Team Information

Philosophy: We do not have a summer rec league team, and a long course team. WE ARE ONE TEAM! Swimmers and families will decide their level of commitment to the sport. As coaches, we will always encourage competing at a high level, just as all teachers and coaches in any sport! Like everything else in life, the more work you put into something, the more you will get out of it in the end. Rec League is a great introduction to the sport, and our goal is to get them involved and excited about swimming. And, then encourage future involvement in USA Swimming that offers a wider variety of middle and distance events. Arriving at least 15 minutes before practice is expected so all swimmers are ready to begin practice on time. We are a team and we like to start practice as a TEAM. Swimmers who arrive late on a regular basis make it difficult for us to do our job effectively.

We invite all new swimmers to try a week of practice at ISU to determine if the program is the right ‘fit’ for their family. During that time, we will also evaluate the skills of the swimmers to determine the proper training group. Swimmers will have an opportunity to move up a group, if they have demonstrated they can keep pace with the current training intervals and yardage, and are willing to make the commitment necessary. The criteria listed below are the entry-level requirement at this time.

Training Groups

·       Developmental
·       Bronze
·       Silver
·       Gold

Starting in Fall 2006 the team will be divided into four training groups according to their ability, practice habits, attendance, interval training, goal sets, desire, and commitment. Because of the physiology involved in coaching, swimmers who routinely practice three days/week, need a completely different workout regime than those practicing five to six days a week. For that reason, we will be limiting advancement within the groups unless the criteria is met. A swimmers is always welcome to practice ‘down’ a group in order to keep families together rather than moving one family member ‘up’.

We have some of the designated training criteria listed below for the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Groups, and Rob or Janell are happy to meet with athletes and parents to discuss the comprehensive list of requirements should their be any questions.

GENERAL INFORMATION

USA Sanctioned Team Our school year swim team is a sanctioned team of USA swimming. Swimmers in ALL Groups (except the Novice who swim at Swim America, who are not entering USA Meets) must become a member of USA Swimming and pay their $60 annual fee. A small portion of the fee helps USA swimming promote our sport at the national level, and provides insurance coverage to swimmers during practice and at USA sanctioned meets.

Short Course Season At the completion of the USA Short Course Season, we will be preparing swimmers for our Long Course Competition, and Summer Rec League. At this time of the year, both the high school boys and the girls are finished competing for their high school teams, so pool space can be limited depending on the size of our team. Usually there are swimmers from our lessons program who advance to Team after Spring Break. We are always seeking additional, affordable pool space so all swimmers have appropriate space to train. We previously did secure additional pool time at NCHS, and we adjusted the practice times for some swimmers. That is always a possibility, and we will notify families in advance of any changes. If space becomes an issue after the boys return from High School swimming, and during the Summer Prep Season, priority is given to the swimmers who plan to compete for OUR team during the summer. In spring 2006 this was a non-issue and the handful of swimmers who were planning on competing for an opposing team during the summer were able to stay with RKSA because we had room for everyone. Most likely, we will secure additional pool space to accommodate the numbers; however, practice times for Silver and Gold may change in the Spring.

Meet Information

USA Meets: Our swim meets are classified as “team meets” or “overnight travel meets”. Swimmers are expected to compete in Team Meets. Three day meets are taxing on a swimmers’ body so coaches schedule USA meets to allow for two to three weeks in between for proper recovery so there is less interruption in the training cycle. Every meet will vary their Order of Events, Awards, etc. so please check out the Meet Information/Packet on our website so you are informed.

Participation in “travel meets”, is required for Gold, and encouraged for all team members in Bronze and Silver. Travel meets are fun, enhance team camaraderie, and usually offers a higher level of competition.

Sign-up procedures for entering swim meets is done through the website only. Go to “Meet Sign-Up” on the website, scroll down to the meet you want to enter, choose which days you want to compete (preview the meet packets online), and then ‘submit’. PLEASE WATCH THE DEADLINE NOTICES. Once the deadline passes, please do not ask us to call the host team to see if they will accept a late entry. If you have any question about USA meets sign-up please see our Parent Coordinator, Teresa Davis

Meet Fees: There are meet entry fees, typically $3.00 per event and $1.75 per relay, and a $2.00 surcharge. All meet fees (and events) are posted on the website. RKSA must prepay all meet fees in advance when we submit the meet entries (usually 30-45 days in advance of the meet), so payment for the fees is expected prior to the first day of the meet or a $10 late fee will be assessed. Once we submit the entries, if you become sick or cannot attend for any reason, the host team will NOT issue a refund so you are responsible for the fees.

