ARORA HILLS BARRACUDAS

ARORA HILLS BARRACUDAS 2015 Swim Team Handbook April 15, 2015 PO Box 1463 Clarksburg, MD 20871 http://www.ahbarracudas.com 2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L L S B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K

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Table of Contents WELCOME...2 SWIM TEAM INFORMATION...2 Gaithersburg-Germantown Swim League (GGSL)... 2-2 Swimming Qualifications... 3 Testing/Tryouts... 3 Age Categories... 3 Barracuda Kicks Boarders... 4 REGISTRATION FEES...5 Residents... 5 Non-Residents... 5 Refund Policy... 6 PARENT VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS...6 Training Clinics... 6 Volunteer Positions... 6 Position Descriptions... 7 SCHEDULES & POLICIES...9 Swim Meets... 9 Swim Meet Signup... 10 Swim Practices... 11 Inclement Weather Policy... 12 TEAM SUITS & APPAREL... 13 Swimsuit Information... 13 Apparel Information... 13 CONTACT INFORMATION... 14 Swim Team Contacts... 14 Arora Hills Pools... 14 LEAGUE POOLS INFORMATION... 15 2 0 1 4 A R O R A H I L L S B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K

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2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K WELCOME Welcome to the Arora Hills Barracudas Swim Team! We hope to provide a place for children to build friendships that continue from summer to summer while also becoming strong, safe swimmers. Every child is an important part of the swim team. The parents are equally important. Please support your children by giving them lots of encouragement and by volunteering to help the program run smoothly. There are several ways the Coaches and Swim Team Committees will communicate with you. Our primary source will be through an email distribution list and/or SMS text messaging system. In addition, all of our swim team information will be available on our website, including registration forms, swim team schedules, event information, volunteer signups for parents, and more. Other communication methods will include information from coaches, pre-meet activities, schedule changes, etc. In this handbook you will find information that will be helpful throughout the season. Please read it carefully prior to registering for the team as well as referencing it throughout the season. Enjoy our third season -- let's make it amazing for all the swimmers! SWIM TEAM INFORMATION Gaithersburg-Germantown Swim League (GGSL) The Gaithersburg-Germantown Swim League was formed in the summer of 1980 as an ad hoc committee of neighborhood representatives who met to set a swim meet schedule and to adopt a set of rules under which the teams would compete. Montgomery County, Maryland already held an established swim league, the Montgomery County Swim League (MCSL), but these communities decided to form an independent league. The founding neighborhoods felt, and still feel, that an independent league could remain more fun, family-oriented, and with a more relaxed atmosphere than the more highly competitive MCSL. In 2015, the GGSL is made up of 8 teams. Additional information for the GGSL can be found by visiting their website at www.ggsl.net 2

2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K The GGSL is concerned about the size of the teams and the number of heats that each team had last season. As a result the Arora Hills Barracudas will be limiting the size of our team this year. We are hoping that the team will be around 110 swimmers. If we begin to get close to that number or look like we are going to exceed it, we may have to begin restricting registrations especially in specific age groups or limit registration from swimmers who are not Arora Hills residents. This is a judgement call and we will have to make those decisions as registration progress. Bottom line get your registration in early! GGSL is also limiting the number of heats for any one event, as it makes the meets too long. Unlike in years past we will not have heats that are full of our swimmers only. We want all the swimmers on our team to have the chance to compete, participate, and have fun. With that said, in age brackets where we have a lot of swimmers (typically 8 and unders and 9-10 ), it is likely that swimmers will not swim in every event that they may qualify. The number of events that swimmers are in may differ from one meet to another based on the number of swimmers attending each meet, the number of swimmer on the opposing team, and based on the coaches decisions. We want to give all swimmers the thrill of completion; we don t want 1 or 2 swimmers to be swimming in every event while all the other swimmers who have been practicing every week sit on the sidelines. Does this mean that your child may not swim in every event that they did last year yes. This is how other teams in the GGSL do it, as well as, teams in the bigger MCSL league. Swimming Qualifications Swimmers participating in the competitive/scored swim meets will be required to pass a swim test and be expected to attend at least three practices per week, barring illness, vacation, or other reason(s) acceptable to the coach. Testing/Tryouts Swimmer testing/tryouts will be held ONLY on Tuesday, May 26 th and Wednesday, May 27 th. If you are unsure if your child is able to swim the minimum requirements, then please plan on attending on one of these days. No alternate dates will be provided. NOTE: If your child swam competitively last year on the team in the swim meets, they do not need to attend testing/tryouts. If your child was on pre-team and/or did not swim in the meets, then they will need to attend. Age Categories Each meet (Wednesday evening or Saturday morning) is divided by gender into races for each stroke in the following age groups: 8 and under 9 and 10 11 and 12 13 and 14 15 to 18 3

