Welcome to the exciting world of Shark swimming! By joining the Chapel Hill Country Club/Ridgewood (CHCCR) Sharks, your child has become a member of one of the state's oldest, most fun, and most competently coached youth summer sports teams in Chapel Hill. This handbook has been prepared with the goal of acquainting you with the Shark swim team and contains information that will help you and your family get the most out of summer league swimming. With a positive attitude and a willingness to lend a hand, you will also have a great impact on your child's athletic journey and his or her love of swimming. CHCCR’s philosophy is to allow participation in swimming competition in an environment that encourages and teaches – good sportsmanship is emphasized. The meets are held first for fun and second to determine a winner. Winning should always be secondary to good sportsmanship and having fun. As we expect good sportsmanship from our swimmers, we also expect our parents and coaches to set good examples, as our conduct serves as a model for the swimmers.

Our coaches are very understanding, and with their guidance, the participants will become physically fit and learn to become skillful swimmers. Encourage your child to “hang in there,” especially in the first few weeks – even when they say they don’t like it (EVERY KID STARTS THIS WAY – JUST ASK ANY PARENT OF A SWIMMER OVER THE AGE OF 10).

There are many benefits to swimming and joining the Sharks, some of which are:

• Meeting terrific people and building friendships. Many swimming buddies become lifelong friends.
• Having fun! Although competitive swimming can be fun, exciting and rewarding for all skill levels, as success includes your own improvement (swimming better times) as well as team performance. CHCCR tries to emphasize “dropping time” for the kids – there’s only one winner, but everyone can get a little faster and feel proud of that accomplishment.
• Staying active. No other sport uses every single muscle in your body. In addition, no other sport allows you to participate throughout your entire life – most other sports induce some sort of injury or bodily damage that will eventually keep you from participating as you get older. In fact, as runners, basketball, football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse players age, most of them turn to swimming to keep in shape.
• Gaining life skills. These include time management, self-discipline and sportsmanship. Most adults who swam as children feel comfortable swimming as adults and being in the water. There’s a lot of confidence to be gained in having a strong swimming basis.

THE CHAPEL HILL SUMMER SWIM LEAGUE (CHSSL) AND LEAGUE MEMBERS

CHCCR is a member of the Chapel Hill Summer Swim League (CHSSL) and will swim with the following member teams:

• Farm (FARM)
• Exchange Swim Club (EXSC)
• Tennis Club Aquatics Teams (TCAT)
• Heritage Hills/ Homestead Aquatic Center (H3AC)
• Southern Village/Governor's Club (SVGC)
• Hollow Rock/Stoneridge (HRST)
• Briar Chapel (BC)

All teams are managed by a combination of coaches and parent representatives. CHCCR has parent representatives from both the Chapel Hill Country Club and Ridgewood pools. The CHSSL maintains by-laws that govern summer swim league and are followed by all participating teams.

ELIGIBILITY

COMPETITIVE TEAM ELIGIBILITY:

The children of any member of the Chapel Hill Country Club or Ridgewood Swim Club who is a minimum of 4 years old, potty-trained (no pull ups), able to follow directions, remain attentive for a minimum of 45 minutes, and able to be separated from parents.

Children interested in this program must:

• Attend a Swim Test (NEW SHARKS) and be formally evaluated by a member of the CHCCR coaching staff.
• Complete a minimum of a FULL lap un-assisted, without grabbing on to the wall or lane line, and within a reasonable amount of time, as determined by the CHCCR coaching staff.

It's best if swimmers can swim multiple laps in a row but they can build into it. We understand many kids have not swum since last summer. Coaches will MODIFY workouts (as-needed) and may use practice techniques like “Swim-a-Lap / Walk-A-Lap” if your child needs time to build endurance.

Other Swim Requirements Include:

• Ability to flip from stomach to back and Float
• Ability to Freestyle / Backstroke Kick
• Ability to Blow bubbles
• Ability to hold on to wall and wait his/her turn without supervision
• No Floaties or Swim Vests are allowed
• Child should be strong enough swimmer to make it to the side of the pool - unassisted

FEES

Each year, the CHCCR parent reps work hard to keep the operating costs as low as possible. Registration fees include league registration, meet entry fees, coaching salaries, team T-shirt, swim cap, season kick-off social, end-of-season awards, team supplies, meet supplies and miscellaneous expenditures.

