If you have recently become a 'swimming' parent you may be feeling
overwhelmed by the level of knowledge required for this role. Phrases such as
winter league ,
DIV II,
meets,
P.B.s,
I.M.s and
I.O.T.s may have become part of your swimmer's
vocabulary (but not part of yours!)
The purpose of this page is to provide answers to
many of the questions commonly asked by newcomers to the club and provides
definitions for a number of terms commonly used in swimming . You may not
find the answers to all of your questions, but your coach,
club administrator
or a committee member is only a phone call away, so please don't be afraid to
ask!
Do I have to do
anything as a parent?
In a word - YES!! Summer race night is a good place for parents to
learn about competitive swimming as well. There are several areas where
parents' help is essential:
Marshalling:
(Getting the screaming rabble into order). The
marshalling area is the area set aside for swimmers to assemble before
their race. On race night the marshal should organise children into
heats for each event (if possible, according to ability or size). At a
swim meet the marshals check the name of each swimmer and ensure they
are in the correct heat and lane for their race.
Scribing:
A scribe writes each swimmer's name and the
race they are doing on a slip to be presented to the time- keepers. The
slips will already be printed at a swim meet and often they will be
given to the swimmers at marshalling.
Timekeeping:
Each lane requires 3 time- keepers. (Grab a
watch, a lane and click the button at the start of the race and click
the button when the swimmer in your lane finishes). All 3 times are
recorded on the slip and the middle time is taken as the "official"
time. The slip should then be collected by the runner. Some swim meets
require "official" time- keepers which means taking a brief training
course, followed by a test.
Running:
(Or walking if you like!) After each race the
"runner" collects the time slips and delivers them to the recorder.
Really easy - just walk back and forth.
Recording:
The recorder must ensure that results from the
time slips are correctly entered against a swimmer's name.
Managing:
At swim meets one or two parents are needed to
act as team managers. They are responsible for sending swimmers to
marshalling on time. They are also responsible for any communications
(scratchings, disqualifications etc) between the team and the race
officials.
There are higher levels of officialdom within swimming. (As with all
clubs, the higher the position the harder it is to fill). See a
committee member for more information if you want to be involved as an
official. While on the subject of officials, if you were wondering about
I.O.T. The I.O.T. is the "inspector of turns" who stands at the end of
the pool and - yes, you guessed it, inspects the turns. Refer to the
definitions below for more
information
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How much does swimming cost?
There is an annual fee to belong to the club, payable in April, which
marks the beginning of the swimming year. The fee is halved for swimmers
joining between January - April. Please contact the
club administrator for
details.
Squad swimmers are billed training fees on a monthly basis on top of
the annual fee. (Club swimmers pay only the annual fee).
Swimmers are required to pay an entry fee for each swimming meet they
enter. The price for this varies and is shown on the meet entry flyers.
Click here to see
details about current meets.
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Is there a uniform?
Yes, there is. The club colours are black, white and blue. Although
uniform is not worn for training, it is compulsory for swimmers
representing their club at competitions. Please refer to the
uniform policy for
further details and photos of the uniform
Club swimmers are encouraged to wear HPK togs and HPK caps for
Tuesday night racing. Other HPK items available are gear bags, jackets,
track pants, shorts, shirts and fleecy-lined coats. These are generally
purchased by squad swimmers and are not essential for club swimmers.
Uniform can be order on line using the
Uniform Order form.
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Where can I purchase the togs and how much do they cost?
Uniform items are available on Thursday nights at
LEP between 6:45pm and 8:15pm. You
can also complete the
web order form
or contact the
club
administrator.
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Is there any other gear
needed?
Goggles and a cap. Also pull-buoys, paddles, fins and a kickboard.
There is some communal gear that the club supplies, however it is
probably advisable to have your own gear. A mesh bag to carry your gear
in is also very handy. The coaches will explain this when they are
required.
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My child has had swimming lessons and wants to continue with
swimming. What are the options available?
There are two directions that you can take within the club - Club
Swimmer or Squad Swimmer. Squad swimming involves a greater commitment
than club swimming and is probably for the more serious swimmer. Please
discuss the options with your coach or the
club administrator.
All swimmers have the opportunity to race against each other at club
Race Nights (every second Tuesday at Lloyd Elsmore Pool).
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Which squad should my
child be in?
Your child will be placed in a squad appropriate to their swimming
level. Progression through the squads then depends on several factors,
as determined by the coaches.(Or should they decide to opt for the club
swimming then they will be placed into an appropriate group for Thursday
night coaching).
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Where
does the competitive side of swimming lead to?
The flowchart overleaf
details the progression in competitive swimming. For example a 10 year
old swimmer who is enjoying swimming at meets with some success may look
towards qualifying for Junior Nationals as a goal, whereas an older
swimmer is more likely be focusing on
Division II or
NAGs.
Qualifying times
and qualifying periods for these national meets are shown on the
meet calendar
page as soon as they are published by Swimming New Zealand.
Your coach will take time to work with you on goal- setting so that
you are clear about where your swimming is leading
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Competing at race nights and league is fun. What next?
