FAQ

Q1. Why should I swim for VAST in the summer also?

Answer:
I strongly encourage those in the Silver Groups or higher to swim in the summer for VAST for many reasons.

The main reason is because many of you have worked so hard this past season and to take a break from VAST in the summer; you will lose much of what you have worked so hard for.

I do realize that in some situations it is out of control for some families for different reasons.

However, if there is a decision to be made on whether to continue in the summer – here are some other reasons to keep swimming for VAST.

1. Less swimmers in the summer (from 120 – 40ish) = more individualized attention and more attention = better technique and faster times.

2. Less swimmers in the summer = coaches and swimmers get to know each other better.  Tighter friendships evolve.  I love coaching in the summer for this reason – it shows me which swimmers are truly dedicated.

3. But I can’t make it in the morning? = We are going to offer afternoon practices at RMH and possibly at Gold’s Gym.

4. It is a chance to compete and practice at a different type of pool and so it breaks up the monotony of swimming in the same type of pool (we swim in a 50 meter pool in the summer).

5. If there is a competitor at another summer league team, what do you think the best way to beat that competitor is?  OR if you want to get a head start on everyone before the start of the Pre High School season.

6. Fun Team Activities Continue = We go to an amusement park, Have donuts or bagels almost every week, Have a t-shirt design contest and Had a lot of fun at practice.

I believe the pros of swimming in the summer outweigh the cons.

Remember – you can still swim with your summer league swim team while swimming for VAST, every swimmer that swam for VAST last summer did.

See at the pool this summer!

Q2.  The IMX Challenge

Answer:
USA Swimming this year has started a program called the IMX Challenge.

It is on USA Swimming’s website - after you log in, you will find all the information about it in the My USA Swimming page.

What is it?
It is a motivational program where swimmers are scored and ranked Nationally, in their Zone, LSC & Club on their performance in 5 or 6 events. 

Why is it?
The purpose of the program is to promote versatility in age group swimming while advocating greater participation and development across a range of events that are integral to long term success in swimming.

How is it?
Swimmers 1st have to participate in 5 or 6 events:
For 10 & Unders:  200 Free, 100 Back, 100 Breast, 100 Fly & 200 IM
For 11-12:  400/500 Free, 100 Back, 100 Breast, 100 Fly & 200 IM
For 13 & Overs:  400/500 Free, 200 Back, 200 Breast, 200 Fly, 200 IM & 400 IM

They get points everytime they swim one of those events - their combination score is their IMX score.

The swimmer’s IMX score is automatically updated and posted in the swimmer’s & coaches My USA Swimming page (which means that swimmers should create a USA Swimming webpage - so they can do this and Nutrition Tracker).

More Information:
More information can be found in this document. I plan on talking more about it at the Banquet.

Q3. How can I become “ Swimmer of the Month?”

Answer:
It is impossible for me and the coaches to tell you that, “if you do this – you will win Swimmer of the Month,” because what if many people do something more impressive then that - that month.  So I have devised some ideas of what the coaches are told to look for when thinking about who is their, “Swimmer of the Month.”

During Regular Weeks:

Effort:   Probably the Biggest thing that coaches look for during non-meet weeks is effort.  I know that whenever I do a hard set I really pay attention to whomever I think worked the hardest on the set(s) or did the best during the set(s).

Leadership: One of the things that I know that I look for is Leadership, if someone has really been a leader at practice that week.  A swimmer could win the award by just being a leader.  What does a leader do: goes first in the lane, cheers on other swimmers, tells them to do the set right, has the right attitude, listens to the coaches intently and does what is asked of them, doesn’t complain when a hard set is given, pushes other swimmers to work hard during the set, etc…

Attendance:  I know for a fact that during weeks when there isn’t a meet going on, I really take a look at attendance.  What I look for is = “Who has been increasing the number of practices they have been going to lately?”  Or “Who has started coming to morning practices/weekend practices lately?”  Many times I will give the award to someone that has answered those questions recently.

During Meet Weeks:
Many times during when VAST has a meet during that week I like to give the award to a VAST swimmer that went to the meet.  It doesn’t always happen that way – but probably will.  How do you improve your chance to win it at a VAST Meet?

Records: If you break a VAST Team Record at a VAST Meet, you are probably going to win Swimmer of the Month, however you may not.  When you would probably win the award:  if its your first time breaking a VAST Team record, if you haven’t won swimmer of the month for breaking a VAST Team record recently or ever or if it is your first VAST Team record this season.  When you may not win the award?:  if you have won Swimmer of the Month already for breaking a record that season, if the record was your own record, if that was the only swim you did well in the previous weekend or if the record was in a relay.

Cuts: If the Coaches believe that someone qualifying for a Championship Meet was the highlight of the meet, they might win the award (but not always).

