Introduction
Chapter
1: About The Swim Team
Chapter
2: Important Basic Stuff
Chapter
3: Organizational Stuff
Chapter
4: My Kid Says He's Supposed to Swim Like a Butterfly
Chapter
5: Swim Meets
Chapter
6: Who Are All These People Dressed in White?
Chapter
7: What Do You Mean, My Kid DQ'd
Chapter
8: We'd Rather Have Fun Than Be in Division I
Every swimmer's parent has experienced that first day of swim practice or that first swim meet where they wonder, “why am I here and what's going on?” We've all been there before and will be glad to enlighten you in your quest to understand the world of summer swimming.
Although this information is written for use by parents of new Virginia Hills Tidal Wave swimmers, the fundamentals are true for any area swim team. It will (hopefully) provide some information that will help you understand what is happening while your child swims. Please remember that the only stupid question is the one that is unasked. Your Team Reps, Coaches and fellow swim parents all want you to understand and enjoy our summer swim program.
Welcome to the Tidal Wave -- we're glad to have you with us!
Chapter
1: About The Swim Team
The Philosophy of the Virginia Hills Tidal Wave swim team is that having fun is the most important thing we can do. Most of the kids don't care if we're in a top division or a bottom division. We'd all like to be division champions, which usually means going undefeated, but only one team out of six can usually claim this honor. Personal development is what is most important and for a swimmer that means improving your times. We believe that by establishing a healthy environment that encourages the kids to do their best recognizes their contributions and is fun for the entire family, we will have met our goals.
Swimming is unique in that there's a place on the team for anyone eighteen or younger who can swim across the pool without assistance. How many other sports have kids five years old to eighteen years old and their parents on the same team participating in the same competition?
Expectations
1. The Virginia Hills Swim Team is not a swim lesson program. A swimmer must be able to swim a length of the pool to join the team. We don't care how fast or how ugly or how legal the stroke is or how long it takes to swim that length. We'll help your swimmer become a better swimmer, but in fairness to the other swimmers on the team, we must insist that all swimmers be able to swim. Your child will feel better about his/her being on the team if he/she is competitive with most of the other kids of the same age.
3. Pay attention to the coaches: With nearly 100 swimmers, disruptions aren't fair to the other swimmers.
4. Do your best- it's a lot more important than being the best.
5. Have fun.
Chapter 2: Important Basic Stuff
Practice times are posted on the Swim Team Bulletin Board and in the “summer swim season” section of our web site. Swimmers should come to practice regularly and be prepared to do their best.
Swimmer Apparel
Swimmers should wear a swimsuit that will be comfortable for racing. The Tidal Wave, like every other swim team, has a team suit. The wearing of the team suit is optional. There is a culture shock for some boys to the jockey shorts coverage of “Speedo’s.” Usually, when they realize that this type of suit is good for racing and everyone else is wearing one, their opposition breaks down.
Every swimmer needs a towel, the bigger and thicker the better. Other accessories you should consider are goggles, a sweat suit (for cool days), a swim cap (especially for girls with long hair), a hat or other sun protection, flip-flops or some other sort of footwear, and a bag to carry everything. You should also have liquid refreshment (Gatorade, All Sport, or a water bottle) and a light snack for during the meet such as fruit, granola bars or other healthy foods. Save the sweets at the concession stand as a reward for swimming a great swim.
The Tidal Wave
Our Swim Team Newsletter, The Tidal Wave, is provided to swimmers on a one per family basis via the mailboxes and we hope to make them available on our website as well. It lists upcoming events and contains team news. Be sure to check it out.
Buddy Program
Being
a new kid on the swim team can be a bewildering experience. We've
instituted a program to give every swimmer a Buddy to cheer them on
at swim meets
and help them adjust to their new experience. Details are in the
Parents Handbook.
Chapter
3: Organizational Stuff
Let's cover a few organizational items, just to make sure we're in sync.