2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K A swimmer s age category is determined by the age of the swimmer as of June 1st of the current swim season. For example, a swimmer who turns 9 years of age on June 3rd will still swim the entire summer season in the 8 and under age group, as he was 8 on June 1 st. Swimmers of a specified age may not swim in an event designed for younger swimmers. A swimmer may be moved up, however, to an age class older than his/her age, provided that the swimmer does not "double up" in any one event. Barracuda Kick Boarders Before each swim meet, children who are 6 years old & under may participate in an exhibition race (non-scored) using kickboards. The 6 & under kick boarders should be able to kick the length of the pool within 90 seconds. This will be determined during regular practice. All 6 & under kickboard heats will be mixed (boy/girl) heats. 4

2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K REGISTRATION FEES Registration will begin on April 25, 2015 and remain open until an age group reaches capacity. The registration fees helps cover swim team costs such as coaching salaries, scorecards, ribbons, equipment/supplies, and much more. The fee also includes the following: End of the season banquet entry for each swimmer Village Orthodontics sponsored t-shirt for each swimmer Families will need to complete BOTH a Registration Form and a Release Form. Please make checks payable to Arora Hills Barracudas and send your payment and forms to: Arora Hills Barracudas PO Box 1463 Clarksburg, MD 20871 For questions regarding registration, please contact our Registration Representative, Torrence Smith at Torrence@ahbarracudas.com. Residents For residents of the Arora Hills Community, the cost to join the swim team is as follows: First Child: $125 Second Child: $100 Third Child: $75 NOTE: For families with 4 or more swimmers, the fee for the additional swimmer(s) is $75.00 each. Swimmers must be members of the same family and reside in the same household. Non-Residents For non-residents, the cost to join the swim team is as follows: First Child: $160 Second Child: $130 Third Child: $100 NOTE: For families with 4 or more swimmers, the fee for the additional swimmer(s) is $100.00 each. Swimmers must be members of the same family and reside in the same household. NOTE: Membership to the Arora Hills community pools is not available at this time for nonresidents and is not included in the non-resident rate. Non-residents may only access the Arora Hills community pools for authorized practices and swim meets only. 5

Refund Policy 2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K A written request must be received no later than May 29, 2015 at 11:59PM for a full refund. After May 29 th, there will be NO REFUNDS issued. PARENT VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS We cannot be a successful swim team if we don t have parent involvement! With that being said, it takes a full staff in order to run a successful swim meet. Many parents choose to have fixed positions that they take the role of at each meet, but for those that do not, we still need your help! You will still get to see your child swim (and often from a better vantage point!) Each family MUST provide a parent/guardian to volunteer for at least THREE MEETS (home and/or away) in order for their child(ren) to participate on the team. Failure to volunteer will result in suspension of your child(ren) from participating. An online sign-up website is available to the families to sign up for the volunteer positions. Click here to sign up using Sign-Up Genius the access code is will be given at a later time (the link can also be found on our website). If you need to cancel or switch your date, then please do so as soon as possible and notify the Parent Representative. Training Clinics The Senior Meet Official, Starter, Scorer and Stroke & Turn Judge positions require certification to be obtained before you can actively volunteer. Free training will be provided by GGSL on Saturday, June 6 th at Churchill Village South Pool at 9 a.m. and Monday, June 8 th at Arora Hills at 6:30 p.m. It is the responsibility of the volunteers to attend one of the training clinics and obtain a certificate. Volunteer Positions We need you! We can t have the meets without you. Parents MUST (it is required) volunteer to help at the meets. No task is really that hard and helping shows your children that you take an interest in their team. You MUST (it is required) to volunteer for at least 3 meets. We will have sign-ups at registration and after that as well. If you do not sign up to volunteer, your child will not swim in meets. We don t want to do that so volunteer it s simple! These are the minimum positions that are required to staff a swim meet: Position Home Meet Away Meet *Senior Meet Official 1 - *Starter/Announcer 1-6

