What are the expectations for summer swim?

• Summer swim is just like a rec league for other sports. Kids must live in the neighborhood and be between 4-18 years old. Parents must pay the registration fee and be willing to commit to the volunteer requirements during the season.

My kid can’t swim well, can they still join?

• Yes! We have a Junior Gator program for kids who are not able to swim the length of the pool at the beginning of the season, but are ready to learn. They have their own practices where they can retest and move up to the team during the season. New 7/8 swimmers, kids 6 and under and former junior gators will come to our assessment week at the start of the season to see which group is right for them. For those who still need support in the water and don’t feel ready to we encourage swimmers to sign up for lessons and come back next year to join the team.

We travel in the summer and have other commitments, can we still join the team?

• YES! We don’t have a minimum number of practices kids must attend, nor do we have a minimum number of meets. However, we encourage you to attend as many as you can to see improvements and help your team win. Parents must still fulfill their volunteer requirements, so please plan accordingly.

REGISTRATION:

What happens at registration?

• Registration generally occurs anywhere between late March and mid April. There are computers set up where families can complete an online registration form, pay for the season, see the summer swimsuits, pick up caps, purchase other merchandise and ask questions. We have board members there to help you, as well as coaches. Kids are welcome of course! If you don’t want to come to the pool you may register online at home.

What should I bring to registration?

• Bring your summer calendar so that you know what meets you can attend and sign up for volunteer positions. Bring a form of payment in order to complete your registration. We currently use Stripe, which will accept most major credit cards. We have sample sizes offered for our team shirt (free) and an example of our current seasons swimsuit. We encourage you to bring your swimmer to try things on and meet the coaches. Parents may also purchase a shirt (or tank), magnet and silicon cap.

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Why do parents have to volunteer?

• The entire league called the TSA (Tarheel Swim Association) is run by volunteers at every level. Each neighborhood needs families to participate in order for a meet to run. There are many jobs that run year round and involve many hours worth of work, but most only require families to participate a few times throughout the season. This is a great way to get to see your child swim and see how hard they have been working. Lots of great friends have been made at these events and we encourage everyone to get involved. Please let us know if you would like to get involved at a deeper level, we are always looking for help!

I have never participated in a summer swim meet. What job is good for me?

• There are a few jobs that require training: Stroke and Turn, Computers, Starter, Announcer, Head Kid Pusher and Clerk of Course should be done by trained participants.
• Timers, Runners, Scorers, Place Judges, and Concessions are great for new families.

How will I know what to do?

• We suggest attending the mock meet where we have returning families work, and then watch the job you signed up to do. There are many people who can explain your job. Please make sure to show up on time for your job and let the volunteer coordinators know you are needing directions on your role. If you signed up to be a timer, place judge or clerk of course there is a meeting prior to the meet start where we explain details on those roles.

How many service credits do I need? What if my child isn’t doing meets?

• The number of credits needed depends on how many swimmers you have on the team. In addition to meet roles, each family must work at least 1 home meet at setup or cleanup.

1 swimmer = 9 credits

2 or more swimmers = 13 credits

• Even if your swimmer chooses not to participate in meets we still have families earn their service credits. We encourage your swimmer to come to the meet even if they don’t feel ready to swim just yet. They may show interest (or feel extra motivated) after they see how much fun kids are having. There are other opportunities to earn credits at socials and pump ups, which occur outside of meet times.

JUNIOR GATOR

• Many teams in the league have younger swimmers who are not yet ready to join the team - they may be young, new to swim, or just not yet have the confidence to participate with the big kids...YET
• We piloted the program in the summer of 2021 and heard that it helped many of our younger swimmers integrate onto the team in a helpful way. The majority of kids that started in Jr Gators moved up to be a “regular gator” by the end of the season.
• Jr Gators have separate practices with a smaller coach:swimmer ratio as well as the ability to make use of the shallow end in the mornings for increased safety.
• Jr Gators participate in the mock meet and last home meet where they can have a Jr Coach in the water with them helping them along the way.

HOW IT WORKS?