Summer Rec Meets: There is generally one swim meet a week. If you are not going to be able to attend the meet you much sign out on the website or you're signed up for the rec league dual meets - You must sign out for each swim meet you will miss due to vacations or conflicts, or you will be entered in the meet. Sign out dates are approximately 10-14 days prior to a meet which allows the coaches time to set up the meets. With over 100 swimmers, it is quite a time consuming process. Please do not send emails regarding your swimmers’ attendance. The website account was set up specifically for the team entries, so we can keep all of the communication in one area. If someone becomes sick the day of the meet, please contact Janell, or McCormick office 438-2672 to notify us of the change. It is disappointing when a relay has to be scratched because one swimmer did not show up when the other swimmers were expecting him/her to be there. Because we have had problems with last minute changes, often times we will post the ‘individual events’ but will wait ‘til the day prior to the meet to organize the relays. Historically, we have last minute changes because of sicknesses or accidents. And, once we print the line-ups, everything must be changed if we have a ‘scratch’. (the meet program, the bullpen cards, positive check-in sheets, the scoring sheet, etc.) So, even if we post a meet program, it may change once you get to the meet, if someone doesn’t show up. We try to avoid ALL changes, since it affects so many people - coaches, and volunteers, and of course the swimmers. When coaches arrive at a swim meet, their job is to warm-up the kids to prepare them for the meet. Numerous last minute changes in the line-up can delay the start of the meet and can cause a lot of unnecessary stress on the coaches and volunteers.

Rec League vs. USA Swim Meets

Families who come from Rec League always ask this question, so here is a quick synopsis. If you have any other question regarding meet please contact our Parent Coordinator, Teresa Davis.

Rec leagues meets are all in Bloomington-Normal (in June and July), are not sanctioned by USA swimming and officials, and the distances are shorter. The 9-10 year-olds swim 50’s (not 25’s) at USA Meets. There are only five individual events offered in rec league with the 100IM being the longest event for all ages. USA Meets offer a wider range of events including long distance events including the 200IM and the 500 Free, which lots of our 12 & unders will swim.
Rec league meets have a standard order of events, but at USA Meets the host team sets the events and the order in which they will be swum. Also, there is not a 6 & under division, so the 6 & unders compete in the 8 & under age group. At USA Meets, swimmers compete in their respective age groups. Typically, you will swim in a heat with swimmers who have a time close to yours. The heats usually run slowest to fastest. Depending on the host team’s facility, there could be as many as 10-20 heats per events.
All meets use the Colorado Touch Pads timing equipment so the times are more accurate than watch times. Watch times are used only as a back up source.
USA Meets have certified officials, and only USA certified coaches can be on the pool deck during the meets. No parents allowed. In some meets, the team is allowed to ‘camp out’ on the pool deck during the meet, and the parents are upstairs in the stands. Some meets offer an adjacent gym for swimmers and families.
In USA Meets you will get DQ’d if your stroke is NOT legal. There are no exceptions, like there are in the TCSC. Typically our coaches will not enter you in an event if your stroke is not legal in practice Getting DQ’d is a part of the learning curve, and should not be considered a negative. It is part of the learning process. If there is a DQ on deck, the USA Official must raise their hand, and typically, they inform the swimmer (or the coach) after the race. They also turn in a DQ slip to the scoring table, so there is no question as to the specific violation
We are part of Illinois Swimming and you can refer to their website for information on time standards, meets, etc. Their website is www.ilswim.org
USA swimming has two seasons: Short Course where all of the meets are in a 25-yard pool (Fall thru mid March), and Long Course which begins after Short Course and continues through the end of July. Long Course Meets are all in a 50-meter pool, which we do not have in our community. Unfortunately travel is required.
The coaches always determine which events swimmers are ready for, so you do not have to choose. We will post the meet packets when they become available so you have all the meet details. Host teams can change the events and order of events, so we have to wait to see the meet packet to determine which events are on what days, etc. Often 8 & under boys and girls, and 9-10’s swim in the morning, but that CAN vary.
Awards also can vary according to the meet. Some meets award ribbons for JO Championship Times and A Regional Times. Other meets offer ribbons or medals for the Top 6 or 12 in various categories. You DO NOT get a ribbon for every event you swim like you do at Rec League Meets.
We usually have to submit the entries about 45 days in advance of the USA meet, and once you entered, you are responsible for the fees, even if you get sick, etc. and cannot attend. The USA Meets have a timeline they are to maintain and will only accept a certain amount of entries. If you cancel, you were already figured in their timeline, and they are not going to send out small refunds. We know from hosting meets, all the edits cause an incredible amount of work anyway.
Most USA Meets are 3-day meets, with Friday evenings having the long distance events. Most swimmers in Developmental and Bronze typically enter Saturday and Sunday only. And, you can just enter one day. There are meet entry fees, typically $3.00 per event and $1.75 per relay, and a $2.00 surcharge.
There are deadlines to enter USA Meets. Some meets fill up the first day, so we need to submit our entries early. We do not run the meet (like Rec League) and cannot get swimmers entered after their deadline.
The Long Course Meet schedule will not be available until the Short Course season ends. Long Course season run from late April thru the end of July, so during June and July some swimmers are competing in long course and TCSC meets.
We typically only enter about one USA Meet per month. We need lots of practice to prepare for USA meets. When some swimmers only attend practice 3x/week (for example) that does not give us a lot of time to prepare their body to drop time. 3-day USA Meets are draining on a swimmers’ body. It usually takes a little time to recover from those meets.

