F.A.Q.
Here we will have some frequently asked questions by parents new to the team and/or summer league swimming. If all of your questions are not answered here please feel free to e-mail your question to [email protected]
F.A.Q. Index
Practices
-When do practices start?
-What time are the practices in the summer?
-What equipment does my child need for practice?
-What is the difference between swim team and pre-team?
Dual Meets
-How many practices does my child need to go to during the week so that they can swim at the meet that weekend?
-How do we sign up for the weekly duel meets?
-What events are available for my child to swim?
-How many events can my child swim at a meet?
-How do the coaches decide what events to put my child in?
-Why is my kid swimming exhibition?
-What time do the duel meets start at and how long do they last?
-Will there be a bullpen at the meet?
-What if my child has a summer birthday and ages up into the next age group? What group do they swim in at meets?
-Are there any fees to swim at the meets?
-What do we need to bring to the meets?
-What happens to a meet in the event of bad weather?
Conference
-How many meets does my child need to swim in to be eligible for conference?
-Where will conference be held this summer?
-How does the conference meet work?
-Will there be a bullpen at conference?
-Will my kid get to swim whatever event they want at conference?
-How does scoring work at conference?
-How do I become a part of the parents relay at conference?
Volunteering
-How do i become a volunteer?
-What volunteering opportunities are there for home meets?
-What volunteering opportunities are there for away meets?
-What volunteering opportunities are there for conference?
-How can I help out if I can't make it to a meet?
-How can I become an official?
F.A.Q. Index
Practices
-When do practices start?
-What time are the practices in the summer?
-What equipment does my child need for practice?
-What is the difference between swim team and pre-team?
Dual Meets
-How many practices does my child need to go to during the week so that they can swim at the meet that weekend?
-How do we sign up for the weekly duel meets?
-What events are available for my child to swim?
-How many events can my child swim at a meet?
-How do the coaches decide what events to put my child in?
-Why is my kid swimming exhibition?
-What time do the duel meets start at and how long do they last?
-Will there be a bullpen at the meet?
-What if my child has a summer birthday and ages up into the next age group? What group do they swim in at meets?
-Are there any fees to swim at the meets?
-What do we need to bring to the meets?
-What happens to a meet in the event of bad weather?
Conference
-How many meets does my child need to swim in to be eligible for conference?
-Where will conference be held this summer?
-How does the conference meet work?
-Will there be a bullpen at conference?
-Will my kid get to swim whatever event they want at conference?
-How does scoring work at conference?
-How do I become a part of the parents relay at conference?
Volunteering
-How do i become a volunteer?
-What volunteering opportunities are there for home meets?
-What volunteering opportunities are there for away meets?
-What volunteering opportunities are there for conference?
-How can I help out if I can't make it to a meet?
-How can I become an official?
Practices
When do practices start?
- The first day of practice will be May 27th at Centennial High School. These practices will go from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Swimmers ages 11+ will practice M/W/F and swimmers 10 and under will practice T/Th. After the last day of Unit 4 school we will switch to the summer practice schedule.
What time are the practices in the summer?
- Practices this summer will be as follows:
8 & Unders 7:45-8:4m
9 - 10's 7:45-9:15 am
11 - 12's 9:30-11:00
13 & Ups 9:30-11:00
Pre Team 9:00-9:30
What equipment does my child need for practice?
- Swimmers need only a swimsuit and goggles. We will have kickboards there for the kids to use and other equipment is unneccesary for our practices. Team swimsuits will be available for purchase during the summer from Body and Sole though it is not necessary for you to purchase them. We will also have Sholem Shark caps for those that need them.
What is the difference between swim team and pre-team?
- Pre-team is designed for those kids who are learning the four strokes and are unable to make it across the pool without stopping. These kids will have the shortest practice time and will be unable to swim at meets. They will be focusing on technique and learning the strokes rather than competition.
When do practices start?
