Swim Team

Highland Lakes Swim Team

The Highland Lakes Swim Team has a rich tradition of competition and camaraderie. Our coaches will start working with children as soon as they can successfully swim the length of a lane up until they graduate from high school. We encourage new and returning swimmers to participate. We are a summer recreational team that places a strong emphasis on developing confident competitive swimmers. Our team accommodates both first-time swimmers as well as highly-competitive swimmers, all levels are truly welcome.

Swim Team Leadership

Coaching Staff

The Highland Lakes Swim Team is coached by the Head Coach and two Assistant Coaches. The coaching staff oversees daily practices throughout the season, works with swimmers to develop their strokes and technique, and sets team lineups for weekly dual meets. The coaches place a strong emphasis on team camaraderie and sportsmanship, while working with each individual swimmer at their respective levels.

Swim Team Parent Board Executive Team

The Highland Lakes Swim Team is led by a Parent Board of Executives and Board Chairs. The Executive Board includes President, First VP, Second VP, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Board Chairs include Chair of Officials, Chair of Timers, Chair of Scoring, Chair of Concessions and Chair of Facilities.

Registration

Sign-up for the swim team begins on Memorial Day weekend.

How to Register:

COMPLETE THIS FORM

Practice Schedule

The Swim Team practices 5 days a week.

Practices will not be held in adverse weather conditions such as thunder and lightning. Cancellation decisions are made by the coach and all swim team members will be notified.

General practice schedule is split up by age group but swimmers may be moved around at the discretion of the coach based on skill level.

Swim Team Practice Schedule:

Monday - Friday

Youth Ages 13+: 9 am - 10 am

Youth Ages 9 - 12: 10 am - 11 am

Youth Ages 8 and under: 11 am - 11:45 am

Youth Ages 6 and under: 11:30 am - 12 pm

Swim Attire

Practice Attire

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

Swim Team Benefit Apparel

Sweats, t-shirts, sweatshirts and other logo gear will be available for purchase early in the season, please look in HL Newsette for details.

Order forms will also be available at practices.

Meet Attire

We strongly encourage but do not require, the purchase of the team suit.

We do ask all swimmers to wear their team-issued shirts to each meet.

We require all swimmers to compete in the team-issued swim cap.

We will be offering the chance to purchase team suits at the beginning of the season.

Coordinating sweat suits will also be available for purchase (optional).

Swim Team Suits

Where and When to Buy – The Arena Puzzle suit for girls and the jammer or brief for boys will be available to purchase early in the season. Details TBD.

Code of Conduct

Highland Lakes Swim Team Code of Conduct defines expectations of behavior for all swim team members, parents, volunteers and coaches involved with the Highland Lakes Swim Team. The Highland Lakes Swim Team is an activity of Highland Lakes Country Club and Community Association and as such is ultimately governed by the Club’s Rules and Regulations, Voting Board and Club Management.

Please respect and abide by the following:

Let the swimmers swim and the coaches coach, and support both positively.
Bullying and aggressive behavior by team members, parents and spectators will not be tolerated.
Team members, coaches and parents will refrain from all illegal conduct and inappropriate behavior that detracts from a positive image of the Highland Lakes Swim Team or the Club.
Team members, coaches and parents will display the utmost respect and sportsmanship towards officials, competitors and each other.
Do not criticize the swimmers, coaches or officials.
Damage to team property or the property of others (including other teams) is prohibited.
Team members and parents are expected to leave the Club’s swim lanes and surroundings in a neat and clean condition after practice and home meets.
Team members and parents are expected to leave the hosting swim lanes and surroundings in a neat and clean condition when attending away meets.
During meets, parents are expected to remain in the spectator area and off the docks unless they are working the meet in an official volunteer capacity.
Highland Lakes is a volunteer community, and the success of the Highland Lakes Swim Team depends on the many adult and junior volunteers throughout the year. Please respect the volunteers and consider doing your part to help out by volunteering your time and talent.

If you have an issue, call it to attention through the appropriate channel as soon as possible. Violations of this Code of Conduct will be addressed by the coaching staff, Club office and Voting Board as deemed appropriate, including but not limited to the suspension or termination of the swimmer from the Highland Lakes Swim Team.

Lakeland Swim Conference

We are a member of Lakeland Swim Conference (LSC) which is a conference of other North Jersey lake communities with swim teams.

Weekly meets against other lake teams in the Lakeland Conference are held on Wednesday nights at home or away.

The Highland Lakes Invitational is held on the last Saturday of July, and swimmers have the option of traveling to invitationals hosted by other lakes most Saturdays in July and early August.

Parent Volunteers

Our team cannot exist or run without Parent Volunteers. Most parents are surprised at just how much help is needed to provide such a great experience for our swimmers. We can use help in all aspects and can work around your schedule. For example, we can use helpers for timing at meets, marshaling at meets, scoring at meets, Colorado timing set-up and operation, set-up and break-down of equipment, snack bar, social events, clothing and swimsuit sales, fundraising, bagel sales on Thursdays during practice.

B Invitational Volunteer Sign Up

A COMMITMENT TO HELP IS NOT A COMMITMENT TO BE THERE FOR HOURS. “Many hands make light work” has been our working philosophy. If you are busy with younger kids and can’t commit to staying in one place for too long, we can use help fundraising, printing and collating for the “B”, even manning the information table while your swimmers are practicing. At last year’s Invitational we put together “teams” of parents so one parent could help with scoring or timing and the other can watch kids for an hour, then switch places. 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, few hour 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. (1/2 hour on Wednesdays ONLY when there are home meets)
Away meet chaperoning – this does not mean that you have to watch all of the kids or ride the bus, but we need a few parents to handle sign-outs (those who take the bus there but whose parents drive them home)
Timing/Recording – one parent from each family is encouraged to time at meets or at the Invitational. We have an excellent timing system; all you have to do is press a button twice – once when the race starts and once when the swimmer finishes. Timing is a great way to help out for a shorter duration of time, requires no training whatsoever, and worked well with our Parent Teams as described above.
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 (organizing the swimmers in their events and keeping the right swimmer in the right lanes, etc.)

Swim Team Bus Transportation

The Club provides complimentary transportation by bus to away dual swim meets. Transportation to Invitationals and Championships is not provided. Attendance is taken on each bus before it departs Highland Lakes.

Parents: if you choose to have your child ride the bus to an away meet, you remain responsible for transportation of your child from the meet.