MORRIS COUNTY SWIM CLUB
NEW SWIMMER GUIDEBOOK FOR PARENTS
This is just a brief review of some information that may
help new parents get acquainted with the swim club.
The Morris County Swim Club is a member of NJ
Swimming, the local committee established under USA Swimming, the governing
body for swimming in the United States. Our Core season(s) run from September
and into August of the next year. The full program is a combination of two
seasons, the Winter Short Course and Spring/Summer Long Course. We also have
special two-month programs for swimmers that are not looking for a full club or
season commitment.
Membership and the practice schedules are split by age group
with consideration based on ability as necessary. There are practices for all
age groups each day of practice to allow for flexibility of swimmers schedules.
Instead of requiring a specific practice commitment, the MCSC places the
commitment on the swimmer and their family to determine what practice schedule
will help shape and meet the swimmer’s individual goals.
A Parent Board manages the Club. It is expected that members
(parents) will take part in and support the MCSC at swim meets, fund raising
and club development. Ideas are welcome. The coaches have 100% control of
practices and the pool deck. General MCSC information and the MCSC calendar are
available on our web site www.mcscnj.com .
The mission of Morris County Swim Club is to develop our
children who are the fabric of our future. The MCSC experience will help to
shape and strengthen character throughout one’s lifetime. MCSC strives to
achieve personal improvement for our children and for some of them, to become
championship swimmers. Success will be measured through the development of their
positive attitude, confidence and caring for others.
We expect the full membership for the MCSC to achieve
financial stability while offering generous room in the swim lanes for the
swimmers at practice. Our initial target was approximately 88 swimmers. This
number now fluctuates due to the special Fall, Winter and Spring Programs and
for the amount of practice time available to the MCSC. With the expanded pool time, our target is 170 swimmers (+ or - 50 with the special 2 month programs). Our swim practice target
is ‘no more than 8 swimmers per lane’, providing ample room for the swimmers to
stretch out their strokes during practice.
The MCSC practices at the Morristown-Beard School 6-lane,
25-meter pool. We have access to the locker room facilities and can make use of
the gyms for scheduled parent meetings. We are guests of the school.
Parents, coaches and swimmers must adhere to providing a
caring, trusting, supportive and non-abusive environment. Failure to do so will
result in termination of membership, forfeiting all fees, dues and expected
payments.
Pools/Courses
There are 3 types of pools that we compete in: 25-yard Short
Course, 25-meter Short Course and 50-meter Long Course. The winter or Short
Course season is run from October through March and the Spring or Long Course
swim meet season is from April through July. High School and college meets are
generally held in 25-yard Short Course pools. The 25-meter Short Course pools
dominate the Winter season outside of the USA. Olympic trials are held at
50-meter pools.
Time Standards
As a way of measuring performance, there are Gold, Silver
and Bronze Time Standards. There are additional standards such as the US
Olympic qualifying standards. The local swim committee develops the Gold,
Silver and Bronze standards, in our case New Jersey Swimming. To qualify for
the NJ Junior Olympics, a swimmer needs to swim as fast or faster than the Gold
Standards. The standards are also used for other meets to limit the number of
swimmers or type of competition. Examples are “Times must be slower than …” or
“Times must be better than …”. A Bronze time is (effectively) any time slower
than Silver.
MCSC Swimwear
These are the suits and equipment for
the MCSC. After the team fitting/purchasing scheduled in September, can be purchased at the Metro Swim Shop, 1221
Valley Road, Sterling, NJ 07980, 908-647-8121. The team suits should only be
worn at swim meets.

Flippers: Optimus Training Fin 7530006.
Training Paddles for 11+ year old swimmers, #71500
Caps: MCSC Caps without last names are available after the Team Cap order (with last names) is placed in September.
When we get enough new members, we can place an order for more MCSC team caps
with the swimmers last name printed. MCSC Caps are to be worn at swim meets.
Practices
The practice schedule is on our web site. You can get to the
page by clicking on calendar, on the bottom left of the screen on our Home
Page, www.mcscnj.com . Swimmers should
arrive to practice 10 minutes before their official start time to get suited up
and for stretching out on the pool deck under the direction of the coaches.
Swim Meets
Most swimmers enjoy attending swim meets but the club does
not require attendance. For those wishing to take part, swim meets can be fun
as well as competitive. It is a privilege to be able to attend swim meets and
attendees are representatives of the MCSC. While everyone’s best behavior is
required at any MCSC function including practices, meets and socials, it is
important to note that there is downtime between swimmer events and parental
supervision can be required.
Responsibilities
| Swimmer
| Coach
| Parent
|
Before Meets
| Listen to your coach and practice, practice, practice. Go to www.mcscnj.com and find out your events for the meet.
| Determine if swimmers are ready for a meet and which events each swimmer should enter. Submit entries.
| For swimmers participating in meets, parents need to tell the coaches when the swimmer isn't available.
|
Day of Meet
| Listen to your coach, warm up properly, know your events, get your heat information at the meet and be ready for your events. Have fun and try your best.
| Check-in swimmers, give encouragement before events, provide supportive comments after each event.
| Ensure that the swimmer gets to the meet 15 minutes before warm-ups and checks-in with the coach. Take a turn timing if the MCSC has a timing assignment. Congratulate your swimmer on their hard work.
|
The next few pages are a typical Meet Information document.