- The first day of practice will be May 27th at Centennial High School. These practices will go from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Swimmers ages 11+ will practice M/W/F and swimmers 10 and under will practice T/Th. After the last day of Unit 4 school we will switch to the summer practice schedule.
What time are the practices in the summer?
- Practices this summer will be as follows:
8 & Unders 7:45-8:4m
9 - 10's 7:45-9:15 am
11 - 12's 9:30-11:00
13 & Ups 9:30-11:00
Pre Team 9:00-9:30
What equipment does my child need for practice?
- Swimmers need only a swimsuit and goggles. We will have kickboards there for the kids to use and other equipment is unneccesary for our practices. Team swimsuits will be available for purchase during the summer from Body and Sole though it is not necessary for you to purchase them. We will also have Sholem Shark caps for those that need them.
What is the difference between swim team and pre-team?
- Pre-team is designed for those kids who are learning the four strokes and are unable to make it across the pool without stopping. These kids will have the shortest practice time and will be unable to swim at meets. They will be focusing on technique and learning the strokes rather than competition.
Dual Meets
How many practices does my child need to go to during the week so that they can swim at the meet that weekend?
- Your child must try to attend at least three practices during the week to swim at the duel meet on that Saturday. If for some reason your child cannot attend three practices and still wants to swim at the meet please contact a coach either at practice or through the Sholem Sharks e-mail. Exceptions can be made for those that swim club year round and will miss some practices to attend other swim practices.
How do we sign up for the weekly duel meets?
- There will be a sign-up binder with one of the coaches at all of the practices. If you plan on attending the meet that weekend please sign your child up in the binder and also put down a few events your child would like to swim. Please sign up as early in the week as possible since we have to turn in our meet entries to the other team by Thursday for away meets. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT IF YOU HAVE A CHANGE IN PLANS THURSDAY, FRIDAY OR EVEN SATURDAY MORNING AND WILL EITHER NO LONGER BE ATTENDING THE MEET OR WOULD LIKE TO GO THAT YOU CONTACT A COACH IMMEDIATELY. This is very important since a child not showing up will not only affect them, but any relays they might be on may not have a chance to swim anymore if we are notified early enough. Also, if your child was swimming an event for points and you will no longer be there we can let someone else take that spot if you notify us early enough to make the changes.
What events are available for my child to swim?
- For the 6 and unders, the only events are the 25 freestyle and the 25 backstroke, but they may swim up to 8 and under for breastroke and butterfly. For the 8 and unders, they can choose from a 25 of each stroke, the 50 freestyle and the 100 I.M. The 10 and unders, 12 and unders and 14 and unders can choose from a 50 of each stroke and the 100 I.M. The 18 and unders can choose from a 100 of each stroke and the 200 I.M. There are also two relays that are available for each age group except the 6 and unders, the freestyle relay and the medley relay. For the 8 and unders the relay is a 100 , meaning they'll each swim a 25, for all the other age groups the relays will be 200's so each swimmer will swim a 50.
How many events can my child swim at a meet?
- Each swimmer can swim a maximum of three individual events and two relays.
How do the coaches decide what events to put my child in?
- We always try our best to have kids in the events that they ask for but sometimes this isn't possible in some age groups since we have such a large team. In these situations your child may only be able to swim one or two of the events they requested though in most cases they will be able to swim what they want to. Some kids may also be swum up to a higher age group if there is space available in that age group and we think that they can do well.
Why is my kid swimming exhibition?
- We are only allowed to have three kids swim for points in each individual event and with a team this large this means a lot of swimmers will be swimming exhibition. We will try to make sure that every swimmer gets to swim at least one event for points each meet though even if your child swims exhibition they will still be eligible to receive an award for their race.
What time do the duel meets start at and how long do they last?
- Warm-ups for the meets will start at 7:30 a.m. and the meet itself will start at 8:30 a.m. They usually run three or four hours and will end around noon, perhaps a little later when we swim against another large team.
Will there be a bullpen at the meet?
- Yes there will be a bullpen at all meets to make sure the kids make it to the blocks in time for their events.
