Sequoia Meet Volunteers

We still need several more workers for the afternoon session (11 & up) tomorrow (July 6) at Sequoia. Please Catherine Clark at grayclark@comcast.net know ASAP if you can help out with one of these jobs:

• Stroke & turn relief
• Timer (need TWO)
• Scorer’s table

We have several parents of afternoon swimmers who have not yet volunteered for a meet, so here’s your chance!

Meet Notes

Some last minute details and reminders for this upcoming week….

Away Meet Tuesday (7/6) at Sequoia Swim Club:

• Sequoia’s address is 2120 Chickering Lane, off of Hillsboro Rd, south of Tyne Blvd
• Please have your morning swimmers to Sequoia by 8:00-8:15 and your afternoon swimmers to Sequoia by 12:00-12:15. 7 Hills morning warm-ups will start promptly at 8:30; ourafternoon warm-ups are scheduled to start at 12:30.
• There is a bit more shade at Sequoia, but it would still be helpful if families with tents would bring them so we can use them if needed.
• Bring all the other usual paraphernalia (sharpies, scrap paper, sun screen, goggles/cap, folding chairs, drinks and snacks)!
• Please help your swimmers rest up Monday after the holiday so they can swim their best at Sequoia! GO 7 HILLS!!!

City Meet entries:

• Charts to indicate which events your swimmer wants to swim in the City Meet have been posted on the 7 Hills clubhouse windows. There is a separate page for girls and boys in each age group.
• Find your swimmer’s name on the appropriate chart, and mark which individual swim events he/she would like to swim in the City Meet. Swimmers can swim up to 4 individual swim events (i.e., not including relays).
• Note that swimmers will be notified if they are swimming on a relay during the course of the City Meet

Swimathon Donation Deadline Extended

Thank you for everyone’s participation in the Kids Swimming for Kids event. Now is the time to get all of your donations collected.

Since a lot of people may have been out of town for the holiday we have extended the deadline for getting donations in so please turn in your donations by WEDNESDAY JULY 7th. If you were not able to swim on Friday, you are welcome to swim your laps any day and get your donations.

Checks made out to Monroe Carrell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt can be placed in the container on the swim team table.

Also, remember to say thank you to all of the bussinesses who supported our event:

• Fox’s Donut Den
• Green Hills Kroger
• Brentwood Publix
• Green Hills Starbucks

Kids Swimming For Kids
Benefiting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

Friday June 25th
During regular swim team practice
Each swimmer is encouraged to raise $50
Anyone interested in helping with this event please contact Kim at rosjdkim@bellsouth.net or 615-373-6985

If you’ve lived in Middle Tennessee for any length of time, you probably have a family member, friend, neighbor or acquaintance who has received medical care at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. In fact, many members of Nashville Swim League have been patients at Children’s Hospital. As children and teens who are healthy enough to swim many laps, we want to give back to those children who need the service of Children’s Hospital. We are asking individuals to make a pledge in support of Children’s Hospital based on the number of laps completed prior to the event date.

Last year we raised more than $40,000 and hope to raise even more in 2010. Each swimmer is encouraged to safely swim as many laps as possible, with a 100 lap maximum. With your support, even our youngest swimmers can make a difference. Children’s Hospital is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of care to the children of this region in a family, centered environment.

The money we raise from swimming will help:

• Fund clinical research, which attracts the best and brightest specialists from around the world.
• Support families.
• Empower the hospital to meet the needs of the underserved.
• Support prevention and safety programs.
• Keep children throughout the region healthy and safe, regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

›› Click Here to download Kids Swimming for Kids Brochure and pledge sheet 2010 ‹‹

For the past several years, we have had an increasingly difficult time filling the volunteer job sheet for those positions that require some training.  Parents who have filled these positions for years and years have had their swimmers graduate, and few parents of younger swimmers have filled those spots. We are in danger of having no one to work those jobs on certain meet days, or else resort to last year’s practice of having the same 6 or 7 Stroke and Turn judges, and the same 3 Referees and Starters, work every single meet.  Since we have approximately 250 swimmers, with the resulting 400-500 parents, this seems unnecessary.  Thus we are asking that unless your child is swimming for the very first time this year on the swim team, you attend one of the Stroke and Turn clinics.  We think you will find that the knowledge you gain will banish any fear you may have about not being able to do this job.  Being a Stroke and Turn judge helps you help your own swimmer — you can recognize what your child is doing right or wrong, for instance.