Most of this information is for the coaches but some is of interest to the
parents as well. Swim meet information is available on our web site under “Swim
Meets”. The yellow
highlighted boxes are notes intended to help explain the document.
|
Name of Meet
|
Groundhog Classic
February 5, 2006
Silver/Bronze
Hosted by Jersey Gators Swim Team
Sussex-Warren Aquatic Club, Inc.
Note that only Silver and Bronze
swimmers can attend. If a swimmer has many Gold times, they can still compete
in events that they do not have Gold Times. Also, a Gold Time swimmer may
swim-up in the next age group to compete.
|
|
Meet Sanction #:
|
New
Jersey Swimming Sanction #: NJS020506SCY
|
|
Date of Meet:
|
February
5, 2006
|
|
Facilities:
|
Six (6) lane pool with Colorado Timing System,
digital scoreboard, computer support and gallery seating for spectators. This is a 6 lane, 25 yard
pool. Most Short Couse pools in the USA are 25 yard pools.
|
|
Meet
Director:
|
Meet Director:
Ed
Dellert
520
Upper Highland Lks Dr
Highland
Lakes, NJ 07422
973-764-5252
edellert@jerseygators.org
|
|
Meet
Referee:
|
Lisa
Menio, 973.764.5252
|
|
Meet
Marshal:
|
Aileen
Donnelly, 973.764.5252
|
|
Location:
|
Wallace
Pool, Blair Academy, Blairstown NJ 07825
|
|
Entry
Deadline: Although there is an entry deadline,
we generally need to enter meets three to eight weeks in advance. Meets
attendance fills up quickly and we are locked out once a meet is full.
|
Entry
disk, SDIF file printout, meet waiver form, meet summary, and fees must be
received no later than 6pm on Friday, January 27, 2006.
Send entries and fees to:
Ed
Dellert
520
Upper Highland Lks Dr
Highland
Lakes NJ 07422
973-764-5252
edellert@jerseygators.org
Please note that an e-mail
entry does not take the place of a disk entry. A disk entry and accompanying
documents must be received prior to the entry deadline.
|
|
Entries:
|
All entries must be made using HY-tek
software on a new (clean) 3.5” disk. “NO TIMES” or “NT” are not permitted.
“UN” is the designation for an unattached swimmer. A Summary Sheet, Waiver,
and Meet Verification Form must be included with each team entry. Heat sheets will be prepared
by computer during the course of the meet. In the interest of the four hour
rule, the host reserves the right to limit the number of entries. Coaches
will be notified if swimmers or teams cannot be entered. Deck entries at
discretion of the meet director. QUESTIONS?
Call Ed Dellert at 973.764.5252.
|
|
Swimmer
Eligibility: We also attend meets at non-NJ
Swimming events where swimmers may be able to compete in more than three
events per day.
|
·
This is a deck seeded time-final meet. Each event will be seeded
separately.
·
All swimmers must have times slower than the current New Jersey Gold
Time Standards
·
All swimmers must be members of USA-Swimming.
·
All transfer swimmer(s) must swim unattached for 120 days from their
last attached competition. Swimmers must
use a UN- (New Team Alpha Code) as their team affiliation. All Unattached
swimmers must be listed on the team’s official waiver entry form.
·
Swimmer’s age as of February 5, 2006.
·
“NO TIMES” or “NT” are not permitted.
·
All swimmers may enter a maximum of three events per day.
|
|
Coaches
Eligibility:
|
·
All coaches “on the deck” must be members of USA Swimming.
·
Coaches must show coaching card for entrance to facility.
·
Coaches must show coaching card before picking up any meet
information or scratch sheets.
·
Coaches must have coaching card visible at all times while on deck.
·
Coaches must have a visible coach’s card when entering hospitality
area or when asking for food at concessions.
|
|
Limited
Events:
|
·
The 500 free will be
limited to a maximum of 6 heats (women
and men), on a first entered basis until the event closes.
·
Swimmers in the 500 MUST
supply their own counters and timers.
·
The event will be swum alternating women & men, fastest to
slowest, combining heats if needed.
|
|
Pre-meet
info:
|
All
teams will receive via e-mail information concerning any changes of split
warm-ups and lane assignments of timers. All clubs with entries will be
required to assist the timing in each lane. This will be divided up evenly
between all the teams. The Jersey Gators will provide one timer per lane.
Clubs competing in meets usually are
required to supply … parents … as timers. If your swimmer is competing, you
should be prepared to take turn timing. Any new swimmer’s parent will not
have to be a timer at their swimmer’s first meet to allow them to concentrate
100% on their swimmer.
|
|
Meet
Requirement
Statement:
|
This meet qualifies as "one" of the
three required short course meets to be eligible for the New Jersey SC Zone
Championship Team or for New Jersey National Championship Reimbursement.
|
|
Internet
Website Posting:
|
Meet
information, Hy-Tek Event List (HYV.file), and meet results will be posted on
New Jersey Swimming website (www.njswim2.org) and Jersey Gators Swim Team
website (www.jerseygators.org).
|
|
Meet
Schedule:
|
This
meet will have three sessions.
