• Do I need to be at the pool with my swimmer?
It is preferable that someone stay at the
pool during practice, but if you must leave and return at least bring
your swimmer(s) into the pool personally and then come back into
the natatorium to pick them up. Please do not just drop and run at the outside doors.
• Can I split my club fees?
You may make a partial payment of fees when you sign up, but
we ask that you pay the remainder of what you owe within 30 days if possible.
A monthly payment plan is also available.
• Do I have to work during our meets?
Yes,
we rely heavily on the participation of our parents.
We ask that all parents help in some way during our home
swim meets. Having all the help that we need means
having a meet that runs smoothly. We require each family is
to work 2 sessions when we host a 4-session meet and one session
when we host a 2-session meet. Please be ready to help out!
• Are there any required meets?
Currently, we do not require swimmers to participate in
meets. However, we do ask that swimmers participate in
our home meets if at all possible. We try to host one
meet during the summer and two during the fall and winter
months.
• Can I get a refund if my swimmer decides not to swim anymore?
No.
We do not refund club fees for swimmers who decide not to
complete the current swim season, and you are still
responsible for unpaid fees.
• Must my child join the USA swimming Organization?
Yes.
This is the organization that is the governing body for amateur swimming in the United States. It provides the club insurance to guard against accidents and lawsuits. A swimmer must have
a USA Swimming membership before he or she is permitted to
practice or enter a meet. You'll sign up for USA
Swimming membership when you register your swimmer with
Gators.
• Do we go to travel meets?
Within reason.
We sometimes attend a few meets that are away from Indianapolis and Greenwood,
but those meets are usually within a 2-hour drive.
Most of our meets, however, are in the area with drive times
not exceeding 45-60 minutes. On the rare occasion when
we do attend a far away meet, we seek and recommend affordable lodging options for those
families who choose to participate. Lodging costs are
the responsibility of each individual family as we do not take swimmers without their parents. Participation
in all away meets is always optional.
• How long are the meets?
A session in a meet usually takes four hours or less.
• Must we swim in all meets?
No. Gators does not expect
swimmers to attend every meet. We do, however, encourage swimmers
to compete as much as possible during each season because competition is the only true way
improve and advance in the sport of swimming. We do not put emphasis on placements earned
during a meet. Rather we encourage each swimmer to do
his or her best to improve personal swim times.
• Can I pick which session
I want to swim?
To some extent, yes. You may pick the day or days that you want to swim, but the session is determined by
your age group. Some age groups often swim in during
morning sessions while other age groups swim during
afternoon sessions. Warm-up times and session
schedules are set by the hosting swim club. We
encourage each swimmer to suggest the strokes and distances
he or she would like to swim during a meet, but our coach reserves the right to
alter any requests before making final decisions.
• How does my swimmer qualify for post-season or special meets?
A swimmer qualifies for Divisional, State, Zone, National, or
other special meets by swimming faster than pre-determined times. We post time standards on the bulletin board in the pool area.
• Is there food at a meet?
Most hosting
clubs will provide a concession stand. However, the
type of food provided might not be ideal for swimmer consumption. You may want to consider packing a cooler
or lunch bag so you can monitor or determine what your swimmer is eating and drinking
during competition.
• Is there seating at a meet?
During the fall/winter season the meets are at high school pools or college natatoriums with built in seating. Sometimes
the pool areas can be hot, and sometimes seating is limited.
If these are concerns to you, you may consider packing your
own seating for use in our team's "camping area." During the summer when we attend outdoor meets, you should bring
your own lawn chairs because few outdoor pools provide
alternate seating.
• What if it rains during an outdoor meet?
The swimmers are already wet
so they won't care. You, however, should be prepared
if rainy weather is in the forecast. We suggest you bring umbrellas or raingear. If the weather
turns severe, meet officials will postpone or cancel the remainder of the session or meet.
Officials may also elect to move everyone indoors (if an
appropriate facility exists) and try to wait out the weather before cancelling
the remaining events.
• Must my swimmer attend all practices?
It is up to the parent to decide if a swimmer
attends practice or not. We know kids are involved in
many activities so attendance is not mandatory. We do
strongly encourage swimmers to attend most practices. If
your swimmer is ill, please do not bring them to practice. You do not need to call anyone if you cannot make practice.
• If we cannot make a meet that we have signed up for what should I do?
If for any reason you cannot make it to
a meet in which you are scheduled to compete, please contact
your coach. Swimmers must be signed in at
each meet 45 minutes prior to the start of the meet.
If you are running late, we'll try to get your swimmer(s)
signed in, but there are never any guarantees.
• If we miss a meet can we get our entry fee back?
No.
We send all entry fees to the hosting club 2-4 weeks in advance of the meet.
Since the hosting team will not refund fees, we cannot
forward them back to you.
• Are there team suits?
Yes.
We have team suits and team swim caps that are usually
available for purchase through our club near the start of
the swim season. If you choose not to purchase a team suit, a basic black or black/green suit is suggested.
