the ray experience

"Swim each practice as if it was the most important practice of the year." -- Michael Phelps

Mornings at the Pool:

The Stingrays practice in team groups according their ability and age. We hold practices every weekday morning from 7:15AM to 9:00AM; however, specific practice times vary for different Stingrays based on age and ability. Please note that swimmers are NOT required to attend practice five days a week, although we offer them every day and hope you'll take advantage of the experience! We have many swimmers who only come 2-3 days a week because of other family, sports, educational, and camp opportunities. We are a very flexible team and will work around your family's needs. Some children need to leave practice a little early to get to a 9AM camp or to daycare and that's OK with the 'Rays!

WHICH 'RAY ARE YOU? PRACTICE GROUPS

BEGINNERS:

Mini-Rays

Our youngest swimmers who are brand new to the team and are just learning to enjoy swimming. These swimmers are usually still hanging on to the lane lines for support and are extensively using noodles and kick boards at practice. Parents are encouraged to swim with these 'Rays! They are preparing for their first competitive season, but many of them choose to just cheer on the team until they are ready for competition. They practice from 8:30AM-9:00AM. (usually 4-5 year olds)

RayPups:

Swimmers who can swim 25 meters without stopping (including the dog paddle), can hold their breath under water, are still learning to enjoy swimming, and are preparing for their first competitive season practice from 8:30AM-9:00AM. (usually 5-6 year olds)

INTERMEDIATE:

BatRays & Butterfly Rays:

Swimmers who can swim a full 25 meters without stopping and are now learning the four competitive strokes practice from 8:15AM to 9:00AM for warm-ups and 30 minutes of group instruction (usually 8 and unders)

ElectricRays & Panther Rays:

Swimmers who can swim 50 meters without stopping and are still refining all four strokes practice from 8:00AM to 9:00AM. This group may include swimmers who are still working up to a 50 meter swim early in the season and need work on flip turns. (usually 10 and unders)

DiamondRays:

All swimmers who can easily swim 100 meters without stopping, efficiently swim all four competitive strokes, and are confident with their flip-turns. This group practices from 8:00AM to 9:00AM. (usually 12 and unders)

ADVANCED:

EagleRays:

Advanced swimmers who can swim all four competitive strokes, are capable of flip-turns and block dives, and have the endurance level to complete a 90 minute practice swim from 7:15AM to 9:00AM. (usually 14 and under)

MantaRays:

Highly advanced swimmers between the ages of 15 and 18 who have several years of competitive experience and want to challenge themselves to 90 minutes of conditioning and competitive stroke work. Practice is from 7:15AM to 9:00AM. (usually HS swimmers).

Meet your coaches on the ABOUT page!

Code of Conduct

As a stingray I promise to . . .

• • Set my own goals for personal excellence

  • Listen respectively to coaches and follow their directions

  • Show respect for my opponents

  • Not participate in name calling, put-downs, teasing, or bullying of teammates or opponents

  • Put safety first

  • Follow all Heath pool rules and regulations (posted at the pool)

  • Be attentive to the needs of others, praise my teammates when they do well and comfort them when they make mistakes

  • Recognize that every swimmer makes a contribution to the team

  • Swim my best and swim fair (know the rules)

  • Be positive and cheer on my teammates at practice and meets

  • Enjoy my victory, but won't brag, gloat, or minimize the opponent’s efforts

Making Good Choices . . .

Swimmers are rewarded for excellent behavior with Friday Fun Days. On Fridays, the coaches shorten the practice and facilitate fun games for the swimmers, including Sharks and Minnows, Popcorn, etc. On rare occasions, our coaches do need to interrupt bad choices on the part of the swimmers. Any behavior that interferes with a coach’s ability to conduct practice or endangers the swimmer and/or their teammates will not be tolerated.

Coaches may discipline swimmers who are not following our code of conduct by (1) asking them to sit on the bench during practice, (2) asking them to leave the facility if their parents are there to take them home, or (3) dismissing them from the next meet. Repeating of offenses may be cause for dismissal from the team without reimbursement of registration fees.

Swim meets are an exciting, hectic, fun, and wonderful experience where swimmers and their families share a morning or evening of competitive swimming, picnicking, and friendship. Here are some tips for making each swim meet this season fun for your family.

RACE SIGN-UPS:

We sign up our swimmers for meets electronically using Survey Monkey. It is essential that swimmers and/or parents sign up 48 hours prior to the meet. Swimmers are asked to designate whether or not they will attend (yes/no) and to list the strokes and/or races they feel capable of swimming. If a YES is not noted next to a swimmer’s name on the roster, they will not be placed in relays. Final rosters for each meet need to be compiled by the coaches by 7AM the day BEFORE a meet to give parent volunteers adequate time to prepare for the meets. If you realize your child cannot attend a meet after confirming with a YES (due to illness, etc.), contact the parent president or or head scorer immediately by phone to ensure that we can re-slot the relays for the meet. Meet entries are agreed upon and finalized by the league 15 minutes prior to the meet start. We MAY be able to include swimmers in meets with deck entries for individual races IF there are slots in an open heat, but usually late registration will not permit us to place your swimmer in relays.