Best Times:  Sometimes from a previous meet it is a great chance to award a swimmer that went to the meet and achieved Best Times in everything they swam (100%) best times.  Usually there is at least 1 swimmer at every meet from VAST that accomplishes this feat and sometimes they win Swimmer of the Month for doing so.

Leadership:   Sometimes at VAST Meets one the Coaches may also give the award to a VAST swimmer that shows leadership at the meet.  They could show leadership by: going first in warm-ups, leading team cheers, cheering for VAST swimmers, going to Team Functions or just having the “Right Attitude” in general.

All in all I suppose it is much too difficult for me to tell you that doing a certain thing will earn you swimmer of the month.  The best thing that I can do is to tell you what the coaches will be looking for when deciding who to give Swimmer of the Month to.  

Remember:  There are 120 registered swimmers swimming for VAST and the coaches only give out 12 Swimmer of the Month awards each month.  It is a tough decision the coaches have to make every month, but they should be explaining why they made it so swimmers know.  

A swimmer can win the award more than once; however I know that I strive to let others also have a chance at winning the award if they also have earned it.

In reality almost everyone earns the award every month but We are trying to award the swimmers that really stuck out to us and did something Outstanding that they normally don’t do.  It could be their effort in practice, their leadership in practice, their attendance improvements, breaking records at VAST Meets, qualifying to future VAST meets, achieving best times or their leadership at swim meets.

Q4: How do I get a VAST t-shirt/clothing?

Answer:

VAST uses Laughing Dog for its clothing needs.  An order form will be given out at various times during the season with a deadline for orders to be in to me.  I have some samples of the clothing if you would like to take a look at the clothing before you order.  The Team T-shirt for the 06-07 year was the breathing design t-shirt and I highly suggest everyone purchasing one.  This year the Team T-Shirt is the emergence of the VAST Jersey!  Swimmers get to pick what name and number go on the VAST Jersey and I highly suggest swimmers purchasing one of these as well.  The checks need to be made out to VAST and not Laughing Dog.

Q5. I have decided to try a VAST meet. What should I expect?

Answer:
Below are some tips about what to expect at swim meets:

·          Read the information about the swim meet sent to the Listserv.

·          Arrive to the pool where the meet is located at least 15 minutes before a scheduled Meet Warm-up begins.

·          All swimmers for VAST swimming in the meet need to arrive for a Meet Warm-up.  You will be notified of when VAST warms-up at the meet and in what lane.

·          The team sits together, so look for familiar faces and find a place to put your things.

·          Your swimmer reports to the pool for warm-up.

·          After warm-up and before your swimmer’s 1st swim event, they need to see their coach for helpful hints about their 1st event.

·          To know when your swimmer is swimming, heat sheets are usually available for sale in the lobby or concession area.

·          It is important for the swimmer to know when they are swimming and heat sheets can information you and them when.

·          Many meets (Especially B/C Meets for younger swimmers) have a "Clerk of Course" and when a swimmer’s event is called -- he/she will report there or behind the blocks.

·          After a swimmer swims there race, they should report to there coach again.

·          The coach will discuss with them about their race and if they need to warm-down after the race.

Here are some recommendations on what to take with you when you enter the swim meet (from parents and swimmers who have been to many swim meets):

·          Pack at least 2 towels, possibly 2 sweat suits, 2 shirts, Something comfortable to sit on, Games to pass the time and Healthy food.

·          Pool area is usually very warm, so dress appropriately.  Being hot at a swim meet is usually not a lot of fun.

·          Bring a folding chair if you don’t want to sit on the gym floor!

Meets are a lot of fun for swimmers!  He/she gets to visit with his/her friends, play games, and meet kids from other teams.  He/she also gets to race and see how much he/she has improved from all the hard work he/she has put in at practice.

Q6. How do I order a suit? What is with this TYR Menu?

Answer:
VAST is sponsored by the company TYR and uses Aardvark Swim and Sport for its necessary swimming attire.

VAST has a Menu on this website, under apparel, and on the menu there are other items for sale besides just a team suit (fins, pull floats, hand paddles, mesh bags, Men’s training suits, parkas, Team duffle bags, Team backpacks, Team warm-ups and Championship suits).  Swim caps are not on the Menu because I purchase all the caps in a bulk order through Aardvark.

The only recommendation is that you order a team VAST suit.  However, if you are in need of a new bag, we ask that you consider purchasing a VAST Team Bag.  I have also suggested purchasing warm-ups, but that is just a suggestion.

The best thing about being with TYR and having a Menu is the discount in cost and the opportunity to look more like a team.
If you would like to observe the products before you purchase them, I will always have a magazine in my bag, but you can also go to tyr.com to look at the products.

You can order however you would like and if they have it in stock, it will only take 2-3 business days.

Q7. How do I purchase a cap?

