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Q. How do I join the LAC swim team?
Q. How much does it cost to swim with LAC?
Q. What if I am currently swimming for another club that is a member of USA Swimming? What is the 120-rule?About Swimming for LAC
Q. When is the swimming season?
Q. What are Time Standards?
Q. What are Practice Groups?
Q. When and where are practices held?
Q. Why are they doing all those funny looking drills and playing games?
Q. What are realistic goals and how can parents help?
Q. What equipment does my child need?Understanding Club-level Swimming
Q. What is USA Swimming?
Q. What is North Texas Swimming?
Q. What is TAGS & how do you qualify for TAGS?
Q. What is the next step after TAGS?
Q. What are Power Points?
Q. What is an IMX Score?About Swim Meets
Q. Where and when are meets held, and does my child have to attend?
Q. How do I enter my child in a meet?
Q. What is my escrow account for?
Q. What should we bring to meets?
Q. What is a heat sheet?
Q. How do we know how he/she performed in their events?
Q. What are Finals at a swim meet? Why are Finals only at select meets & not all swim meets? How do you know when you qualify for the Finals?
Q. How many swimmers get ribbons? When do they receive them?
Q. Can we leave the meet as soon as my child’s events are over?
Q. Who gets chosen to swim relays?
Q. Will my child’s coach be at the meets?
Q. What is positive check-in?
Q. What is a scratch?
Q. How long do meets generally last?
Q. When should we arrive for swim meets?
Q. What if I have a question about the posted results or a judgment against my swimmer?About Parenting a Swimmer
Q. Are parents required to volunteer?
Q. How do I communicate with my child’s coach?
Q. What can I do to best support my swimmer?
For Prospective Swimmers
Q. How do I join the LAC swim team?
A. LAC holds evaluations three times a year – in August, March and December. Please check our website for announcements. Occasionally, we will hold additional evalutations at one specific pool at the discretion of our coaching staff. These dates will be listed on the LAC website.At the evaluation our coaching staff observes each swimmer individually and will recommend a practice group based on each swimmer’s technique and ability. We are evaluating technique, not speed. Swimmers will be asked to demonstrate all 4 strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly) and turns. If your child doesn't know a certain stroke or isn't comfortable performing it, we will not force them to swim that stroke. We are looking at their technique as well as their ability to listen and follow directions
Based on availability, some new swimmers will be immediately accepted into an appropriate practice group, and some will be wait-listed, depending on the number of swimmers currently in that practice group.Q. How much does it cost to swim with LAC?
A. Each practice group is in the water for different amounts of time, and so their costs vary. Beginner groups start at $45 per month, and our more advanced swimmers pay about $120 per month. Additionally, there are other yearly fees including USA Swimming membership, and various club administrative fees, which generally amount to approximately $250 per year per swimmer and due upon joining and then each September thereafter.
LAC also discounts 10% off each additional child’s monthly practice fees for families with more than one child swimming.
Q. What if I am currently swimming for another club that is a member of USA Swimming? What is the 120-day rule?
A. Section 203.3 of the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations is frequently referred to in the swimming community as the 120-day rule. Simply stated, the 120-day rule says for a swimmer to represent a USA Swimming club in a competitive event, 120 consecutive days must have elapsed without the swimmer having represented any other USA Swimming club in competition. For complete details, go HERE on the USA Swimming website.About Swimming for LAC
Q. When is the swimming season?
A. The Short Course (25-yard pool) season runs from September until February/March. The Long Course (50-meter pool) season runs from April until July/August. However, if your child doesn't qualify for the Championship level meets, their season may end earlier than others.
Swimmers who have not achieved BB or greater time standards do not swim in Long Course meets, but there are still B/C level Short Course meets held in the spring/summer.
Q. What are Time Standards?
A. USA Swimming has established National Age Group time standards to allow for a stepping stone approach that swimmers can grasp. This is a great way to see progress even if a swimmer doesn't win their event. New swimmers 13 and under start at C times and swim in meets with other C and B level swimmers. Once 3 “BB” Times are achieved, or if the swimmer is 14 or older, they participate in “BB” meets. Once 3 “A” times are achieved, swimmers move up to “A” meets. Time Standards can be found on the USA Swimming site HERE.Q. What are Practice Groups?
A. LAC divides their swimmers into Practice Groups by ability and commitment level. Our coaching staff regularly evaluates all swimmers based on predetermined standards and decides when a swimmer is ready to be promoted up to the next practice group. See the Practice Groups in the Club Information on this website.Q. When and where are practices held?
