(Or, what did I get myself into?)
So, you signed your precious little one up for swim
team, cautiously optimistic that they won’t have to be rescued on their first
lap across the pool.
But, you are wondering, what’s it all about, Alfie? (If you don’t get my
obscure cultural references, just pass them by.) Most importantly, your child
will improve dramatically in swimming, just by practicing for real everyday.
It is most likely, unless your child is an undiscovered Mark Spitz, if this
is their first season on swim team, they will be swimming in the Developmental
Meets. These meets are for ALL swimmers on the team, and provide a fun
environment for learning the ropes of swimming in a meet, rather than just in
practice.
Your child should try swimming at least two different strokes during the meet
(freestyle, backstroke, and/or breaststroke, with the potential for fly later
on. Developmental meets are also a good place to volunteer. The easiest way to
volunteer is to be a timer. You get to meet other parents, and have the
opportunity to see and learn close up. And, timing is easy.
But don’t volunteer at YOUR first meet. Watch, enjoy, have fun. My oldest
daughter Julia has been very successful at swimming for Mount Vernon Park, but
at her first Developmental Meet (they were called “B” meets till that was deemed
politically incorrect a few years ago), she (all of six years old) jumped in the
water long after everyone else, swam well, and then stopped for a while to tread
water and look around just before reaching the end. She finally touched as the
timers beseeched her to finish what she started.
I didn’t know a thing about organized swimming, but I knew that being last in
the water and dawdling at the end wasn’t what you want. So I took a whistle into
the family room and we practiced starting and finishing. . .not because we have
a pool in that room (or in any other room, for that matter). Instead, I had her
jump off the one couch and run to the other side. While that might be a little
compulsive on my part, it helped tremendously.
Beyond that, your main goal for your little Gator should be for them to
improve their time from meet to meet. That means they are learning and
improving, and soon they'll be swimming well enough you can actually read a book
or play tennis while frequenting MVP.
Don't be concerned if your child DQ's (disqualifies) during a race. It
happens to everyone (even Michael Phelps DQ'd, and he's done okay since then),
and the coaches will work to improve your child's technique. DQs
happen.
Gator Nation
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Summer Practice Schedule
GATOR SUMMER 2013
FEEDING SCHEDULE
Summer Practice begins Wednesday, June 19th
(SCROLL DOWN FOR SPRING PRACTICE DAYS/HOURS)
Monday - Friday
Ages 13-18: 7:30-8:45 AM
Ages 9-12: 8:30-9:45 AM
Ages 7-8: 9:30-10:30 AM
Ages 6&Under: 10:30-11:00 AM (M-Th)
Supplemental Practice. This practice is intended only for
swimmers who cannot make morning practice due to camp or childcare
issues. It is not intended for kids who don't want to get
out bed in the morning! We have limited coaching
resources for these sessions so please leave it open for those who truly
need it. Held Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Note:
There is no Wednesday evening practice if there is a meet event that
night.
Age 9 and Older - 5:15 - 6:15 PM
Age 8 and under - 6:00 - 6:45 PM
From the May MVPA Newsletter -- Helpful Background on Gator Swim
We
are pleased to announce the formation of the 2013 Mount Vernon Park swim team.
All MVP members between the ages of 5 and 18 are eligible to join. The
ability to swim the across the 25-meter pool unassisted is the first step to
becoming involved in a summer-long activity that provides fun and
competition. The swim team is a fantastic summer experience and we
encourage all eligible children to join.
The
MVP team competes in the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL), the largest
summer swim league in the country. The NVSL has over 14,000 swimmers on
102 teams, which are divided into 18 five or six team divisions. The
divisions are organized relative to each team’s overall ability based on the
previous season’s results. The MVP swim team is moving to Division 3 for 2013.
We
are pleased to announce that Paul Makin will return for his seventh season as
head coach. Kellee Brotherton will again serve as
the assistant head coach. This coaching team brings extensive
experience as being highly regarded USA Swimming coaches with Nation’s Capital
Swim Teal (NCAP).
Pre-Season
Registration-Information Meeting
Our
Pre-Season Registration-Information session will be on Sunday, May 19 from 3-5
PM at the Mount Vernon Park pavilion. Coaches and team reps will be on
hand to answer questions during the registration. Team suits and other Gator gear
will also be available for purchase. This
is a great opportunity to meet our coaches. The team is also going to try
on-line registration for the first time ever, so look for more information.
A
Registration-Emergency Contact form, available at www.mtvpa.com,
(under “Forms”) is required
for each swim team family before your child may begin practice. This is
the first season registration will be done on-line. The link will be sent in a park-wide
email. Registration must include correct
email addresses, as this is the primary way to communicate across the swim team
families. Additional league and team
information is available at the NVSL web site at http://nvsl.nvblu.com
and at the Gator blog: http://mvpgators.blogspot.com/ -- the schedule is already up.
Prior
to registration, at 2:30pm that day, there
will be an information session for new and relatively new swim team
parents. The team reps and the coaches will host a meeting to inform and
answer any and all questions regarding swim team. During that time,
assistant coaches will be at the park to supervise your child on the
playground.