2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K *Stroke-and-Turn Judge 1 1 *Scorers 2 2 Head Timer 1 - Timers 12 12 Ribbon Writer 2 2 Card Runner 1 - Clerk Of Course 2 2 Set-up 3 - Clean-up 3 - Concessions 5 - Total 34 19 *These positions require training and certification. NOTE: The Senior Meet Official may also be either a Stroke and Turn Judge, the Starter/Announcer, or Clerk of Course. Position Descriptions These are a description of the volunteer positions that are required to staff a swim meet. More detailed information can be found on the GGSL website. Senior Meet Official: Home meets only these positions are also for experienced team parents who attend training classes. The senior meet official is the overall referee of the swim meet and is responsible for the smooth running of the meet. Any questions, concerns, contentions, are brought to the senior meet official for mediation. The senior meet official reviews all stroke and turn infractions prior to their certification. This position requires training during a pre-season clinic. Starter/Announcer: Home meets only these positions are also for experienced team parents who attend training classes. Starter brings the swimmers to their marks and releases them for their races. The starter is responsible for ensuring that the swimmers start in unison and will call a false start if any swimmer(s) release early. This position requires training during a pre-season clinic. 7

2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K Stroke-and-Turn Officials: Home and away meets these positions are for experienced team parents (or those with a personal swimming background) who attend training classes for these activities. Each team will provide 1 person for the meet. This position requires training during a pre-season clinic. Scorers: Home and away meets these positions are for experienced team parents (or those with a personal swimming background) who attend training classes for these activities. Each team will provide at least 1 person to score the meet. The home team's person will operate the laptop. The away team's person will verify the values on the cards coming in from the pool deck and confirm with the home team's scorer that the correct amounts were entered. This position requires training during a pre-season clinic. NOTE: The starter can also be the Senior Meet Official. The Stroke and Turn Judge can also be the Senior Meet Official. You must have a different person for the Starter and Stroke and Turn Judge. Timers: 18 total, plus 1 Head Timer. There are 6 lanes for swimming a meet, and each lane MUST have 3 timers. As such, a total of 18 timers is needed for all 6 lanes plus one more timer provided by the home team for the purpose of being Head Timer / Backup Timer. The Senior Meet Official and Head Timer will assign each timer a lane prior to the start of the meet. Timers will STAND at the edge of the pool at the finish of each race, stopping the watch when the swimmer touches the edge of the pool. Timers are not to judge the quality or legality of the swimmers' strokes/turns; just to record the swimmer s time. Ribbon Writer: 2 for home and away meets affixes printed stickers for each swimmer to the back label of the applicable ribbon. Each ribbon writer will take care of the ribbons for his/her team. Ribbon writers may take the occasional break to watch the swimmers, just be sure to get back from time to time so the work doesn t get too far behind. Card Runner: Home meets only - a card runner collects swimmers time cards after each event is completed, and brings them to the scoring area. Clerk of Course: The Clerk of Course gathers all the swimmers in a staging area well before each heat/event and verifies the correct swimmers are in their assigned lanes. Setup/Cleanup: Home meets only - Volunteers are needed before and after home meets only. Setup arrives before the meet to do the following: 8

