How to Survive the Summer… as a Parklawn Piranha Parent Welcome to the Parklawn Piranhas Swim Team! You didn’t think it was just your CHILD that has joined the team, did you?? GREAT NEWS: YOU are also a CRITICAL member of this team! 😊 

1: Yikes, what do I do first? 

A1: First things first, prepare to volunteer! The whole team, and really the whole league, operates on volunteers. The swim meets require numerous people to run; if your child is swimming in a meet, at least one parent is required to work that meet. Working the meet can involve simple things like working the concession stands, or more technical things like judging and starting. We can train you for the more technical jobs; usually most parents start with timing or concessions, which is simple. 

When working at a meet you should wear a white top over navy blue bottoms, such as navy shorts/skorts/pants. If you need a break to catch your child’s race, that’s no problem. If you are the parent of an 8 & Under, or a child that needs more attention than just snow-cone money, fear not, you can volunteer in a way that includes your child—just let the team reps (Karen & Jason, Amanda & Steven) and our volunteer meet coordinators (Jason & Olya Kinder) know and they’ll help you find a way you can help. 

We also need help with social events, spirit gear, banquet, planning, organizing, etc.—there are lots of ways to be involved! Most can find something that they enjoy doing, and there are plenty of friendly folks to teach you what you need to know. 

Finally, each family is required to work three shifts at the pool Snack Bar over the course of the summer. You had to sign up for shifts during registration. It is your responsibility to find a family to work your shift if you cannot. Facebook and Chat (we will be using Teamsnap for chat only) are useful tools to find a family to swap shifts.

We know that working meets and volunteering can be overwhelming at first but generally there are many ways to be involved; most can find something that they like to do. It is a great way to get to know the swimmers and your fellow parents (meaning more places where you’ll feel VERY welcome to sit when the pool is crowded). It also shows your swimmer that you take this seriously! 

Q2: How long is this swim team thing again?? 

A2: Summer swim is 10 weeks with practices/events/meets running 6 days a week. Swim Practices –  At the beginning of summer, while schools are still in session, practices are held in the evenings only, Monday through Friday. 

Once schools have let out for the summer, morning practices are held Monday through Friday. Morning practices are preferable as the pool is not open to the public then and kids and coaches are able to concentrate on learning technique instead of watching their friends play in the pool. Evening practices are not held once school is out for the summer. Children should be dropped off for practice and picked up when practice is complete. Parents of young children should stay on the far patio (near the back gate) for coaches to locate them if their child might need assistance. Parents are not permitted on deck during practice. If you need to talk to a coach, the preferred method is to message them on Teamsnap or email them.  You can also wait until the end of the last practice of the day to try and meet. 

Q3: What should I bring to meets/practices?? 

A3: For meets, your swimmer should be in team T-shirt, swimsuit, two pairs of goggles, and team swim cap (no other team names on it). Double- and triple-check these items because the kids will always forget something. 

They should also bring water to stay hydrated, a towel, bug spray, and sunscreen. In addition, at meets, concessions will be sold to raise money for the hosting team, so cash for that or your own snacks is usually a good idea. It is considered good sportsmanship to buy yummy treats from the host pool. Walking tacos anyone? Swim meets also have a lot of downtime, so swimmers often play cards, read, etc. We have a no electronics policy during meets (cell phones, tablets, games, etc.) Remember to also account for weather and temperatures (umbrellas, sweatshirts, etc.). 

For practices, the kids just need a suitable swimsuit, cap and goggles; it does not have to be the official team gear. 

 Q4: How can I learn the Super Cool Swim Team Lingo?? 

A4: SHHHH, don’t tell anyone where you heard it… but see below: “Being Legal in a Stroke” – able to swim a stroke for the entire distance of the age group’s race without disqualifying (DQing).

“DQ” – When people say this at swim meets they are NOT talking about Dairy Queen, though ice cream is always nice. What they mean is “Disqualified.” Why do you care?? Well… if your child DQs in an “A” meet, then he/she is not eligible for points for that race. (Flip side: If your child finishes 4th and someone else DQs, then your child will come in 3rd and get points for the team.) Great reason to always encourage your children to swim their fastest. 

Just because it might not feel like it counts, it could count (and they might get a personal best!!!)!! 

Q5: The coaches have mentioned Time Trials... are they required? 

A5: Time Trials are simple, but pretty important, as this is where the team gets an idea of how fast the kids are in each stroke and how to place them in different races. Time Trials are run just like a swim meet, but the kids are just racing for times. Your child should participate in every stroke that they are able to swim legally during practice; coaches will determine which strokes swimmers should swim at time trials. These times give the first benchmark time of the season and are the basis for competing in Saturday A-meets. 

