A

NEW TO NDAC

Q:
How do I know which Practice Group to sign my swimmer up for?

A:
NDAC swimmers practice with their Practice Groups (Pre-Team through Group 4), arranged by both age and swim level. Please see the PRACTICE GROUPS tab for full descriptions of NDAC's Groups. During the first week or two of practice all swimmers will be evaluated by the coaches and adjustments to group placement may be made. If you have questions about groups, please get in touch. Our coaches can schedule a time to evaluate your swimmer if needed.

Q:
When will my swimmer move-up to the next group?

A:
NDAC Coaches determine when a swimmer is ready to move to the next Group primarily by age and swim level. Moving up is based on many factors: age, swim level, maturity, commitment level and attendance at practice and meets are all taken into consideration when deciding best placement. Swimmers who 'age up' to a new competitive age range during the current season may be considered for the next group. Coaches may also determine that an older swimmer is better served by staying in his/her current group.

Q:
How often is my swimmer expected to attend practice?

A:
The simple answer is, your swimmer should attend as many practices as possible. Remember, you get out of the sport what you put into it. The number of practices offered each week and the minimum required number of practices per week varies for each Practice Group. Please refer to the PRACTICE GROUPS tab for the minimum required number of practices for each Group.

Q:
I have questions for my swimmer’s coach.  When can I speak to him/her?

A:
The coaches are usually available after practice to answer quick questions. NDAC coaches can also be reached via email. Coaches' email addresses are listed under the COACHES tab.

Q:
What equipment will my swimmer need?

A:
Swimming equipment needs are pretty basic: suit, cap, goggles, towel. At meets, each swimmer is required to wear NDAC team suit, NDAC cap and NDAC T-shirt to show team spirit and help coaches identify NDAC swimmers. Team suits should not be worn during practice as they wear out so have plenty of practice suits on-hand. A swim backpack can be useful for keeping everything in one place. Information about purchasing a team suit and other equipment will be emailed by NDAC Merchandise at the start of the season. NDAC silicone swim caps can be ordered during Registration. Each registered NDAC swimmer is given a free NDAC T-shirt. Depending on their Practice Group, swimmers may need additional equipment such as kickboard, flippers, hand paddles, snorkle etc. More information can be found under the NDAC GEAR tab.

MEETS

Q:
What is 'Short Course' and 'Long Course'?

A:
Short Course and Long Course refers to the size of the pool. Short Course races are swum in 25 yard pools (like the Bard Pool) and Long Course races are swum in 50 meter pools (Olympic size pool). Short Course season runs from September through March. Long Course season runs from April through July. NDAC swimmers have the option to compete in one or both seasons. Registering for the Full Year option offers savings over paying for the two seasons seperately. If your swimmer registers only for Short Course you will have the option to add Long Course early in the calendar year.

The reality of swimming Long Course in the Hudson Valley area is there are few 50 meter pools, so there are fewer meets.  Because of this, meets fill up very quickly!  NDAC will automatically enter ALL Long Course swimmers in Groups 3 and 4 into meets. Swimmers in Groups 1+2 should declare which meets they want to swim as soon as the meet information is posted.

We often have to enter meets before we have closed our registration for Long Course.  If you want to swim Long Course meets, you must register your swimmer as early as possible and declare which meets he/she wants to swim before the dealines! Often the best strategy is to enter all the sessions of all the meets. You can scratch later if your swimmer cannot attend. You WILL be repsonsible for entry fees if your swimmer scratches but you won't be shut out of meets your swimmer may want to swim.

There are some advantages to swimming Long Course.  Fewer NDAC swimmers swim during the LC season. Your swimmer will receive more individualized coach attention and their swimming will benefit. Fewer turns in a longer pool mean more time for swimmers to focus on and refine strokes. Some swimmers are naturally better at Long Course races but you will never know if your swimmer loves Long Course unless you try it out!

Q:
What is a Dual Meet?

Q:
What is the Quad Meet?

A:
At the end of each season we compete at the Quad Meet, a meet where four local Hudson Valley teams compete against each other: NDAC, Hudson Valley Dolphins, Monroe-Woodbury Devilfish and Aqua Gems. All NDAC swimmers are required to attend.

Q:
What is an Invitational Meet?