2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K Setup backstroke flags and lap lanes Setup starting equipment Setup scoring computer and equipment Setup tables and deck chairs as needed to ensure flow of people during the meet Cleanup will help restore the pool area and equipment back to its original condition such as: Take down backstroke flags Take down starting equipment Take down scoring computer and equipment Move tables and chairs back to the original layout Concessions Support: Home meets only - Our swim team will provide a concessions stand (The Barracuda Bistro) at home meets to aid with our fundraising (although there is no meet requirement mandating one). Our Concession Stand Coordinator will manage the concessions (i.e. inventory and purchase of items, budget, and profit associated with concessions purchases). However, additional volunteers are needed to help with setting up tables, concession sales and cleanup at the meet. SCHEDULES & POLICIES Swim Meets There are two meets every week; one on Wednesday night and the other on Saturday morning. Meets will start on time as follows: 7:30 A.M. Warm-ups/8:00 A.M. start for morning meets 6:00 P.M. Warm-ups/6:30 P.M. start for evening meets The swim meet season starts Saturday, June 20 th with the regular season ending Saturday, July 18 th. The GGSL Invitational meet is on Saturday, July 25 th. During every meet the swimmers must stay where they can hear when the Clerk of Course calls them for their event. There is usually a designated area for the swimmers to be in, as well as, a designated place for the swimmers to line up when the Clerk of Course call them. Please do not have your child sit with you at your seats during the meet; the Clerk of Course will not come find them. It is the responsibility of each swimmer to be listening for their name/event and come when they are called. The Clerk of Course calls loudly, but will not run around the pool deck looking for swimmers. 9

2 0 1 5 A R O R A H I L LS B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K The schedule below is tentative and is subject to change once finalized by GGSL. The full season schedule will be found on our team website once it is finalized. Date Event Home/Away Opponent Sat, June 20 st Wed, June 24 th Sat, June 27 th Swim Meet Swim Meet Swim Meet Mon, June 29 th Relay Carnival Away Wed, July 8 th Sat, July 11 th Swim Meet Swim Meet Mon, July 13 th Mini Meet Away Wed, July 15 th Sat, July 18 th Sat, July 25 th Swim Meet Swim Meet GGSL Invitationals Swim Meet Signup There are two meets every week; one on Wednesday night and the other on Saturday morning. Parent(s) must signup their swimmer(s) each week if they would like their child to be considered for swimming in those meets. If you do not signup your child for that week, they will not swim in the swim meets. NOTE: Signing up your child does not guarantee they will swim in the meet. The coach(es) will determine which events they need swimmers and make the lineup accordingly. 10

2 0 1 4 A R O R A H I L L S B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K Swim Practices Each summer MUST attend at least 3 practices before a swim meet in order to swim in the upcoming meet. ALL swimmers must check-in when arriving at the pool for each practice. Parent(s) must notify the coach(es) at least 24 hours before practice, unless an emergency arises, in order for absence to be excused. If your child routinely does not come to practice, and you have not gotten an OK from the coach, your child won t swim in the meets. School Days Swim Practices Swim practice will begin while school is still in session. The following limited practice schedule applies from May 26 th June 15 th : Day Time(s) Pool # Mondays & Tuesdays 5pm 8pm 1 (Birch Mead Rd) Wednesdays & Thursdays 5pm 8pm 2 (Arora Hills Dr) Age Time(s) Age Time(s) Kick boarders 5:00pm 5:30pm 9 and 10 yr olds 6:15pm 6:55pm 8 yrs & under 5:30pm 6:10pm 11 yrs & older 7:00pm 8:00pm Schedule is tentative and subject to change Regular Season Swim Practices Regular swim practice will begin after school is finished. The following full practice schedule applies from June 16 th July 17 th : Day Morning Evening Mondays & Tuesdays Thursdays Fridays 8-10:30am Pool 2 (Arora Hills Dr) 5pm 8pm Pool 1 (Birch Mead Rd) Wednesdays No practice due to scheduled Swim Meets 8-10:30am Pool 2 (Arora Hills Dr) 8-10:30am Pool 2 (Arora Hills Dr) 5pm 8pm Pool 2 (Arora Hills Dr) None 11

