WST Swim Team FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What does meet day look like?
LSA swim meets are typically on Monday evenings with warmups from 5pm-5:30pm for the home team and 5:30pm-6pm for the visiting time. Duel meet start time is 6pm, lasting 3-4 hours, depending on the size of the teams competing. 6&Under swimming events are finished in the first portion of the meet after the backstroke event. Each team is assigned a team area and each age group is assigned a designated space. Swimmers are expected to stay in their designated area. Parents volunteering as the Age Group Parents will escort the swimmers to their assigned lane when it is time for their event. All parents and swimmers are responsible for staying in their team area when not racing.
Is it ok if my child stops on the lane line?
Yes! However, we are running swim practice, not swim lessons, so they do need to be able to get down the pool unassisted. If your swimmer is not capable of this, we suggest lessons outside of practice and try again next year. Our coaches work to teach all four strokes and improve techniques working on skills as a group. Individual swim lessons are better suited for one on one attention.
Why are some swimmers entered in more events than others?
Per LSA, there are rules to how many swimmers can be entered in each event. Because of this, the team is limited in the number of swimmers that can be entered in each event. See below for number of participant rules:
- 25 Free (6U, 8U,10U) - unlimited entries per team
- 50 Free (12U, 14U, 18U) - unlimited entries per team
- 50 Free (8U) - 3 swimmers max per team
- Backstroke (all age groups) - 6 swimmers max per team
- Breaststroke (all age groups) - 6 swimmers max per team
- Butterfly (all eligible age groups) - 6 swimmers max per team
- 100 IM (all eligible age groups) - 3 swimmers max per team
- Relays (all age groups) - 3 relays max per team and each swimmer can only compete in two total relays, exclusive of the all age relay
My child swims for a USA swim team (Cardinal, Lakeside, Triton, etc.), how does that effect WST swimming?
USA long course swimmers are limited to a maximum of 3 individual events. This includes 100 free and 2 relays (including the all age relay) for dual, qualification and championship meets. A USA Long course swimmer is a USA registered swimmer who competes and/or practices with their USA team on or after June 1st of that year.
My child doesn’t know how to swim all strokes correctly? Will they have the opportunity to swim all the events before the season is over?
The coaches make every effort to get all swimmers experience in all events. Coaches will get to know each swimmer’s strengths and areas of growth. They will work to get the swimmer exposure to the strokes and events that they can perform with minimal possibility of qualification. In some age groups there are a lot of swimmers. If we have a number of swimmers who need qualifying times due to the stipulation of the number of swimmers in each event as noted above we may plan an official “time trial” before the Qualifications meet.
My child has the third fastest time in freestyle in their age group but is not on the ‘A’ relay. Why is that?
There are many different scenarios in every age group to explain why coaches place kids on certain relays. Sometimes, if we have 8 strong swimmers, the coaches will divide them up into two strong teams to try for first and second. They may also try to get a certain swimmer more experience. In most cases, however, the computer system chooses the four fastest times for each relay and the coaches trust the system. If you have questions regarding this, please talk with the coaches. They would love to help.
It is meet day and my child is feeling ill or cannot swim in tonight’s meet, what should I do?
Whether your child will miss one event or the whole meet, please notify a Head Coach as soon as possible. They will not be able to replace your child in individual events, but can put in an alternate so the relays do not have to be scratched. ONLY a coach can substitute a swimmer on a relay, so if your child cannot swim an event, please DO NOT find a sub on your own. Please contact the coach.
What are ways I can fulfill the volunteer requirement?
Parents do not have to know how to swim or understand how meets run to volunteer! The community will help you and we NEED all parents to help to make the meets successful. We cannot do it without you!
All parents are also responsible to volunteer a minimum of four times throughout the dual meet season and at the Qualification and Championship meets if their children are participating.
Age Group Parents (AGPs) (2-3 volunteers)- Responsible for escorting swimmers from the age group area to the appropriate event number and lane as well as ensure the swimmers know which stroke they are swimming. AGPs take attendance prior to warmups and let coaches know if any entered swimmers are absent. AGPs stay in the team area with their designated age swimmers and let coaches know of any issues.
Timers (6-8 volunteers depending on size of pool)- responsible for starting the timing button at the Starter's signal and stopping their button when any part of the swimmer's body touches the wall at the finish.
Runner - Collects time cards from all timers after each race and takes them to the scorer’s table.
Ribbons - Ribbon volunteers sit at a table near the scorer’s table and place labels on ribbons and sort WST ribbons into ribbon folders for each swimmer to pick up at practice. This is typically completed during the meet but can be brought home or completed the following day at the pool as well.
Starter - that all swimmers receive a fair and equitable start. The Starter steps the swimmers to their starting position, directs the swimmers to "take their mark," and in conjunction with the referee, determines when a false start has occurred.
Announcer - For home meets, the announcer declares each race and announces which races are on deck throughout the duration of the meet.
Concession Stand - For home meets, these volunteers help to sell food and drinks as a fundraiser for our team.
Set Up and Clean Up - For home meets, these volunteers assist with setup and break down of equipment, set up and clean up of team areas, and other duties. These duties are clearly outlined and explained in a more detailed document.
Stroke and Turn Judges - 2 per team minimum for each meet. Responsibilities are to officiate swimmers. Annual training required to be authorized to work this position. Work closely with the LSA reps and the officiating table to an infraction by a swimmer that requires a disqualification.