As in regular meets, one parent should volunteer to work as a timer, runner, etc. during Time Trials. Time Trials go in the same order as a regular meet: freestyle is swum first, starting with the youngest age group and working up to the oldest age group. This is then repeated for backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly in that order. If you end up missing Time Trials, your swimmer will not have a time for the coaches to gauge their ability and for placement in the first A-meet. The next opportunity you will have to get a recorded time will be the first B-meet that your child swims in, but your swimmer can only swim two individual events at a B-meet (not all four strokes). 

Please make attending Time Trials a priority. (If you don’t make it to Time Trials, please don’t be alarmed if your child is not placed in the first A-meet, as the coaches have no official time with which to place your child. There is no Time Trials make-up; the next opportunity to get official times is at a B-meet, but only two strokes per swimmer at B-meets.) 

Q6: OK, so I figured out where and when the first meet is (THANKS Swimtopia!)… But how does it work? There are A-meets, and B-meets, and judges, and scoring, and seeds, and timers, and where did that guy find a donut? Also, how does everyone already know what to do? 

A6(a): Ok, breathe… Let’s break down the A-meets first. Those are the NVSL (league) meets where the team’s goal is to compete against another team in our NVSL swim division. Each division has six teams. The objective is to score as many points as possible; the team with the highest points wins the meet. 

Points are awarded for each individual: 1st place gets five points, 2nd place three points, and 3rd place one point. The relay team that wins their event receives five points. 

Prior to the meet, the coaches are able to see the swimmers’ times from both our team and the rival team. Using this information they will match and place who will swim in the meet. This is all based on your child’s time in an event and the ability to swim a stroke legally as well as the times of the opposing team's swimmers. This process is called seeding. The coach and the team rep will seed meets to be the most competitive we can be with the swimmers that we have.

In order for your child to be eligible to swim in an A-meet, you MUST mark that your child is available for that meet (this is done in Swimtopia; get the app or use the desktop version) and swimmers will be selected based on their official time in Time Trials, A-meets or B-meets.  Please note, if a swimmer is not acting in line with our code of conduct at practices, meets, with other swimmers, or opposing teams they will not be seeded in A meets regardless of their time. This is summer swim and sportsmanship, work ethic, and attitude are core values.

For each age group/gender and stroke (free, back, breast, and butterfly), three Parklawn swimmers swim against three swimmers from the other team swim. A swimmer can only swim two individual races, so generally the three fastest swimmers that can swim a stroke legally are chosen for that race, balancing where a swimmer can earn the most points for the team (i.e., if the other team has a super-fast freestyler that will beat Parklawn’s top two freestyle swimmers, the coach may place those swimmers in a different event where they can earn more points for the team, such as backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly). 

A swimmer can also swim up which means a swimmer can swim in an older age group.  This is done to score points (if the other team is not as strong in that event) or if we have empty lanes. Swimming up is decided on what is best for the team at meets.

If we do not have swimmers that are legal in a stroke, lanes will go empty. It is considered poor sportsmanship to knowingly place a swimmer that cannot legally perform a stroke in a lane. It causes the swimmer to DQ and slows down the meet. In addition to individual events, the team will compete in relays at NVSL/league A-meets. 

Once the meet sheet (race assignments) is completed and locked in, the sheet will be sent to the team on Thursday night and you can check to see if your child is swimming and what events he/she is swimming. Kids who are not swimming in an A-meet are still encouraged to attend and cheer the team on. You never know when your child may be called to swim because another swimmer does not feel well, oversleeps, or becomes injured.  If your child is swimming in an A-meet, you are required to sign up for a position to work at that meet. 

A6(b): B-meets are team events where the team swims against a local area pool, but they are not NVSL/league meets where points and a score is tracked; the results have no effect in the division. It is like a scrimmage or exhibition match. Swimmers should swim in B-meets, the number of events the swimmer can swim will be listed in the Swimtopia signup.  In general, for the first and last B meet every swimmer can swim any events that they would like. For the other three B meets, you cannot swim any event at a B meet that you swam in the preceding A meet, unless you DQ in that event. 

The events can be freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly or if the swimmer is legal in all four strokes, Individual Medley (IM). Swimmers may not swim a stroke in which they swam at the A-Meet preceding the B-meet. This allows other swimmers to have a chance at winning their heat at a B-meet. Swimmers can improve their times and make sure they can swim a stroke legally. B-meets are all about the times, with no goal of team points.

All team swimmers should plan to attend B-meets and all parents to volunteer at B-meets. The times recorded during these meets are used in assessing whether a swimmer should be placed in an A-meet. For example, if your child perfects breaststroke three weeks into the season and swims it without DQing at a B-meet, the child’s time would be considered for placement in the upcoming A-meet. B-meets are about swimming personal bests, improving your swimmer’s skill level, and being a part of the team. 