Participation
Fee
As
part of the registration process, the swim team collects a participation
fee. The swim team committee collects this fee to help provide funding
for team activities during the season, to purchase equipment used exclusively
by the swim team and to supplement the funds provided by the park for coaches’
salaries. Examples of previous purchases are lane lines and backstroke
flags. The fee schedule for 2013 is as
follows: 1st child $25, 2nd child $20, 3rd
child $15, 4th child $10, maximum per family $70.
Registration is not considered complete until the registration form and
participation fees are submitted.
Swim Team Opportunities
The
number of swimmers on the MVP Gators squad has grown to over 280 children over
the last several years. Although the large interest in the program does
increase competition, all skill levels are welcome. The season includes
five NVSL meets on Saturday mornings, five developmental meets on Monday
evenings, a Saturday morning time trial, three special event meets on weekday
evenings, the Individual Divisional Championship meet on Saturday, July 27th followed by the awards banquet that
evening. The calendar of events starts in early June and includes the
entire month of July.
None
of this can happen without dedicated parental involvement. The
pre-season registration session is a great opportunity to determine how you
would like to participate. Swim team committee members will be available
both at the 2pm meeting and at the registration meeting to answer questions
about the variety of tasks necessary to organize a swim meet and to help you
find a niche. Some of the “swim meet” tasks include: timing, stroke and
turn judging, pre-meet set-up, post-meet clean up, ribbon writing, competition
starter, event announcer, refereeing, relay judge, and snack bar concession
worker. Your help with some or all of the events will go a long way to
making your child’s involvement both enjoyable and organized.
Age Groupings and Practice Times
The
NVSL divides competition between boys and girls and into five different age
divisions. The age groupings are: 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and
15-18 with the swimmer’s age group based on the his or her age as of June 1st.
As we have a very large 8 & under contingent, we will further divide that
age group into 7-8 and 6 & under groups. Daily practice will begin on
Tuesday, May 28 1, from 3:30-6:30 pm.
Groupings
will be: Middle and High School (ages 13+) 3:30 - 4:30, 9-12 year
olds 4:15 - 5:15, 7-8 year olds 5:15 to 6:00 and 5-6 year olds
6:00-6:30pm. Summer MORNING practice schedule will begin Wednesday June 19th with practices
beginning at 7:30 am for 13-18 group, 8:30 for 9-12, 9:30 for 7-8 and 10:30 for
6 & Under. Morning practice will run M-F for the older 3 groups and
M-TH for the youngest group. There will be a supplemental practice in the
evenings T-W-TH, available only for those who
cannot make the morning practices. See the MVPA web site and the MVPA
bulletin board for additional details.
Swim Lessons
Swim
team practices are not a substitute for lessons, particularly if your swimmer
is just beginning. There are simply too many swimmers (over 280) for the
coaches to provide individual attention during the practice sessions. To
participate on the Gator Swim Team, we require that a child be able to swim
unassisted across the pool using any method they are comfortable with.
This insures some degree of comfort in the water. For those needing a
little help attaining this level of comfort, or for any swimmer who wants a
real boost in the swimming, private and semi-private lessons are available
through the coaching staff and lifeguard staff at extremely reasonable
prices.
To
arrange lessons, simply talk to any of the coaching staff, line up times and
dates, then go to the gatehouse to pay for the lessons. Coaches and
lifeguards cannot accept money directly. The gatehouse will give you a
receipt which you then give the coach at the time of the lesson. Clinics
given by the larger USA Swimming clubs will also be available from time to time
during the season and will be posted on the bulletin board and park web site.
Swim Suits & Caps
The
MVP Gators will be sporting a new team swimsuit this year.
Team suits are encouraged but not required for practice or competition.
However, it does give younger swimmers a great sense of pride and belonging to
wear one. Team suits will be available for purchase during the Registration
Meeting, at the Pasta Dinner the evening before time trials, and directly from
our swimsuit retailer – Sport Fair in Arlington.
Team
swim caps will also be sold for $12 each. Once again, there is an option
to get a ‘personalized’ Gator cap with the last name (or nickname if you
prefer) on the cap as well. These are available by special order only
with a minimum of 2 caps per name at a cost of $15 per cap (minimum $30).
Not only does this give the swimmer a sense of pride, it will help you figure
out which lane they are in and will also keep their caps from constantly being
lost.
Sportsmanship
The
NVSL provides a wonderful summer swim experience. When Mount Vernon Park joined
the NVSL in 1956 as a charter member, the league’s goal was to build
sportsmanship and a love of swimming. The NVSL’s goal of fostering
sportsmanship is still paramount today as the team
and the league begin our 57th year of
league competition. The Swim Team committee and coaches will be working
to build on the goals of the NVSL and bring sportsmanship and a love of the
sport to MVP.
We
hope to see you on May 19th for the
registration session and look forward to another great season.
Glen
Bolger & Carol Farquhar Bolger - NVSL Team Representatives for
the Mount Vernon Park Gators
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)