MAPS:

Maps are available for all league pools on the TCAL website. Carpooling is a great idea for away meets and we often have families who caravan from a particular start point around 4:00. Keep the cell phones of the parent president, head coach, and teammates handy in case you get lost and/or need to call to let us know you are late and may miss an event!

TIME TO BE THERE:

Swimmers need to be at AWAY meets no later than 4:45 for warm-ups. We encourage all families to be there earlier to give us time to set up camp and get the children ready to swim. We encourage you to arrive at pools by 4:30 because parking can be a challenge at some of the pools. Away meets usually start promptly at 5:30PM. Swimmers should arrive at the Heath Pool by 6:45AM for warm-ups at our HOME meets. We will need as many parent volunteers to arrive at the pool by 6:30 as well to help us stage the pool area and prepare the bake sale items.

WHAT TO BRING:

Meets can be hot and meets can be cold. They can last anywhere from 3 to 4 hours and most swimmers have races throughout the entire meet. Bring lawn chairs, a blanket for the ground, hats, sweatshirts for swimmers, sunscreen, cards, board games, lots of water to drink (in a little cooler), snacks, change for the bake sales, and a sense of humor. Extra GOGGLES, SWIM CAPS and TOWELS are a must! Black permanent sharpies are great for writing the swimmer’s event numbers on your hand.

STINGRAY CAMP:

We usually try to set up Stingray Camp somewhere on the outskirts of the pool area so that we are all together. You’ll see our big banner somewhere tied to a fence and we’ll be there! If you are new to swim meets, you’ll soon find out that it can be more relaxing to have seats away from the pool and to just walk up poolside to watch specific races (instead of trying to get a chair in the front row – people will often walk the deck to take pictures, etc.). This way you can picnic with friends and the kids have safe places to play together between races. It helps everyone to be in a group so we can watch the children together while parents are volunteering.

WARM-UPS:

When you get to the pool help your child with their suit, goggles, and cap (if needed) and bring them over to the coaches. The coaches will write the numbers of their races on their hands with permanent markers and then they will begin stretches and warm-ups in the water. When your child comes back to “camp” you might want to write the race numbers on your hand too so you know when to help them get to the bullpen!

RACE TIME:

The swimmers will be taken over to the starting blocks by a bullpen operator about three races prior to their race. Remember, parents often want to watch their children swim -- you can usually find a good spot along the side of the pool to watch -- but you should NOT stand in the view-line of an official. Officials wear all white to differentiate them from the other parents. It is also important not to stay at the blocks with your child. There will be a coach checking in with the children at the blocks and the timers are parents who will help children with questions. There is always plenty of room along the side of the pool to step in and out to watch races. Sports(wo)manlike conduct is greatly appreciated!

DISQUALIFIED (DQ’d):

We usually see many swimmers disqualified at the first meet as they are just learning the strokes, starts, turns, etc. If your child is disqualified the official will raise their hand and write on their card why they were DQ’d. If you have any questions about the process please talk to our coaches. The coaches can discuss the race with the officials. We are a recreational league, but we do encourage the swimmers to learn the correct strokes and kicks. The DQ process helps everyone identify areas for improvement – it is an important part of the learning process. Our officials, your parent president, and the coaches can help you interpret the calls. Do not approach an official during a meet for an interpretation. Coaches will work with the children on the practice following a meet to understand why they were DQ’d and provide guidance for improvement.

LEAVING THE MEET:

Swimmers may leave the meet after their last race (as long as their parent isn’t a timer in the second half!), but we ask that they be sure that they have not been slotted in a later relay. All swimmers should check in with both their coach and the parent president before leaving. Because of absent swimmers, the coaches will often seed swimmers in relay events at the meet! We know they don’t want to let down their relay team!

RIBBONS:

Ribbons are awarded in the league for up to 12 places in each event and we also award “outstanding swimmer” ribbons to children who attend the meet, swim, but do not win any place ribbons. Swimmers will usually be able to pick up event cards with their noted times and ribbons during the practice following each meet. Ribbons are stapled to the time cards at the meet, but we don’t distribute them until the head scorer for our team reviews all the ribbons, awards participant ribbons, and redistributes relay ribbons. Please encourage your swimmers to always come to the practice after the meet to enjoy their rewards for a good night at the pool!!

CHILD SAFETY:

Please keep an eye on your swimmers at the pool. It is a good idea to accompany your children to the snack bar and the restrooms. We encourage parents not to allow their children to wander off to the adjacent playgrounds as these are very public places without supervision. Wandering also makes it difficult to find children before their races. If a child misses their event there is not an opportunity to race again.

FOOD and GAMES:

Drink lots of fluids and try not to let the kids over eat right before they swim (there are lots of snacks around the pools)! Card games, electronic games, checkers, etc. are all wonderful between-race activities, but we also love to see the Stingrays cheering on their teammates as much as possible.

THE STINGRAY LINGO

Like any family, the Stingrays have their own way of communicating.

A "DQ" at the pool doesn't mean a chocolate-coated soft serve, but your swimmers may try to convince you otherwise!

