Team Expectations
Welcome to the 2023 Torpedoes Swim Team of Heritage Oaks! Our team competes in West Zone - Gold Division of the Cobb Summer Swim League. We compete in 5 regular meets beginning in May and complete the season with the Cobb County State qualifying meet in July @ MVAC and State swim meet. More will be mentioned and deadlines for entries will be given at a later date. During the season, we hope to provide a fun and exciting way for our children to develop a love and respect for swimming as a lifetime sport and to approach each competition with a spirit of sportsmanship.
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
The coaches will be placing the greatest emphasis on the individual swimmer and improving his/her swimming skills. They will be striving to find a balance between recognizing each swimmer’s personal best ability and having great fun.
We are, however, still a team, and we expect our team swimmers and fans to be very supportive of each other. This includes cheering for all of our swimmers at the meets. Parents are expected to help teach the team good sportsmanship, both directly and by example. Only positive comments are to be shared with our competition and each other. If there are any concerns, they are to be directed immediately to Wendy Kenny, the coordinator.
EQUIPMENT BASICS
Swimsuits: A well-fitted suit can last for 2 years. Suits should be tight, almost uncomfortably so in the beginning. Any wrinkles or loose fabric will fill with water, create drag, stretch out and never go back to its original elasticity. Our team suit is embroidered with the logo and will not change, so be confident if you buy well in the beginning, you won't need to buy another for at least two years unless your child has a growth spurt. The team suit is not mandatory, but helps the swimmers to recognize themselves as part of the team.
Goggles: Choose the one that fits your face best and provides the most comfortable seal. Each swimmer should have at least two pairs of goggles.
Swim Cap: Caps are required for all female swimmers, but optional for male swimmers. If a male swimmer has longer hair, it is recommended that he also wear a swim cap (keeps the hair out of the eyes/goggles). Put a drop of hair conditioner onto your wet hair before you don your cap and this will keep your hair from absorbing chlorinated pool water and protect it from chlorine damage. We have team swim caps available for purchase. If you choose to wear a swim cap, it must be an HOT cap. (Please note all profits made go directly back into the team.)
Per CSSL rules, no other team, high school or USA, may be advertised in any way at a swim meet. This includes on t-shirts, bathing suits or caps. If you wear something with another team's logo, you will be asked to take it off. The referee may also disqualify you from all of your events.
MARK EVERYTHING WITH YOUR NAME IN WATERPROOF INK
Let your coaches know every time that you will be absent, particularly if you will be away for a week, but back on Monday. Coaches will be seeding meets and need to know who is swimming. If you are sick on the day of a meet – let the coaches/coordinator know ASAP as this will affect the seeding.
Parents, please do not try to talk with the coaches during practice times. Since all practices are scheduled back-to-back, the coach’s attention must be focused on the swimmers. If you need to speak with a coach, tell the coordinator and an “appointment” will be made.
Check your email folder frequently or web site for all communication.
Every week, before the meet an email will be sent out showing your child’s events. Please be sure to check the heat sheets, but know that last minute changes might be made, so you should double check when you get to the pool. Check the web site for the meet schedule, news from the coaches, driving directions, and the latest and greatest Torpedoes news. Please remind your child to check this often!
Most of the coaches are available for private lessons, which may be scheduled directly with them. Please check out the COACHES page for links to their emails. Private lessons are an excellent way to get your child ready for the swim season or brush up on technique. Our coaches are highly skilled and knowledgeable and available daily for instruction at our pool.
SWIM MEETS
The official schedule will be set in February. We will have 5 meets this season. Meets will last approximately 4 hours depending on the size of both teams.
You are responsible to sign up for swim meets on the FRIDAY MORNING (by the end of practice) prior to a swim meet. Sign-Up sheets/book will be available at the pool during practice for your convenience. Each swimmer will have no more than 3 individual events and 2 relays. Keep in mind this is a wish list. Your child will be assigned events according to their times and stroke abilities. The coach has the final say on who swims what and may assign a child a stroke strictly to improve their abilities, but if there is a particular stroke you would like to try, by all means talk to your coach!
Relays are assigned as objectively as possible by the computer according to the swimmer's times. Every child has the opportunity each week to improve their times and make a relay, but not every child will make the relay. Please understand this and know that the relays are designed to win points for the team.
Relays will NOT be changed for any reason other than last minute sickness.
Heat sheets will be emailed the afternoon before the meet. They will contain all of the numbers for the events, heats and lanes. A copy of the heat sheet will also be posted at the pool. SWIMMERS NEED TO BE IN THEIR LANE LINES A MINIMUM OF 3 HEATS AHEAD OF THEIR EVENTS. THIS WILL BE BOTH THE PARENT’S AND THE SWIMMER’S RESPONSIBILITY.