What if my child has a summer birthday and ages up into the next age group? What group do they swim in at meets?
- The age up date determined for the conference is June 1st meaning your child will swim in whatever age group they would have been in before June 1st. So if your child is 10 before June 1st and becomes 11 during the summer, your child will continue to swim as a 10 and under for the summer. This applies not only to the duel meets but the conference meet as well.
Are there any fees to swim at the meets?
- No, all the fees for meets will be covered in the price you pay to join the swim team.
What do we need to bring to the meets?
- Be sure to bring extra towels, swim suits, goggles and caps if you wear them. Don't forget to bring plenty of healthy snacks and water and/or gatorade as well. The parents may want to bring fold out chairs to sit in since there will not always be enough seating for everyone at the pool.
What happens to a meet in event of bad weather?
- A meet will most likely not be called until the morning that it is to be swum. The time for calling a meet has been agreed upon by the conference to be one hour after the meet is supposed to have started. What this means is that if the weather causes us to push the meet back more than an hour after it was supposed to have started, the meet can be cancelled. All swimmers that were entered in the meet can still use this meet to count towards their two meet requirement for conference.
How many practices does my child need to go to during the week so that they can swim at the meet that weekend?
- Your child must try to attend at least three practices during the week to swim at the duel meet on that Saturday. If for some reason your child cannot attend three practices and still wants to swim at the meet please contact a coach either at practice or through the Sholem Sharks e-mail. Exceptions can be made for those that swim club year round and will miss some practices to attend other swim practices.
How do we sign up for the weekly duel meets?
- There will be a sign-up binder with one of the coaches at all of the practices. If you plan on attending the meet that weekend please sign your child up in the binder and also put down a few events your child would like to swim. Please sign up as early in the week as possible since we have to turn in our meet entries to the other team by Thursday for away meets. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT IF YOU HAVE A CHANGE IN PLANS THURSDAY, FRIDAY OR EVEN SATURDAY MORNING AND WILL EITHER NO LONGER BE ATTENDING THE MEET OR WOULD LIKE TO GO THAT YOU CONTACT A COACH IMMEDIATELY. This is very important since a child not showing up will not only affect them, but any relays they might be on may not have a chance to swim anymore if we are notified early enough. Also, if your child was swimming an event for points and you will no longer be there we can let someone else take that spot if you notify us early enough to make the changes.
What events are available for my child to swim?
- For the 6 and unders, the only events are the 25 freestyle and the 25 backstroke, but they may swim up to 8 and under for breastroke and butterfly. For the 8 and unders, they can choose from a 25 of each stroke, the 50 freestyle and the 100 I.M. The 10 and unders, 12 and unders and 14 and unders can choose from a 50 of each stroke and the 100 I.M. The 18 and unders can choose from a 100 of each stroke and the 200 I.M. There are also two relays that are available for each age group except the 6 and unders, the freestyle relay and the medley relay. For the 8 and unders the relay is a 100 , meaning they'll each swim a 25, for all the other age groups the relays will be 200's so each swimmer will swim a 50.
How many events can my child swim at a meet?
- Each swimmer can swim a maximum of three individual events and two relays.
How do the coaches decide what events to put my child in?
- We always try our best to have kids in the events that they ask for but sometimes this isn't possible in some age groups since we have such a large team. In these situations your child may only be able to swim one or two of the events they requested though in most cases they will be able to swim what they want to. Some kids may also be swum up to a higher age group if there is space available in that age group and we think that they can do well.
Why is my kid swimming exhibition?
- We are only allowed to have three kids swim for points in each individual event and with a team this large this means a lot of swimmers will be swimming exhibition. We will try to make sure that every swimmer gets to swim at least one event for points each meet though even if your child swims exhibition they will still be eligible to receive an award for their race.
What time do the duel meets start at and how long do they last?
- Warm-ups for the meets will start at 7:30 a.m. and the meet itself will start at 8:30 a.m. They usually run three or four hours and will end around noon, perhaps a little later when we swim against another large team.
