1. What is the Tenby Chase Swim Team and why would I want my child to participate?

It's fun. It's great exercise. It builds confidence. It's a great way for your child to meet other kids in the neighborhood. It's a great way for you to meet other parents.

2. Who can answer my questions about the swim team? 

Hopefully, most of your questions can be answered here.  If not, contact our Coaches, Swim Team President, or Vice President.

3. What strokes do the swimmers use in competition? 

Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

4. What swimming strokes does my child need to know to join the team? 

If your child is 5 to 18 and can swim a lap of the pool, then they should come to a swim team practice and have the coach evaluate them for the team.  Younger children do not necessarily have to be proficient in the breast stroke or butterfly in order to participate.

5. I just want my child to learn how to swim better. Do they have to swim in competition? 

You should discuss this with the coach.

6. I see that there are different age groups for the swimmers. How does that work? 

The age groups are 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18.  Every other year your child will have an "up" year when they are the oldest in their age group and a "down" year when they are the youngest in their age group.  The system generally works well.

7. What kind of pool does Tenby Chase have? 

The length of our pool is 25 meters.

8. What is Tri-County?

The Tri-County Swimming Association is an organization representing 36 summer swim clubs in three counties (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester).  Tenby Chase is one of the 36 swim clubs. You can visit the website at www.tricountyswimming.org for more information.

Tri-County is also used a shorthand for the "Tri-County Championship Meet" that is held at the end of the summer swim season. To attend Tri-County, a swimmer must qualify by swimming a fast time in the particular event. The times required to qualify for each age group and stroke are listed on our swim team bulletin board and at the Tri-County website.

Practices

9. How often and when is practice? 

Practices are held Monday through Friday.  They are in the afternoon while school is in session and in the morning during the summer.  See the Schedule page for exact times.

10. Should I stay and watch a swim practice?

You're welcome to watch. Please refrain from talking with the coach during practice. Practice is when the coach spends time with the swimmers. Please hold you questions for the coach until before or after practice.  We suggest that you sit in the pavilion area during the practice.

11. What happens if we have a conflict and my child is not able to attend practice? 

Please contact the Coaches, if possible.

12. Does a child have to swim in a particular number of practices during the week in order to swim in a meet?

Please contact the Coaches regarding this question.

13. Does my child need to wear the team swim suit during practice? During a meet? What brand and where do I buy it?

Not during practice. In fact, to reduce wear-and-tear, the swim team suit should probably only be worn during meets. It appears that the manufacturers are trying to change designs each year and force us to choose a new design every year.  If that's not the case, then we get another year out of last year's suit.  Danzien & Quigley has our suit in stock.

14. My child attends a summer day camp. Can s/he still participate?

It may be possible so be sure to talk with the coaches about your schedule.

Meets

15. What is a dual meet and what other kinds of meets are there?

A dual meet is held between two swim teams. One swim club is the host team and the other is the visiting team.  Tenby Chase participates in five dual "A" meets and three or four dual "B" meets. The schedule is posted at the swim team bulletin board and is available on this website in the links at the top of the page.

There are two main championship meets that Tenby Chase participates in: Burlington County Championship (9 teams) and the Tri-County Championship Meet (36 teams). Each is discussed more below.

16. What is an "A" meet and what is a "B" meet?

"A" meets are competitive and the results determine what division Tenby Chase will swim in next year. At the end of the swim season, the team with the best record moves up a division and the team with the worst record moves down a division.

"B" meets are not as competitive and the results have no effect on Tenby Chase's standing in the division. This does not mean that the kids swimming in B meets are any less talented and often you will see swimmers from the A meet swimming strokes that they are not able to swim in an A meet because their times are not as competitive. Also, the B meets are generally for 14 and under swimmers.

"A" meets are held on Saturday mornings and have 66 events that include all age groups. "B" meets are held on Wednesday evening and are generally for swimmers ages 14 and under. "B" meets have fewer events and tend to be less structured (and more chaotic) than "A" meets.

17. Can a child swim in both A and B meets?

Yes. This is up to the coach. You should let a coach know if you have a specific request or concern. The coach will have more flexibility in putting your child into a B meet and has less flexibility with an A meet.

