MERCER ISLAND BEACH CLUB

SUMMER SWIM TEAM

Welcome to the Mercer Island Beach Club Swim Team! Our swim program has

something for everyone… from the beginning 6-year-old to the experienced

senior in high school. Swim Team members learn self-discipline, goal setting, and

teamwork in a fun and supportive environment.

During the summer, swim team members work on stroke technique, turns,

conditioning and having fun. The competitive season in the Midlakes Swim

League begins in mid-June and ends in late July. In addition to swim meets there

will be several social events and an end-of-the-season awards night.

It takes all parents to run a successful team. Each family will be asked to

volunteer during the meets in which your children are swimming. The more

informed you are about the Swim Team and swim season, the more successful

your child’s experience will be. The handbook has been revised so please read

through it carefully. If you have any additional questions we will be happy to

answer them. Any updates to the schedules will be announced via email to you

and posted on our team communications system and team bulletin board.

Welcome to another fun-filled swim season!

Swim Team Committee

Mercer Island Beach Club

“CRITICAL TO OUR TEAM’S SUCCESS IS HAVING

PARENT VOLUNTEERS TO SUPPORT THE SWIMMERS

THROUGHOUT THE SEASON!”

SWIMMER ELIGIBLITY CRITERIA

A Little Waves swimmer must be at least 5 years old and be able to swim one

length continuously of freestyle. The Little Waves point coaches will assess

swimmer’s progress and decide if the swimmer is eligible to swim in a B meet in

the 8&Under category.

The swimmer’s age on June 15th will determine the

swimmer’s age group for the season. No exceptions.

An 8&Under (6-8 years old) swimmer must be able to swim one length

continuously of freestyle demonstrating good stroke technique and ease of

movement in the water, and be able to swim the backstroke, breaststroke or

butterfly legally.

A 10&Under (9-10 years old) swimmer must be able to swim two lengths of the

freestyle demonstrating good stroke technique and ease of movement in the water

and be able to demonstrate an ability to swim the backstroke, breaststroke or

butterfly.

A 12&Under (11-12 years old) swimmer must meet the criteria for 10&Under

plus demonstrate a legal backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly.

One of the purposes of spring season is to help swimmers meet the above cited

criteria. It will be the responsibility of the coaches to determine if a swimmer

meets their age group qualifications or is placed in Little Waves.

MIBC SWIM TEAM HISTORY

The Mercer Island Beach Club is the oldest swim team in the Midlakes Swim

League. It began in 1954 when 5 Beach Club swimmers competed in the King

County Parks and Recreation Department Swim Championships at Pete’s Pool in

Enumclaw. By 1957 the Beach club team had 36 swimmers many of whom were

brothers and sisters. By 1958 it had grown to 64 swimmers. Much of that

enthusiasm can be attributed to the Beach Club swim coach Johnny Goode who

led the team to be the King County Champions from 1957- 1961.

The early days of Beach Club swimming were exciting years. The swimmers trained in the lake where a floating dock was anchored 25 yards west of the current dock. These were the days of cold water, no goggles and “slimy” boards off of which to make open turns. For meets the Beach Club swimmers tied water ski ropes with balloons attached between the dock and the float to set up 4 lanes.

The first meet ever held at the Beach Club was July 20th, 1957 against Enatai. The Beach club team competed every year in the King County Championship meet in Enumclaw and not only were they champs for 5 years, they were undefeated for numerous years! Needless to say they set a lot of new records and they had lots of publicity.

By 1961 the Beach Club started to compete in the Eastern Division of the Seattle Summer League, which was later called Midlakes. 1961 was also the first year that the team had “racing suits.” The team continued to train and compete in the lake in the early 60’s. As more and more pools were built, it became tough to compete with teams that were training in pools. Plans for the Beach Club pool

were approved and the pool opened July 4th, 1966. In 1968 the first annual all Island swimming competition was held. Mercerdale Shore Club, MICC and MIBC (with orange suits) competed in this popular event!

The 70’s were the years marked by the first swimming goggles, the first MIBC

cross lake team swims, lots of fun rivalry with the All Island swim meet, and a 4

year streak (1976-1979) where the 18 and under 400 free Midlakes record was

broken every year by the Beach Club. By this time the Beach Club team was large

enough to have both a good size “A” and “B” team.

During the 80’s the Beach Club swim team continued many fun swim team

traditions and they won the Division II “B” champs for 3 years in a row (1983-

1985). The 90’s were marked by the appearance of Waveman both at meets and

on T-shirts to lead the Beach Club in team spirit. The strength of the beach club in

the 90’s was shown by its size and numerous Midlakes records, many of which

stand today.

