Team Info

ASC
8214 Black Diamond Court
Pasadena, MD 21122

 

USASWIMMING/MARYLAND SWIMMING
Within the United States, there are 59 Local Swim Committees (LSC). Each LSC is responsible for administering USA Swimming activities in a defined geographic area and has its own set of bylaws under which it operates. Our LSC is Maryland Swimming www.mdswim.org.  There are 35 clubs within Maryland Swimming.
 
In order to be part of our LSC, a team has to apply for membership. Once approved, they are part of Maryland Swimming. Meets scheduled within Maryland Swimming must also be approved (sanctioned).  Once a meet is sanctioned, any USA swimmer may participate (swim) in such meet provided they meet all the entrance criteria.  At the conclusion of each meet, the hosting team submits the results to USA swimming for posting in the database.  Swim clubs can also choose to host meets that are "not sanctioned" and they are called "invitationals".  This means the host team invites teams to come and participate.  In order for a swimmer to swim in a USA Swim meet, they must be members. All ASC swimmers are USA registered swimmers.
 
On our swim schedule, there are many teams that are identified with abbreviations. Below are the team abbreviations/names of some of those teams.  A complete list of all MD Swimming clubs can be found on the Maryland Swimming web site. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with both Maryland Swimming and USA Swimming websites. Most of the Maryland Swimming Clubs have websites.  Prior to attending an away meet, you should check the website of both the host team and Maryland Swimming for any changes or updates to the meet.
 
Abbreviation/Team:
CBAC/ Chesapeake Bay Aquatic Club
CAA/Columbia Aquatics Association
GBSA/Greater Baltimore Swim Association
GTAC/Green Terror Aquatics Club
NAAC/Naval Academy Aquatics Club
SPY/Severna Park YMCA
 
SWIM MEETS

ENTRIES

Once you learn of a meet, you must determine if your child is swimming, this can be done by checking our website. Click on the title of the meet to read information about which groups are attending the meet, the number of events to be swum each day, and the meet notice. To sign your child up, click on “Attend this Event” and commit your athlete. Please pay careful attention to any time restrictions for events that you/your child signs up for. Entries for ALL our meets must be entered via the website. One your child has been entered the coach can approve or edit those events.

MEET FEES

There are meet entry fees (per event) associated with all swim meet events. Maryland Swimming receives a percentage of the meet entry fees collected at a Maryland Swimming sanctioned meet.  This fee is paid by the swimmers and is billed monthly.  All entry fees for the meets are submitted to the host team on behalf of ASC. Depending on the location of the meet, an additional fee ($.50 per event) may be assessed by ASC to cover the cost of coaches expenses. [Example: the meet sheet states each event is $4 however your ASC account statement reflects $5/event. That $1 extra is to cover the travel expenses/hotel expenses of the coaches attending the meet].  You will receive an invoice each month regarding your balance. It is YOUR responsibility to pay your invoice in full each month.  If you do not do so, your swimmer(s) may not be permitted to swim in any meets until your account is current. Once statements are issued, an email is also sent out. See membership agreement for additional details/information.
 
 
All meets have a "meet sheet".  This document contains information about the meet that includes but not limited to: dates, location, times, qualifying times, allowed number of events, facility information and local hotels.  The meet sheet can be found on the Maryland Swimming website and the ASC website. You can also find it on the website of the host team. ASC parents print the meet sheet and post on the respective bulletin boards.  As a new parent, it’s a good idea to print your own meet sheet (generally 5-7 pages).  Check our website, MD swimming’s website or the host team website before leaving the house for any time changes! Parents are not required to "volunteer" at away meets. Occasionally host teams will ask for volunteers to assist with timing.
 
What to bring to a swim meet??
Swimmer:
Team Suit
Team Cap
Water/Drink
Healthy Snacks
WARM CLOTHES
Towels
Some swimmers bring electronic games, cell phones, MP3 players. Keep in mind damp clothes, towels.
PUT YOUR SWIMMERS NAME ON EVERYTHING with a permanent marker!!
 
Parents:
Wear comfortable "cool" clothing
Purchase the meet program (generally $5-10)
Highlighter/pen (you’ll want to highlight your swimmers name to follow along)
Reading material
Chair pad/something soft to sit on (CBAC)
Cash for concession stands (your swimmer will want to eat)
If you are staying in a hotel, bring extra clothes towel
Patience, Patience, Patience
 
Please pay attention to the meet sheet and the warm-up times for your swimmers age group. The warm up time is the time your team gets in the pool to warm up before the meet. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes BEFORE the warm up time.  This will allow your child (and you) to find their way to the pool, get themselves together (suit on, cap on). Each team is allotted a specific amount of time, if you are late for warm ups, it’s disruptive.  All swimmers must show up for the warm ups, even if their event is later in the session!! Suggest getting a cell phone number of another swimmer/parent in case you are running late.
 
Most meets have concessions and a vendor selling swim apparel.
 