Team
Reps and Coaches
The
people you'll run into the most in your swim team dealings
are the Team Reps and the Coaches. The Team Reps are volunteer
parents who
were new to swimming at one time just like you are today.
The Team Reps are responsible for running every aspect
of the swim team and
are the representatives of the Virginia Hills team to other
swim teams and the NVSL. It's a job that is impossible
to do successfully without
help from a great many parents. The Team Reps hire the
Coaches who are responsible to the team reps for the swimming
portion
of the swim
team program.
Northern
Virginia Swimming League (NVSL)
In
1956, 8 Northern Virginia Pools founded the Northern
Virginia Swim League. Today,
the NVSL has over 10,000 swimmers on 104 teams
and is the largest summer swim league in the United
States. Obviously,
with this many
teams, there has to be some division of teams. During
the off season, the NVSL ranks each team from 1 to
104 based
primarily on swimmers
times, and then divides the teams, based on these
rankings, into 18 Divisions of five or six teams.
This means that the
fastest teams are
in the lower numbered Divisions and the less competitive
teams are in the higher numbered Divisions. The other
teams in our division,
and meet locations, are on the schedule in the Parents
Handbook. Directions to pools are provided prior
to the meet.
Dual
Meets
The
six teams in each division swim the other five
teams, one at a time on five consecutive Saturdays,
in a
series of Dual
Meets, so called
because there are two teams competing. Based upon
the results of these five meets, a division champion
will be named.
Relay
Carnivals
Another
NVSL event is the Division Relay Carnival, which
takes place on the Wednesday between the third
and fourth weeks of the
season. All six
teams in each division converge on one pool for
an evening of relay races. These include both
Freestyle
relays (each
swimmer swims the
Freestyle) and Medley relays (each swimmer swims
a different stroke). The next night, all the
Division Coordinators meet
and relay teams
are selected to swim at the All-Star Relay Carnival
the following week. The sole criterion for selection
to the All-Star Relay
Carnival is
to have one of the eighteen fastest times in
events swum in the Division Relay Carnivals.
Divisionals
The sixth week, each Division has an Individual Championship meet, commonly referred to as "Divisionals". Each team is allowed to enter two swimmers in each event and a swimmer can enter no more than two events. If a team does not have two swimmers for an event, the other teams can bid in other swimmers to fill the empty lanes. This is an individual meet and is not score.
After
the Divisionals, all the Division coordinators
meet to select swimmers for the All-Stars
meet the following
week. The
sole criterion for selection
to All-Stars is to have one of the eighteen
fastest times swum that day in an event
in the Divisional
meet. All Stars
can be overwhelming
for a first time swimmer as approximately
600 swimmers plus parents, coaches, and
officials converge on
a pool for
a meet that takes about
six hours. If your swimmer is fast enough
to be named an All Star, it is an thrill
they will never forget.
USA Swimming (USAS)
USA
Swimming is the governing body for swimming
in the United States. USAS establishes
rules for the different
strokes
and for the conduct ofcompetition.
The swimming rules that we use in NVSL
are US Swimming rules with minor changes
to accommodate the facilities
and skill
levels found in our
league.
Potomac Valley Swimming (PVS) is the local “branch” of USA Swimming. It consists of year round swim clubs in the Washington area. PVS conducts “Short Course” competitions (25 yard pools) from October to March and “Long Course” competitions (Olympic sized 50 meter pools) from May thru July.
Chapter
4: My Kid Says He's Supposed to Swim
Like a Butterfly
If you're not a former swimmer, the strokes and their rules can be a cause of bewilderment. While the stroke rules are simple enough for a six year old to understand, most people do not have a copy of the US Swimming Rules, so we'll briefly describe the strokes below. The rules below are the US Swimming rules as modified for use in the NVSL. Teams in other leagues may have slightly different rules.