For the 2026 season, CHCCR’s swim team fees are as follows:

CHCC members

• 12 years and under: $230 per swimmer
• 13 years and over: $180 per swimmer

Ridgewood members*

• 12 years and under: $280 per swimmer
• 13 years and over: $230 per swimmer
• *(Includes a $50 facilities fee per swimmer.)

Billing: All registration fees will be billed directly to your member account for CHCC members while Ridewood members will pay through swimmingly. For CHCC members, the charges will simply appear on your club statement.

Refunds: If you join the team and then decide to withdraw before the Mock Meet, you are entitled to a 50% refund of the swim team fee. Refund requests must be made through the CHCCR Parent Reps, not the Country Club or Ridgewood Pool. After the mock meet, there will be no refunds.

No swimmer will be allowed to compete in a meet unless registration has been completed, verified, and on file.

SPIRIT AND PARTICIPATION

CHCCR has traditionally fielded a spirited team of Sharks. We encourage cheers for each other, cheers for our children and cheers for all other swimmers – even those from opposing teams. We are proud of our performance and behavior in and out of the pool, and we need to demonstrate good sportsmanship on all levels.

Team identity and spirit are encouraged by the swimmers and their parents, and because of this, team members are encouraged to wear the team CHCCR swimsuit and their CHCCR T-shirt to each meet. Swim caps are optional. However, if you are wearing a cap, the CHSSL requires you to either wear a team logo cap (a CHCCR cap) or a solid color cap with no other team’s markings on it. All meets, practices and social events will promote team spirit. Personal improvement is the goal of each swimmer and will be promoted and recognized. Finally, although we do have a team suit, your child may choose to wear a different suit. This is allowed as long as it has no other team markings, logos or names on it.

Practices are generally offered twice a day once school lets out. Swimmers are not expected to attend both practice sessions every day – it is up to the swimmer and parent to decide how often to come. However, most of the participants come to at least one practice session each day. Daily practice is important to the development of swimmers through exposure to endurance training, skills and technique. Team members become not only race ready but, importantly, become safe, competent swimmers. Some swimmers may practice with differing age groups depending on their swimming ability. This is done to afford those children the best coaching to develop their swimming skills at a challenging but not over-whelming pace. All such decisions are made by the coaches in the best interest of the swimmer.

If at any time during a meet or practice a serious disagreement arises among adults, it shall immediately be taken behind closed doors for discussion; if that is not possible, the discussion will cease immediately, to be settled later (after the meet or practice) behind closed doors. Verbal abuse, intimidation and/or harassment of participants, officials, parent reps, parents and coaches will not be allowed. Any individual who does not abide by these rules of conduct will face a penalty deemed appropriate by the parent reps and/or the CHSSL board.

SWIMMING 101

The four competitive swimming strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Swimmers age 11 and up may also participate in the individual medley (IM). All strokes have rules that must be followed to compete legally, and the meets have judges to ensure this. Each stroke is described in more detail below.

In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke. The stroke most commonly used is sometimes called the crawl, which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the water surface and an alternating (up-and-down) flutter kick. On turns and finishes, some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. Most swimmers 11 and up do a flip turn.

Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns, advanced swimmers learn a backstroke flip turn, with specific rules, or touch the wall and go. The swimmer must finish on the back.

The breaststroke, which is the oldest stroke, dating back hundreds of years, requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pressed out from in front of the breast in a heart shaped pattern and recovered under or on the surface of the water. The kick is a simultaneous somewhat circular motion similar to the action of a frog. On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously at, above or below the water surface. This stroke is sometimes difficult to master, and many swimmers have to work hard to achieve a legal race of breaststroke.

Some consider the butterfly to be the most beautiful of the strokes. It features a simultaneous recovery of the arms over the water combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must keep both legs together and may not flutter, scissor or use the breaststroke kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously on the turns and the finish. (The butterfly is the newest stroke and was developed in the early 1950s as a variation of the breaststroke. It became an Olympic stroke in 1956 in Melbourne). Again, this is a difficult stroke for swimmers to learn, but CHCCR coaches are able to break it down into steps – however, it takes some patience and hard work.

The individual medley, commonly referred to as the IM, features all four strokes. In the IM, the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes after one-fourth of the race to backstroke, then breaststroke and finally freestyle. The IM is available to swimmers 11 years and older.

The freestyle relay events consist of four freestylers, each swimming one-quarter of the total distance of the event.

In the medley relay, all four strokes are swum. The first swimmer swims backstroke, the second breaststroke, the third butterfly, and the final swimmer anchors the relay with freestyle.

