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GENERAL COMMENTS
- Encourage and support your teammates.
- We warm-up as a team at meets because it is part of our
philosophy that there is strength in numbers. It is more
intimidating to opposing teams to see us as a large group.
- It is important that a full, proper warm-up be completed.,
therefore be prompt for warm-ups.
- Always warm-down if a warm-down pool is available.
- The team sits together at meets. Swimmers should not sit with
parents.
- Team cheers are done as a team, with everyone participating.
- See the coach before and immediately after your swim to receive
feedback on your performance.
- Swimmers must wear only LHY team apparel.
- Always swim hard.- no excuses.
- Relays are subjective. In general, the four best times swim,
but the coach may change when circumstances warrant a change (i.e.
swimmer not having a peak performance meet may be substituted from
someone who is). The choice is totally up to the coach. Everyone
stays until the relays are over to offer maximum choice of athletes
for the relay. Never assume you are not on a relay.
YMCA DUAL MEETS
LHY competes in the YMCA North Jersey Swim League against other
teams in specific divisions. There are five divisions, based on
team size and ability. We have three girls’ teams and two
boys’ teams, and the divisions in which they compete are
determined by the previous year's dual meet record. The teams
compete in six dual meets, once against each of the teams in their
respective divisions. The dual meets are swum on Saturdays
beginning in late October and ending late January or early
February. The meet line-ups, (what each swimmer will be swimming in
the meet), will be established during the week prior to the meet.
However, the line-ups will not be posted until the day of the meet,
so as to allow for any last minute changes. Swimmers are required
to swim the events in which the coach has entered them.
DUAL MEET EXPECTATIONS
- All swimmers are expected to be at every dual meet. This is
part of your team commitment to the Lakeland Hills Family YMCA Swim
Team.
- All swimmers should ride the team bus both to and from meets.
- All swimmers must stay in their swim suits until the meet is
over and we have done our team cheer.
INVITATIONALS
The coaching staff encourages swimmers to compete in
invitational meets in order to swim events that are not offered in
dual meets. There are specific USA swim meets in which LHY will
compete as a team, with events scheduled over one, two or three
days. Most of these invitationals require a time standard that the
swimmer must be equal to or faster than in order to sign-up for the
event. Swimmers are urged to swim new events that the coaches
suggest. Swimmers will be expected to enter the maximum number of
events for which they are qualified, and must swim all events in
which they are entered. "Scratching" an event will be solely at the
coaches’ discretion. Coaches select swimmers events for all
invitationals. Any request to swim events must be in writing and
submitted to the head coach.
CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS
Each swimmer will be able to participate in a championship meet
as his/her final competition. A swimmer is finished with his/her
season if he/she does not qualify for the next championship meet.
Qualifying time standards will be distributed as soon as they
become available.
- 8 & under Championships (Late January or early February)
- YMCA Bronze Championships (February)
- YMCA Silver Championships (February)
- YMCA State Championships (February/March)
- New Jersey Junior Olympics (March)
- YMCA National Championship (in April)
MEET ENTRIES
Coaches will enter all swimmers in dual meets. Swimmers can
request a desired event in a dual meet and coaches will attempt to
accommodate that request. Invitational meets generally have some
type of time cut to participate. Invitational meet information and
eligibility reports will be posted on the team website. Swimmers
will be automatically entered, if they qualify, with entry fees
automatically deducted from their escrow accounts. Swimmers who are
NOT able to attend the invitational meet must notify their coach
through email or by leaving a note by the indicated deadline for
each meet. Parents will also be required to time at the
invitational if their child is attending the meet or find a
replacement.
CANCELLATIONS OF PRACTICES AND SWIM MEETS
A telephone chain will be established at the beginning of the
season to notify swimmers of cancellations of practices or meets
due to inclement weather. The telephone chain is an important form
of communication during emergencies. It is imperative that every
attempt be made to follow instructions in order to facilitate its
effectiveness. Information is also available on the team website,
www.lhyswim.com . The LHY team has a hotline number, which you are
encouraged to use for up-to-the minute information about meets,
practice, etc...
The hotline number is: 973-334-0091.
(press button 7 for swim team info)
TRANSPORTATION
LHY will provide bus transportation to and from away dual meets
out of Morris County for swimmers and coaches only. The buses will
leave from and return to Lakeland Hills YMCA. The coaches require
swim team members to take the bus to the meets as a part of
building team unity. Written permission is needed if the swimmer is
to use other transportation, including riding with parents for the
return trip. If a child is to ride home with parents other than
his/her own, written permission is needed from that child's parent.