Will there be a bullpen at the meet?
- Yes there will be a bullpen at all meets to make sure the kids make it to the blocks in time for their events.
What if my child has a summer birthday and ages up into the next age group? What group do they swim in at meets?
- The age up date determined for the conference is June 1st meaning your child will swim in whatever age group they would have been in before June 1st. So if your child is 10 before June 1st and becomes 11 during the summer, your child will continue to swim as a 10 and under for the summer. This applies not only to the duel meets but the conference meet as well.
Are there any fees to swim at the meets?
- No, all the fees for meets will be covered in the price you pay to join the swim team.
What do we need to bring to the meets?
- Be sure to bring extra towels, swim suits, goggles and caps if you wear them. Don't forget to bring plenty of healthy snacks and water and/or gatorade as well. The parents may want to bring fold out chairs to sit in since there will not always be enough seating for everyone at the pool.
What happens to a meet in event of bad weather?
- A meet will most likely not be called until the morning that it is to be swum. The time for calling a meet has been agreed upon by the conference to be one hour after the meet is supposed to have started. What this means is that if the weather causes us to push the meet back more than an hour after it was supposed to have started, the meet can be cancelled. All swimmers that were entered in the meet can still use this meet to count towards their two meet requirement for conference.
Conference
How many meets does my child need to swim in to be eligible for conference?
- To be able to swim at conference, your child must have swam in at least three duel meets during the summer. Meets that were rained out will count for your kid if they had signed up to swim it and told the coaches before the meet was scheduled to begin. If circumstances arise that you will be unable to attend three dual meets but still want to swim at conference, contact a coach via e-mail.
Where will conference be held this summer?
- Conference will be held at the Charleston Swimming Pool this year.
How does the conference meet work?
- Conference will be separated into two different sessions based on the age of the swimmer. The morning session will be for swimmers ages 10 and under. The warm up for the morning session will be from 7:15-8:15 a.m. and the meet will start at 8:30 a.m. The afternoon session is for swimmers 11 and up. Warm ups will begin at 12:00 p.m. and go until 12:45 p.m. and the meet will start at 1:00 p.m. unless the morning session is running late in which case the warm ups will begin right after the end of the morning session. In between the two sessions there will be a coaches relay and parents relay for the entertainment of the kids if time permits.
Will there be a bullpen at conference?
- Yes there will be a bullpen for both sessions of the meet that all swimmers will be required to go to for each event.
Will my kid get to swim whatever event they want at conference?
- At conference we are allowed to have as many kids as we want swim in each event to try to score for points. This means that for the most part the swimmer will be able to decide what events they want to swim in. There may be a few cases in which we would like a swimmer to do a different event because we think they will place better in another event. In these cases we will talk to the swimmer about this before making the changes.
How does scoring work at conference?
- At conference the top 16 swimmers in each individual event score for points though all swimmers will receive awards for swimming. The most swimmers that can score in an event for a team is five so if we have 6 or more of our swimmers place in the top 16 of an event only the five that score highest will count for points though they will all receive the award for the place they got.
How do I become a part of the parents relay at conference?
- Just notify one of the coaches in the weeks leading up to conference so that we can put your name down as someone who is interested. Just remember that if the morning session is running late we may cancel the relays in the interest of saving time.
How many meets does my child need to swim in to be eligible for conference?
- To be able to swim at conference, your child must have swam in at least three duel meets during the summer. Meets that were rained out will count for your kid if they had signed up to swim it and told the coaches before the meet was scheduled to begin. If circumstances arise that you will be unable to attend three dual meets but still want to swim at conference, contact a coach via e-mail.
Where will conference be held this summer?
- Conference will be held at the Charleston Swimming Pool this year.
How does the conference meet work?