Please note: Swim Team is NOT swim lessons.

MEETS AND HEATS Each swim meet offers a variety of events and distances, depending on the age of the swimmer. Each event is made up of heats, where swimmers are grouped with others who have similar times. For example, the 7 and 8 girls 25 freestyle is event #19 in a dual meet (swimming against one other team). But there could be 10 heats for this event, so that all of the girls have a chance to swim. The Summer Swim League season is made up of dual meets (swimming against one other team), and the championship meet at the end of the season (called Champs). Every swimmer who swims in two dual meets for the season qualifies to swim at Champs. The swimmers can compete in events that they have swum legally. Champs is really exciting and fun!

During meets, each swimmer is allowed to swim the following:

• Swimmers 6 and Under can swim 25-meter freestyle and/or backstroke and may swim on a freestyle relay team as well. They can also swim in the 8 and under 25-meter breast or butterfly events if the coach feels they can legally do so. They cannot swim more than 3 individual events.
• Swimmers 7 to 8 can swim 3 of the 4 individual races (25-meter free, back, breast or fly) and the medley relay and/or freestyle relay.
• Swimmers 9 and 10 may choose 3 individual events from 6 options: 25- or a 50-meter freestyle; 25- or 50-meter backstroke; 25-meter breaststroke; and 25-meter butterfly. Medley relay and/or freestyle relay.
• Swimmers 11 and up may choose 3 individual events among the 4 strokes (50 meters each) or the 100-meter IM, as well as the medley relay and/or freestyle relay.

RELAYS

Relay teams are determined by the coaches and take into account fastest swims of the day as well as top times for the swimmers. All swimmers should remain at the meet through the relays in case they are needed. Plus the relays are the most exciting and fun part of the meet for the swimmers! Coaches will try to put as many swimmers into relays as possible. Relays do not count toward the three swims allowed per swimmer.

STARTS

In the start, the swimmer is called to the starting position by the starter, who visually checks that all swimmers are motionless. In the CHSSL, swimmers are NOT required to start on the starting blocks; however, there is a significant disadvantage (in time) to swimmers who choose to start off the side of the pool. When all swimmers are set, the starting horn is sounded to start the race. If the starter feels that one of the swimmers has moved, left early or gotten an unfair advantage, the race is stopped and restarted. If it happens a second time, the guilty swimmer may be disqualified after the race for a second false start. The swimmer’s time and finish will not count for that race.

Rules and Judging

The technical rules of swimming are designed to provide fair and equitable conditions of competition and to promote uniformity in the sport. Each swimming stroke has specific rules designed to ensure that no swimmer gets an unfair competitive advantage over another swimmer. Coaches are well trained in the rules and can answer any questions that swimmers have. Stroke and Turn officials are present at all competitions to enforce these rules so that the competition is fair and equitable to all swimmers. Officials are able to disqualify (or “DQ,” as it is typically called) swimmers who are not following the technical rules of the stroke. The DQs should be viewed as a learning tool and not a penalty, a means to ensure that the swimmer learns the strokes correctly.

The Course

Competition pools in the CHSSL are 25 meters long (like the CHCC pool) or 25 yards long. The distance is slightly shorter on the yard pools, so swimmers will notice faster times. To ensure proper seeding of heats, teams use a USA Swimming conversion calculator. League records are kept for the CHSSL from the final Championship Meet, in meters and in yards, depending on the venue. All Champs meets from 2010 forward have been swum in yards.

THE PARENT BOARD/PARENT REPS

A Parent Board of Parent Representatives is organized annually to provide a support system for the swim program by fulfilling many of the team’s administrative duties such as registration, swim suit and T-shirt orders, roster compilation, running swim meets and social functions. Parent volunteers maintain the team structure to allow our coaches to devote their attention to coaching swimming and building a relationship with the team. This provides the children with the maximum enjoyment of a competitive swimming environment. At least two Parent Reps represent CHCCR at all meetings of the CHSSL and vote on all matters of league business.

Duties of Parent Reps (including but not limited to...)

• Attend CHSSL meetings and cast the team's two votes in the league.
• Search for, evaluate and recommend applicants for all coaching positions. Coaches are employees of Chapel Hill Country Club and subject to additional conditions of employment as required by the Chapel Hill Country Club.
• Run the team.
• Designate committees and positions of responsibility for team functions.
• Recruit all volunteers needed to adequately conduct swim meets within the requirements of the Chapel Hill Summer Swim League.
• Act as Meet Director for all meets.
• Manage all team expenditures and funds.
• Select and order team swimsuit, caps, and T-shirts.
• Purchase any equipment or supplies necessary for the functioning of the team.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Working with the CHCCR Swim Team gives parents and swimmers a unique opportunity to be involved in a meaningful and rewarding working relationship. The more active you are as a parent, the more interested your child will become in the team. Swimming is hard work, and rewards are enjoyed more with active parental support.