Freestyle
The
freestyle is defined as
any means of swimming
across the pool. Any
stroke and kick are acceptable.
There
are, however,
a few don'ts associated
with this stroke, specifically:
(1) You cannot walk on
the bottom or pull yourself
along using the
lane lines and
(2) In a 50 Meter race
(two pool lengths) you
must touch the wall
at the 25 meter end before
touching the wall at
the 50
meter end (This
may seem obvious, but
sometimes swimmers miss
the wall at the turning
end
of the pool)
Backstroke
Like
the freestyle, almost
anything goes on
the backstroke
as long as you stay
on your back. Watching
swimmers
learn the
backstroke is a perverse
sense of fun as they
bounce off lane lines
and wonder where
they
are. Eventually,
they will learn to
guide off the lane
lines, use the overhead
backstroke flags and
the
lane line markings
to know where they're
at
in the pool,
and count strokes
from the flags
to the wall.
Backstroke
starts are different from
all others because the
swimmer is in the water
feet planted
against the
wall, and hanging
on to either another
swimmer's legs or the lip
on the pool awaiting the
starter's signal. "Legs" must
be grabbed below the knee.
Persons serving in an official
capacity (such as timers
or coaches) may
not serve as “legs”.
Breaststroke
The
Breaststroke
has two components, the kick and the arm pull.
The pull and
its recovery must both be
under the breast
and cannot extend further
back than the
waist area. The kick is a "frog" kick
and the toes must be pointed
outward during the propulsive
part of the kick.
The arm pull and kick must
be in an alternating sequence
and the elbows must stay
below
the water except for
tagging the wall at the
finish. Breaststroke turns
and finishes require
a simultaneous two-hand
touch.
Butterfly
A
well-executed
butterfly
(or Fly) is the
most beautiful
exhibition
of power
you'll ever see in
a swimming
pool. Quite
frankly,
the fly is
the hardest
stroke for
most swimmers
to
perfect and
while they
are learning
it many look
like they
are drowning. There
are two components
of the fly;
the arm pull
and the kick.
The arm pull
must be an
over the
water recovery (elbows
breaking
the surface
of the water)
with the
arms moving simultaneously.
The kick
is a tidal
wave style
kick
with both
legs moving simultaneously.
Unlike the
Breaststroke,
there is
no requirement
to alternate
the kick
and pull.
Turns and finishes
require a
simultaneous two-hand
touch at
the wall.
Individual Medley
The
individual medley (or IM)
is when an individual swims
each of the four strokes
in the sequence
Butterfly,
Backstroke,
Breaststroke, Freestyle.
We swim a 100 Meter IM,
which means that 25 Meters,
or one pool length, of
each
stroke is swum. In a
100 Meter IM, every
turn is a stroke change
and stroke finish rules
apply. This means no Backstroke
Flip Turns.
Relays
There are two kinds of Relays, the freestyle relay and the medley relay. Both involve a team of four swimmers, each swimming one quarter of the total distance. In the freestyle relay, each swimmer swims the freestyle. In the medley relay, the sequence is Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle. At the NVSL Relay Carnival, swimmers eight and under swim a modified medley relay where the fly leg of the relay is replaced with a freestyle leg.
In all relays, each swimmer must wait until the previous swimmer touches the wall prior to leaving the deck. Running starts or pushes from teammates are not allowed.
There are two basic meets you will encounter as a parent: Saturday meets, which are scored dual meets and Monday Meets, which are un-scored dual meets.
Saturday
Meets
Saturday
Meets consist of 38 Individual
events and 12 Relays. The
events swum for each stroke
and age group are
shown below.
Remember, each pool
length is 25 meters.