B-meets are fun because since they are more local, the swimmers often know the swimmers on the other team from school, sports or other activities. B-meets can also take a bit longer than A-meets due to more kids swimming, so multiple heats per stroke are common. B-meets offer the coaches an opportunity to evaluate swimmers in a competition setting, and swimmers receive ribbons for swimming in B-meets, including ribbons for personal best (which is beating their best time of the season). 

Any volunteer slot still open at 2:00pm on Sunday will be filled by parents who have signed up their child (ren) to swim the meet and who have worked the least amount of meets/shifts. The Volunteer Coordinator and the B Meet Coordinator will work together to assign parents to the job vacancies.  If for some reason you absolutely cannot work the meet, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator or B Meet Coordinator by 2 pm on Sunday, otherwise your swimmer(s) may be pulled from the meet. If you have a preference as to which job you would like to work, we strongly encourage you sign up quickly. This will eliminate the need for the extra emails requesting volunteers which we know can be frustrating to those who have already signed up to volunteer.

Q7: This all sounds intense. Do the kids ever kick back and have fun, team-build and bond??? Possibly with cake and singing off-key? 

A7: The team holds pep rallies and activities for all swimmers on the team on Friday nights. It is how they make friends and bond with one another. Practices are for practicing and meets are about people getting where they need to be to swim – but the pep rallies such as karaoke, laser tag, games, cake bakes, etc. are about having fun and many of them are all done by age group to help bond the swimmers. This is more about the team as a whole and friendships, as well as letting the kids rest and raising spirits for the following meet. 

Q8: OK, how on earth do we keep track of all these events, plus how do I ask if someone has found my favorite towel—it has cats with little sombreros and tacos on it? 

A8: For this, we use Swimtopia. It’s a great resource to know when and where meets and events are happening. Also, this is where you would indicate whether your swimmer is available for an NVSL meet - A-meet, IM Carnival, Relay Carnival, and Divisionals. We use the Teamsnap App as a means to communicate with the rest of the team. It has a group chat feature or the ability to message particular parents to ask questions or request help. 

Q9: OK, there are several grownups walking around in cool team shirts; they look important… who are they? 

A9: Those would be our coaches and team reps. We will have a Head Coach and Assistant Coaches for the team along with several Junior Coaches. All the coaches are there to help the kids improve their strokes and techniques, and the lead coaches also handle all the seeding and placement. If you have questions for the coaches, save them for after meets and practices. During meets and practices the coaches are busy with the swimmers. The other fancy-shirt-wearing folks are the team reps, who handle most of the logistics of the team and work closely with the coaches to help the team do its best. Team reps are here to help; they are a wealth of information and can answer your questions or find you who can. 

Q10: So what is this IM Carnival, Relay Carnival, and Divisionals —I hear they are a big deal? I’m guessing the kids get to pass around funnel cake and cotton candy or something? 

A10: The Todd Potts Individual Medley (IM) Carnival is an invitational meet for charity hosted by Forest Hollow Swim Club. This meet is held in honor of Todd and his story of leadership and spirit begins each meet. Each swimmer swims an individual medley (IM) which consists of butterfly, back, breast and free. Six teams are invited to compete, and we are fortunate to be amongst those teams. You must have a legal IM time or be legal in all four strokes for a chance to compete.

The Relay Carnival is an NVSL/league meet and takes place on a Wednesday of June (breaking the Monday and Saturday tradition). The coaches select the fastest swimmers from each age group/gender to form freestyle and medley relay teams, consisting of four swimmers. Swimmers selected must attend practice the week of Carnival with their relay group in order to compete in Relay Carnival (Tuesday and Wednesday). The rest of the division (made up of a total of six teams) does the same and the six relay teams in each age group compete. The winning team has the most points and receives a special trophy.

Divisionals – This meet is an NVSL/league meet at the end of the season where the fastest two swimmers in each age group/gender and event compete. Each team in the division is able to seed two swimmers in each event. Divisionals is held the last Saturday in July. The team that wins the division and the team that shows the most sportsmanship during the season receive trophies. The coaches will notify the swimmers that will be selected. There are no team points involved in this meet; it is an individual competition. 

Banquet Dinner (The Finale of the Season) – This season-end dinner honors the ENTIRE swim team. The dinner is on the Sunday the day after divisionals in July. PLEASE make sure your swimmer will be able to attend this great event. It is all about the swimmers and all of their hard work. The coaches will recognize every swimmer on the team. The competition for paper plate awards is FIERCE! 

Sportsmanship – The Parklawn Piranhas often win the good sportsmanship award within our division; it is important to always be a good sport. This includes shaking hands with the swimmer on either side of you at the end of the race before getting out of the water, cheering our own team, and not booing or being negative to the other team. At the end of the day, this is about the kids having fun, improving their skills, and learning to be good competitors.