In order to help the meets run smoothly and to help the bullpen volunteers find their swimmers quickly, we ask that the swimmers not wander when they have an event coming up. Please stay off of the playground. Many a broken arm has happened in the middle of the meet. Both parents and swimmers need to be aware of which event is being swum and where the swimmer is. THIS IS VITAL – AN EVENT WILL NOT BE REDONE BECAUSE THE CHILD MISSES HIS/HER EVENT. IT IS EVEN POSSIBLE FOR A SWIMMER TO BE DISQUALIFIED FOR DELAY OF MEET.
Swimmers will find their event ribbons in their folders the morning following the meet. Emphasis will be placed on individual improvement, i.e. "shaving time."
We appreciate everyone tidying up after our home meets and daily practices so we can all leave as soon as possible. Give a HOOT, don't POLLUTE!
Maps and instructions will be provided for all away meets on our web site,
Disqualifications (DQ’s) are an unpleasant necessity of swim meets and help the swimmer learn. All swimmers 7 & up are required to swim a legal stroke. Stroke and Turn judges will work at all meets. If your child is disqualified the coach will be able to provide you with the judges comment so as to improve performances at the following meet. Disqualification should not be viewed as a failure but as a learning tool. Remember, the judges are volunteers as well, please be kind.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
Our Swim Team is run completely by volunteers. Every family must commit to volunteer. We anticipate each family will need to fulfill 4 volunteer positions during our season in order for your child to be on the swim team. Volunteers are a necessity for our meets to run efficiently and smoothly. If EVERYONE helps out, we should ALL be able to enjoy watching our children swim rather than having the same people working an entire meet, every meet. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. If you need to change your volunteer date/time, you are responsible for finding a replacement and informing your committee chairperson.
We look forward to a season of fast swimming, fun and friendship. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
PARKING
PARKING is always an issue. Please park on only ONE side of the street and do not drop your swimmer off in front of the Clubhouse as this causes an insane amount of congestion.
During meets, we turn Helmswood CIRCLE into a one-way street. There will be a sign asking you to NOT turn right in front of the clubhouse, please head west and continue around Helmswood Circle. We have had issues with people parking in front of the clubhouse. WE MUST leave this open for EMERGENCY VEHICLES for both the team and the residents in the neighborhood. This is during MEETS AND PRACTICES.
Please use your common sense and your patience.
RIBBONS AND DOUGHNUTS, WRITTEN POLICY:
In the effort to regain some of the fun and celebratory atmosphere of Ribbons and Doughnut days, the coordinators and coaches feel as though there needs to be a clear statement of the process for the distribution of doughnuts. In the past, the free-for-all, elbow-in-the-nose, 3 doughnut grab coupled with the freak-out-the-parents-and-coaches free swim, proved to be a not so great procedure. With the addition of possible stroke clinics and the fun relay swims on the morning after the meet, we have been able to figure out a better, calmer, and more fair way to distribute doughnuts. Please note the following procedure, and feel free to adjust your morning schedule accordingly with regard to your family's decision to attend/participate in the relays and/or the stroke clinic.
All kids who come for the stroke clinic and/or participate in the fun relay swims will get to go first. After that, age groups will go in order from youngest to oldest. Should everyone on the team decide to come to swim relays and team bonding (which would be awesome!), doughnuts will be distributed from youngest to oldest.
Rest assured, everyone on the team will get a doughnut even if they didn't swim in the meet, but with almost 150 kids, the procedure must be followed.
PARKING LOTTERY
As everyone is aware, parking is an issue in Heritage Oaks. The parking lot has an ever-changing amount of spots left over from designation during a meet. If you would be interested in entering a lottery drawing for one those coveted spaces, please email Wendy before 12:30 pm on the day of the home meet. Usually there are around 5-8 spots available, sometimes more. The coaches will draw names, and if you are chosen, you pay $10 at the volunteer/swimmer check-in table. We will do the drawing at every home meet.
WEATHER
It is our policy to swim in the rain. DURING A MEET if the weather becomes inclement, please wait for the REFEREE to tell us what to do. DO NOT LEAVE, although the referee may ask us to wait in cars if the pool deck must be cleared. We must get through at least 1/2 of the meet (around events 42-45) for the meet to "count" and not have to be redone. Please think of the concessions, the seeding, the time and effort and PATIENTLY WAIT the 30 minutes.