Answer:
We have two types of caps available and both types are purchased through me. 

·          Latex Caps: Latex caps cost VAST only $3 per cap and VAST does give out a free Latex cap to every swimmer that registers with them. However, extra Latex caps will cost $3. You can pay with cash or with a check made out to VAST.

·          Silicone Caps: Silicone caps are not given away for free from VAST. So, if you are interested in one of these caps they are more expensive at $10 a piece – but also much nicer especially if your son/daughter(s) like silicone better.

Q8. What is District N? How are meets set up? How do I enter meets?

Answer:
Virginia Swimming has put VAST in the N District, or the Northern District. It means that Virginia Swimming suggests that we attend these meets on these weekends because the meets are closer and when we compete in the District and Regions Championships we will be swimming against the same teams.

Most meets during the season will either be 13 & Over or 12 & Younger. Some meets will let everyone swim and some meets will have qualifying times that your swimmer will have had to of made (SEVA/HARGRAVE/PITTSBURGH/CHAMPS = REGIONS, AGE GROUPS & SENIORS).

If you would like to enter a meet: Some parents/families tell me their child’s events and some parents/families let me do the choosing and just tell me that their child wants to swim. When parents/families let me chose the events, I will promise to do my best in choosing the right events for the meet. I believe that it depends on your swimmer’s personality and what appeals better to each parent/family, because every swimmer is different. Since the swimmers don’t swim nearly in meets as often as they do in summer league or high school and the parents are paying money for the meet, I feel like it is the best way to serve everyone’s interests. I might offer suggestions, but they are only suggestions.

Q9. Questions about the Championship Season: Which meets should my swimmer attend? What is the District Meet? What is the Region Meet?

Answer:
 Virginia Swimming has an end of the season Championship Meet for every swimmer, no matter what speed.  I strongly encourage everyone on VAST to attend one Championship Meet.  If a lot of VAST swimmers attend the meets then more good things happen:  kids will swim faster, they will have more fun, more swimmers will be able to cheer for them and they will have a chance to compete not only against swimmers their own speed but also for points for VAST – points that affect the final score.

You should attend at least 1 meet that best describes your swimmer(s):

There are four different Championship Meets that your swimmer(s) could go to?

The first two are set up by the Motivational Time Standards – short course yards is on page two.

B/C Championships – is also called the District Championships – is for all swimmers that have B times in their events, but not quite BB times yet.  At this meet you can only swim events in which you have a B or C time.  What are C times?  A C time is if a swimmer hasn’t swam an event before or if they don’t quite have a B time yet.

At this meet there are exceptions:  8 & Unders can swim in any 8 & Under event (not 10 & Under) regardless of speed & 15 & Overs are not invited to this meet because they are invited to A/BB Champs.

One of the goals at the B/C Championship (District) Meet is to qualify for the A/BB Championship (Regions) Meet the following weekend.

A/BB Championships – is also called the Region Championship – is for swimmers that have at least a BB time in 1 of their events, but not quite an Age Group Champs time yet.  At this meet you can only swim in events in which you have a BB or A time in that event.  However, 15 & Overs are invited to this meet and all 15 & Overs can swim unless they have a Senior Championship time.

One of the goals at the A/BB Championship Meet is to qualify for Age Group or Senior Championships.

The last two meets are Age Group Championships and Senior Championships and both have qualifying times that the swimmers have to achieve.  For high school swimmers, these times can also be achieved at a high school state meet or a district/regional meet.

Please consider supporting VAST by swimming in at least one Championship Meet this Championship Season.

Q10. What can parents do to help at meets?

Answer:
When VAST attends meets at other pools, we are usually asked to provide at least one timer for each session.  Parents should be prepared to time if asked.  We also need parents to train to become USS officials.  These duties include becoming a stroke and turn judge, starter, etc.

When VAST hosts a meet, there are many opportunities to help.  In fact, we need everyone to pitch in!  We need help with set-up, concessions, timing, officials, clerk of course, meet marshalls and clean-up!

Q11. Is my child required to compete in swim meets?

Answer:
Throughout the year VAST swimmers have several opportunities to compete in meets. These meets provide swimmers with an opportunity to measure individual progress, to receive one-on-one coaching and to socialize with teammates and friends.   Participation in meets helps swimmers stay motivated during practice as they strive to improve.  Although meet participation is not mandatory, it is strongly encouraged.

Q12. What is a “BB” time? What is an “A” time? How do I know if I have one?
Answer:
 USA Swimming has established National Age Group Time standards to allow for a stepping stone approach. This is a great way to see progress even if a swimmer doesn’t win their heat or event. They start at B times and finish at AAAA times. First time swimmers or swimmers with times slower than the B times, are classified as having C times for those events. Most swim meets use time standards to determine eligibility. Click here to access the time standards to determine where your times are.