A:
An Invitational Meet is a meet hosted by one or two teams. Other teams are invited to enter and compete. There are usually at least 10 teams competing at an Invitational Meet, sometimes many more. Teams run Invitational Meets and team attend Invitational Meets for several reasons:

(1) Fundraising: Invitational Meets help swim teams financially. Teams charge entry fees for each race (typically $5-8 per swim) and also admission for parents and families (typically $5-8). Teams also run Concession, sell programs or heat sheets, contract with Merchandise vendors and/or Photographers to earn as much money as possible over the course of a meet.

(2) Competition: Well-run Invitational Meets attract dedicated swimmers from all over our region (Metro North). Competition gives swimmers a chance to push hard to achieve Cut Times and personal best times.

(3) Team Promotion: A successful Invitational Meet is the best advertisment for any swim club. When hosting our own Invitationals or attending those of other teams, NDAC swimmers and families should feel proud to showcase the commitment and expertise of our coaches, the sportsmanship, talent and team spirit of our swimmers and the dedication of our families.

Invitational Meets can be anywhere from one session to several sessions long. NDAC hosts a few Invitationals each year, typically a Sprint Meet and a Distance Meet in the fall (1 day/1 session each) and Winterfestival in January (2 days/4 sessions). NDAC's Winterfestival is our largest fundraiser. Held the first weekend in January, all NDAC swimmers are expected to attend and all NDAC families must volunteer to help.

Q:
What meets should my swimmer plan to swim? Does my swimmer have to participate at meets?

A:
NDAC is a competitive swim team and ALL swimmers on NDAC should plan to participate at swim meets. NDAC coaches will encourage ALL swimmers to compete. Please talk to yur child's coach if you have questons about which meets your swimmer should enter. Younger swimmers who are new to NDAC and to competitive swimming can 'dip their toes in' by swimming at ALL NDAC-hosted meets (Sprint Meet, Distance Meet and Winterfestival), Dual Meets and the Quad Meet.

Swimmers in Groups 1 and 2 are NOT automatically entered into Invitational Meets. Swimmers and parents can choose which Invitationals they would like to attend. Swimmers can swim just one day/session of an Invitational Meet. Your swimmer may have a specific event he/she would like to swim. NDAC Entries will send out an email prior to the Entry Deadline for each meet. Swimmers and parents can look at the Meet File to decide if they want to attend. Group 1 and 2 swimmers MUST declare YES prior to the Entry Deadline if they wish to attend Invitational Meets.

Group 3 and 4 swimmers are encouraged and expected to attend Invitational Meets. Swimmers in Groups 3 and 4 ARE automatically entered into ALL sessions of ALL Invitational Meets. If a swimmer is unable to attend a meet or a specific day of a meet, he/she MUST declare NO prior to the Entry Deadline. Otherwise the swimmer will be automatically entered.

Once the Entry Deadline has passed and a swimmer is entered/not entered into a meet, changes are extremely difficult and meet entry fees have already been submitted. Meet entry fees are NOT refundable.

Q:
My swimmer is attending his/her first meet! What do I need to know? What does my swimmer need to know?

A:
Arrive On Time
Your swimmer should arrive 15 minutes before scheduled warm-up starts. Swimmers should be ready, on deck in time for warm-ups. A late arrival may result in being scratched from the meet. If you are running late, you MUST contact your coach. An email will go out prior to each meet with information about which coach(es) will be covering each session with his/her cell/text contact information.

Check In With NDAC Coach
One of the NDAC Coaches will be located on the pool deck. Checking in is very important so yur coach knows you are there! Your child may be scratched from the meet if they are not checked in on time. Depending on the meet, swimmers will either wait on-deck or in a designated waiting area (such as a school gym) between events. NDAC has a logo banner identifying where NDAC swimmers are located.

Warm Up
NDAC Coaches have a specific warm-up schedule and routine that they follow.  At large meets each team has a designated warm-up time. Warm-up is a very important part of race preparation, both physically and mentally.  Therefore, it is vital that your swimmer is present and ready to get in the water.

Check In With Coach After Each Event
Swimmers should talk to their Coach after each swim (to review the race).

What To Do During The Meet
Pay attention to what race (age group, distance, event number) is in the water.  It is the swimmer's responsibility (Coaches will assist younger swimmers) to be ready and behind the block before their race. Please do not ask the Coaches what event is in the water!  This is their time to Coach.  Swimmers must stay well hydrated.  Athletes need to make sure there is sufficient time between eating and events.  We recommend healthy foods and snacks.