If a swimmer has qualified for the Tri-County Championship Meet in a particular stroke, they cannot swim that stroke in a B meet.

18. How do we know which meet my child will swim in?

The coach will tell you or your child what event(s) they are swimming on the day before the meet. The "meet sheet" is posted on the morning of the meet.

19. How many meets will my child participate in?

It depends on a variety of factors including your child's swimming ability, the availability of other children within the age group, and coaching strategy.

The summer swim season is relatively short (five weeks) with only five "A" meets and four "B" meets.  A swimmer could also participate in the Burlington County Championship and then Tri-County, so the season can last for seven weeks.  There is also the Riverdel Mini Meet for swimmers 9&U on the Sunday following the last "A" meet.

20. When are the meets?

"A" meets are Saturday morning. The coach will tell you when to have your child at the meet for warmups.

"B" meets are on Wednesday evening. Again, the coach will tell you when to have your child at the meet for warmups.

21. How long does a meet last?

"B" meets are usually 2 to 2.5 hours.

"A" meets are usually 2.5 to 3 hours long.

For away meets, the team will normally arrive at the swim club parking lot at a given time and caravan to the meet together.  Upon arriving, we’ll gather everyone and enter the club together.  We’ll set up our blankets and swim bags and begin to loosen up for the warm-ups.  After the warm-ups are completed, the National Anthem will be sung and the meet will begin with the Individual Medley, proceed to the Medley Relays, the freestyle events, backstroke events, breast stroke events, and butterfly events.  There is sometimes a short break here to announce the 50/50 winner and give the scorer’s table a chance to catch up.  The final events are the free relays.

For each event that the child swims, they will be given a card by one of our parents 10-15 minutes before the event begins.  The card will tell the child which lane and what event (ex. - 8&U 25 Freestyle, Lane 4).  In the case of the relay, the card will list all four names of the relay team.  The swimmer then proceeds to the starting blocks of that lane and gives the card to the head timer in that lane (the one with the clipboard).  For the 8&Us, if needed, we’ll make sure that an older swimmer accompanies them in their first few races as the starting area can be somewhat crowded and confusing for the young-uns.  In any case, the child takes their place in that lane and as each race is completed, moves up one spot in the line until their race.  At that point, the referee blows their whistle, the starter tells the swimmers to step up.  When all of the swimmers are on the starting blocks, the starter will tell them to take their marks, and then the starting buzzer will sound and the race will begin.  Repeat 66 times and that's your meet.

Each swimmer can swim a maximum of two individual events and two relays.

22. What teams will we swim against?

It depends on the division. The teams in each division are listed at the Tri-County website: www.tricountyswimming.org.

In 2008, Tenby Chase will swim A meets in the E Division against Charleston (away), Fox Hollow (home), Woodcrest (home), Old Orchard (away), and Wenonah (home).

In 2008, Tenby Chase will swim B meets against:  Meadowbrook (home), Woodbine (home), and Pomona (away).

23. Where can I find directions to the swim club we are visiting?

Directions to the swim club for an away meet will be posted on the swim team bulletin board or you can find directions to all the clubs at the Tri-County website.  Most often, the team will meet at Tenby Chase and drive in a caravan to the opponent's swim club.

24. What can I do to help prepare my child for a meet?

Have your swimmer eat a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep, bring a water bottle to the meet, and get them to the meet on time.  Advise them to listen to the coach and to have fun!  Cheer them on too!

25. What are the events in a meet?

The events in a "B" vary some; however, there are 66 events in an "A" meet.

26. What is a "heat"?

An event may be divided into multiple "heats." Usually a dual meet will only have one heat in each event with 2 to 8 swimmers depending on the number of swimmers and the size of the pool. The championship meets with multiple teams often have multiple heats of each event to accommodate the large number of swimmers.

27. What is a relay? And what stroke(s) do the swimmers use?

Relays consist of four "legs" with a different child swimming each leg. The distance varies with the age group from 100 meters (four lengths of the pool) for the younger age groups to 200 meters for the older age groups. You can review the full list of events to get a feel for where the relays occur in the meet.

There are two types of relays: medley and freestyle. The medley relay has four different legs: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. The freestyle relay has four legs of freestyle.

