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| [ PARENT INFO: report meet absence | parent handbook | faq | tips ] | |||
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Frequently Asked Questions Swim Meets What happens if my child has to miss a meet? At registration, we ask you to identify any swim meets that your child will not be able to attend. We ask this at registration because there is a large amount of work that goes into the preparations for a swim meet. If we know in advance which swimmers will be present, the meet will run faster and every child will be given the opportunity to swim. If we are expecting a child at a meet who then "no-shows," it creates confusion and could keep other relay members from swimming. If, after registration, you find that your child must miss a meet please click on the "Report a Meet Absence" link located in the right column of almost every page on this Web site to report the meet absence by the Tuesday before the meet in question. PLEASE make every attempt to notify the coaching staff if your swimmer is unable to attend the meet, even if it is after Tuesday (such as in the event of an illness). Why is it so important that I notify the coaches if my child has to miss a meet? We have a policy on missing meets and it is extremely important that families understand this policy. It is assumed a swimmer will be attending all meets unless you indicate otherwise. Our coaching staff will be completing each meet's seeding with this assumption in mind. Our coaches must start seeding the swimmers - that is, deciding who will swim which event(s) - at the beginning of each week and will assume that all team members will be participating in the Saturday meet unless notified otherwise. Simply not showing up at a meet without warning is not only inconsiderate; it is unfair to other swimmers. No shows can and do cause relays to be canceled. Our computer-generated heat sheets (lists of swimmers by the events and heats they are swimming) are produced by Friday afternoon before a meet. Our heat sheets are unofficial, but it is obviously more than helpful when they are accurate. More importantly, absolutely no substitutions may be made later than 10 minutes before a meet starts. If one relay heat has to be scratched (canceled) because of a surprise no-show, that means three other children will not be able to swim that event. If, during the swim season, you realize your child will not be able to attend a meet, please click on the "Report Meet Absence" link, (located in the right column of almost every page on this Web site) by the Tuesday before the meet in question. This will e-mail both the head coach and the team's computer specialist. We understand that plans can change quickly
and unexpectedly, and that emergencies do occasionally arise
between any given Tuesday and Saturday morning. In such cases,
at the earliest possible moment, click on the "Report Meet
Absence" link to e-mail both the head coach and the team's
computer specialist report the meet absence. Home meets are always held at the Balcones Country Club pool (8600 Balcones Club Dr). Away meets are held at the different NWSC member pools. To find out where a particular meet is being held, as well as view a map to that location, visit the Meets page. What are the conversion times for the various pools? Individual pools the the NWSC vary in length
and because of this variation, swimmers' times must be adjusted
accordingly in order to have a consistent measure. In order to
determine the official time, use the following formula: Do I have to volunteer at the swim meets? Yes, the BCC Sharks swim team as a whole could not operate without the generous work of parent volunteers. All the work of putting together a team of volunteers, keeping within a financial budget, arranging all of the schedules, and running the swim meets is up to all of us. For this reason, we require every Shark family to work a minimum number of shifts throughout the summer swim season. A shift is defined as 1/2 of the swim meet. This means we are asking each family to help in a volunteer position for half of the swim meet, a number of times throughout the season. Download and view the Volunteer Position Description document (PDF) for more detailed information about the volunteer positions. None of the jobs are difficult and simple training is provided as needed but you can easily learn how to do most of the tasks in a few minutes. If you are brand new to the summer swim league, the jobs of team parent, timer, runner, meet prep and score table are pretty good places to start. One thing to remember: as a volunteer you will definitely feel a part of the teamwork, and it actually does make it feel like the meets go faster. What are the various volunteer positions? We're glad you asked! Volunteer positions range from team parent to timer to runner to hospitality. Download and view the Volunteer Position Description document (PDF) for more detailed information about the volunteer positions. If at any time you have questions about your volunteer position, please contact us. When I volunteer at a meet, what time do shift 1 and shift 2 occur? The first shift always begins at the start of the meet. There will be an announcement calling all first shift volunteers approximately 15 minutes before the first event of the meet. Listen for the announcement so you will know when and where to report for volunteer duty. As far as when second shift will begin, that time will vary based on the number of heats in each event for that particular meet. Generally, though, there is a 15 minute break about mid-way through the meet events and that is when the shift change happens. Again, there will be an announcement calling all second shift volunteers. The Divisional meet is a meet between three teams instead of two, so it is a longer meet and therefore has three volunteer shifts. The same guidelines apply to the Divisional meet. If at any time you have questions about your volunteer position, please contact us. What time does my swimmer need to arrive at swim meets? Swim meet check-in and start times are always listed on the Meets page. As meet starting times are subject to change, always check there for the most up-to-date information regarding an upcoming meet. Home Meet