At all CHCCR practices, we require attendance of at least one parent or responsible adult (19 years old or older) for each swimmer age 8 and under – this is in accordance with the CHCC requirements for safety and for their own safety. In addition, this is to provide key support early for young swimmers unfamiliar with the coaches and the practice process and is required by CHCC bylaws – and both the Parent Reps and the coaches have the authority to make a swimmer 8 or under in age sit out of practice if unaccompanied. It provides an extra measure of safety for our youngest participants and allows the coaches to directly communicate your child’s progress and needs to you.

In order to run a swim meet efficiently, up to 30 parents are needed per meet! For the 2026 season, all volunteer sign-ups will be managed through Signup Genius. Links will be sent out via email. Key officials require some experience - training will be provided by CHSSL in some cases and by other team parents as needed. Many jobs require only interest and reliability. Every parent/family is expected to participate in some capacity. The expectation is if you have a swimmer participating, you are needed to help out at a meet or some equivalent volunteer function. CHCCR is proud to have active families and some of the best run meets of every season. If, however, you cannot take the time to volunteer at the meets, you can perform a different CHCCR volunteer job that could be done on a different schedule. Parent Reps are HAPPY to provide opportunities to help!

The following is a list of personnel required for swim meets:

FOR HOME MEETS:

• 2 Clerk of Course Officials (help swimmers get into the correct events and heats and lanes)
• 1 Starter trained by CHSSL prior to the first meet of the season
• 1 Stroke Judge trained by CHSSL prior to the first meet of the season
• 16 Timers with iOS/Android devices running the Swimmingly app (2 per lane)
• 2 runners for distribution and collection of entry cards
• 3 scorers
• 1 computer operator (to run Team Manager)
• 1 or 2 Place Judges to watch races and determine order of place
• Age group chaperones for each age group 11 & 12 and under
• Hospitality servers for refreshments for meet workers and coaches.

FOR AWAY MEETS:

• 2 Clerk of Course Officials (help swimmers get into the correct events and heats and lanes)
• 1 Stroke Judge trained by CHSSL prior to the first meet of the season
• 8 Timers with iOS/Android devices running the Swimmingly app (1 per lane)
• 2 runners for distribution and collection of entry cards
• 3 scorers
• 1 computer operator (to run Team Manager)
• 1 or 2 Place Judges to watch races and determine order of place
• Age group chaperones for each age group 11 & 12 and younger

Other volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to, helping with ribbons (usually the day after the meet during practice), coordinating social events, ordering trophies, helping with the banquet, and lining up sponsors for Champs heat sheets. See more information on these later in this document. If you decide to volunteer at the four meets, please sign up to volunteer early in the season via Signup Genius!

GUIDELINES TO A FUN SWIM SEASON

• Young swimmers feel cold, especially early in the season and after rains. Please see that your swimmer dresses appropriately and has something to cover up with at the end of practice.
• Don’t let them quit: Most swimmers who enter the sport under the age of 10 decide at some point or another to quit as it’s too cold, too hard, etc. This is the NATURAL reaction of virtually every kid entering swimming at a young age – just ask ANY parent of a swimmer over the age of 10. If they quit, statistically, they will never return and will never experience the life-sport that swimming is. Encourage them to “stick with it” – many of our best swimmers in the history of the team came from kids that decided to quit at age 5, 6, 7 but their parents asked them to stick with it. In fact, we even have a few former CHCCR swimmers who ended up swimming in college who were part of the “I want to quit” crowd!
• Label your towels, swimsuits, goggles, caps, T-shirts. Anything and everything gets lost in large quantities over the season. Goggles can be labeled with a small piece of first aid tape and a sharpie marker.
• DO NOT MACHINE WASH YOUR SUIT: Your team suit will maintain its color and stretch much longer if you rinse it well and hang dry after use. The team plans to maintain the same suit design for at least two years. With proper care your suit should wear for two seasons. Many swimmers save their team suits for meets and practice in something else.
• Purchase your swimsuit for a snug fit. Allowing "room to grow" is a recipe for slower times. As the suit ages it will naturally experience some give in the fit. Boys' jammers should fit tightly like biking shorts, not loose like surfer "baggies."
• Swim goggles are good protection against irritated eyes.
• Ask your doctor about ear drying drops or home solutions to prevent swimmer’s ear.
• Encourage all swimmers to take part in social events planned for the team. Friendships built during swim season have kept many children active in swimming year after year.
• Each family will have its own mail folder in plastic bins that are available daily at practices. They are used for ribbons from the previous meets.
• To receive team announcements, you need to sign up and register via https://chccr.swimmingly.site, as all communication is sent electronically via e-mail. Please be sure a current email address is listed on the registration form and inform the parent reps of an email change so we can ensure that you are kept in the loop.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SWIM MEETS