28. How is it determined what swimmers will be on a relay?

The coach makes this decision. There are a variety of factors involved.

29. How is the winner of a dual meet determined?

The fastest swimmers in each event earn points for their team using the following scale:

Individual events: 1st = 5 points, 2nd = 3 points, 3rd = 1 point

Relay events: 1st = 7 points, 2nd = 0 points

30. What does DQ mean?

Disqualification - this can happen for a variety of reasons including starting early (false start), leaving the diving block early in a relay, performing an illegal stroke, performing an illegal turn, not touching the wall with two hands during a breaststroke turn, etc. If you'd like to learn more, see the Swim Meet Officials section below.

31. Are kids DQed a lot?

No. The younger swimmers, especially the 8 & under age group tend to have more problems early in the season, but you'll see a DQ from time to time in every age group.  Also, the officials tend to be lenient with the younger swimmers.  That is certainly the case with dual meets.  In the championship meets, the officials are much stricter.

If your child is disqualified, try not to get upset about it. Your swimmer will be unhappy enough about it without having your emotions adding to the situation. If you think there was an error made, then discuss it calmly with the coach. Do NOT discuss it with the officials. Let the coach do that if it is appropriate.

32. What does it mean when my child is "swimming up"?

The coach may determine that the team (and perhaps the swimmer) can best be served by having your child swim in an older age bracket. This is a complement to the swimmer because it shows the coach feels that the he or she can swim effectively and will make a significant contribution to the team.

33. Does my child have to participate in every meet? What happens if my child has a conflict for a meet?

Without consistent participation, the team will have a poor season but conflicts do happen. Let the coach know as soon as possible if your swimmer will not be able to attend a meet.

34. How do swimmers earn ribbons and medals at meets?

In dual "A" meets, ribbons are given for the first three places in individual events and first place in the relay events. In "B" meets, ribbons are given to all participants.

The policies vary with championship meets and are usually posted at the websites associated with the championship meet.

35. What is the Burlington County Championship? When and where is it?

35. What is Tri-County? When and where is it?

The Tri-County Championship meet (36 teams) is held in early August.  It was outdoors at the beginning of Tri-County.  It went indoors at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) about 12 years or so ago.  It has been outdoors for the past two years and this year it will be at Erlton.  When you see 36 team tents set up side by side, it is really a sight to behold, the equivalent of a swimmer's Woodstock (and lasting almost as long).  It is really an amazing event and you should encourage your swimmer to go if they qualify.

Swimmers may participate in at most two individual events and two relays.

36. How are the results of the meet posted?

The team results will be announced at the end of the meet and posted on this website.  In addition, a link to the Burlington County Times write-up on the meet will be included.

Individual times are posted at the Tri-County web site within the week. A ranking of the best times is kept over the course of the season and is used for seeding (determining the order that swimmers compete in) the championship meets (BurlCo and Tri-County).

37. How can I best help the team?

Support your child by bringing them to practice, preparing them for the meet and cheering for them and the team at the meets.

Volunteer to help out at a swim meet or with other swim team duties. It's an all volunteer effort and there is always something more that can be done.

Consider becoming a stroke & turn judge, starter or referee. The officiating is all volunteer and it always helps to have more people trained to step in when others have scheduling conflicts for a meet. You may also enjoy the meet more when you know the rules well.

Swim Meet Officials

38. How is a meet officiated and who are the officials?

A swim meet will have a referee who runs the meet, a starter who announces the event and starts the swimmers, multiple stroke and turn judges, a head timer and multiple timers for each lane. You'll get the hang of the flow of events at an "A" meet very quickly. The pace is rapid since there are 66 events. The "B" meets are less formal and tend to be more chaotic, but just like the "A" meets, they're fun!

39. I see some parents timing the events. Can I do that too?

Sure.  At "A" meets, there are three timers required on each lane.  At "B" meets there are usually only two timers and one is all that is required since the times are unofficial.  See the head timer if you are interested in timing.  If there are already sufficient timers the head timer may take your name to have you as an alternate if someone has to leave or take a bathroom break.

If you are a timer, make sure you use the strobe light instead of the horn for starting your stopwatch. This is why you may see timers craning their necks around the swimmers or other timers to make sure they can see the strobe light.

