2009 Handbook

Welcome to the Forest Park Swim Team, located in Centennial, Colorado! The team is organized by parent volunteers and subsidized by the Forest Park Homeowners Recreation Association. The team's only paid staff are the coaches. Team fees cover coach salaries, administrative costs, league fees, insurance and awards. From time to time the team must purchase equipment. Our only fundraiser is the concession stand at home meets.

We are a member of and regulated by the Rocky Mountain Swim League (www.rmsl.info). The focus of the RMSL is to make the children water safe, build each swimmers confidence and self esteem, encourage swimmers to have fun while strengthening friendships and to provide an opportunity for young people to gain a positive, recreationally competitive exposure to the sport of swimming. Summer swim team is FUN!

Communication

Each swimmer will have a folder at the pool in a file box. The swimmers are reminded to check these folders frequently. Communication from the coaches will be placed in these folders, as well as ribbons from dual meets.

The team has a website which should be checked if the weather is bad. Any cancellations of practice or meets will be announced on the website. The website is www.fpbluefins.com. Check the bulletin board at the pool for other items as well. Last minute information may be posted, as well as sign-ups for concession stand donations, social events and meet information. News and announcements will be communicated via e-mail and on the website. Please make sure that you register with your most current e-mail address.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Parent Rep, coaches or any parent who has been involved with the team for at least a year.

Practice

Practices are essential to a swimmer's success. Without regular practice, there would be little improvement in personal best times and no preparation for competition in meets. Swimmers are expected to attend a minimum of three practices per week, however, it is understood that there will be days when this is not possible due to day camps, vacations, etc. Please inform the coaches when a swimmer will be missing since decisions regarding the meets are partly based on practice attendance. Swimmers will be rewarded for consistent attendance.

Practice Times (subject to change):

• 7:00 - 8:30 13-18 year olds
• 8:15 - 9:30 9-12 year olds
• 9:30 - 10:15 8 & under

Weather Policy

Practice and meets will be held if the air temperature is 60 degrees or above and it is not thundering, windy or lightening. If in doubt, please check the website for a posted notice. Lastly, it is your decision as a parent to decide whether or not your child should swim - if you feel that your child should not swim in the current weather condition it is your option not to send your swimmer to practice.

Insurance Note

Due to Forest Park Homeowners Recreation Association insurance and liability issues, siblings and family members of swim team participants are NOT PERMITTED to swim or use the pool facilities during swim team practice time. The pool does not have lifeguards on duty during swim team practices. Our swimmers are covered during practice time by Rocky Mountain Swim League insurance. Again, this does NOT cover siblings or family members.

If you have a question or concern that you need to speak to a coach about, please do not present it to the coach during practice time. They will be happy to talk with you before or after practice. The time slated for practice is short and the coaches need to give their full attention to the swimmers.

Additionally, all swimmers and families must leave the pool area when their swim practice is over. Coaches cannot be responsible for swimmers before or after their appointed practice time. Also, due to insurance and liability issues, the coaches will not be able to drive swimmers to any swim team function.

Dual Meets

There are 5 swim meets scheduled during our regular season. Each week, on Saturday morning, we will compete against a different team from our division. This year we will have two home meets and three away meets. Each meet consists of 90 events. Every swimmer is allowed to swim in 3 individual events and 2 relays in his/her age group. The age group in which your child will swim is defined by their age at 12:01 am on June 1st. In order to participate in a meet a swimmer must be on the roster and have an insurance waiver on file with the league.

It is assumed that if you have a swimmer on the team, they will swim in each meet. If they are unable to swim in a meet, please let the coaches know in writing. If your swimmer is able to attend only part of a meet, it is important that you let the coaches know what time you are leaving or arriving. The coaches will do their best to accommodate your schedule. We will be using online meet entries this year. The coaches will instruct swimmers how to do this by Wednesday of each week so that they can heat the upcoming meet. To "heat" a meet means to determine which swimmers will swim in which individual events and relays

The coaches make every effort to heat a meet based on which events the swimmers want to swim, and the events the coaches believe they will do well in. "Heat Sheets" are posted at the meet in the general area used by our team (usually on the brick wall at home). Check these sheets to see what events your child is swimming. The coaches spend a great amount of time "heating" swimmers. Please be aware of the burden it puts on the coaches and officials to make last minute changes. Also, a change in your schedule can affect many swimmers. Please be respectful and considerate of how a change may also affect swimmers on a relay team.

Warm-Up Schedule for Meets

Swimmers will warm up for Home meets at 6:45 am and at Away meets at 7 am if the meet starts at 7:30 and 7:15 am when the meet begins at 8 am. This means IN THE WATER at this time with arrival at the pool 15 minutes prior to our warm up time. It is important to have your swimmer participate in warm-ups. Not only does it "ge their blood flowing" it also allows the coaches to identify who is not at the meet.

