Questions and Answers for Swim Parents
May 10th
Q: What do I need to bring to practice?
A: Swimsuit, towel, goggles, fins, swim cap (preferable WAVES red cap), water bottle and sunscreen your child before practice! You can wear your Waves swimsuit or any other suit to practices. You can buy goggles at Target, Academy, Sports Authority, or Swim Shops of the SW (located off Woodlands Pkwy near Walmart). You can also buy fins at Swim Shops of the SW or on-line. Make sure to get fins that fit like a shoe, not the ones with a strap on the back.
Q: What should I expect on the first day of water practices?
A: Expect chaos! Especially for the younger swimmers and their parents! But don’t worry, the coach is very experienced and will take good care of your child. The coach will talk to swimmers before they get into the pool. Please remind your child to pay close attention to what the coach says or they will miss important information about how the practice will be run. When they do get in the pool the coach will be looking at the experience level of the swimmers. He will divide them into lanes based on experience – you don’t want a faster, more experienced swimmer behind a less experienced swimmer. Another note, parents are asked to stay “off the deck” while the children are in the water. This means to stay clear of the pool area so the coach can have the full attention of the children and they can pay attention to him and not to you! For the first week or so a lead parent will be on deck during practice so you can ask any questions or relay any concerns to the coach. The coach is more than happy to talk to you either before or after practice, but it is hard for him to effectively coach your children if he is answering parent questions during practice.
Q: How big is the pool?
A: Forestgate pool is a 25 yard pool. Swimmers who are 10 years old and younger will swim 25 yard events, swimmers who are 11 and older swim 50 yard events.
Q: What should I expect at a meet? And what should I bring?
A: Plan on arriving at each swim meet, whether home or away between 6:30 and 7:15 am. Once you arrive, check in with your age group parent. It is MANDATORY to check in before 7:15 a.m. or your child may be scratched from the meet or any relays he or she may have been assigned to. All swimmer entries are turned into the clerk of course immediately following check in and no further changes can be made.
Warm ups begin for the home team normally from 7:15 to 7:45 am and the away team from 7:45 to 8:15 am. Whether or not your swimmer wants to participate in warm ups, they will still need to arrive on time. The actual meet starts at 8:30, usually right on time. In addition to warm ups, the time prior to the start of the meet is used for the final adjustments to the meet, officials meeting and timers meeting among other things. There are 78 events, including 22 relays. The meets will usually end between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., depending on the number of swimmers and efficiency of the officiating.
The first four events are the 100 yard freestyles for the 13-18 groups. That is followed by the two 6 and under Freestyle relays and the 10 other age group medley relays. Twelve freestyle events follow, then 10 breaststroke events (does not include 6 and unders), followed by the backstroke and individual medleys intermixed. The 6 and under group is finished following events 39 and 40, since they do not compete in the individual medley, butterfly or free relays at the end of the meet. 6 and unders are free to leave if they wish following the completion of their events.
If you have a shade tent and a cooler for drinks, it is a good idea to bring them. If not, most everyone would welcome you under their tent. All swim meets have a concession stand, which usually includes breakfast and lunch foods as well as an ample supply of candy.
Q: How do I know if my child is in a relay?
A: A relay is a team of 4 swimmers from the same age group. There may be more than one relay “team” from each age group in each relay event (for example: there will be an A, B, and C relays for the 6 and under boys). The coach sets the relays based on seed times and also tries to rotate team members so everyone has a chance to swim in a relay during the season. It is VERY important that you check in before 7:15 a.m. at the check in tables or your child will get SCRATCHED from a relay if he or she is assigned to one. Relay teams will be posted at the check-in table. Alternates to each relay team will also be posted. If your child is listed as an alternate, please check back to see if your child was assigned to a relay in case of a scratch.
Q: What events can my child enter?
A: There are 4 strokes: Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly. Younger swimmers and less experienced swimmers will most likely swim free and back at the first meets. Younger swimmers will need coach’s approval to enter events other than Freestyle and Backstroke.
Q: What is a ready bench?
A: The Ready Bench is the area where swimmers waiting their turn to swim, whether relay or individual event, are seated several heats in advance of their race. The purpose is to always have a preorganized group of swimmers ready to quickly move to the starting blocks to keep the meet moving in a timely manner. This is an excellent way for a new volunteer to learn our team swimmers of all ages. No experience necessary.
At FIRST CALL for an event, please make sure your child lines up in the pre-designated spot (different from the “ready bench”) with your age group lead parent. Make sure to bring goggles! The age group parents line the swimmers up with slowest seed times first, fastest at the end. They then walk the group to the ready bench. This is a well-oiled process, and after the first time your child (and you!) will understand what to do and how to get from here to there!!