Check-In Time Away Meets What do I do when I arrive at a meet? The first thing you should do upon arrival at any meet is check in with each of your swimmers' tent parents to let them know your swimmers are present at the meet. Get your swimmer(s) set up in their tent area and grab yourself a spot somewhere in the area. It is important to bring your own chair since there are not a lot of chairs available at the pools. If you have not already marked your swimmer's arm with their event, heat and lane number now is a good time to do this. (Ask your tent parent if you need help with this.) Wait for the announcer to call your swimmer's age group for warm up. For other helpful information about what to expect/bring/do at swim meets, visit our Tips page. Where do I find heat sheets and results? The day before each meet be sure to check the Meets page. There, you will be able to download and print a session report (a list of all events for a meet) and a heat sheet. Heat sheets are like a meet's "program." They list the details of each event, including approximately what time an event will be held, the names of the swimmers in each heat of an event, and which lanes they will swim in. It's a great idea to print heat sheets the night before the meet, and highlight your swimmers' events so that you will not miss them. Results are usually posted in the evening after the swim meet has ended. Again, check the Meets page. What happens if meets are canceled due to weather? The Home Meet Director will make the final judgment on the postponement or cancellation of a scheduled meet due to inclement weather. Such decisions will be communicated to the visiting Meet Director as soon as possible. As information becomes available, we will relay it to parents via Shark Blast (e-mail), and by posting on Twitter and Facebook. (Be sure we have a current e-mail address for your family, and that you have followed us on Twitter and Facebook!) If a swim meet has been canceled entirely, a decision will be made as to whether it will be made up. Where can I find my swimmer(s) results after a swim meet? After a swim meet, meet results, including final scores and individual results, will be posted on the Meets page of our Web site. You can also find data for each individual swimmer in Hy-Tek's Team Stats Online. Where can I buy the team suit? The team suit will be sold at the in-person registration meetings. If you missed the meetings, or did not purchase a team suit at the meetings, visit Lane Four Swim Shop (9070 Research Blvd #201-B, Austin, TX. 78758, 512-836-5152) to purchase a team swim suit. Tell them you are from the BCC Sharks, and they will point you to our team suit style. Swim Practice Swim practices generally begin on the first Monday in May, providing the weather cooperates. The first three weeks of practice will be after school hours and our regular summer practice schedule will commence the first day after the school semester ends. Check the practice schedule for up-to-date information. How often are swim practices held? Practices are held five days a week, Monday through Friday. What if my child has to miss practice? If you child must miss practice, let a coach know. You can approach a coach while on the pool deck, or send an e-mail. Where are the practice pools located? The BCC Sharks Swim Team has two swimming pools available for practice:
Having two pools to use has both advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is all our swimmers are able to get into the water for practice every day. The disadvantage is we have to split our coaches to support both pools, which means not all coaches will get to be with each child every day. Effort will be made, however, to make sure each child is able to benefit from the experience of all the coaches by rotating coaches between pools. Where will my swimmer practice? Since we have two pools available for practice, the team is split up between them. Generally, swimmers 10 years and younger will practice at the Spicewood pool, and swimmers 11 years and over will swim at the Balcones Country Club pool. Always visit the practice schedule section of this Web site for up-to-date information. What equipment will my swimmer need? During practice, it is important for all swimmers to have the following items:
The price of these items is NOT included in the registration fees; they must be purchased separately. You will be notified at registration as to any additional equipment needed and where to purchase it. Note: All items should be labeled with
a waterproof marker for easy identification. Where can I buy required equipment such as caps, goggles, fins and swim suits? You can find swimming equipment at any of the sporting goods stores, including Academy. For assistance in picking out properly fitting goggles and fins, it is sometimes helpful to visit a swimming "boutique," such as Lane Four Swim Shop. Employees there will let you open and try on goggles. Different faces need different goggles so it's a good idea to to let your child try them on for comfort before you buy them. Where can I buy the team swim suit? Lane Four Swim Shop sells our team suit. Stop by the 183/Burnet Rd locations, let them know you swim for BCC Sharks, and the employess will direct you to our team suit.x The Swim Team What are the registration fees? Swim team registration fees are determined
each swim season. For non-BCC club members there is an Registration fees cover the following:
Sharks registration fees for 2013 are as follows:
Swimmers age 12 and under (as of May 1, 2013):
Swimmers age 13 and up (as of May 1, 2013): $110
Facility Fee for non-members - $65/swimmer
Late fee - $25/swimmer The cost of the team swimsuit and other equipment (such as fins, goggles, swim caps, etc.) is NOT included in the registration fees. These items must be purchased separately. Most swimmers can usually use the same suit
for two years. In addition, the manufacturer may How do the BCC Sharks communicate with the parents? We communicate with parents via the following means:
Be sure we have a current e-mail address for your family, and that you have followed us on Twitter and Facebook! The latest Meet information will be posted on the Meets page of our Web site. Where can I buy Sharks t-shirts and other Sharks merchandise? We encourage all BCC swimmers and their families to show team pride and spirit. Swimmers are encouraged to wear their team suit, cap, and t-shirt at the meets. Family members can also purchase and use Shark items and Spirit Wear to show their support. Each swimmer will receive a Sharks T-shirt with his/her paid registration. Spirit Wear items, which are garments embroidered with the Sharks logo, must be ordered during registration or at the Blue and White meet. Spirit Wear items are not sold throughout the season, only at the beginning. For information about ordering Spirit Wear, please contact our Spirit Wear Coordinator (spiritwear@bccsharks.org). At most swim meets the Shark Shack Tent will be available for the purchase of items that a swimmer might need on the day of a meet, such as Shark caps, goggles, etc. They also carry merchandise such as mugs, yard signs and window decals. Sales from the Shark Shack help raise money for the team. For questions about Shark Shack, contact our Shark Shack Coordinator (sharkshack@bccsharks.org). Who makes up the Shark's Board of Directors? The Shark's BOD is made up entirely of parent volunteers. The only volunteer jobs requiring election by the parents are the Swim Team Board positions. At the end of the previous season, a committee appointed by the current President nominates Board members for the next year. Any parent wishing to be a candidate for any of the Board positions may throw their hat in the ring by informing the President or any Board member. The election of the Board members will take place during the Annual Awards Banquet, which is held at the conclusion of the summer swim season. The BCC Board Members wish to stress to all parents and guardians that their e-mail addresses (as well as those of the coaches) are listed to accommodate any questions, comments or concerns you may have. If you have suggestions or comments, please share them with us. |
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