Friday, June 12, 2009

A word about the weather...

I wish I had the power to control the weather. It takes myself and your coaches many, many hours of work to put together a swim meet, and I hate to see all that effort go to waste, but thunder and lightning are a fact of life in Alabama in the summer. Pools must close 30 minutes following each occurrence of thunder, and 60 minutes for lightning. This is for your safety, and is required by the facility's insurance company.


It is our goal for each team to be able to complete at least 3 of the 4 meets scheduled, so a meet that is cancelled early is not automatically made up. If your team is rained out more than once, we will fit you into another meet (or create a new one) later in the season.

Thank you to all the volunteers!

emily

Timeline for Friday and Saturday Meets!

Friday June 12 @ East Y

5:00 pm Warm-up begins

5:00 pm Officials, Head Clerk, Clerk and Starter report for duty
5:30 pm Head Timer, Head Bullpen and Head Runner report for duty
5:40 pm Bullpen report for duty
5:50 pm Timers and Card Runners report for duty

5:50 pm Call for swimmers for first events
6:00 pm Competition begins

Saturday June 13 @ Southeast Y

7:00 am Warm-up begins

7:00 am Officials, Head Clerk and Starter report for duty
7:30 am Head Timer, Head Bullpen and Head Runner report for duty
7:40 am Bullpen report for duty
7:50 am Timers and Card Runners report for duty

7:50 am Call for swimmers for first events
8:00 am Competition begins!

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Official's Training Workshops

Thursday June 11 4:00-5:00 pm @ Southeast Y

This workshop will give a general explanation of how swim meets work and the general duties of the various volunteer positions, but will mainly focus on the responsibilities of the official and finish judge. I highly recommend this meeting for all new swim parents and anyone who may work as an official, especially those attending the meets Friday night and Saturday morning.

Friday June 12 5:00-6:00 pm @ East Y (during warm-ups)

This is the second part of the official's training workshop. We will show a video that details all the rules of swimming, and your questions will be answered by a certified official. Anyone who works as an official should attend this class at least once.

Saturday June 13 7:00-8:00 am @ Southeast Y (during warm-ups)

This is the second part of the official's training workshop. We will show a video that details all the rules of swimming, and your questions will be answered by a certified official. Anyone who works as an official should attend this class at least once.

I look forward to seeing all of you!

emily

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Officials' Training Classes

Dear Swim Parents,

The first swim meets of the season are days away, and I want to take this opportunity to welcome back returning families and introduce myself to all the new parents. My name is Emily Giles, and I have been coordinating the YMCA Summer Swim League for the past 5 or 6 years. It is a joy to get to know all the parents, coaches, and swimmers, and witness the growth and development of your precious children. It is a great honor to be able to contribute to their health and well-being. 

As you may or may not know, swim competitions require heavy parent participation. It is impossible to conduct a swim meet without the help of at least 20 parent volunteers each meet. Therefore, it is a league requirement that each family provide a volunteer at least once throughout the season. If every parent does their fair share, no one should have to volunteer more than twice per season. There are sometimes special circumstances that prohibit some parents from volunteering, and we truly appreciate those that help over and above what is expected.

If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to talk to your coach or team parent and find out how you can help.

Most volunteer positions can be learned in just a few minutes at the swim meet, but there are a few positions that require a bit more training. One of those positions is that of the official, or judge. This is a very important position, and helps ensure fair competition and accurate results. Many people are afraid to accept this role, but let me assure you that it is not difficult, and can be a fun and rewarding way to participate. 

Each team will need to have at least one trained official for every ten swimmers, so it is important that as many parents as possible are trained. Although we can train you during the swim meet, it is much more effective to do this ahead of time as a group. So, this year we will be offering training classes for officials and finish judges. I highly encourage these classes for ALL returning swim parents and new parents with previous swim experience, unless you are already committed to working another position such as Head Clerk of Course or Starter. Not only will you learn what you need to know to officiate our swim meets, but you will also be better informed about the rules of the sport your child is participating in. Remember, the more people we have trained, the less those people will actually have to work!

So far we have two classes scheduled, with more to follow:

Friday, June 5 @ Bell Road YMCA 6:00 pm
Monday, June 8 @ Wetumpka YMCA 5:00 pm

If you plan on attending one of these classes, send an email to ememlu@gmail.com with your name, phone number, and the team you represent. This class is also a must for coaches/assistant coaches/parent helpers who need to brush up on swimming rules.

If you cannot attend one of these classes, but would like to attend one in the future, please contact me to let me know when the best time/location would be for you. 

See you at the pool!

Emily Giles
MYSSL Coordinator