- Conference will be separated into two different sessions based on the age of the swimmer. The morning session will be for swimmers ages 10 and under. The warm up for the morning session will be from 7:15-8:15 a.m. and the meet will start at 8:30 a.m. The afternoon session is for swimmers 11 and up. Warm ups will begin at 12:00 p.m. and go until 12:45 p.m. and the meet will start at 1:00 p.m. unless the morning session is running late in which case the warm ups will begin right after the end of the morning session. In between the two sessions there will be a coaches relay and parents relay for the entertainment of the kids if time permits.
Will there be a bullpen at conference?
- Yes there will be a bullpen for both sessions of the meet that all swimmers will be required to go to for each event.
Will my kid get to swim whatever event they want at conference?
- At conference we are allowed to have as many kids as we want swim in each event to try to score for points. This means that for the most part the swimmer will be able to decide what events they want to swim in. There may be a few cases in which we would like a swimmer to do a different event because we think they will place better in another event. In these cases we will talk to the swimmer about this before making the changes.
How does scoring work at conference?
- At conference the top 16 swimmers in each individual event score for points though all swimmers will receive awards for swimming. The most swimmers that can score in an event for a team is five so if we have 6 or more of our swimmers place in the top 16 of an event only the five that score highest will count for points though they will all receive the award for the place they got.
How do I become a part of the parents relay at conference?
- Just notify one of the coaches in the weeks leading up to conference so that we can put your name down as someone who is interested. Just remember that if the morning session is running late we may cancel the relays in the interest of saving time.
Volunteering
How do I become a volunteer?
- Tracey Jones, our parent volunteer coordinator will be sending you all an e-mail later regarding sign-ups. We encourage everyone that can help to do so so our meets can run smoothly. If you do not know how to do any of the jobs don't worry, we can have another parent show you how it's done.
What volunteering opportunities are there for home meets?
- We need a lot of help to run the home meets quickly and smoothly. This is where you parents come in. For each home meet we'll need at least 10 timers, one or two officials, 2 card runners, three or four bullpen workers, three people for scoring/ribbons, a starter and an announcer. Also anyone that wants to bring snacks/drinks for the workers and volunteers would be appreciated. We will also need people to come help set up the meet the night before the meet. We will inform those that wish to help of the time we plan to do that the week of the meet. We will also need help taking down the meet after it has been swum.
What volunteering opportunities are there for away meets?
- For away meets we'll only need some volunteers for timers based on the number of lanes the opposing team has and maybe an official.
What volunteering opportunities are there for conference?
- We will have more information on this as the time gets closer for the meet.
How can I help out if I can't make it to a meet?
- If you can't make it to a home meet but would still like to help out we can always use help setting up the meet the night before it is swum. We will let you know other ways you can help out later on during the summer.
How can I become an official?
- Each swim meet requires a few volunteer officials, more information will be made available for official training later.
How do I become a volunteer?
- Tracey Jones, our parent volunteer coordinator will be sending you all an e-mail later regarding sign-ups. We encourage everyone that can help to do so so our meets can run smoothly. If you do not know how to do any of the jobs don't worry, we can have another parent show you how it's done.
What volunteering opportunities are there for home meets?
- We need a lot of help to run the home meets quickly and smoothly. This is where you parents come in. For each home meet we'll need at least 10 timers, one or two officials, 2 card runners, three or four bullpen workers, three people for scoring/ribbons, a starter and an announcer. Also anyone that wants to bring snacks/drinks for the workers and volunteers would be appreciated. We will also need people to come help set up the meet the night before the meet. We will inform those that wish to help of the time we plan to do that the week of the meet. We will also need help taking down the meet after it has been swum.
What volunteering opportunities are there for away meets?
- For away meets we'll only need some volunteers for timers based on the number of lanes the opposing team has and maybe an official.
What volunteering opportunities are there for conference?
- We will have more information on this as the time gets closer for the meet.
How can I help out if I can't make it to a meet?
- If you can't make it to a home meet but would still like to help out we can always use help setting up the meet the night before it is swum. We will let you know other ways you can help out later on during the summer.
How can I become an official?
- Each swim meet requires a few volunteer officials, more information will be made available for official training later.