A. LAC holds practices at five different pools. A link to each pool’s practice schedule is at the top of this website. As your swimmer progresses, practices will become longer and more frequent. Your swimmer’s coach can tell you how many of all the scheduled practices your swimmer should attend at a minimum.
A practice begins with a warm-up and continues into drills, speed sets and main sets. Each is an integral element to a practice. If you aware of a scheduling problem please consult with the coach beforehand. We recommend that your child be prepared for practice ten minutes before the scheduled time.
Q. Why are they doing all those funny looking drills and playing games?
A. Each of the four competitive strokes is a very complex combination of muscle movements. The athlete must master the correct movements in the stroke to not only conform to the rules of each stroke but be efficient as well.
Stroke drills are to separate specific movements in a stroke so that the athlete can master that movement without having to concentrate on the entire stroke at one time. By repetitively mastering each movement through drills, the swimmer is able to put together these mastered movements into a more efficient stroke.
Drills are also a way to help diversify the practice. They are used in conjunction with normal training as a "warm-down," or active recovery. It also reminds the swimmers how to do their strokes correctly when they become fatigued. By mastering these drills, they are helping to insure that they continue to improve in form and efficiency.Q. What are realistic goals and how can parents help?
A. Goals are specific to each swimmer. Goals for the season can be outlined at the beginning of the season with the expectation of altering those goals if the process either becomes more stagnant or more elevated. Goals should be carefully thought out by the swimmer and coach. Each swimmer (usually 11 years old and older) should write down these goals and discuss them with the coach to get their input.
These goals are usually planned for the end-of-the-season swims but interim goals are also a consideration. By planning steps to be achieved through the season, the athlete becomes more confident of their end-of-the-season goals. And again, these can also be adjusted during the season to accommodate changes in training, physical conditioning, swimmer's mental intensity, etc.
Parents should support the swimmer in their acquisition of these projected accomplishments. Athletes are more likely to achieve goals if they feel that their parents believe in what they are doing and that they can do what they set out to do. Coaches have a lot of experience in helping to direct swimmers toward goals. This is why it is important that the athlete and coach agree on goals and that the parents support those decisions.
If for some reason the parents do not agree with the goals, they should address these concerns with the coach without the swimmer being present. This way, the coach can explain the reasoning behind the decisions and illuminate the parent as to their athlete's frame of mind while forging these goals. The coach/swimmer relationship can therefore be maintained.
If you have any specific questions about goals and your swimmer, please contact your coach and set up a time to discuss your concerns.
Q. What equipment does my child need?
A. All swimmers will need a racing style suit, goggles, and cap for all with hair 1” or longer. Most swimmers have a team suit used only for meets and a few practice suits that may also be old worn out team suits. In addition to these basics, each practice group has specific equipment required for workouts, and a complete list can be found (click here).
LAC has “spirit wear” available for ordering (logo’d towels, caps, sweats, t-shirts, etc.) and also invites Keifer to attend several of our events to provide you with a convenient opportunity to purchase suits and other pieces of equipment your child may need.
Understanding Club-level Swimming
Q. What is USA Swimming?
A. USA Swimming is the national governing body that all members of LAC and North Texas Swimming belong too. They provide insurance, club support and provide National and International Competition. The Olympic Team is sponsored through USA Swimming. The website for USA Swimming is www.usaswimming.orgQ. What is North Texas Swimming?
A. North Texas Swimming is a Local Swim Committee (LSC) within USA Swimming. USA Swimming divides the country into 59 LSCs. North Texas Swimming provides club support, championship meets, and trains and certifies officials at the local level. North Texas Swimming sanctions the local meets, which are used for qualifying times for the championship meets. The website for North Texas Swimming is at www.ntswim.org.Q. What is TAGS & how do you qualify for TAGS?
A. TAGS (Texas Age Group Swimming) is the state-wide championship meet for swimmers 14 and under. Swimmers must meet the TAGS Time Standards in order to qualify to compete in this event. This is the goal meet for our age group swimmers.Q. What is the next step after TAGS?
A. USA Swimming divides the country into four ZONES (western, central, southern and eastern) North Texas Swimming is part of the SOUTHERN ZONE. The Southern Zone is further divided into three SECTIONS. We are in the WESTERN SECTION of the Southern Zone.