Your swimmer(s) should sit with the team during the meet. Remind your swimmer to see his/her coach immediately after the event. Swimmers are permitted to leave the deck to visit or get something to eat however most teams require appropriate attire (shoes/clothing) before leaving the deck. Encourage your swimmer to return to the team area after their visit. PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON DECK AT ANY MEET unless volunteering.
 
The meet program (also called psyche sheets) will list the event name/number and lane assignments for each swimmer by heats.  A "heat’ is a group of swimmers that will all swim at the same time for that event. Heat numbers go in sequentially order starting with heat one.  The higher the heat number, the faster the seed (swimmers fastest previous time) time. Some swimmers write on their hand the events they are swimming.
Example
#30 50Fr  H2 L6
[Event # 30 50 yard freestyle, heat 2, lane 6] 
 

CLUB-HOSTED SWIM MEETS

Most of the same information from above applies to our club-hosted meets however we, as parents, must run our own meet. It requires MANY people to run a successful meet. In addition, we must follow USA Swimming Rules and Regulations. Parent volunteers make a meet successful. There are many different ways you can help. Listed below are some of the meet jobs with brief descriptions. Many parents are concerned they will not be able to see their child swim, THIS IS NOT THE CASE. You will  have time to watch your child swim his/her event. ASC hosts four major meets; Freestyle Meet, Holiday Meet (invitational), Senior Meet and the ASC/RAC LC Meet. Not all swimmers will particpate (swim) in our meets (because of age/ability and times). Please check with your swimmers coach to determine if your child is swimming. If your child is NOT swimming at a home meet, you as a parent, are still responsible for fulfilling your volunteer requirement. See our Volunteer Policy under "Team Info" or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Joyce Twomey to discuss your volunteering commitment.
 
Set Up: Come the night before the meet to help set up concession, pool deck area and etc.
Timer: time swimmers (best seat in the house). This is the most important job. If we do not have enough timers, the meet cannot proceed.  Approximately 24 timers are needed /session/meet. Our Holiday Meet requires each visiting team to provide 2 timers per session therefore ASC does not have to provide all the timers for the Holiday Meet. ASC does have to provide all the timers for the Freestyle and Senior Meet.
Head Timer: responsible for providing back up time in the event a timer does not start his/her watch, malfunction, etc. Generally starts 2-3 stop watches for each event.
Concession: sell food items
Announcer: Announce the events, make any necessary meet announcements.
Officials: officiate the meet (starter, referee, stroke/turn official). All these require training by Maryland Swimming.
Safety: Keep the designated areas clear
Awards: Place labels on ribbons/medals and sort by team.
Runner: Work with timing/scoring booth to retrieve times as necessary from the timers on deck. Post results.
ColoradoTiming/Hy-tek: You must be trained to work in timing/scoring booth. If you are interested, please see Joyce Twomey. These positions will not be posted under the Meet Worker Positions.
 
 
FUNDRAISING 
All youth sports require and need fund raising activities. Swimming is no exception.  The only fund raiser for ASC is a raffle. Each swimmer is responsible for selling 20 raffle tickets ($100 total). Once the winners have been issued their winnings, the rest of the funds go toward supporting ASC expenses.  These expenses include office supplies, team equipment, facility rental fees, concession expenses, etc.
 
TEAM FEES

All ASC team members are required to pay a membership fee. This amount covers the USA Swimming membership, coaches salary and goes towards facility rental (meets, etc.). In addition, each facility assesses its own facility fee. The county fees and Big Vanilla fees are not controlled by ASC and ASC does not receive a portion of those funds. ASC is a private, non-profit organization. All monies raised, earned are used to support the team. 

ASC team invoices are generated monthly.  They will include fees such as the group membership fee, fundraising fee, and meet entry fees.  They may also include late fees ($20) or charges for not fulfilling a volunteering obligation (see volunteer committment info).  Invoices are expected to be paid in full each month.  ASC REQUIRES parents to use the credit card or checking account link options to pay each month so as to avoid possible late fees and to be sure your child is allowed to swim in future meets.

See our membership agreement for further information.

 
CONTACTS
The email address for all coaches is listed under "Contact Us". Due to insurance liability, PARENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED on deck. Please email the coach to schedule time to discuss your questions or concerns.

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS: 

Each family is required to provide a volunteer to work two sessions at EACH of the four major meets ASC hosts, regardless of the swimmers’ participation in those meets (Freestyle Meet, Holiday Invitational Meet, Senior Meet, Long Course Invitational/July).

Families who only have swimmers that are ages 8 or younger are NOT required to volunteer at our Freestyle Meet or our ASC-hosted long course meet (but must still fulfill the volunteer requirements at our Holiday and Senior Meets).

Families participating in our summer session must provide a volunteer to work two sessions at our ASC-hosted long course meet in addition to the above mentioned volunteer requirements.

In the event that a family cannot supply a volunteer to work their session at any of the above-mentioned meets, it is THEIR responsibility to find a suitable substitute (age 12 and over). A list of other team members can be found on our website (Directory).

 Failure to comply with this volunteer policy will result in a $75 fine per session not covered and your swimmer(s)’ participation in future meets will be withheld.