We will not ask anyone to be a Stroke and Turn judge at a meet until they are comfortable doing so.  To that end, after the clinics, we’ll be scheduling a couple of Seven Hills-only sessions, during which we’ll have some of our more experienced swimmers give demonstrations of legal strokes and illegal strokes.  Some of the team coaches will be on hand to point out do’s and don’t’s, what to watch for, etc… It’s to everyone’s advantage — particularly the swimmers’ — to have every Stroke and Turn judge feel very confident of their ability to determine legality, and we’re going to make sure this happens.  So don’t worry that you don’t know enough to be a judge — we just need you to try, and we’ll do the rest.

Here are descriptions of the jobs that we must fill for each Home meet (Starter and Referee are not needed at Away meets):

Trained positions (which require clinic attendance):

Stroke and Turn: This position involves judging the the legality of the swimmer’s stroke, and determining the legality of their turn (if a 50 meter event or over) and their touch at the end of the race.  The clinic includes a handout with the description of each stroke, as well as discussion of do’s and don’t’s for each stroke — what makes it legal and what makes it illegal.  Illegal strokes, incorrect turns, and incorrect touches each lead to disqualification.

Starter: This position involves determining that all swimmers are in the right position, starting the race with the horn, and determining whether there are any false starts.

Referee: This person acts as final arbiter in case of any question of any legality of disqualifications.  Stroke and Turn judges’ slips are turned into the Referee, who can then investigate the infraction and ask questions of the Judge as necessary.

Non-trained positions:

Hospitality: these people provide refreshments for all meet workers (not swimmers) and circulate to offer the refreshments to those workers on deck.

Timer: these people use stopwatches, provided by each club, to time the swimmers.  Each timer is paired with a timer from the other club.  One of them will record each swimmer’s time.

Runner: these people act as go-betweens, between the timers and the scorekeepers, and between the Stroke and Turn judges and the Referees.

Scorekeepers: these people sit at the scoring table, and record each swimmer’s time.

Clerk of Course, and assistants: these people are responsible for locating and arranging each set of swimmers for the upcoming races.  They must corral the children into groups and rows, and have them move up closer and closer to the chairs, lined up at the pool lanes.

And finally, here are the clinics.   The clinics are free and last about an hour.  Please, please support your child and the rest of the swim team, and come to one of these sessions.  We desperately need you!

NASHVILLE SWIM LEAGUE OFFICIALS & COACHES CLINICS

JUNE, 2010

Tuesday,  June I,  7:00 p.m. – Old Hickory C.C. -  Stroke and Turn; Starter & Referee
Wednesday, June 2, 5:00 p.m. – Belle Meade C.C. -  Stroke and Turn ; Starter & Referee
Wednesday,  June 9, 7:00 p.m.  – Richland C.C. -  Stroke and Turn; Starter & Referee
Saturday June 12, 10:00 a.m. -  Fairvue Plantation C.C. – Stroke & Turn; Starter & Referee
Sunday June 13, 2:00 p.m. – Hillwood C.C. – Stroke & Turn; Starter & Referee

Contact the following with questions regarding the clinics:

Stephanie Nadeau
Cell – 294-8982
jnadeau103@aol.com

Shannon Philbin
Cell – 330-3635
coachshan@aol.com

Ronette Jones
Cell – 351-0208
rljtw4one@yahoo.com

Thank you for reading all of this, and please one of us know if you have any questions or concerns:

Laura Rost    laurarost@comcast.net
Catherine Clark   grayclark@comcast.net
Gretchen Horner   5horners@gmail.com
Elaine Askew   elaineaskew@comcast.net
Kathy Pope   kathypope1024@comcast.net