Qualified LAC swimmers can advance to compete in the Western Sectional (of the Southern Zone). A qualifying time is required and a list of qualifying times can be found on the Southern Zone website, by Section. Swimmers may swim only those events in which they are qualified.
The next progression after Sectionals is the Zone meet. Zone competitions can be the next step after Sectional competitions and in some LSC’s there are qualifying times which can be found on the websites of the various LSC’s websites.
Q. What are Power Points?
A. Every swim time is entered into the USA Swimming SWIMS database. You can search for your swimmer’s times here. The Power Point system assigns a point value to each swim. This point system allows for comparison of the quality of performances across strokes, distances and events, as well as between age groups. For more information, click here.Q. What is an IMX Score?
A. The IMX Challenge is a motivational program whereby swimmers will be scored on their performance in a combination of five or six events. The purpose of the program is to promote versatility in age group swimming while advocating greater participation and development across a range of events that are integral to long-term success in swimming. For more information, click here.About Swim Meets
Q. Where and when are meets held, and does my child have to attend?
A. Attending meets is a great way to see the swimmers improve and to help them reach their goals.
Meets at each level (B/C, BB & A) are generally held about once a month during each season and hosted by various North Texas Swimming Clubs. A full schedule can be seen here on our Meet Schedule page of LAC's website.
We would like all of our swimmers to enter all meets offered, however younger swimmers and those in the beginner practice groups may not want to compete that often. We encourage Seals and Sea Lions to swim in 1 out of 3 meets and White, Blue, Red, and Bronze should swim in at least half of the meets. Generally, once a swimmer achieves the Silver or higher practice groups, they aspire to swim in as many meets as they can!
Q. How do I enter my child in a meet?
A. Make sure you know when the entry deadline is – these are usually a few weeks before the meet and are regularly posted on the LAC website, (click here) with email reminders from your child’s coach.
Send an email to your child’s coach asking them to tell you what events to enter your child in.
Download the USA Meet Entry Form (click here), complete it, and put it in the “Meet Entry” box located at your child’s practice pool. Make sure to do this before the meet entry deadline! Applicable entry fees will be automatically deducted from your LAC Escrow Account.
In the very near future, LAC will provide the ability to enter swim meets online. Complete instructions for this function will be available as soon as the function is available.
Q. What is my escrow account for?
A. To efficiently manage meet entry fees for our families, LAC establishes an escrow account for each family upon registration. With an initial deposit of $50 per swimmer, LAC then uses these funds to cover your swimmers’ meet entry fees ($3-$5 per event) instead of personal checks accompanying each entry form through the entry process, which may involve several people. As your escrow account becomes depleted, your monthly invoice will include a new charge for an additional deposit.Q. What should we bring to meets?
A. For complete details on meets, click hereQ. What is a heat sheet?
A. Also called a “psych sheet,” heat sheet lists the order of events that will be swum in each session, and all swimmers entered in that event and their seed times. Heats are usually swum slowest to fastest. These are usually sold at the snack bar for $5 and are a great way to keep track of your child’s events and also help you in cheering on your child’s friends.
Depending on the meet, the actual heat and lane assignments may or may not be on the “psych sheet.” At some meets, heat and lane assignments are assigned once all swimmers have checked in at the meet and are periodically posted throughout the swimming venue several events in advance of each race.
Q. How do we know how he/she performed in their events?
A. Often you will be able to see your child’s time on an electronic scoreboard. However, what is displayed on the scoreboard is never the official result. Once an entire event is completed, the official results will be posted in an easily accessible area, generally near the viewing stands, so that parents and swimmers can find out how they did. Results are also posted at the North Texas Swimming website.Q. What are Finals at a swim meet? Why are Finals only at select meets & not all swim meets? How do you know when you qualify for the Finals?
A. Most meets are swum as “Timed Finals” which means each swimmer swims their event for time once only. Places and scores are calculated by all swimmers’ times in that event.
Some meets have Preliminaries, in which the fastest 8 or 16 would advance to swim that event again in the Finals, which would be held later that day or the next day. Places and scores are then calculated from the Finals. To know you qualify you must listen to the announcer and/or look at the Prelim results to know.
