Highland Lakes

Lakeland Swim Conference

Highland Lakes Hurricanes Swim Team

General Information – Q&A – FAQ

 Welcome to the 2012 Highland Lakes Swim Team Season

Bob Acker, President                         Jim Kenny, Treasurer

Roe Hall, Vice President                    Suzy McCotter, Secretary

Gail Morton, Head Official

Suzy McCotter and Julia Campbell, Statisticians

Ray Loughren, Head Timer

Doug Miller, Head Coach

Registration

Please fill out one Registration Form and list all family members.  Registration fee per swimmer is $8.00, cash or check made out to HL Swim Team.

Background

The Highland Lakes Swim Team encourages new and returning swimmers of all abilities to participate on the team.

We are a member of the Lakeland Swim Conference (LSC).  The LSC is divided into three divisions (Red, White and Blue).  Teams are placed in their respective divisions based on relative size and strength of the team, and are reviewed by the league on a bi-annual basis.  In 2009 several teams were re-aligned, and Highland Lakes was moved to the White division. In 2010 we were the White Division Champions!

The season includes regular league meets, Invitational meets and Championships.  Regular season meets are held against teams within our assigned division as well as “crossover” meets against teams from the other divisions.  These meets are held on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm.  This year our regular season opponents include:

Mountain Lakes – ML

Cruiser Club – CC

Fayson Lakes – FL

Packanack Lake – PA

Wayne Township – WT

Smoke Rise – SR

West Milford – TWM

White Meadow Lake –WML (“A” Championships location)

The “Invitational” meets and “A Championships” are held on Saturdays.  Additionally, a special “Coaches Choice” meet is held on a Thursday evening.

Representative Practice Schedule by age/time

13-18 yr olds                  9:00   AM – 10:00 AM

11-12 yr olds                  10:00 AM – 10:45 AM

9-10 yr olds                    10:45 AM – 11:30 AM

8 and under                    11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Practice Attire: Swimmers are encouraged to come to practice everyday ready to swim with a towel, water bottle, goggles and cap if necessary.  Girls should wear a one piece suit, boys nothing too baggy.

Meet Attire: Each swimmer is required to purchase a team suit. We are in the second year of a two-year suit. Highland Lakes provides a team t-shirt and latex swim cap.  Silicone caps are available for purchase as well.  Coordinating sweat suits will also be available for purchase (optional) see below.

Swim Team Suits – Where and When to Buy: The Speedo Cyber Swirl suit for girls and the jammer or brief for boys will be available to purchase at the Parent Meeting and also at most Thursday practices.  See Roe Hall for details.

HL Swim Team Benefit Apparel: OnLine Embroidery will be offering a new apparel line for the 2012 season to match the new 2012 team suit. Details will be coming in the spring.

What is an A time, B time, etc.?

Qualifying Times are established by the league every season for each stroke and age group, male and female.  Qualifying times are adjusted mid season and will be posted.

• In order to qualify for Championships you must have an “A” time in a particular stroke
• Swimmer can participate in the “B” and “C” Invitational meets in strokes for which they do not have “A” time
• Entry fees for Invitationals are $3 per swimmer per stroke.  Invitational entries are coordinated with the coaching staff for each meet.  An additional late fee may apply for late entry.

How many events can a swimmer participate in?: Swimmers can participate in 2 individual events and 2 relays or 3 individual and one relay per meet

Strokes: Swimmers are taught the correct technique for each stroke at practice to prepare them for each of the four individual events that they might participate in at a meet.  The strokes include:

• Breast stroke
• Back stroke
• Butterfly
• Freestyle

Additionally, an exciting part of every meet is the freestyle relay in which 4 members of a particular age group compete together as a team.

 Invitationals: Invitational meets can be a rewarding experience, but also an exhausting one.  These meets are sometimes an all-day event.  Each individual team sits in designated team tents for shade.  Please come prepared with beach chairs, blankets, plenty of water, and light snacks.  Food is usually available for purchase.  It’s a good idea to have some games/cards to keep kids occupied.

Coaches Choice Invitational: A limited number of swimmers attend this meet based on individual performance at the discretion of the Coach.

Championships: In order to qualify for Championships, swimmer must have “A” times in any or all of the strokes, and can also participate in a relay.

Parent Volunteer Responsibilities:  Our team cannot exist or run without Parent Volunteers.  Parents are expected to volunteer in all areas of swim team business, including, but not limited to: timing at meets, marshalling at meets, scoring at meets, Colorado timing setup and operation, set up and break down of equipment, snack bar, social events, clothing sales, and fundraising.  Please consider where you can best help.  It’s a great way to be involved with a terrific group of people and your kids as they participate in an activity that is truly a lifelong skill.

• LSC Officials – Each team is responsible for providing multiple officials each season.  The league provides the training in a short, single day program.  Highland Lakes is desperately in need of new volunteers to become officials.  Please consider becoming an LSC official in support of our kids, the team and good standing in the league.
• Home meet setup/breakdown – flags, timing system, tables, etc
• Away meet/invitational setup
• Timing/Recording – one parent from each family is encouraged to time at each meet or at least once
• Snack Bar – parents can work the snack bar on a rotating basis
• HL “B” Invitational – there are many jobs to get done including snack bar, grill, timing, parking, runners, collecting money, marshalling.  “B” Invitational Parent meeting <details coming>
• Marshalling – organizing the swimmers in their events and keeping the right swimmer in the right lanes etc.
• Dock Monitors – Provide assistance as necessary at daily practice.

HL” B” Invitational and Program:  A large portion of our operating budget comes from this event, along with the proceeds from the program.  Boosters/advertising space will be sold to support this effort – details will follow.  Please mark your calendar to attend the important B Invitational Parents meeting on <details coming>.

Website: Information regarding the swim team is available on the Club website – http://hlcc.org/athletics/swimteam/ under Sports. Also, we have added a dedicated email address, hlswimming@gmail.com, as a means of communicating to team member families and with the Swim Team administration.  If we don’t have your email address, please make sure you fill it in on the registration form.  You will also be able to call the Athletics hotline @ 973-764-6674 to get information regarding practice and/or meet cancellations.

Bulletin boards:  The bulletin boards located under the deck adjacent to the swim lanes are used for posting meet results, time standards and any important notices. Also, directions to meets and Invitational forms are in envelopes attached to these boards.  Please check regularly.

End of the Season Awards Dinner: We will be having our annual Swim Team Awards dinner at the Clubhouse.  Details to follow later in the season.