So you just joined the swim team…..now what?
Where are practices held?
Most practices during the school year are held at Hastings Middle School Pool. During the summer, most practices are held at the Hastings Family Aquatic Center, but some afternoon practices are held at Hastings Middle School Pool.
How do I know which group (level) my child should join?
Coaches decide on the appropriate placement of each swimmer, based on a try out. We offer tryouts at different points throughout the year. If those times do not work out for you, please contact us so we can work out an alternate time.
Can my child try a few practices before we decide whether to join the team?
HAST offers an 8 week Novice option for those wanting to give the team a try. You are not required to purchase a team suit or pay the annual USA Swimming registration fee for this option. There are usually a few novice meet options that are available during the 8-week option. At the end of your 8-week session you can opt to finish out the season at a prorated rate.
How long is each swim session/season?
There are several options for Novice kids to try an 8-week session. The other swim groups run full seasons. Fall/Winter season runs from mid September through Feb/Mar depending on what meets your swimmer is qualified to swim. Spring/Summer season runs from mid April through July/August depending on what meets your swimmer is qualified to swim. HAST does not prorate for partial seasons.
How much does each swim session/season cost?
The cost of each session depends on the group your child swims in. Please contact us for a try out and we can give you all the details!
Can we receive a refund if we quit before the end of a session/season?
HAST will offer a partial refund of dues (*excluding registration fees) to swimmers withdrawing from the program within 30 days of starting. All withdraw requests must be submitted in writing to Coach Kim Olson and the refund due will be calculated by the team treasurer and credited to your HAST account. Any withdraw requests submitted after 30 days will not be eligible for any refund. *Registration fees not refundable include- MSI Fees, team suit costs, meet fees and administrative fees.
Can we receive a refund for missed practices?
No refunds will be given to swimmers that miss practice due to a vacation, participation in other sports/activities, or short-term illnesses.
How long is each practice?
The length of each practice varies based on the group. Most of the time, Novice Swimmers have a 1-hour practice, Age Group Swimmers have a 1.25-hour practice, Pre-Senior Swimmers have a 1.5-2 hour practice, and Seniors have a 2-hour practice (plus 30 minutes of dry land training when indicated on the practice calendar).
Is my child expected to attend every practice?
Although coaches would love to see every swimmer attend every practice, they realize that other family obligations may make that impossible. It is recommended that Novice Swimmers attend at least 2 practices per week, Age Group Swimmers at least 3 practices per week, Pre-Senior Swimmers at least 4 practices per week, and Senior Swimmers should attend all 5 practices per week.
Does my child need to show up early for practice?
Swimmers should arrive at practice 15 minutes before the scheduled practice time. During the 15 minutes before practice, swimmers should be getting themselves ready to be in the pool at the start of their groups swim time. Please make every effort to have your swimmer on deck, ready to swim, on time.
What should my child wear to each swim practice?
It is recommended that swimmers wear a practice swimsuit (not a beach swim suit, team suit or bikini), a swim cap, and goggles. We use Elsmore Aquatic to purchase all swim gear. We do have goggles and caps available for purchase at the pool should you need to purchase them quickly. Elsmore is available at most swim meets throughout the season as well. Plan ahead to purchase a good practice suit, goggles and cap.
Does my child need to bring any special equipment to practice?
Swimmers should bring a water bottle on deck during practice. Please clearly label your swimmers water bottles. We cannot be responsible for water bottles left on deck after practice. Please have your swimmers remember to bring them home each day. Flippers are available at the pool for use when needed. If your child is unable to find flippers that fit her feet, these can always be purchased at Elsmore Aquatic. These should also be clearly labeled.
Can I watch my child’s practice?
Parents may watch practice from the bleachers inside the pool area. However, please do not make any attempt to talk to or “coach” your child from the bleachers. Do not make any attempt to talk to your child’s coach during practice either, except in the case of an emergency. The coach will tell your child everything they need to know. Your role is to support and encourage your swimmer, while resisting the urge to be a second coach to your child. Please remain in the bleachers – do not go on deck. Assure your child that you will meet him/her in the bleachers at the end of practice.
When can I talk to my child’s coach?
If you’d like to talk to a coach while at a practice, please wait until AFTER practice. Before each swim practice, your child’s coach will be busy preparing for practice, putting in lane lines, reviewing the prepared workout, etc. This is usually not a good time for parents to talk to a coach. After practice, however, you may talk with your child’s coach in the bleacher area. Please be respectful of your coach’s time, and be aware that other parents may be waiting to talk to the coach, too. If you need to have an extended or private conversation with a coach, consider emailing or phoning a coach instead of approaching the coach on her/his way out of practice.
Can my child use the locker rooms after practice?
Children may use the locker rooms to shower and change after practice. However, it is HIGHLY recommended that parents of children under 12 years of age supervise their children in the locker room. This recommendation is related to both appropriate behavior in a locker room as well as child safety. The coaches are NOT in the locker rooms to supervise and provide security…this should be done by parents. Of course, only same gender parents are allowed in locker rooms (there are no family locker rooms). Consider having your swimmer NOT use the locker room if you are not able/willing to supervise a child under 12. One other thing, swimmers have 15 minutes following practice to be out of the locker room and pool area. Swimmers that are too slow in the locker room, or exhibit inappropriate behavior in the locker room, will lose their locker room privileges.
It’s the big day……Your first Swim Meet!
What should my child pack for the meet?
Make sure you have your HAST team suit, goggles (bring along a back up pair if possible), a HAST swim cap (each swimmer will be given a HAST latex cap at their first meet, HAST silicone caps with names on them are available for purchase at the start of each season), warm clothing (i.e. sweatshirt, sweat pants, a warm up suit, parka (these are able available for purchase at the start of each season), a towel (or two), and plenty of Gatorade/water and healthy snacks.