Coaching Questions: All coaching concerns should be made directly to the Coach (after practice or via email) who has the most contact with your swimmer. Rob Knight is the Head Coach and you may contact him if you have further concerns. Rob is accessible after most practices at McCormick, and you can always send him an email, or contact him at home if there is an urgent matter (454-7357). If you have an administrative question, you can send us an email and Janell will get back to you as soon as possible. A phone call to assistant coaches on their personal cell phones is not encouraged, unless it involves a last minute necessary communication detail. If you call the Swim America office (828-7946) keep in mind that most of the employees at Swim America are NOT associated with the Team and may not be able to facilitate your question immediately. We have secured an office at McCormick so we can enhance communication. Please see website for office hours. You may call the office phone (438-2672) during these times and Janell will be able to answer you questions.

Parking Pass: $20 per ISU semester. Purchase passes at ISU Parking Services on North Main Street (north of U-High). If you opt to feed the meters, be careful, because they do ticket. There is convenient metered parking just outside McCormick Pool, but the maximum time is 30 minutes (30 cents). If you swim at McCormick and do not want to get a pass, there is ‘pay as you go’ parking on the first floor of the deck just northeast of the tennis courts.

Fundraising/Volunteer Hours:

USA: There is no fundraising required at this point. However, we are a 501-C3 nonprofit corporation, so if your company offers a Grant Program, there are plenty of service hours available especially during the summer TCSC. Contact us through the website if you are interested in helping, or making a tax deductible contribution. .

Most all swim meets we attend will require some volunteer timers, so we’ll call on all of our families to share that responsibility. During the School Year period, families are required to work two swim meets. We will need a lot of volunteers to help run our home meet in December. During the summer, all families were required to work four swim meets (or both parents work 2 meets) in order to be part of the Team. If you did not fulfill your summer requirement, we will call on you first, before asking the other families. We were extremely proud of our organized parent involvement this summer, and look forward to the USA Season

Rec League: Each family is required to work a minimum of 3 meets. While we believe it's your obligation to support your swim club, we also realize you have many demands other than swimming. (We do, too.) We try to structure our meets so that any volunteer can take a few minutes away to watch their child swim. While volunteering can be an inconvenience at times, many parents have commented how it was a positive experience and enabled them to meet more of the swimmers and their families.

Those families who do not fulfill their 3 meet requirement will be assessed $50 per meet missed. No-shows will be assessed at $75 per meet. If a family does not wish to volunteer, the buy out price will be $150.00. These fees indicated are not intended to raise money, but are to ensure we have volunteers to run an efficient meet.

Please indicate 4 meets you would be able to work. (Please note, volunteers must be at least 13 years old.) You will be notified of meet dates and job assignments via e-mail (a complete list will also be available on the RKSA website). If for some reason you are unable to work your meet, it will be your responsibility to obtain a replacement. You may also swap volunteer assignments with another family – but again, this would be your responsibility to contact the other family. In both of these situations (finding a replacement and swapping assignments), an e-mail will need to be sent to Jennifer Peterson in order to make a record of the change.

Parent Committee: We have a Parent Support Committee, who assist in everything from merchandise to communication. We will post their names, numbers, and email, so you always have a contact, and a friendly face, if you need something non-coaching related. Kris Pennington is our Communication Liaison, and is happy to try to answer any questions you might have. This is extremely important to the new families, so they feel informed and welcome. Kris (and Tim), have two swimmers in the program, so attends practices at both pools. Contact her at kris.pennington@insightbb.com or call her at 827-5577.

Communication/Bins: Every family will have a bin at either McCormick or Metcalf, which we use for awards and some reminders, including late billing notices. Most often, updates and reminders are posted on the website, however we will email you last minute updates, so be sure to let us know if you have a change of address. Our website is awesome, so be sure to CHECK IT OFTEN.

Rob Knight's Swim America
510 E. Washington
Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone: (309) 828-7946