You're a swimmer rookie, beginner, first-timer, novice ... that's alright, everyone was in your
shoes at one time. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Here are some frequently asked questions
by first year swimmers.
"What should my child wear to practice and competition?"
All swimmers should have at least two swim suits; one for practice and one for competition. It is
not good for a suit to be worn too often. The suit gradually becomes lose and will result in drag.
Boys should wear a Speedo or jammer and they may also choose to wear a drag suit during
practice. Girls should wear a one-piece suit without any ties or zippers. Girls are also required
to wear caps at all times. Again, we recommend that swimmers have a separate practice cap to
avoid wear and tear on their competition caps. All swimmers should also have a well-fitting pair
of goggles. In competition, swimmers are required to wear the team uniform.
"What strokes will my child be swimming?"
There are five events or strokes in swimming: Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and
the Individual Medley. Your swimmer will be grouped with kids that are at the same swimming
level as your child. Once a swimmer has mastered or in some cases found an understanding for a
stroke the coach will introduce another. Once the swimmer knows how to swim the strokes they
will concentrate on the details of each stroke. Just like in anything you do, there is always room
for improvement.
"What's the IM?"
IM stands for Individual Medley. Once a swimmer has legally swum all four strokes, the IM is
the next and last event to learn. The IM is all four strokes combined into one event called the 100
IM. The 100 does not stand for laps, it is the number of yards. One lap is 25 yards; the 100 IM is
four laps. The order is Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle. Older swimmers may
participate in the 200 or 400 IM.
"What is a meet?"
In swimming, when two or more opposing teams swim each other it is referred to as a meet.
HURY typically attends 3 meets per month. Meets almost always occur on Saturday or Sunday.
Some meets will be at our home pool and others will require travel to other YMCAs in central
Ohio.
"Who picks what my child swims?"
Your coach chooses your child’s events for meets and usually asks for swimmer input if time
allows. If your swimmer would like to swim in a specific event he or she should ask the coach.
Coaches do their best to choose the events in which they believe swimmers will be the most
successful.
"When can my swimmer leave the meet?"
If you know you will be leaving a meet early or not going to a meet at all, try to tell your coach
as early as possible. If you unexpectedly need to leave a meet, please notify a coach before you
leave. If your swimmer is done swimming and you have nothing to do, stick around and cheer,
you never know if we may need your swimmer for a relay. Please make sure that you are not in
a relay before you leave.
"Do parents have to volunteer?"
In most sports the number volunteers needed is not great. This is definitely not the case in
swimming. Parent involvement is a vital part of a great swim season. Throughout the season,
our parent committees organize team functions and ensure the coaches and other Y staff are
receiving the support they need. In addition it takes dozens of volunteers to successfully run our
swim meets. Parent volunteers are needed to time, run the bull pen, operate our scoreboard,
officiate the meet, and provide concessions among other jobs. Thus, we ask that all families
donate their time and volunteer several times during the season. Occasionally our team will also
be required to provide volunteers for away meets especially at the end of the season.
"What is a Bull Pen"?
This is the area where younger swimmers go before their events. It’s important to allow your
child to remain at the Bull Pen staging area alone. At many meets parents will not be allowed to
enter the bull pen or the pool deck. Remember that your swimmer will have excellent
supervision and direction from parent volunteers who help at the Bull Pen.
“What is a Heat Sheet?”
During some meets “Heat Sheets” will be on sale at the concession stand. They will include the
individual events, the swimmers entered in each event, the order the swimmers will swim in, and
the lanes the swimmers will swim in. It is the responsibility of the swimmer to determine when
and where she will be swimming. The coaches do not have time to give all 100 swimmers their
heats and lanes!
“What is a Meet Packet?”
The meet packet is a document containing information about large invitational swim meets.
These meets typically involve five or more teams and thus require a great deal of planning and
organization. Parents should review meet packets before deciding to attend any invitational
meets to determine if the meet is appropriate for their swimmer. Any questions you have about
the meet packet can be directed to your child’s coach.
“What is a DQ?”
No it doesn’t stand for Dairy Queen. Our league complies with YMCA Swimming rules - the
same rules used at all YMCA meets. To ensure fair competition for all swimmers, these rules are
equally applied to all swimmers, regardless of age or experience. During competition, if a
swimmer fails to comply with the stroke and turn rules, a Stroke & Turn Judge (dressed in white
shirts and shorts) will raise their hand, write up a disqualification (DQ) slip, and present it to the
referee for approval. A swimmer is not disqualified until the referee accepts the report. Almost
all swimmers in all age groups have been DQ’d at some time. This should be viewed as a
learning experience and not a failure. Swimmers should discuss the DQ with their Coach after
the race, and together they will formulate a plan to correct the mistake.
“What is a PB?”
When a swimmer swims his best time we say that he has earned a personal best or a “PB.”
Throughout the season our parent volunteers track the number of PBs the team has earned.
During the 2011-2012 season the team earned over 1700 PBs!