Q. How many swimmers get ribbons? When do they receive them?
A. A swimmer may or may not receive ribbons depending on what type of meet it is. At meets such as an A/BB/C meet, swimmers in Time Standard level will receive ribbons based on how they placed in their level. At higher-level meets, awards are generally handed out to the top performing swimmers in each event or each age group. Sometimes, there will be an award table at a meet where you can go and pick up ribbons, but they are not always ready by meet’s end. More often, the host team will give a team’s entire batch of ribbons to that team a several days after the meet is over. These are placed in your alpha file box at your main practice pool.Q. Can we leave the meet as soon as my child’s events are over?
A. It is always a good idea to double check with the coach before leaving. Sometimes a coach may decide to enter a child in a relay, which sometime come at the end of a meet. If he/she is not entered in one, then you are free to go.Q. Who gets chosen to swim relays?
A. The coach will decide who gets to swim in a relay. Often, this is decision is based on previously documented times, but also subject to the discretion of the coach on the meet day, based on how each swimmer has been performing during that particular meet.Q. Will my child’s coach be at the meets?
A. While LAC generally sends more coaches to each meet than any other team, your child’s coach may not always be at any specific meet for all three days of the meet. With each of the levels (C/B, BB, A, Senior, etc.) there is generally a meet nearly every weekend, and some coaches have swimmers in all of those meets, in addition to coaching up to six days a week. Our coaches are enthusiastic about and committed to helping all swimmers have the best meet experience possible whether or not they are currently in the same practice group. The coaches look forward to this opportunity to get to know other swimmers on the team, and swimmers likewise should look forward to getting to know all of the many amazing coaches they may come in contact with during their career at LAC.Q. What is positive check-in?
A. Positive check-in is like “roll call.” By checking in upon arriving at the meet, the swimmer declares his/her intention to swim the events. Positive check-in is used to eliminate unnecessary heats in lengthy events and help the meet run in the most efficient manner possible. By not checking in the swimmer will be scratched from the event with the assumption that they are not present or do not wish to swim it.
Usually when you arrive at a meet, a “check-in” area is prominently displayed with a printout of that session’s events posted. It is the swimmer’s responsibility to put a check mark (✓) next to their name in each and every event they intend to swim.
Q. What is a scratch?
A. A scratch is when you do not swim an event in which you were entered and seeded. There are no penalties for scratching a pre-seeded event in an A/BB/C meet. There are usually no penalties for scratching a pre-seeded event in the prelims of a championship meet; however, this is not always the case. Make sure you are aware of the scratch procedures for a meet before you elect not to swim and event.Q. How long do meets generally last?
A. The length of the meet depends on several factors. These include: type of events, number of swimmers entered in the meet, weather delays (if outdoors), and equipment efficiency. Most meets are limited to 4-hour sessions, not including warm-up.Q. When should we arrive for swim meets?
A. Arrive at the pool 10-15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time begins. This time will be listed in the meet information.Q. What if I have a question about the posted results or a judgment against my swimmer?
A. Parents are not allowed "on deck" unless they are serving in an official capacity. All questions concerning meet results, an officiating call, or the conduct of a meet, should be referred to the coaching staff. They, in turn, will pursue the matter through the proper channels.
About Parenting a Swimmer
Q. Are parents required to volunteer?
A. LAC hosts several swim meets per year. These are an excellent source of income for our team and help keep your fees low. It takes a small army to run a meet but it is worth it, our meets are reputed to be the most well-run in North Texas! There are a wide variety of meet jobs from working in the snack bar, timing (we’ll train you!), to officiating (North Texas Swimming will train you).
LAC has a minimum volunteer requirement from each family and uses a points system to track participation. Complete information can be found (click here). In addition to swim meets, there are various other occasions to meet your family’s points obligation, such as the swim-a-thon fundraiser, fall picnic, and other opportunities. Families who opt to not fulfill their obligation in volunteer points will be assessed a fee in lieu of points.
Q. How do I communicate with my child’s coach?
A. During practice, the coach’s only job is to coach the swimmers. If you have questions or concerns, you are welcome to email your child’s coach or speak with them after practice of by appointment.Q. What can I do to best support my swimmer?
A. There is a LOT you can do! First of all, remember that at LAC your child is in the hands of some of the best coaches in the nation. You are your child’s biggest fan! For a great list of tips on supporting young swimmers, check out USA Swimming’s advice HERE.
Also, good nutrition is essential! More than any other sport, swimming requires excellent nutrition to support the amount of calories burned and the unique energy requirements of competition. Tips on good nutrition for swimmers can be found HERE.
Some other good resources are here
P.O. Box 270189 Flower Mound, Texas 75028
(214) 587-2190
March 4, 2010