2 0 1 4 A R O R A H I L L S B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K Age Morning Time(s) Evening Time(s) Kick boarders No morning practice 5:00pm 5:30pm 8 yrs & under 8:00am 8:40am 5:30pm 6:10pm 9 and 10 yr olds 8:45am 9:25am 6:15pm 6:55pm 11 yrs & older 9:30am 10:30am 7:00pm 8:00pm Schedule is tentative and subject to change Inclement Weather Policy We cannot control the weather and will use judgment as to whether swim practices should be held. It is important to know that the coaches will cancel each practice individually unless the inclement weather has been occurring all day or the storm hits hard and looks as if there is no chance of it passing over. In any circumstance, parents and swimmers will be informed via email and/or SMS test message as well as the website will be updated. 12

TEAM SUITS & APPAREL 2 0 1 4 A R O R A H I L L S B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K Swimsuit Information We are using our same suit from last year for our swim team!! We are wearing the Dolfin Team Panel suit in black/gold. ALL swimmers must have the team suit or a plain black suit; NO colors, NO designs, NO tutus or swim skirts, NO board shorts! It is important for the team to look unified (plus we look more intimidating if we are all dressed alike). Female Swimsuit Male Jammer Male Brief Swim suit fittings can be done by Coach Kenny or in person at: RECOMMENDED: You can order the suit online at our affiliate: www.swimoutlet.com/ahbarracudas Apparel Information Swim team T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts and swim caps are available for purchase before the season starts at discounted pricing. Order forms will be provided at the Swim Team Informational Meeting on Wednesday, April 15 th as well as available on our website. All proceeds benefit the swim team. 13

2 0 1 4 A R O R A H I L L S B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K CONTACT INFORMATION Swim Team Contacts Committee Member Name Phone/Email General Information - info@ahbarracudas.com Head Coach Assistant Coaches Kenny Shelhorse TBD Treasurer Torrence Smith torrence@ahbarracudas.com Registration Representative Parent Representative Torrence Smith Dawn Frazier Rod McPhee torrence@ahbarracudas.com dfrazierwvu@yahoo.com ramcphee@gmail.com Sponsorships/Fundraising Jill Sobel info@ahbarracudas.com Concessions Mgrs Tricia Smith info@ahbarracudas.com Spirit Coordinator Carrie McPhee flipflopc@gmail.com Webmaster Torrence Smtih torrence@ahbarracudas.com Team website: Facebook: GGSL website: http://www.ahbarracudas.com http://www.facebook.com/ahbarracudas http://www.ggsl.net Arora Hills Pools Arora Hills Pool #1 (Clubhouse) 23030 Birch Mead Road Clarksburg, MD 20871 Arora Hills Pool #2: 14

23230 Arora Hills Drive Clarksburg, MD 20871 2 0 1 4 A R O R A H I L L S B A R R A C U D A S H A N D B O O K LEAGUE POOLS INFORMATION A list of the pools/swim teams can also be found on the GGSL website: http://www.ggsl.net Community Pool Address & Information Notes Arora Hills (Pool 2) Bennington Churchill Village-South 23230 Arora Hills Drive Clarksburg, MD 20871 29 Goodport Lane Gaithersburg, MD 20878 13601 Wanegarden Drive Germantown, MD 20874 Some parking on Arora Hills Drive is only permitted on one side of the street. There is not much parking at the pool. Park along Longdraft Rd near the pool. Park in the pool lot, on the street, or in the school parking lot across the street. Hadley Farms Montgomery Place Edinburgh Village (MPEV) Northlake Stratford Knolls Williamsburg Square/ Ashton Place (WSAP) 7420 Hadley Farms Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20879 8825 Centerway Road Gaithersburg, MD 20879 12700 Partridge Wood Drive Germantown, MD 20874 11531 Doxdam Terrace Germantown, MD 20876 18274 Smokehouse Court Germantown, MD 20874 Limited parking in the pool lot. Park along Centerway Road east of pool entrance. Townhouse parking lots are reserved and towing is enforced! There is not much parking at the pool. Park along Wisteria Drive or at the school. Watch out for the speed camera! Enter from Metz Drive to Mill House Ct. Park in non-reserved spaces only 15