A swim meet is the next step if you enjoy competing. Your coach can
suggest a suitable meet to enter. Some meets are definitely not for a
new swimmer, so choose a "less serious" meet to begin with. Probably one
that does not require entry times for races, (more serious meets require
entry times or they may stipulate qualifying times to enter).
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What about
competing?
There are various levels of competition. (See the
flowchart). Race
nights on Tuesdays are a good place to start racing. Club officials will
point out the protocol of racing to the swimmers (and their parents).
Before the beginning of the summer racing season the club runs an
introductory evening where swimmers and their parents can learn about
racing.
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How do I enter a
meet?
The Meet Calendar page
and
club newsletter contain details of upcoming meets and entry
closing dates. We encourage swimmers who are regularly competing to use
the online entry system which can be accessed from the menu or the meet calendar page.
Hard copies of the meet flyers and entry forms are also from the club
administrator at L.E.P. Meet entry forms can be downloaded from the
Meet Calendar page. Collect one of each and fill out the entry form
as instructed on the sheet (or ask your coach for assistance).
Remember to enclose a cheque for the entry fee and return the
completed entry to the box at L.E.P. or Pakuranga by the closing date.
If the swim meet requires entry
times then these will be entered by the club recorder (assuming that
your swimmer has swum these races previously at the club race night or
at another meet).
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What races should I enter and how many races should I do?
Check with your coach. A general guide is 4-6 races for a one session
meet, or 2-3 races per session for a long meet. (Some meets have
limitations on the number of events entered).
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What is the difference between a Level I meet and a Level II meet?
Are you only allowed to swim the races that you qualify in?
You may notice that swim meets in the Auckland region (as opposed to
Counties-Manukau which we belong to) are graded as Level I, II or III.
Level III. As soon as you do one swim that is of a Level II
standard you are eligible to swim at Level II meets and in as many races
as you like at these meets. (The same applies to swimming at Level I
meets). You can check if you have meet the criteria on the
What have I Qualified
page (under Tools on the menu)
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What
actually happens at the meet?
Aim to arrive about 30 minutes before in pool warm-up for stretching.
Swimmers should sit with the club to foster team spirit as well as
making the manager's job a lot easier.
Parents may be rostered on a duty otherwise they are free to watch
the racing (or read the Herald, seek out the closest bakery etc).
Basically it is the same procedure as race night. Managers send
swimmers to marshalling, where they are organised into their heats.
(Heats are organised according to the swimmer's entry time or "in-time"
in swim talk). Swimmers will take their time slips from marshalling to
the timekeepers.
Then the race ...
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What should the swimmers eat before / during a swim meet?
Before the meet your swimmer needs a good carbohydrate meal that is
low in fat. (For example: yoghurt and cereal, cereal and light blue
milk, porridge, toast and honey etc). For comfort this meal should be
about 2-3 hours before the race.
During the race meet swimmers should "graze"- eating small amounts of
good snack food (such as muesli bars, bakery food and small amounts of
jelly beans) regularly throughout the day. It is most important that
swimmers remain hydrated throughout the meet.
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What is League?
All swimmers have the opportunity to belong to an HPK winter League
team. There are three levels of competition: Dolphin League (for
swimmers up to the age of 10), Counties League (for 11 and above, who
have not qualified for Div II or higher) and Open League (11 and above,
who have swum at a national level).
There are 4 race nights held over winter (Dolphins (Saturday)
,Counties League (Friday) and Open League (Tuesday)). The venue will
depend on which Counties club is hosting the league. Teams of
approximately 10 swimmers get to compete against other teams from
Counties in a variety of events. (Racing takes about ¾ hour).
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Is there
a constitution?
Yes the club is an incorporated society with a constitution and
regulations. These are reviewed each year during the Annual General
Meeting. These can be found on the web site under the Club Information
menu.
Are there club records
and how do I apply for these?
The current club records can be found on this web site under the
Records/Trophies menu. Applications for records are made on line.
Details of the rules surrounding record claims can be found in the
club regulations. In summary HPK swim club records can only be claimed
for times swum in the club pool (Lloyd Elsmore). The swimmers age on the
date of the swim is used to determine the record age group.
Are there club policies
I should be aware of?
Yes. The constitution and regulations contain a number of policies.
Details of the Uniform and Tour Code of Conduct policies can be found
under the Club Information menu.
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Chief Time Keeper
Manages the time keepers and informs the
referee they are ready for the next race. The chief time keeper will
normally have two watches - these can be given to time keepers if they
have a problem with their watch
Circle seeding
At some meets (eg nationals) circle seeding is
used for the fastest 3 heats. This means that
- the fastest qualifier is in lane 4 of the last heat
- the second fastest is lane 4 of the second to last heat
- the third fastest is lane 4 of the third to last heat
- the remaining swimmers follow the same pattern with the 4th
fastest in lane 5 of the last heat, 5th fastest in lane 5 of the
second to last heat, 6th fastest in lane 5 of the third to last
heat, etc
Converted times
Because swimmers should gain speed during the
execution of a turn, swim times are converted between short and long
course using the factors found
here. Note these may vary for meets in other countries. We have also
developed a tool
to assist you to convert times and regularly update the website with
swimmers best times and with full details of the
swum and converted times.