As we look back over the many years of MIBC summer swimming, we are proud

to continue a strong Beach Club swimming tradition.

PARENT INFORMATION & RESPONSIBLITIES

PARENT ORIENTATION MEETING

Parents are expected to attend the Parent Orientation Meeting as part of the Swim

Team Kick Off Dinner usually held in the early evening, late in May.

PARENT VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION

Parent volunteers are at the heart of a successful swim team! Swim meets are run

by parents. Thus, each family will be assigned one two-hour job commitment to

perform at each meet that they have a child swimming. It takes 60 volunteers to

run a home meet. Therefore, all parents are needed to help run all home meets in

which their child swims. Parents will also be needed to volunteer as timers and

swimmer coordinators at away meets.

Each family will be asked to sign up for every meet via Team Unify. If your child

is participating in the meet and you have not selected a volunteer position, the

Volunteer Coordinators will assign you a job. If you are unable to attend, it is

your responsibility to find a replacement and let the Volunteer Coordinators know

who will take your place.

Families who fail to meet the minimum requirements of volunteering risk their

child’s participation on the team.

Weekly Volunteer Assignments for A and B Meets:

Each week there will be an A and a B meet. Swimmers are assigned to each meet

based on coaches’ decisions and swimmer availability.

Tuesday Volunteer Meet Assignments will be emailed and posted by

Sunday/Monday and Thursday Volunteer Meet Assignments will be emailed and

posted by Monday/Tuesday.

Please check your job and shift. If you can’t fulfill your responsibilities, you

are required to find your own substitute and let the Volunteer Coordinator

know.

SWIM MEET ATTENDANCE

It should go without saying that if you RSVP that your swimmer will be at a meeting, your

swimmer will be expected to attend that meet and be there on time. The Coaches and

Volunteer Coordinators rely on this information to create Swim Meet Assignments and Parent

Volunteer Assignments. It is imperative that the Coaches and Volunteer Coordinators know

when a swimmer/family will not be at a meet so they can adjust Swim Meet Assignments,

Volunteer Assignments or Swimmer Event Line Ups.

SWIM MEET AVAILABILITY AND ATTENDANCE COMMUNICATION

MIBC Swim Team uses an on-line system to manage swimmers’ availability for

each swim meet. The system is called Team Unify. This system will collect your

swimmer’s availability, as well as your parent volunteer sign-up, for each meet.

Coaches and Volunteer Coordinators will use it to develop Swim Meet

Assignments and complete the Parent Volunteer Assignments.

Mandatory for Each Swimmer: Each family with swimmers is required to

accept Team Unify invitations, set up swimmer’s accounts and RSVP for each

and every swim meet with either a YES or a NO. Team Unify can be updated at

any time during the season but for two exceptions; after Thursdays for the

following week’s meets and after the Prelim/Championship Submission Deadline.

UNEXPECTED CHANGES to SWIM MEET ATTENDANCE:

If you find that your swimmer is unable to attend a meet after the final call on Thursday –

please email the Head Coach. If your swimmer is unable to swim within 48 hours of a

meet, please email the Head Coach AND call. Why? If your swimmer is unable to swim,

the coaches have to rearrange swimmers in the Relay Teams and in the swimmer events. It’s

best to know this in advance to avoid scrambles at the meet. (Let’s keep the Coaches sane and

heart attack free! and avoid disappointed relay team participants.)

Running Late to a Meet? Call your Head Coach or call or text 2019 Volunteer

Coordinators: Beth Goodman (B Meets) 206-910-5726 or Dawn Dunn (A Meets) 703-919-

0024 and let us know when you will arrive. Late arrivals affect relays at the beginning of

meets.

INFORMATION TO HELP YOUR SWIMMER IN A MEET

Swimmer Event Preparation:

At Check-In, you will receive a small sheet of paper that has your swimmer’s

events listed on it. Take a Sharpie permanent marker and write their events and

positions in a list on the inside of the swimmer’s arm for your swimmer and

parent volunteers to reference. Example:

E (Event) H (Heat) L (Lane) S (Stroke) and

Distance E51 3 2 Bfly (50)

So it would look like this on your child’s arm:

#4 H2L8 Relay – back (1st position)

#51 H3 L2 BFly (25)

#61 H2L6 Free (50)

It is also extremely helpful to our Swimmer Coordinators (and other team

members) to write the swimmer’s LAST NAME on their back.

Relays:

Relays are held at the beginning of the meet (Medley Relays—swimming Back,

Breast, Butterfly, Freestyle) and at the end of the meet (Freestyle Relays--

swimming Freestyle only). It is important to round up your swimmers

EARLY and place them in the correct lanes and in the correct order and at

the correct end of the pool for your swimmer to start.