When can I leave?
Swimmers may leave after they have completed all of their events.  Please have your swimmer check with their Coach prior to leaving to be sure he/she is not on a relay team at the end of the meet.

Q:
What does my swimmer need to bring to a meet?

A:
Food: There is usually a snack bar at meets, but bring your own food as well. Healthy snacks are best: fruit, nuts, sandwiches, energy bars.
Water Bottle: Stay Hydrated!
Clothes: Bring warm clothes to put on over the suit between races and a change of clothes for after the meet.
Chair or Blanket/Sleeping Bag: If the meet allows swimmers to relax in a gym between races, a folding chair or blanket comes in handy.
Quiet Activities: Book, homework, music, electronics or small games are fine if swimmers are waiting off pool deck.
Swim gear: team suit, team cap, goggles, and extra towels. It is always a good idea to have backups/extra goggles, caps and a suit in case anything is lost or broken.

Q:
My swimmer got DQ’ed. What does this mean?

A:
For all swim strokes, there are technical things that legally can and can’t be done. If an official notices that a swimmer is doing something illegal for that stroke, they can get disqualified (DQ’ed). The coach will find out exactly what the swimmer did wrong so they can work on it for the next meet.

Q:
What are Distance Meets or Distance Sessions?

A:
Often held on Friday evenings, Distance Meets or Distance Sessions feature longer races such as the 500 Free and 400 IM. During the longer distance events such as the 500 Free, swimmer often need to provide someone to count laps for them. Swimmers should ask the Coach if they can help with this responsibility for another swimmer.

Q:
How can I become a Meet Official?

A:
We are always looking for additional officials!  Please EMAIL Howard Dorner, NDAC Head Official, for more information.

TIMES + RESULTS

Q:
What is a 'Cut Time'?

A:
A Cut Time is a time standard which a swimmer must achieve to qualify to compete at specific Championship Meets at the end of each season. These time standards are set each year by our LSC, Metropolitan Swimming (and for faster qualifiers, Eastern Zone). The first level of Cut Times for NDAC swimmers is 'Silvers'. The time standards for our LSC can be found at our TIME STANDARDS tab.

All of the meets which NDAC hosts and competes in are USA Swimming sanctioned meets. Any legal time acheieved by a swimmer at these meets 'counts' as a qualifying cut time. NDAC coaches can check your swimmer's times to see if he/she has qualified. You can also check your swimmer's times yourself. See below.

Q:
Where can I see my swimmer's times and results?

A:
All of the meets that NDAC enters or hosts are USA Swimming sanctioned meets. This means that all of your swimmer's times are recorded by USA Swimming. Parents can see their swimmer(s)'s results/times in a few different places:

(1) NDAC website:
There are two ways to find times and results on our website. (1) A day or so after each meet, a link to meet results will be added to that season's Meet Grid under the MEETS tab. Click on 'Results' next to the meet name in the grid. (2) Click on your 'My Account' circle icon in the upper right corner of the website > Click on 'Back Office' from the dropdown menu > Click 'My Account' in the black left sidebar > Click 'Account Info' > Click 'Members' from the menu > Click 'Best Times' or 'Meet Results' to see times and results.

(2) OnDeck App:
Click 'Events' > 'Meet Results' > 'Select Meet Name' > Look at results either by 'Events' or by 'Swimmers' OR Click 'Membership' > 'Best Times' for a list of all your swimmer(s) best times. The OnDeck App also allows you to set 'Time Standard' to let you see if your swimmer(s) have achieved any Cut Times. Click 'Select Time Standards'. NDAC's Region is Metropolitan Swimming. Select 'Metro Age Group Champs' and enter the correct year range. Click 'DONE'. The App will show you which events your swimmer 'Made Cut' and what that cut is in Green. Cuts which still need to be achieved will appear in Red.

On Deck Parent - Expert In 5 Minutes Tutorial

(3) DeckPass App:
Click on 'My Deckpass' to see your all swimmer's USA Swimming data.
OR
Click 'Times Search' and enter your swimmer's First and Last Name for a list of all your swimmer(s) times. You can also define which times to see by Date Range, Age, Only Fastest Times, Specific Events or Distances etc.