 |
Home |
| Mountville Swim Team - The
Wave |
 |
 |
| |
 |
|
PRACTICE INFORMATION
Please have your swimmer(s) to practice on time. We stretch prior to getting in the water.
We practice in the rain. We cancel if it is very cold or thundering and lighting. Cancellations will be posted at the pool.
All swimmers are encouraged to wear swim caps, especially those swimmers with long hair. It is also recommended swimmers have good goggles (TYR, Lane 4, and Speedo are good ones). Put name on ALL equipment with permanent marker.
Swimmers do not need to wear their team suit for practice
Always wear sneakers to practice for land warm-ups.
Please note that the coaches are not responsible for swimmers left at the pool before and after their designated practice time. Swimmers should not be “hanging” out at the pool for extended periods of time before or after their practice session.
DUAL MEET INFORMATION
What is a dual meet?
A dual meet is between Mountville and one other team. No entry fee is required.
Dual meets begin at 6:00pm. Home meet arrival is at 5:00. Away meet arrival is at 5:15. Please leave time for TRAFFIC at that hour.
Dual meets last about 3 hours. Usually, the home team provides a treat for the visiting team after the final score is announced. All swimmers are encouraged to stay for the entire meet, although the coaches realize this is not always possible. IF YOU MUST LEAVE BEFORE THE END OF THE MEET, PLEASE SEE A COACH FIRST SO WE KNOW YOU ARE LEAVING AND THAT YOU’RE NOT IN A RELAY.
There is no fee to swim or an entrance fee.
There is usually a concession stand.
If the weather is chilly, it is helpful to bring several bathing suits. That way, swimmers’ can change out of wet suits after events while waiting for their next event in order to stay warm.
See frequently asked questions for more information on dual meets.
The order of a dual meet is as follows:
(For all events, exhibition heats swim before “live” heats)
Event #1 – Girls 8 and under 25 free
Event #2 – Boys 8 and under 25 free
Event #3 – Girls 10 and under 25 free
Event #4 – Boys 10 and under 25 free
Event #5 – Girls 12 and under 50 free
Event #6 – Boys 12 and under 50 free
Event #7 – Girls 14 and under 50 free
Event #8 – Boys 14 and under 50 free
Event #9 – Girls Open (15 and older) 50 free
Event #10 – Boys Open (15 and older) 50 free
Events #11 - #20 Backstroke Events in the same age order as above
Events #21 - #30 Breaststroke Events in the same age order as above
Events #31 - #40 Butterfly Events in the same age order as above
Event #41 - #50 Relay events in the same age order as above
Dual Meet Scoring:
Points are awarded to the top 3 finishers of the live heats.
1st place – 5 points
2nd place – 3 points
3rd place – 1 point
Relays are scored 7 points for the winning team only
(In a dual meet, a team cannot “sweep” an event. In the instance that a team gets 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in an event, the 3rd place point will go to the opposing team. The 3rd place finisher will still get their 3rd place ribbon.)
INVITATIONAL MEETS
What is an Invitational Meet?
An invitational meets is one attended by many teams, to which Mountville was invited to participate. There is a fee per entry, which we must pay at least a week ahead of time. Our team is willing to pay for most of these events, however if you do not show up at the meet to swim your events, you will be charged for them – the cost is usually $3 per individual event and $5 per relay. These meets are fund raisers for the host team.
These meets are APPROXIMATELY 4-6 hours in length, starting early morning.
There is usually an admission fee for non-swimmers ($2 - $3) and an additional cost for a heat sheet.
There is usually a concession stand and opportunities to buy suits, caps and goggles and various other items.
It is recommended that swimmers and spectators bring things to do as they wait for their events: healthy snacks and drinks, chairs to sit on, blankets, towels
If the weather is chilly, it is helpful to bring several bathing suits. That way, swimmers’ can change out of wet suits after events while waiting for their next event in order to stay warm.
All events are “live” at invitational meets.
See frequently asked questions for more information on invitational meets.
INVITATIONAL MEET DESCRIPTIONS
Golden Meadows Mini Meet
For swimmers age 10 and under only. Although it is a great start-up meet for our younger swimmers to get out the beginning of the year jitters, it can be an overwhelming meet for brand new swimmers. It is too soon in the season to teach everything young swimmers must know for their first meet. The coaches recommend this meet for swimmers who have experience swimming in meets.
Lititz Springs Invitational
This meet is limited to the 3 fastest swimmers for each event per age group. However, we do bump down to give more swimmers an opportunity. For example, if the 2 fastest 8 and under freestyle girls cannot attend the meet due to vacation, then we will take the 4th and 5th fastest and so on.
Conestoga Valley Invitational
This meet weeds out the “faster” swimmers. You must have a qualifying time to go, however it must be slower than a certain time. This gives the swimmers who are usually touched out by faster swimmers an opportunity to place.
Other Invitational Meets
Other invitational meets are offered to all swimmers. There will be sign up sheets posted for those who are interested in participating in these meets.
DIVISIONALS
What are Divisionals? There are four divisions in the Lancaster Summer Swim League. Mountville is in division two. Each division has a championship meet for the teams in their division (which are the same teams we swim our dual meets against). One of the teams in the division acts as host for the meet. Divisionals for all divisions are held the same day. Coaches expect all swimmers to participate in this meet. All events are “live” at Divisionals. Divisionals are run like an invitational.