8&Under Relays:

8&Unders only do one length of the pool (25m), thus, each swimmer on the relay

team will have a specific position on the pool deck.

Position

Medley Relay

(beginning of meet)

Freestyle Relay

(end of meet)

Placement on

Pool Deck

1 Back Freestyle Block

2 Breast Freestyle Opposite side of

lane, on deck

3 Fly Freestyle Opposite side of

lane, on deck

4 Freestyle Freestyle Opposite side of

lane, on deck

All other events are longer lengths (e.g., 50m up to 400m) and each relay event

swimmer starts at the Block side of the pool deck.

During the Meet:

Swimmer Coordinators (and Parents can help), get kids to their lanes and line up

according to their heat placements at least 102 events prior to their event.

Announcer will make “first call” for events to give everyone an audible cue that

it’s time to collect goggles and get to their blocks. By “second call”, swimmers

should be at their blocks.

PARENTS CAN HELP IN THE LANES!

Make sure the younger and newer swimmers know which stroke they will

be doing and

Remind young swimmers how many hands to touch the wall when they

reach it.

o 2 hands for Breast and Fly,

o 1 hand for Back and Free

You can also help young/new swimmers follow the Starter’s instructions in

getting up on the block.

Note: 8&Unders need the most guidance and it’s greatly appreciated if

parents stay nearby to help them.

OTHER INFORMATION

Unattended Children

Due to the high-risk nature of our waterfront and associated liability concerns,

children under 11 must be accompanied by an adult or parent on the club grounds.

Staff is here to supervise, but you should not assume that your children are safe

when left alone. Members who do not comply may lose their privileges.

Swim Team Fees

Swim team fees cover the cost of coaches, coaches’ training, insurance, Midlakes

District fees, additional Stroke and Turn Clinics, awards, t-shirts and social

events. Fees are charged to Member Accounts upon Registration.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE, SWIM MEETS, AVAILABILITY&

COMMUNICATION

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Workouts are arranged per age group. Swimmers should attend only during

their scheduled times unless approved by the coaches.

SPRING Practice Schedule: starts Monday approximately 3rd week of May All groups practice Monday – Friday, except Little Waves.

Little Waves practice schedule:

Last names AM: Mon, Wed, Fri

Last names N-Z: Tue, Thurs, Fri

Age Group Practice Time

Little Waves 6:15 – 6:45pm

8 & Unders 5:30 – 6:15pm

10 & Unders 6:15 – 7:15pm

12 & Unders 7:15 – 8:15pm

13 & Over 7:15 -8:30pm

SUMMER Practice Schedule: starts Monday after last day of school (mid June)

Age Group Practice Time

Little Waves Last Name A-M 11:00 – 11:30am

Little Waves Last Name N-Z 11:30 – 12:00pm

8 & Unders 9:00 – 9:45am

10 & Unders 8:00 – 9:00am

12 & Unders 9:45 -10:45am

13 &Overs 9:45 -11:00am

CHAMPIONSHIP Practice Schedule: starts approximately 3rd week of July

10 &

Unders

11 & 12s

13 & Overs

Monday-Friday 10:00-11:00am 11:00-12:00pm 10:45-12:00pm

SWIMMER’S RESPONSIBILITIES

Swimmers are expected to attend meets as scheduled. During workouts, swimmers

are expected to:

1) Be in the pool on time

2) Follow pool rules and cooperate with coaches and other swimmers.

3) Listen to Coaches and swim their directed workout and not interfere with

another swimmer’s workout

4) Enter the pool area no earlier than 5 minutes prior to workout

5) Leave the pool area no later than 5 minutes after their allotted workout.

6) Behave appropriately in the locker room, respecting club facilities & others’

property

7) Have fun!

If a swimmer cannot follow the workout guidelines after repeated reminders, the

coaches will follow a prescribed discipline procedure. The coaches may ask the

swimmer to sit out for a few minutes or they may remove the swimmer from the

workout and call the parents to pick up their swimmer.

SWIM MEET INFORMATION

TIME TRIALS (AKA BLUE & WHITE MEET)

Participation in Time Trials is mandatory.

Time Trials is a MIBC meet where every child swims every stroke to establish a

base-line time. This helps the coaches designate which swimmers will be assigned to

the “A” and “B” levels of competition or Little Waves. Time Trials are in the same

format as a swim meet, so it is good practice at the beginning of the meet season.

WEEKLY “A” & “B” MEETS

MIBC competes in the Midlakes Swim League which is comprised of 26 teams.