Meets are set up in sessions, split
by age group and sometimes age/sex. A swimmer only needs to attend their
particular session(s).
|
Schedule:
Session
|
Age Groups
|
Sun February 5. 2006
|
|
#1
|
8 & Under, 10 & Under
|
7 AM warm-up, 8:15 AM start
|
|
#2
|
11-12
|
11:00 AM warm-up, 12 noon start
|
|
#3
|
13-14 & 15 & Over
|
3:15 PM warm-up, 4:15 PM start
|
|
Warm-up
Procedure: Swimmers should arrive at least 15
minutes before their warm-up, giving the coaches a chance to get all swimmers
signed in. At this point, the coaches will direct the swimmers stretch and warm-up.
|
New Jersey Swimming Warm-up and Safety Guidelines:
·
Warm-ups will be run under New Jersey Swimming Warm-up and Safety
Guidelines. Warm-ups will include
general warm-up lanes, sprint lanes, and pace lanes.
·
All swimmers are entitled to a fair and comparable warm-up. All teams MUST get the same opportunities for general warm-up lanes, sprint
lanes, and pace lanes.
Entry
Into Pool:
·
All swimmers must enter the pool from the starting end of the pool.
Host
Team Monitoring Warm-ups.
·
Uniformed and designated meet marshals will monitor warm-ups.
·
All general warm-up lanes will swim in a counterclockwise direction.
Warm-up
Schedules.
·
The warm-up sessions will be two 25-minute warm-ups divided by
teams. These two sessions will be
followed by a 10-minute session of all sprint lanes. Teams will be notified
to the warm-up schedule more than 72 hours before the meet.
|
|
Check-In:
|
·
All check-in sheets must be turned into the scoring table 30 minutes
before the start of each session.
Swimmers that are swimming will have a line through their name. Swimmers that are being scratched will
have their names circled with a “SCR” next to the circle. Swimmers scratching a single event will
have a line through his/her name and the event number circled with “SCR” next
to the circle.
|
|
Meet
Format: Although we know the events that each
swimmer is in, it’s not until Heat Sheets are printed that we find out the
Heat and Lane assignments for each swimmer. It is the responsibility of each
swimmer to find out this information.
|
·
This meet will be run in accordance to current USA Swimming Rules.
·
This meet will be run as a time final meet.
·
This meet will be deck seeded with coaches checking in/scratching all
swimmers.
·
10 & Under Swimmers will report to the marshalling area in the
gym for organizing heats and lanes and escorted to the pool.
·
11 & Over swimmers will report to the blocks on their own.
·
PARENTS OF SWIMMERS ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE POOL DECK, EXCEPT WHEN
TIMING, AND/OR OFFICIATING.
|
|
Meet
Format
Waiver:
|
The
host club has the right to change the format of the meet with the approval of
the sanctioning chairman and age group or senior chairman. These changes would be made for a more
efficient swim meet for the swimmers and the host club. Reasons for these changes would be:
·
To allow more swimmers to swim.
·
To conform to facility capacity limits or for facility safety
concerns.
·
To condense the meet into smaller time frame.
Some
of the changes that can be made: 1) add a session, 2) heat limit distance
events, 3) to condense sessions and 4) eliminate relays.
|
|
Starts:
|
Over-the-head
starts may be used. Teams will be
notified of type of starting procedure in the pre-meet e-mailing of start
times, warm-up schedule, and timing assignments.
|
|
Awards:
|
Medals
will be awarded to the top three finishers in all events.
|
|
Entry
Fees:
|
$3.00
per event for each swimmer. Make
checks payable to: Jersey Gators.
This cost is paid for by the MCSC
when we register the swimmers for a meet.
|
|
Admissions
and
Programs:
|
·
Admission at the door is $3.00 for adults, children are admitted
free. Doors will not open until 6:45am on Sunday.
·
A program will be available for purchase at $3.00 per session.
You’re on your own here.
|
|
Results:
|
Final
results will be mailed or e-mailed to participating clubs. Individual results
will be sent at a cost of $10.
The MCSC
receives the results and are distributed to all members via our web site.
|
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Concessions:
|
Food
and drink will be sold throughout the meet.
|
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Vendor:
|
|
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Hospitality:
|
Officials
and coaches will be given coupons for drinks and a sandwich or bagel. The
coach’s coupon will be available when picking up team’s meet packet.
|
|
Directions:
|
The
Blair Academy pool is located off Route 94 in Blairstown, N J. Traveling west on Route 80, take exit 12
(Hope/Blairstown), bear right at the end of ramp (toward Blairstown);
continue across narrow bridge to route 94 (about 6 miles). Turn left onto
Route 94, continue to third gas station on the left (approximately one-half
mile) and turn right at Blair Academy sign. Continue through 2 short blocks,
and continue to SECOND entrance (golf course entrance). Continue past tennis
courts and the pool will be the building on left-hand side.
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