At Practice Before the Meet - you are obliged to tell the coaches if you will NOT attend the upcoming meet at least two days before the meet. Please do NOT sign up your child if you will not attend a meet. Keep in mind you are not automatically registered for meets. You must sign your own kids up to swim via the Swimmingly platform. Much effort goes into the meet entries. One too few or one too many causes a re-do of the whole seeding of an age group. Unplanned things happen, but when you can, help us out!

Warm-ups happen before the meet for 25-30 minutes. Home meets have the earlier warm-up times. Please have your swimmers be here for warm-ups – it is a good chance for coaches to remind them what they are working on, and it helps the swimmers get a feel for the water that day.

One of the building blocks of quality training is good nutrition. Every swimmer and parent needs to be aware of the following two points:

• Food does NOT make a swimmer swim fast. That’s right. Food does not make him swim fast. What does make him swim fast? Practice. Practice makes him swim fast.
• QUALITY training makes her swim fast. A vital part of quality training is good nutrition! Believe it or not, your swimmer doesn't get fast during practice. In practice she might see her times improving, but her adaptation to training (i.e., getting faster) actually occurs while her body is at rest. Workouts are the stimulus that causes this to happen. Workouts are hard! They’re supposed to be. They’re designed to tell the body, “This is hard work for me...you better do something to enable me to do it again later.” And the body actually responds by becoming more efficient – aerobically and anaerobically. During its time off, the body WILL adapt, but only if given the proper fuels.

The Night Before A Meet

• Food – A high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet has been shown to improve performance in athletes of all ages. This diet could include any type of pasta, potatoes, veggies, fruits, breads and salads.
• Rest – Plenty of it. Go to bed early.

The Day of A Meet

• Food – Heavy foods may cause nausea due to exertion and excitement during a meet. Go easy on soda for the same reasons.
• Rest – Heavy exertion and a hot day in the sun will diminish your child’s energy levels and influence his/her ability to compete. Take it easy.
• Water – Don’t underestimate the need for hydration. Although they are swimming in water, they aren’t drinking it, so the need for hydration is there just like in any aerobic sport.

Bring to the Meet:

• At least 2 towels. 1 to sit on, 1 to dry off with.
• Lunch box or cooler for fruit, juices, water or snacks – NO GLASS, please!
• Team suit, goggles, shirt, and hat or visor
• Sunscreen
• Something to do for downtimes. Kids are expected to stay with their age groups. This is a chance for the kids to socialize also! Remember, anything they bring has a very good chance of getting wet.

Foods For During a Meet:

• Bring: Fruit, bagels, veggies, granola
• Leave at home: Junk Food, chips, candy, soda, and anything with mayonnaise. These foods can leave you feeling bloated, nauseous, thirsty and fatigued. They do not promote good athletic performance. Save them for a post-meet celebration when you have swum your best.

During a Meet:

• Be on time. You owe it to your coaches and your teammates to be reliable. If the coaches are expecting you at a meet, communicate any meet day problems to the coach or parent rep for that age group. Make sure you have time to get your gear arranged with your group, stretch and warm up with the team. Rushing can cause anxiety and affect your preparation for your race. Each age group has a coach and a parent rep associated with them. Communicate last-minute changes with them.
• Please stress to your child the importance of staying with his/her age group during the meets. The meet format makes it absolutely necessary to locate swimmers quickly. We cannot search for swimmers who are not ready and available for their race. If your child is uncomfortable at any meet, please communicate with the age-group parent and stay with your child if necessary. The meet atmosphere may be stressful for some, and extra parental supervision may be necessary to allow a swimmer to compete with enjoyment.
• When you have finished your events, do not sit poolside and play in the water. During a meet, the pool deck is crowded. Attention is on the race being conducted, and adequate supervision of people in the water is not possible. For the safety and enjoyment of all people attending the meet, everyone must stay out of the water when not competing. All areas of the pool not in use for events are closed during and after a meet.
• Coaches are very busy during the meet. Please direct your urgent questions and comments to your Parent Reps. Meets are hot, hectic and tiring, with many details to attend to. Please be patient with each other and your organizers.