You do not register for one group or the other. ALL 6 and under swimmers, any NEW 8 and unders, or anyone who ended the season as a Jr Gator last season should complete a swim assessment the first week of practice. The needed skills include swimming one length of the pool (25 yards) with their face in the water, floating on their back, ability to get in/out of the pool independently and listening to the coaches. This group will have an opportunity to practice the first week before needing to complete the test. We know if your swimmer has not been in the water all winter that they may be a little rusty or nervous to swim, so we encourage you to attend the assessment practices to work out the kinks. They can then “test” at the end of the week where you know which group is the best fit for your swimmer. Please remember that they can retest throughout the season and move up when they are ready.

Who’s Who?

Current Board Members:

Debbie Becker - Board Admin

Lisa Nelson - Board/Concessions Admin

Katie Rozet - Meet Manager

Stacy Waltzer - Social Media/Sponsor Manager

Jason Sivon - Computer/Timing System

Carly Laing - Gator/Jr Gator Manager

Keith O'Hare - Gator/Jr Gator Manager

Nick Rillo - Computer/Timing System

Rock Stars:

Hugh Hockett - TSA Rep

Jennifer Gasperini - TSA Rep

Sara Louca - Announcer

Austin Johnson - Meet Starter

Jennifer Johnson - Meet Starter

Alan White - Stroke and Turn

Sarah Dickert - Stroke and Turn

Rebecca Waite - Ribbon Writer

Liz Lawson - Swim Assessment Coordinator

Rudi Keene - Volunteer Coordinator

Casie Pittman - Volunteer Coordinator

April Erichsen - Concessions/Grill Purchaser

Andrew Cleveland - Grill Manager

Randall Arms - Concessions Manager

Christine Arms - Concessions Manager

Cherith Roberson - Socials Manager

Brett Fleshman - DJ

Kara Fleshman - Spirit Wear

Coaches:

Sara Morgan - Co-Head Coach

Sarah Paroly - Co-Head Coach

Carly Mack - Asst Coach

Delainey Gilreath - Asst Coach

Meet Information:

Mock meet

The season starts with a mock meet, which is an intramural meet where swimmers swim all 4 strokes in order to get race times for the upcoming season. This is a great way to see where you start the season and how much you room you have to grow. These times help coaches see which strokes are your strength, where you need more work, and where to put you in a possible relay. This meet tends to go faster since it is only our team racing and it does not have relays.

Meets

There are 6 regular season meets, 3 home meets and 3 away meets (local). All meets occur on Tuesday evenings. When we are the home team and have the first warmup, the arrival time tends to be around 4:45, and when we are away we meet at the other teams pool around 5 pm.

Meet order:

Medley relays: 8 and over (4 swimmers all swimming a different stroke) the order is alphabetical Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle. 6 and unders do not do relays.

Freestyle: starts with 6 and under boys, then girls and then goes up from ages finishing with 15-18 girls. 6 and under kids swim 15 yards and have older kids “catching them” at the 15 yard line. 8 and unders and 10 and unders swim 25 yards (1 length) and kids 11+ all do 50 yards (2 laps)

Backstroke: same as freestyle

Breaststroke: same as freestyle. This is the last event for 6 and unders

Butterfly: 6 and unders do not swim this stroke. Otherwise the order is the same as above

Freestyle Relays: 8 and over (4 swimmers all swimming freestyle)

Socials:

Throughout the season we have different socials. Every Monday before a regular season meet we have a Pump Up. These are sometimes sponsored, but other times the family can opt to purchase a meal. There is always a signup genius that goes around asking about your participation. Kona Ice has been known to show up to practice on occasion. We also have (and are adding) more social events. Stay tuned for what is to come.

Coaches:

We usually have 2-4 coaches for the team. They are always experienced swimmers, and many times have a history as a Gator themselves. They are certified as life guards and have completed SafeSport training. In addition to “regular” coaches, the 14 and over swimmers are encouraged to become Junior Coaches. They assist our 8 and under swimmers during practice and get in the water with them to ensure their safety and give them a more hands-on experience. We cannot function without the help of our Junior Coaches who we depend on to teach the younger swimmers how to be a Gator.