Frequently Asked Questions
What is swim team all about?
The Fallsmead Swim Team provides our children with the chance to experience competitive swimming in a fun, supportive, and child-centered environment. We emphasize healthy competition, and good sportsmanship is the rule rather than the exception. There is also the added excitement of seeing times improve during the season and cheering on teammates. Fun, friendship, team spirit, improved self-esteem, and life-long swimming skills are all part of what the Sharks Swim Team is all about!
How well does my child have to swim to be on the team?
The Fallsmead Swim Team offers training and practice groups for swimmers of all ages and ability levels. It is our goal to offer age specific training for all of our athletes geared towards challenging each individual and developing each individual to the best of THEIR abilities. We offer programs for all ability levels - from just starting out, to our more well-seasoned swimmers.
I'm not sure if my child will like swim team, can we try it out before registering?
Absolutely! You are welcome to come to the first week of practice before committing to registering. However, your child must be registered and a waiver signed in order to compete in any of the Swim Meets. After the first week of practice, we will ask you to complete registration in order for your child to continue swimming with the team. During this first week period, we highly recommend having your kids come to as many practices as possible. Although practice can be hard work, it is very rewarding and they get to work alongside their friends during this time.
Team Communications
Swim Team news will be communicated in the following ways:
- Regular e-mails from the team reps and/or coaches to swim team families
- The Sharks website will be regularly updated with news, Meet information and results and calendar information
If you have a suggestion, question, comment, or concern, please let the coaches and team reps know. Whether it is in person, via e-mail, or on the phone, we will strive to be as accessible, responsive and as informative as we can be. When communication is flowing, the team is more fun and more successful!
Does my child have to wear the team suit?
While all swimmers are encouraged to wear the team suit, it is not mandatory. If your child’s suit from last year is in good condition and still fits, wear it this year as well! Team suits can be tried on for size and purchased at the pool early in the season, or online at anytime (see one of the Reps for more details).
For A Meets, MCSL follows USA Swimming rules with regard to eligible swimsuits for competition. In general, these requirements state that swimsuits for men may not extend above the navel or below the knee and for women may not cover the neck or extend past the shoulders or below the knee. No zippers or other fastening devices are allowed, except for a waist tie on a brief or jammer. See coaches or reps for any accommodations that your swimmer may need due to religious or medical reasons.
Why do I need to volunteer and how much of a time commitment is expected? We are a small team. It is critical that each family volunteer its time as the team is not able to compete without parent participation. Each meet needs 27 volunteers to run it, and some of these positions are lots of fun and offer close up vantage points of the swimmers. There are many types of volunteer opportunities both during and outside of the actual meets so there are plenty of ways for everyone to help out. We do not have a minimum requirement as some other teams do, but we encourage everyone to donate as much time as possible to help make the season a fun and successful one! All the volunteer descriptions are listed on the Fallsmead Sharks Website.
Swim Meets:
The kids really look forward to the swim meets because they are with friends, there is lots of cheering, there is yummy food at the concessions stand, and most importantly, collecting their ribbons at the end of the meet. We are one big, happy swimteam family that on most weeks has two swim meets: ‘A’ Meets, which start promptly at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings, and ‘B’ Meets, which generally start at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings. Before each swim meet, team members who are swimming in the meet participate in a group warm-up. Warm-ups are important, and usually begin 45 minutes before the meet starts.
There are five ‘A’ Meets, the ‘A’ Relay Carnival, and Divisionals every year. In addition, there are usually 2-3 ‘B’ Meets. The Meets typically last about 2 ½ hours. Unlike ‘A’ Meets, team scores are not kept at ‘B’ Meets.
The fastest swimmers in each age group will be asked to swim on Saturday mornings. There are two heats of freestyle for all age groups, so the fastest six swimmers in freestyle will swim on Saturday mornings. All other events in the meet have one heat, so the three fastest swimmers will swim in those events. Swimmers are allowed to swim up to three individual events (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly), plus the Individual medley, and one relay per meet. ‘A’ Meets follow the rules established by MCSL. The rules are printed in the “MCSL Handbook.”
participate. Each team may enter one (1) four-person team for each relay event. There are boys’ relays, girls’ relays, and mixed relays spread out over the age groups. Coaches prepare the line-up for the Relay Carnival based on the swimmers’ fastest times to date and may use their discretion to place swimmers where they are needed most to help the team. It is extremely important to notify the coaches if you cannot attend this meet. If one swimmer doesn’t show up, the entire relay can’t swim their event.
About a week before the first meet, Fallsmead holds its Time Trials meet. This meet follows the standard meet format, and is designed for swimmers to obtain their starting times for the season.