Saturday
Meet Events and Distances
| Age
group |
Freestyle |
Backstroke |
Breaststroke |
Butterfly |
Freestyle
Relay |
Medley
Relay |
| 8 & Under
Boys |
25
M |
25
M |
25
M |
|
100M |
|
| 8 & Under
Girls |
25
M |
25
M |
25
M |
|
100M |
|
| 9-10
Boys |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
25
M |
|
100
M |
| 9-10
Girls |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
25
M |
|
100
M |
| 11-12
Boys |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
|
100
M |
| 11-12
Girls |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
|
100
M |
| 13-14
Boys |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
|
200
M |
| 13-14
Girls |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
|
200
M |
|
15-18
Boys |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
|
200
M |
|
15-18 Girls |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
50
M |
|
200
M |
| Mixed
Age Boys |
|
|
|
|
200
M |
|
| Mixed
Age Girls |
|
|
|
|
200
M |
|
1. In Saturday dual meets, the youngest age category for the Butterfly is 10 and under. There is a 25 Meter Butterfly for 8 & under swimmers at Divisionals and All Stars.
3. The Mixed Age Relays are swum by, in order, an 11-12 year old, a 9-10 year old, a 13-14 year old, and a 15-18 year old.
These meets are to see who can score the most points, so the fastest swimmers get to swim. Three swimmers can be entered in each individual event and no swimmer can swim more than two individual events. Since swimmers take vacations and go places such as scout camp, and a swimmer can swim in only two events (plus relays) in any meet, you don't have to be one of the three fastest swimmers to swim in a Saturday meet. Who swims an event may seem to be a mystery. However, after the first meet both teams know the other’s swimmers times and we try to position our swimmers to optimize our points and win.
Disqualifications (DQs) and False Starts
Seeding
In
Saturday meets, the home team has lanes 1, 3, and 5 while the
visiting team has lanes 2, 4, and 6. The fastest swimmers swim
in lanes
3 and 4, the next fastest in lanes 1 and 2, and the next fastest
in lanes 5 and 6. Swimmers are seeded based upon their fastest
times
attained in prior competition. Lane 1 is always on the right
side as you stand facing the pool at the starting end.
Meet
Sheets
While
all NVSL meets have an announcer, the best way to follow the meet
is with a meet sheet, which lists all the events, swimmers, and
seed times. Meet Sheets are usually found in the concession area and
typically
sell for 50 or 75 cents.
Scoring
In
the individual events, a first place finish earns 5 points for
the team, a second place 3 points and a third place finish 1 point.
Relays
are scored as 5 points for the winner and 0 points for the loser.
There are 402 points up for grabs in a Saturday meet. Unless there
are one or more places not awarded in an event due to DQs or lack
of swimmers, you need 202 points to win.
In
the event of a tie, the points for the places involved are equally
split among the swimmers. For example, a two-way tie for second
place, each swimmer earns 2 points (3 points for second plus 1 point
for
third equals 4 points, half for each swimmer). No third place would
be awarded because the next swimmer is fourth. For a third place
tie, each swimmer is awarded 1/2 point.
Relay
Carnivals
In
Relay Carnivals, teams are not seeded. Each team’s lane assignment
for the first event is based upon luck of the draw and the teams
then rotate one lane to the left after each event. The meet sheet
lists only the team swimming in each lane in each event (except
for All Star Relay Carnival).
Monday
Night Developmental Meets -- “B” Meets
These
meets are designed for all swimmers to
improve their strokes and times. Although
some swimmers are not yet ready for “A” meets,
everyone can swim the “B” meets.
A
swimmer who has placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in
an “A” meet can no longer swim that stroke
in the developmental meets (unless in
an unofficial capacity).
Ribbons
are award for 1st through 3rd Place finishes
in all “A” meets. In Monday Night “B” Meets, ribbons are awarded
for 1st through 6th place.
Chapter
6: Who Are All These People Dressed in White?
Your first swim meet can be a bewildering experience as you encounter a vast horde of adults dressed in white. NVSL rules require white as the color to be worn by all officials. This is also practical as white is a good color to wear on a hot humid summer morning.
Clerk of the Course
The