Although each lane has three timers, there will be two timers from the opposing team timing your swimmer. Likewise we will have two of three timers doing the timing for the opposing team's lanes.

40. Why do the timers have to go to the other end of the pool for some events?

The 8 & unders and 9-10 groups have some 25 meter events. They dive off the blocks (or start from the wall for backstroke) and swim one length of the pool. The timers have to see them touch the wall so they are located at the opposite end of the pool from the starting blocks.

By the way, it is legal to start from the side of the pool instead of a starting block. You may see this with some of the younger swimmers who are not comfortable diving yet.

The 11-12 year-olds and older have all 50 or 100 meter events. They start and end on the same edge of the pool by the starting blocks.

41. Being an official looks like fun and/or I want to help the team by being an official. How do I find out more?

There are free clinics to teach you the rules at GCIT at the beginning of the summer.  Check the Tri-County web site for more information.

42. Hey, my kid was just DQed! What can I do about it?

Talk to your coach. Do NOT talk to the officials.

43. I'm sure that kid just did an illegal turn on his backstroke, but he wasn't called for it. Who do I complain to?

It's not really a parent's place to find fault with the officiating. If you feel strongly that there is a problem with the officiating then you should talk with one of the swim team representatives or the coach. They can best decide how to proceed, but the officiating is really under the direction of the hosting club's referee.

44. That's a strange looking freestyle stroke. Is that legal?

Almost anything except a clear breaststroke, backstroke, or butterfly can be a legal freestyle stroke. If you want the official word you should attend one of the free clinics that Tri-County puts on at the beginning of the summer.

45. I noticed on the Tri-County website that there is an error in the time that my child swam in a recent meet. How do I get that corrected?

Talk to a swim team representative. They will know best how to get the situation corrected.

46. It looks like there is a lot to do to run a swim meet. Can I help?

Yes! See a swim team representative for ideas.

Coaches, Parents, Kids

47. Who are the coaches?

Danielle Hoey is the Head Coach for the Tenby Chase Sharks in 2008 and Pat M is the assistant coach.  See Coaches Bios.

48. How can I best help the coach help my child?

Bring them to practices regularly, prepared and on time. Be supportive and let them enjoy the sport.  Let the coaches do the coaching.

49. How do I let a coach know when we can't attend practice? or be at a meet?

Please let the coach know as soon as possible. It's helpful to put it in writing since the coaches are trying to coordinate 80 swimmers on the team and a verbal notice is more likely to be forgotten.

50. What if I have an important message to tell the coach during a swim meet?

Wait until the coach is not busy and then briefly tell them your message. The coaching staff is focused on supporting the swimmers during the meet so please leave them free to do that as much as possible.

51. It looks like there is a lot to do to run a swim team. Can I help?

Yes!  Visit the swim meet volunteer webpage and see if there are any openings that need to be filled.  Also, see a swim team representative for additional ideas.  Finally, talk to you friends and neighbors and bring them out to join the team!

52. I can't be at the swim meets. Can I help in other ways?

Yes! See a swim team representative for ideas.

Winter Swimming

53. What options are available if my child wants to continue swimming in the winter?

There are several options in the area.  For beginning swimmers, Tom Wilkinson,  the coach from Pheasant Run, has a series of progressive courses that provide in-pool stroke instruction at the Moorestown Community Center.  There are a number of 6 to 7 week sessions (one lesson per week) in the fall, winter, and spring.  For more advanced swimmers, there are clinics from Tom Wilkinson, Paul Gardener, and the Jersey Wahoos.  These are generally more intensive (2-3 times a week) and comprehensive.  In addition, there is the YMCA Hurricanes Swim Team that has tryouts each summer.  This is an excellent program for the more advanced swimmers.  In each case, we have numerous families that can provide you additional insight into each program.

54. Do meets work the same in the winter as they do in the summer?

No, there are significant differences. There are more meets available during the winter and there are various regional and even national meets. The distances are somewhat longer usually although "short course yard" (SCY) (25 yard) pools are more common. You may also see "short course meter" (SCM) (25 meter) and "long course" (50 meter) events.

55. My child is really enjoying swimming and is placing well in meets. I'd like to read up more on the subject. Any suggestions?

Check our swim links page for some good information.