ALL LEAGUES
What are All Leagues? All Leagues is held the weekend after Divisionals and includes all Lancaster Summer Swimmers who make the time standards. This is a championship meet and all swimmers who qualify should attend. Qualifying times for the season will be posted on the team bulletin board. All events are “live” at All Leagues. All Leagues is run like an invitational.
BUDDIES
All swimmers will be paired up with a buddy (unless they choose not to). There may be times when your buddy is on vacation or not at a meet. Be sure to check the meet sheets to make sure your buddy will be there before you spend time making them something.
Here are some examples of what you can do for your buddy:
Make good luck signs or posters (great “resting indoors” activity for meet days!)
Bring them a snack
Wish them luck before they swim
Cheer for them while they are swimming
Tell them “nice job” after their swims
PLEASE DO NOT BUY YOUR BUDDY GIFTS!!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is an event? The age group, the length and stroke being swum.
What is a heat? The placement a swimmer is given in an event. This is usually assigned based on times. This allows swimmer to compete against swimmers of comparable skill levels. Fastest swimmers are in the last heat.
What is a heat sheet? A packet listing swimmers’ names, events, heat, lane assignments, and seed times for an invitational or championship meet.
What is a seed time? The fastest time in which the swimmer has swum an event prior to the submission of entries for the meet. This is the time entered for the swimmer for the event. It is a good goal to try to beat this time at the meet.
What is a live heat? The heat the counts for points. Only 3 swimmers per event.
What is an exhibition heat? A heat being swam for time and not for a score. Having exhibition heats lets every swimmer have a chance to participate in the meet. If your swimmer is an exhibition swimmer, please don’t downplay the importance of their swim. Every swim is an important one! There is always opportunity for personal best times and a chance to make a time that will put them into a “live” event.
What are warm-ups? A short period of swimming prior to the meet that lets the swimmers get their muscles loosened up.
Does my child need to be at warm-ups? YES! It helps the swimmers get a feel for the pool, the walls, and the starting blocks. Equally important, it gets the swimmer to the meet early enough for the coach to verify the swimmer’s attendance. League rules dictate when changes may be made to the line-up during a meet so it is very important that we make changes, if necessary, at the appropriate time.
What is a line-up? A line-up is a listing of what events the swimmers are swimming in the meet.
How do the coaches do the dual meet line-ups? All meet results are housed at Overlook. After the first meet, the coaches can go to Overlook to look at times and swimmers from the opposing teams. They look at the opposing team’s times in relationship to our times. They use strategy to play with different swimmers in different events to see which line-up yields the best score.
What if my child cannot swim in a meet? Please let the coaches know as soon as possible if a swimmer cannot attend a meet. It is very difficult to move swimmers around after the meet line-up has already been completed. It takes several hours to do the line-up and it is very frustrating and time consuming to make changes at the last minute.
What if my child gets sick the day of the meet? As soon as you know your swimmer won’t be attending the meet, let the coach know so they can make the necessary changes.
What is my child swimming in the upcoming meet? Dual meet line-ups will be posted on the bulletin board as soon as they are ready. ALWAYS BE PREPARED FOR CHANGES! If we find out that someone is sick and hour before the meet, it may involve quite a few changes to fill all the live lanes. Invitational meet entries will be posted a few days before the meet.
What does DQ mean? DQ stands for disqualification. Swimmers disqualify themselves when they are not swimming a stroke according to league rules. This is not something bad – it is a way to help swimmers know what to improve. The official or stroke and turn judge will usually tell the swimmer what they did wrong. Points are not awarded to swimmers who DQ.
How can my child stay warm on chilly evenings? It is helpful to bring several bathing suits to meets. That way, swimmers’ can change out of wet suits after events and stay warm until their next event. They should also have enough towels with them to use a dry one after each event. Sweats are also good for keeping warm between events.
How do I know if my child is swimming in the meet? The coaches expect swimmers to participate in all dual meets and Divisionals, therefore they will be entered unless the coaches are told otherwise. Check the bulletin board for Invitational meets.
Can my child choose the events they swim? The coaches make the final decision about what events the swimmers will swim. They are empathetic about what strokes swimmers prefer and place swimmers in desired strokes when possible. However, they will put swimmers where the team needs them.
How many events can my child swim? The coaches will swim the swimmers as many times as they can per meet. The maximum number of swims per swimmer per meet is 3 and we really try our best to get all swimmers into 3 events. In some age groups with a lot of kids, it is not always possible. The 3 fastest swimmers will swim the LIVE events. In order for all swimmers to get a chance to swim and improve their time, we will swim them in exhibition events.
Are meets canceled for inclement weather? All meets are held rain or shine, except for thunderstorms, but always GO ANYWAY. In many cases, we will wait out the storm and try to proceed with the meet. You will be notified through a phone chain if a meet has been canceled.
What should my child do during the meet? During meets, we expect all swimmers to sit with the team and cheer each other on. They should bring books, CD’s and relaxing games to keep occupied until their events.
What is a staging area? A designated area swimmers report to prior to their heat of competition. This helps avoid “missed swims”.
|
|
|
|