Items to Bring to Swim Meet

Swimmers should bring extra towels, sweats, chair, sleeping bag and a tarp (for wet ground) since it is cool in the mornings, especially after warm-ups. It is important that all swimmers have warm clothes to put on after warm-up and early events to keep muscles warm. Warm muscles reduce injuries! It is also best if swimmers wear shoes between races, again to prevent injuries. Umbrellas or shade tents also make the meet more comfortable. Games or other activities for your child to play with during the meet are encouraged. While there are concession stands for food, many families like to pack small coolers with energy snacks. The coaches will be advising the swimmers about proper nutrition during practices. Label all personal items with swimmers' name.

Prelims and Finals

At the end of the dual meet season, there is a post season. These meets are set up similar to the Olympics in that there are Prelim meets held for the age groups before the Finals meet to determine who will swim in the Finals meet. The prelim meets are broken down into 4 age groups which will swim on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the week prior to the Finals meet. As in the regular meets, each swimmer is allowed to compete in 3 individual events. At the Prelim meet, all of the teams in the RMSL league compete against each other and the top 16 will move on to Finals.

Due to other commitments or personal reasons, not all swimmers attend Prelims. If a swimmer will not be able to swim in Finals, please do not sign them up for Prelims. Otherwise a spot for Finals may go empty, eliminating another swimmer.

Volunteering at Meets

Swim meets are run solely by volunteer help. You will have signed up to volunteer when you registered online in April. When we have everyone's help our meets run efficiently and smoothly. They may also end earlier in the day, too! It takes approximately 60 adults to run a home meet. You are responsible to fill one shift for each meet your child swims in. If you are unable to fill your assigned position please arrange a trade with another family. All schedule changes and trades need to be arranged and communicated to Jacque Babb (720-488-9818) prior to the day of the meet. If a parent does not fulfill his/her volunteer commitment, your child may not be allowed to swim.

Volunteer Check In

When you arrive at the meet, it is important that you check in with the Volunteer Coordinator at the volunteer station to pick up your nametag which lists your job and time shift for the meet. By checking in early, we will know that all positions have been filled and, more importantly, we will be able to start the meet on schedule. If you are volunteering for the first shift of the day, it is important that you are at your position at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the meet. First shift timers cannot leave until they are replaced with a second shift timer.

Volunteer Jobs

Concessions (home meets only)

Set up food items to be sold and work the concessions during the meet. Help clean up at the end of the meet.

Stroke and Turn Judges (home and away meets)

Must have successfully completed the certification classes and be very familiar with the proper execution of all strokes and turns. Responsible to write any disqualification' on the D.Q. slip and to advise the disqualified swimmer of the reason for disqualification, very diplomatically.

Set-Up and Take Down (home)

Set up the night before & morning of the meet. Take down at the end of home meets: Team tents, false start rope, starters area, PA system, ribbons table, concessions tables, heating area, staging area, heating board and scoring tables, etc.

Starter/Referee (home meets)

Runs and communicates meet via PA system. Oversee any disputes between opposing teams. Needs to be familiar with all rules and regulations. Special training or experience is required.

Meet Manager (home meets)

Receives sheets from runner after each event. Data on sheets is to be entered into the computer at the scoring table. All participating teams at that meet will use this information. Prior training with software and a high level of attention to detail is required.

Scoring table (home and away meets)

Oversee and assist with the data entry of meet results into the computer. Place stickers with the swimmers name and time on the back of the ribbons.

Runner (home meets)

Collects cards from all timers, organizes in order and gives to scoring table for computer entry.Timers (home and away meets) - Person will be expected to time each event from behind the starting block. All stopwatches are provided by the Forest Park Swim Team. Instruction from the meet referee will be given at each meet.

Clerk of Course (home and away meets)

Ensures swimmers are assigned to the correct lanes in the heating area several events prior to the start of their event. Moves swimmers to the starting blocks just before their event begins.

Social, Fun, and Fundraisers

We plan trips to Pirates Cove and Water World in June and July. Watch the calendar for more information and the bulletin board at the pool for sign ups. Also the 8 & Unders will get the chance to swim to earn tokens, which may be exchanged for a "treasure" from the Treasure Chest. This year, we are going to implement a Buddy for each swimmer. This will pair up the younger swimmers with the older ones for encouragement and support.

Stroke Clinics

Stroke clinics will be held on Wednesday evenings for a small fee. Sign up at the bulletin board by the pool and indicate which stroke your swimmer would like instruction on. Several coaches will teach swimmers the strokes. Watch the calendar for more info. Coaches are usually available at other times to give private lessons, too.

Photos

A team photo and an individual and sibling photos will be taken by a professional during a morning this summer. Watch the calendar for the date to be determined.

Awards Banquet

The Swim Team will have an awards banquet at the end of the season to celebrate our season and our swimmers. Awards will be given out to each age group and each gender for: Most Valuable, Most Improved and Most Dedicated. There will be trophies and records to present also. Look in the calendar for the date, time and location. There will be food and award presentations.

Website

Make www.fpbluefins.com a bookmark on your internet browser and refer to it often. We will keep it updated and current. GO BLUE FINS!!