Permission forms are available on the swim team bulletin board.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Parents transporting children in their personal
vehicles as part of YMCA sponsored events are covered by their own
auto insurance. It is NOT part of the YMCA insurance coverage.
Parents assume this insurance liability if they choose to carry
swimmers to or from events.
COMMUNICATIONS AVAILABLE
The coaching staff and Parents’ Association will attempt
to communicate information in a variety of ways, including this
handbook, the pool hallway bulletin board, the team website at
www.lhyswim.com the hotline cited above, the newsletter, and a very
important rolling file. This holds the "family folders": each
family has a folder, which serves as their mailbox -- CHECK YOUR
FAMILY FOLDERS DAILY!!!
If you have any additional ideas for increasing communication,
please let us know.
HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING
The LHY philosophy is that swimming for one's high school and
the YMCA can be compatible. Representing his/her high school during
the swim season is important for each high school age athlete.
However, an athlete must recognize the level of commitment
necessary to achieve the goals he/she has set. Swimmers competing
in high school meets should always try their hardest not only to
get the best place for the high school team, but also to better
their previous times. They should use the allotted time to do a
complete warm-up drill, which will help to avoid injury. The
athlete must attend LHY practice consistently. In the event of a
conflict between a high school meet and LHY practice, the coach and
swimmer should discuss how it can best be resolved. Questions
concerning high school swimming should be addressed to the Head
Coach. Times achieved at high school meets will not be accepted
unless an electronic timing system is used. A printed report from
the timing system computer with the meet referee’s signature
should be given to the Head Coach for acceptance. High School times
will not be entered into the team computer, but may be used for
meet entries.
YMCA NATIONAL TEAM
The highest level of YMCA-sponsored swimming competition is the
YMCA National Championships, held each year in April in Florida.
This is the largest competitive swimming meet in the world, with
over 1,000 athletes participating. Swimmers from YMCA's throughout
the USA travel to this meet to compete against each other and to
make new friends. Each year college coaches from across the country
come to view prospective student athletes. To be eligible for the
National Swim Team, a swimmer must achieve a qualifying time and
then meet the following criteria:
- Must be 12 years of age.
- Must be in good membership standing with the Y
- Must participate in the fund raising efforts at LHY to offset
the trip costs.
- Must have completed 16 hours of service to LHY by March1st., 4
hrs of which are with the younger swimmers on the team.
- Must possess a positive attitude toward training, competition,
and teammates.
- Must attend 80% of practices, beginning Nov. 1st
The cost of sending the swimmers and coaches to Y Nationals is
quite high, estimated at $1200 to $1500 per person. Y-Nat parents
spend a great deal of time and effort in running an ongoing
fund-raising campaign to defray the costs that each swimmer's
family would otherwise have to bear. Depending upon the success of
our efforts and the number of National Team Swimmers, the fund
raising could reduce the cost to each swimmer by about $400 to
$800.
It will be up to the Head Coach to select the National Team
Members based upon completion of the criteria above. All swimmers
will be held to the same set of rules. This specific information
will be provided to all swimmers age 12+ as the season begins. Also
note that the YMCA National Committee requires National
participants to swim in the Y State Championships.
UNITED STATES SWIMMING
In addition to YMCA swimming the LHY swim team also competes in
USA Swimming (USA) meets, which are sponsored by the aquatic clubs
in New Jersey. These meets bring together a large number of
participants; are organized by age groups; and are usually held at
the large pools at either Princeton University or Rutgers
University (but not always). The USA meets offer our swimmers the
chance to swim events and distances not swum in dual meets, and to
swim all strokes over the two or three days of the meet. The
advantages of the USA meets are that the swimmers have the
opportunity to compete in more races during the season (after all,
that's what they're practicing for!), and to swim against
state-wide competition. All swimmers this year are encouraged to
participate in these meets and to swim in as many events as
possible. All registrations will be done early in the season. The
membership runs December through December. All swimmers are
required to register as per insurance requirements. Membership
includes an informative bi-monthy newsletter produced by USA
Swimming. Membership is included in your swim team fee. You will
only need to fill out a form if you are a new member or if you have
changes (address etc.).
IMPORTANT REMINDER: You must be registered with USA Swimming in
order to enter these meets.
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