Blocks: The diving platforms located at one or both ends of a pool during a swim meet.

Bullpen: The area of seating where the swimmers report before each event to check in, pick up their entry card, and line up in the correct order for relays.

Deck: The area immediately around the pool. Parents, spectators, and swimmers who are not competing are asked to stay clear of this area to allow officials a clear view of the pool.

Disqualification: “DQ”, a technically incorrect stroke, kick, turn, finish, or false start. If a swimmer is disqualified the time does not count and the team receives no points for the event. Examples of a DQ would be having your toes curled around the gutter on a Backstroke start or missing the wall on the Freestyle turn.

False Start: A swimmer leaving the blocks before the sound of the starter or before a swimmer touches the wall on relay exchanges. A false start in a relay exchange is a reason for disqualification.

Event: The race in which a swimmer participates.

Heat: One race within a single event. A race with swimmers seeded at the same level. There may be several heats in an event depending on how many swimmers have entered that event and the number of lanes in the pool. The fastest swimmers are placed in the final heat of the event. Home teams are usually placed in the ODD numbered lanes and visitors are placed in EVEN numbered lanes.

Heat Sheets: A listing of all events in an invitational or at CHAMPS, with all the swimmers entered for an event, their lane assignment, and heat assignment. These may be purchased before the meet.

Invitational: More than four teams participate in a meet, which is hosted and run by a team at their home pool. Swimmers/Parents may choose the swimmers events. Entry fees are due prior to the meet.

Scoring: The times for all swimmers in all heats in a particular event are scored fastest to slowest. The fastest times place first, next fastest second, and so on. Team points are awarded as follows in dual meets:

• • Individual Events: 1st = 5 points; 2nd = 3 points; 3rd = 2 points; 4th = 1 point

  • Relay teams: 1st= 7 points; 2nd= 4 points

Scratch: A coach removes a swimmer prior to the scheduled event. A scratch can happen if a swimmer does not show up at the bullpen for their event.

Seed Time: Swimmer’s placement in an event according to their time, designated as A, B, C, etc. on the event card. The time determines the swimmer’s heat and lane assignment. The fastest times swim the middle lanes, slower times in the outer lanes. Usually the seed time is the swimmer’s best time in that event during the season.

Time: Three timers using stopwatches time the swimmer in each heat. The middle time is the swimmer’s recorded time. If only two timers are used the times are averaged together to get the official time.

Backstroke

Swimmers must start from in the water with both hands on the edge of the pool or on the starting block rail, toes must be under the water. Swimmers must remain on their backs until they touch the wall for a turn or a finish. Following these criteria, any means of stroke or kick is allowed. The pennants hanging across the pool (backstroke flags) are situated to prepare the swimmer for the approaching wall. During practice and warm-ups, swimmers are encouraged to count how many strokes it takes them from the flag to the wall.

Breaststroke

This stroke must be done on the breast with some part of the head surfacing during each stroke sequence, except on starts and turns where one underwater pull and kick are allowed, in that order. All vertical and lateral movements of the legs must be simultaneous. Scissors, flutters, and downward kicks are not permitted. The kick must be a squeezing action with no downward thrust on the legs, all on the horizontal plane. The arm pull also must be simultaneous and on the same horizontal plane, recovering forward from the breast. Elbows shall be under the water except for the last stroke at the finish. The swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously at all turns and the finish.

Butterfly: “the Fly”

The swimmer’s shoulders must be at or past the vertical toward the breast. At the start, the swimmer is permitted one or more leg kicks, but only one arm pull underwater, which must bring him/her to the surface. From the beginning of the first arm pull, the swimmer’s shoulder must be in line with the water surface. The leg kicks must be downward thrusts in a simultaneous action (the dolphin kick). The arm pull must be simultaneous and the arms must recover forward over the top of the water (only 8 and unders may recover with only part of their arms breaking the waters surface). Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously at all turns and the finish.

Freestyle

“Free” means swimmers are free to do any stroke imaginable (except in medley or free relay, in which swimmers must swim the crawl), however most swimmers choose the crawl, which is the fastest stroke. Any part of the body can touch the wall at turns and the finish. This is the first stroke emphasized and virtually all new swimmers will compete in it. Swimmers are allowed to hold on to the lane lines in this stroke or stand on the bottom providing they do not push off from this position or move forward while doing so.

The Stingrays also swim the following events at our meets . . .

Individual Relay (the "IM")

An event in which a swimmer competes by swimming all four strokes in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle (a stroke other than the previous three). This event is often referred to as “IM”.

Medley Relay

Four swimmers swim consecutively, each waiting until the previous swimmer touches the wall before leaving on the next leg. The first swimmer swims backstroke, the second swimmer swims breaststroke, the third swimmer swims butterfly, and the fourth swimmer swims freestyle. Any disqualification of a swimmer disqualifies the entire relay team.

Free Relay

Four swimmers swim consecutively, each waiting until the previous swimmer touches the wall before leaving on the next leg. Any disqualification of a swimmer disqualifies the entire relay team.