New Orca
Families
This is to give you more
information and answer some commonly asked questions. We know there can
be some confusion as to how meets and practices are run, and hopefully this will
alleviate that and help you to get off to a great start as an
Orca!
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How to sign up for meets
Across the hall from
the kitchen you will find the Orcas info, past meet results and sign up sheets
for recent meets. Check this frequently as only meets being held in the
next week are posted. Swimmers are separated by gender. Find your
swimmers name.
Be sure you know which meet the sign up is for, and circle yes or no to indicate if they are
participating in that meet. If you've circled yes and find you can NOT
attend please make every effort to notify the coaches so replacements can be
found if your swimmer was in a relay. There is also a small space where
you can write comments. You use this to notify the coaches on any race
requests or limitations. For example, if you need to leave the meet early
you'd want to let them know not to schedule your swimmer in a late race.
Please understand that the coaches have several goals in mind. They want
to make sure swimmers challenge themselves and try to master all of the strokes
by the season's end, and they also want to give us the strongest possible
lineup so the Orca's win the meet!
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What to bring and do at meets
Each swimmer
will need at LEAST 2 towels and warm clothes for in between races. Please
note that the meets last until the evening hours (
Feel free to bring a cooler with
plenty of drinks and snacks or money to buy them at the concession stand.
The tables and chairs are moved off of the deck to allow space for spectators
and stroke judges, so a blanket and folding chairs come in very handy.
It's a good idea to have extra caps and goggles if your swimmer uses them
because they can easily get misplaced during the meet. Also, Sharpie
markers are useful. During the warm-ups the lineup will be posted.
It will list all swimmers by name and the races they are competing in.
You can write your swimmers race numbers on his/her hand as well as your
own. Some races have multiple heats so there could feasibly be 11A, 11B,
and 11C. Make sure you write down which race AND heat your swimmer is
in. Near the announcer stand there will be a sign indicating which race
is taking place. In between races there can be a lot of free time and
this will help you and your swimmer to have some idea how much time until their
next race. Approximately 3-4 races before the one they are in the swimmer
should find the bullpen volunteers. They will give the swimmer the lane
they are assigned to for their race. The swimmer should find the lane
(they are numbered on the flags above each lane) and stand behind the swimmers
who are in that lane in the races BEFORE them. For example, if your
swimmer is race 12 lane 3 he/she should go to lane 3 and find the person in
race 11 lane 3 and stand behind them. Also, in every meet there is
NO race #21 and #22.
The bullpen volunteers are
extremely helpful in answering questions on this and helping to direct you if
you aren't sure where to go. Some races will go very fast (short
distances, fast swimmers, few heats) and some will take a while, so in order to
avoid your swimmer missing his/her race try to be on top of where he/she is as
well as their gear and lane assignments. This all is much more
understandable when you see it as it is happening!
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Meet volunteers
If you are scheduled
to volunteer at a meet, there is a volunteer check-in similar to the bull-pen
check in for swimmers. If you can not make your scheduled time please
find someone you can switch dates with. Some of these positions are
required and will have to be filled before the meet can start so it's crucial
to have our parents do their part.
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Practices
Practice times will
vary by age and level. Parents are invited to watch but leave the pool
area clear for the staff to run the practice. There will be a swimmers
box which will hold a folder for each swimmer and coach. This is where
your swimmer will find the ribbons he/she earned. There will also be
folders holding information such as directions to away meets, info on our
fundraisers, etc. The coaches' folders are the best way to direct
questions. The coaches are very busy during practices and meets and would
prefer to answer your questions when they aren't in that setting. Please
write down your info and question and they will definitely get back to
you! Please take any SERIOUS questions or concerns directly to Coach Mike
Steele and not the assistant coaches.
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Mentors
We are very lucky to
have many seasoned swimmers. It has been very helpful in the past to pair
a more experienced swimmer with one who is new to the sport. At the first
meet you will be notified who your child's mentor is, and the mentors will
assist younger swimmers at the meets by helping to get them where they need to
be, and by being a personal cheerleader!
- Have Fun
As
important as winning can be, the main goal of this program is to get kids
excited about the sport of swimming and to have fun. This is a great
opportunity for your child to get to know a lot of kids and make great friends,
so encourage them to do so. The coaches will do their job to teach the kids
everything they can about swimming, but it's the excitement and fun of the
sport that really keeps kids coming back. So if you ever feel that your
child is becoming frustrated or unhappy with the sport please feel free to let
the coaches know, as they will do their best to help.
Hopefully this will make the
first week or two a little less confusing. We are so excited to have so
many new swimmers and are confident this will be OUR YEAR!!! GO ORCAS!!!