+ SPSTC swimmers each season. Some have been swimming for 10+ years. If you have any questions, ask! Swim meets can be overwhelming for both kids and parents.

Volunteering:

• Each family is required to volunteer at meets. An email with more details and a link to the volunteer signup will be sent to you before the signup goes live. Parents of younger swimmers might want to volunteer for first half events to leave a bit earlier.
• Slots include lane timers; hospitality; runners; Clerks of Course; meet set-up and break-down; stroke judges (training required); computer (training required); grilling; and ribbons.
• PLEASE make sure swim team is selected on your interests on the website; that is how you will continue to get team emails.