What are good things to eat at the meet?
Keeping hydrated is very important. Making sure your swimmer has plenty of Gatorade and Water is best. As far as snacks, each swimmer will have his/her own preferences. Stay focused on healthy snacks, like fruits, veggies, sandwiches, granola bars, etc. Many meets offer concessions if you forget to bring these items along. It is common for nerves to play a role at the first few meets, but encourage your swimmers to keep putting fuel in their bodies. They will always swim best when well fueled and hydrated. Blankets, Camp Chairs, Sunscreen and Coolers are all good items for parents to have in tow as well!
Where do we go once we get to the pool?
Typically for indoor meets it is easy to spot where the team is sitting. Send your child down to the locker room to get changed if necessary and have them go sit with their team. Outdoor meets can be larger, but the team will put up EZ Up Tents with the HAST team banner. Now it’s your turn to find a spot, hopefully next to some fellow swim parents. It’s a good opportunity to meet new people and to ask all those questions that will come to mind throughout the meet too! It is important to be on time to meets so the coaches can get the swimmers organized for warm ups. Those arriving late may not get the chance to have a proper warm up prior to the meet starting. Once they have found their team, the rest of the meet is in the hands of the coaches. If your swimmer comes to you with questions about what they are swimming or where the need to be, please direct them to go and find their coaches. Your role at a meet is to be a supporter and encourager to your swimmer.
Do I need to purchase a “Meet Program”?
While these are not essential, they are very useful. The meet program lists all the events in the meet and all the swimmers in each event. You will be able to find your child’s event numbers on the meet sheet you retrieved from your child’s file box at the pool. Once you find your events in the program you can scan to find the heat and lane your child will swim in. Scoreboards usually list which event and heat the meet is on, but not always. When your child’s event has begun the coaches will work together to get all the kids down to the starting blocks in time to swim their heat. Your swimmers time will appear on the scoreboard, but as with most technology, there are always glitches in the system. Don’t panic…..the coaches will do their best to make sure the right time appears in the final results. Most meets have a wall where they will post results. You can go and check your swimmers time here, typically within 30 minutes of a swim, but some teams take longer. You can always email the coaches if you have questions, but please don’t try to ask them at the meet
Do we have to stay for the whole meet?
Once your child has swam all of his events you are free to leave. Please make sure to double check swim bags before leaving. Kids often leave items on the pool deck or in locker rooms. Sometimes these items are easily retrieved, other times they are lost forever. A quick double check before you leave will help alleviate losing things.
What are time standards, like C times, B times etc? Does my swimmer need these?
Minnesota Swimming and USA Swimming have established different levels as goals for your swimmer to achieve as the grow and develop in their swimming. New Swimmers come onto the team with NT (no times) in any event. Once they have swam an event, they will have an established time. This time may or may not meet the standards (levels) set by Minnesota Swimming and USA Swimming. Most meet programs will have a time standards sheet in them for you to look at, and if not they are usually posted with the results on the wall at the meet. We have them listed on our website as well. You can compare your child’s time with the time standards to see what level they have achieved. The first level is usually a C time, then they work on the B times and move upward from there. It’s is always a great accomplishment to meet these goals!
What happens if my swimmer gets a “DQ”?
This is a learning opportunity and every swimmer goes through it in their swim career. There are no officials watching your swimmer at most Novice meets…..however there are officials at most other meets throughout the season. The officials are those people standing around the pool deck in white clothing. They have been trained to watch for mistakes made by the swimmers. Certain things are simply illegal in the sport of swimming and the officials have to DQ those swimmers that make mistakes. The coaches will do their best to point out the mistake(s) that were made. All of these things are worked on in practice over the course of a season. Hopefully the next race, they will remember and find success in the process!
What happens if my swimmer misses her race?
The coaches do their best to get the swimmers to the starting block end of the pool in plenty of time, but sometimes there are just too many distractions. Please don’t panic and always direct your swimmer back to his/her coach. Often coaches are able to work with the officials at the meet to get your swimmer into another spot to race.
My swimmer is in a relay…what does that mean?
At some point your swimmer may be entered into a relay. The relays are always determined by the coaches and are usually based on times. Relays can be changed at any point to accommodate missing swimmers, changes in times or even attitudes, as necessary. Relays are a privilege and most swimmers find them to be both fun and exciting! They are grouped in 4’s and each swimmer will swim a leg of a race. Often kids will swim their best times in these events, as they love the team side of swimming!
OTHER IMPORTANT FAQ’S……………….
Why wasn’t my child invited to attend a certain meet?
Certain meets require that a swimmer have met a certain time standard. Your child will be entered into any meets he is eligible to swim. A time is good for a meet no matter whether it is short course or long course. For example, if a child has B time in the 50 Free from the short course season, then he is eligible to swim that race in any B or above meets during the long course season as well.
What is the difference between short course and long course?
Short course meets take place in the Fall/Winter season. By short course we mean the meet will be swam in a 25-yard pool. This means that a 50-yard swim consists of swimming down and back the length of the pool.
Long course meets take place in the Spring/Summer season and most are outdoors. By long course we mean the meet will be swam in a 50-meter pool. This means that a 50-meter swim consists of swimming only one length down the pool.
There are different time standards for each type of pool, but again times achieved short course also count for long course.
What does it mean when my swimmer “Ages Up”?
Time standards are broken down by gender and age range. Every two years your swimmer will cycle up into a new age group category for time standards. These standards often get more difficult taking into account that your swimmers is growing and getting stronger. Encourage your child to move forward and continue to work hard to meet his/her goals even when things get difficult. They are learning life skills that will help them persevere as they continue to grow up!