Volunteer Tasks for the Swim Season

• Shark Assistants - The Shark Assistants program is a way to develop leadership skills and help out the coaching staff. If you’re 13 or older, you qualify. Shark Assistants will report to the Head Coach and will have responsibilities to help younger swimmers in the pool, leading land drills for the age groups, putting out lane lines, etc. The head coach makes the selections for Shark Assistants.
• Meet Functions – Many volunteers are needed on a meet by meet basis to ensure the meet runs smoothly, such as someone to serve beverages to the other meet workers, judges and starters, ready bench and clerk of course, timers and runners. Other areas such as entries, scoring and ribbons make sure our swimmers are enrolled to swim at the meet, their efforts measured and their rewards prepared. Sign up for these on Signup Genius.
• Age Group Parent Chaperones – These positions are crucial in the age groups 12 years of age and under. No special training is required, but patience is a must. This is parent participation at its best. One or two adults for each age group at each meet organize the swimmers and make sure they get to the starting blocks and back to the designated team area. You keep up with who's on first and minimize the confusion when everyone is excited in the big crowd! Please note the guidelines (below) to understand the role of an Age Group Parent Chaperone. More on this below.
• Set-up and Clean-up – Before the meet, chairs need to be arranged and the pool set to manage all the swimmers for the competition. In order to get the pool deck back in order for member swimming, chairs need to be put back in their places and trash picked up. Parent reps are on hand for these jobs, but any parents who could help would be greatly appreciated!
• Parent committee volunteers - In addition to the tasks noted above there are many other opportunities to get involved. We have a number of committees (e.g., Social committee, Parent/ kid relays, Sharkapoolza, CHAMPS week, Banquet, End of season awards, Photography, Ribbons) that have been developed to help ensure the kids have the best experience as possible. An e-mail will be sent out with more details on each committee. Everyone is encouraged to volunteer on at least one committee via Signup Genius.

GUIDELINES FOR AGE GROUP PARENT CHAPERONES

Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to warm-up. Find out from the parent reps where you are to keep your group when they are not swimming. Pick up a clipboard and meet entry sheet for your age group. These are your swimmers who are entered and their events in meet order. Notify the coach or parent rep for your age group if the swimmers on hand do not match the list in any way. Meet with the other parent volunteers for your group and allocate responsibilities among yourselves.

When swimmers arrive, check them off on your list and:

• Introduce yourself to the swimmers; make sure they know who the adults are who will be lining them up for each event and who will be giving them their cards.
• Explain to them where they should be when not swimming and why it is important they do not leave the area. All the swimmers need to understand that no one has time to look for them if they are not where they are supposed to be and it is time for their event. If they need to leave the area for some reason, they must check with one of the Age Group Parent Chaperones to be sure they have time to return before their event. Encourage parents of 6 & Unders and any younger swimmer who may be uncomfortable to remain with their swimmer in the assigned area and not to remove them from the chaperone’s supervision.
• Let all swimmers know in which events they are swimming and who is swimming the relays. You will receive this information from the parent reps when you arrive, and the coaches will assign relays during the meet. Encourage all swimmers to stay until the final relay is finished.
• Stress to the swimmers that they must pick up after themselves during and after the meet. Even the youngest swimmers can throw their food wrappers, etc. in a proper place. CHCCR swimmers want to be good guests and above criticism for poor behavior. Encourage good sportsmanship at all times. Coaches will be stressing these things to them as well. When a swimmer finishes his or her race, he or she needs to stay in the water until their entire heat is finished, congratulate the swimmers in the adjacent lanes, and then get out of the water. This promotes good sportsmanship.
• When not swimming an event, no one is allowed in the pool in any way. No Feet, No Hands, No Splashing, even in the shallow areas.
• Try to maintain an orderly deck area to facilitate efficient meet progress.

All of the above comments are relevant to all dual meets, but all are more imperative at Champs. There will be infinitely more swimmers, much less space, longer time periods and mountains more excitement.

THANKS FOR BEING PART OF THE CHCCR SHARKS!

CHCCR Swim Team Handbook