DIV II
Division 2 national meet. A single national
meet is held in mid March for swimmers who achieve the qualifying times
but who have not achieved a NAGs
time. This meet is run in the following age groups 13 & Under, 14 & 15,
and 16 & over. The meet starts on the Wednesday 15 days after the 1st
Tuesday in March.
DNS
Did not Start. This will appear on the results
sheets when a swimmer does not start a race
DNF
Did not Finish. This will appear on the results
sheets when a swimmer does not complete the race
DQ
Disqualified. The swimmer has broken a
rule relating to the start or the stroke swum
Entry Times
Some meets have entry times to qualify. These
are the slowest time that is accepted. Note: the
converted times are
used for these. Also some meets do not allow
NT entries. Please speak to
your coach if you are in this situation and wish to enter a meet. Times
achieved at club race nights can be used as entry times so try and swim
in different races & distances to obtain entry times.
FINA Points
FINA Point Scoring allows comparisons of
results among different events. The FINA Point Scoring assigns point
values to swimming performances, the more points the better the
performance - World class performances score 1000 or more. FINA
calculates the reference base point values every four years based on
Olympic Games results. The current base values were calculated from the
2008 Olympics. For more information or to download a desktop calculator
tool go to the
FINA site. You can check your
FINA points here or use our
FINA Points calculator
to calculate the time required to achieve a certain number of points
HPK
This is the abbreviation used for the Howick &
Pakuranga Swimming Club
IM
Individual Medley. This is a race where the
swimmer must complete all 4 different strokes in a prescribed order
(Fly, Back, Breast, Free). These races are run over a variety of
distances (generally 100, 200 & 400).
IOT
Inspector of Turns. Responsible for checking
the that swimmers turn or finish complies with the appropriate swimming
rule. They are situated at the ends of the pool.
Judge of Stroke
Assists the referee by walking on the opposite
side of the pool observing the swimmers. They are normally a qualified
referee or a referee in training.
Juniors
National meet for swimmers 12 and under on
the date the meet starts (3rd Sat of Feb). Three meets are held
concurrently with the medal winners being the swimmers achieving the
fastest times when the results are consolidated. For HPK these meets
alternate between Auckland and Hamilton
LEP
Lloyd Elsmore Pool. This is situated on Lloyd
Elsmore Park just off the Pakuranga Highway.
Long course
A meet swum in a 50 metre swimming pool
Manager
The manager coordinates the swimmers and club
officials at the swimming meet. Their duties include ensuring swimmers
go to marshalling on time, club officials for the meet (eg
time keepers,
IOTs, etc) are in place, ensuring
required equipment is brought to the meet (eg managers bag, tent, club
banner, etc) and dealing with any administrative issues that arise.
Marshall
Responsible for marshalling the swimmers into
the correct race and heat. Note: they are not responsible for finding
swimmers who have not shown up
Meet Director
Overall responsibility for the meet. This is
the person to discuss any problems related to a meet with
NAGs
National Age Groups. This is the highest
national meet swimmers in the following age groups 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17.
It starts on the 1st Tuesday of March.
NT
No Time. This means that the swimmer does not
have a recorded time for this stroke and distance.
Opens
This is a national meet swimmers compete with
no age categories. It is generally run in April (sometimes as a trial
meet for Commonwealth or Olympic team selection.
PB
Personal best. This is the fastest time a
swimmer has completed that stroke and distance. Note: entry times shown
on meet programmes maybe
converted times. You
can view your PB's
here. If you notice
are errors please advise the club administrator.
Recorder
During a race meet the recorder records the
results of each race. Each club also has a recorder who is responsible
for keeping the results for their clubs swimmers up to date. The
recorder provides these times with the meet entries.
Referee
Overall responsibility for the race. They make
the final decision on whether a race is fair and if a swimmer is DQ'd.
The referee will walk along the pool during the race observing the
swimmers.
Seeding
Swim races are often run as combined age groups
(even when the results are sorted into age groups). The swimmers heat
will be determined by their entry time with the slowest swimmers in the
first heats. Swimmers with
NT will always swim in the
first heats. Note: In some meets
circle seeding is used
for the fastest 3 heats.
Short course
A meet swum in a 25 metre swimming pool
Spring
A national swim meet swum in the following age
groups 15 & under and 16 & over. This meet starts on the first Sunday of
the September school holidays.
Starter
Responsible for ensuring the starting the race
and ensuring the start is fair. They stand beside the referee during the
race start
Summer
A national short course swim meet swum as an
open age group. This meet generally starts on 2nd Thursday on December
Time Keeper
Responsible for recording the time swum by the
swimmer for each race
Winter League
Refer to
What is League
XLR8 Points
XLR8 Point Scoring was developed by Swimming NZ to compare swimmers across a number of events. It is also used for selection into
training development squads. The XLR8 Point Scoring assigns point
values to swimming performances, the more points the better the
performance. Swimming NZ calculates the reference base point values based on
National Swimming event results results. For more information go to the
Swimming NZ web site. You can use our
XLR8 Points calculator
to calculate the time required to achieve a certain number of points
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