Wellesley Whitecaps

Swim Meets...What to Expect

• Your child will be entered into events for every meet they commit to participate in. If your child will not be at a meet, please let the coaches know ASAP.
• Swimmers and volunteers need to check-in upon arrival at the pool's front gate.
• Swimmers will receive their event assignments at check-in.
• Gates open and check-in begins at 4:30pm.Swimmers must be checked in by 5:15pm. Meet starts at 6pm.
• Relays for 8 & Under are the first event of every meet.
• Swimmers 8 & Under may leave the meet after they complete their last individual event.
• Swimmers age 9 & Older who are not on a relay team should check with their coach before leaving to ensure they have not been added to a relay team since they were posted.
• Swimmers report to the "Clerk of Course" when their event number is called. Parents may escort children to the clerk, but are not permitted in the clerk area.
• Meet results are posed throughout the evening.

Goggles & Caps

• Swimmers are encouraged to wear goggles to practice and in every race.
• Swim caps are essential as they keep hair away from eyes and mouths so swimmers can see and breathe. It also ensures that hair won't get tangled with another swimmer or lane ropes. A swim cap can even help focus a distracted swimmer by keeping them from playing with their hair.

What to Bring to a Meet

• 2 towels per swimmer
• Goggles
• Snacks and hydration
• Whitecaps Swim Cap
• Whitecaps Spirit Wear
• Cards, books, games for down time
• Chairs
• Sweatshirt or long sleeve, it can get cold in the evenings
• Sharpie to write events on hand or arm

Volunteering

It takes nearly 100 volunteers to run a meet. Whitecaps parents are expected to volunteer at every meet their child swims in. Most positions can be filled by any parent. Referee, Strokes & Turns Judge, Clerk of Course, and Starter are all certified positions and require training. Please contact Callye Robinson at [email protected] if you are interested in becoming a certified official.

Weather Delays

Unfortunately, we do occasionally experience delays in our meets due to bad weather. At the first sound of thunder or sighting of lightning, the pool and deck must be cleared of all people. A 30-minute waiting period is to be enforced before swimmers may begin to swim after the last sighting of lightning or sound of thunder. If a weather delay is called, you must exit the pool and deck area and return to your car with all of your belongings. You will want to bring movies or games to keep the children entertained while waiting out the weather in your car. We make every effort to finish a meet on the scheduled evening, but postponements do happen. Any postponed meets are scheduled for the following evening.

What are the Age Groups?

• 8 & Under, 9 & 10, 11 & 12, 13 & 14, and 15-18.Swimmers age 6 & Under are broken into their own age group for Freestyle and Backstroke only.
• A swimmer's age is determined by their age on June 1st.They remain in the same group all season.

How Can 5 Swimmers Get First Place in the Same Event?

• Novice, Advanced, Junior Varsity, Varsity, Senior Varsity, oh my........
• GRAL designates 5 ability levels for each individual event. All swimmers without times are placed in novice category. As their times improve, they will move up to the other categories. To make the meet run more quickly, all swimmers in an event will swim together but they will be scored against the other swimmers at their ability level. Time standards can be found at gralva.com.

What is a DQ?

A disqualification is often referred to as a DQ. A swimmer will be DQ'ed if they do not perform a stroke/turn/start/finish correctly. It is not fun, but happens to all swimmers at least once. After each meet, the coaches are given the DQ cards which explain exactly why a swimmer was DQ'ed. This serves as an opportunity to learn how to do the stroke correctly.

What is a 100IM?

An Individual Medley (IM) is an event where one swimmer swims 4 laps in the following order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle. IM's are swum at meets 2, 4, & 6.

Relays

• 8 & Under Relays are event 1
• Odd Week Meets = Freestyle Relays (ALL 4 swimmers swim Freestyle)
• Even Week Meets=Medley Relays (Each of the 4 swimmers swims a different stroke in this order: Back, Breast, Fly, & Free)

Going off Block

Prior to each meet, new swimmers will be evaluated by the coaches to determine whether or not they can start off the block, off the side (O marked on arm), or in the water (X marked on arm).

Concessions at the Meets

• There will be a special "Whitecaps" Menu for which the team benefits from as part of their fundraising efforts.
• Pre-Order forms will be sent out 48 hours to the meet.

Our Pool

• The Wellesley Pool is a 25 meter pool. Some of the pools we will swim at are 25 yard pools.

CHAMPS

GRAL hosts a league-wide championship meet at the end of the season. To qualify, a swimmer needs to achieve a JV, V, or SV time in a particular event. Champs will be held at Swim RVA on July 19 and July 20. There is an additional small fee for any swimmer who attends the CHAMPS meet.

Communication

• Please talk with coaches before or after practice.They need to have eyes on the pool during practice.
• Please communicate to the coach if you will be late to or miss a meet that you have signed up to attend.
• We realize last minute issues do arise, so PLEASE make every effort to notify the coaches or parent rep ASAP!
• REMINDERS, last minute updates, etc. will be posted on the NABR app, Whitecaps Facebook page, and sent via text message.

Hang In There

If this is your first season, it can be overwhelming for the swimmer and parent. Ask Questions! We are here to help you and your kids have a wonderful summer swimming experience. We promise your child will learn much more than swimming this season! Summer swimming is about staying active, meeting new friends, having fun, learning sportsmanship, and increasing self-esteem.