Each team is placed in a Division with other closely ranked teams. MIBC is in

Division I this year. The divisions are based on the results of the dual meets (A and

B) and League Championships the previous year. Find the tables at the end of this

document for a complete listing of all Midlakes teams and Divisions.

Each week there will be an “A” meet and a “B” meet against another team in our

Division. Some swimmers will compete in “A” meets, some in “B” meets, and some

in both. Assignments are based on ability, improvement and availability for

each meet.

Note for B Meets: If a swimmer’s time for an individual stroke exceeds the cut off

for B Meets, they will not be allowed to swim that stroke in that age group in the

B meets.

Swimmers are expected to be present for the whole meet, regardless of the events

they are swimming. Swimmers may be needed to fill an unexpected vacancy and

their support is needed for other team members. The Coaches will attempt to put

each swimmer in his or her best stroke. Sometimes for the sake of the team, the

Coaches will enter someone where needed, instead of where he or she wants to

swim.

A swimmer may swim no more than 4 events in a meet. These can be a

combination of 2 relays and 2 individual events or 3 individual events and 1 relay.

Swimmers may compete in one or more of the four basic strokes, and/or the

medley relay, and/or individual medley, in their respective age division.

In addition, at the discretion of the Point Coach, a swimmer may swim up an age

group.

Swim Meet Time Line: Meets are held on Tuesday and Thursday

afternoons/evenings. There is one home meet and one away meet each week (one

for A, one for B).

Swim Meet Time Line: Meets are held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons/evenings.

There is one home meet and one away meet each week (one for A, one for B).

Check In For Swimmers and

Volunteers

Warm Up Meet Start

Time

Approximate 2nd Half

of Meet

Approximate End of

Meet Time

HOME

Meets

4:00pm 4:30pm 5:30pm Approximately 6:45-

7:00

Approximately 8:30-

8:45pm

AWAY

Meets

4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm Approximately 6:45-

7:00

Approximately 8:30-

8:45pm

Age Groups:

8&Under girls and boys

10&Under girls and boys

12&Under girls and boys

13&Over girls and boys

MEDLEY RELAY

1 BACK (Back Stroke)

2 BREAST (Breast Stroke)

3 FLY (Butterfly)

4 FREE (Freestyle)

INDIVIDUAL RELAY

1 FLY(Butterfly)

2 BACK(Backstroke)

3 BREAST (Breaststroke)

4 FREE (Freestyle)

CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS

At the end of the season, there are two championship meets. Every “A” and “B” swimmer will

compete in either League (A Champs) or Division (B Champs) championships. Since a

swimmer can only compete in 3 events between the 2 championships meets, each person will

usually participate in just “B” or just “A” Champs. “B Champs” is the championships for our

Division and will have 5 other Swim Teams participating. “A Champs” is the Championships for

all 26 teams in our League. Preliminaries are held for everyone participating in A Champs. These

consist of three events – Junior Girls Preliminary (12 and under), Junior Boys Preliminary (12

and under), and Senior Preliminary (13-18 Boys and Girls). The top 16 swimmers in each event

go on to “A Champs” to swim the finals (1st – 8th) and semi-finals (9th –16th).

Championship Availability:

The entries for Preliminaries and Championships are due early so THE COACHES MUST

KNOW BY JULY 1st IF A SWIMMER IS UNABLE TO SWIM IN THE LEAGUE OR

DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS

TIME LINE FOR PRELIMINARIES AND CHAMPIONSHIPS

Check In For

Swimmers and

Volunteers

Warm Up Meet Start Time Approximate

2nd Half of

Meet

Approximate

End of Meet

Time

Senior Prelims

(13&Over)

TBA

1:30pm

TBA 4:00pm 6:00pm 8:00pm

Jr. Girls

Prelims

TBA

Approx. 2:15

pm

TBA

Approx.

2:45-3:15

TBA

Approx.

4:00pm

Approximately

5:30pm

Approximately

8:30pm

Jr. Boys

Prelims

TBA

Approx. 2:30

pm

TBA

Approx.

3:00-3:30pm

TBA

Approx.

4:15pm

Approximately

5:30pm

Approximately

8:30pm

Division

Championships

TBA

7:15 am

TBA

Ex. 7:45

TBA

Approx. 8:00am

1pm Approximately

5:00pm

League

Championships

TBA

7:15 am

TBA

Ex. 7:50 and

8:20

9:00 am 3 Shifts Approximately

6:00pm

ITEMS TO BRING TO EACH MEET

5 Towels (one for warmup and one for each event, which is usually 4)

MIBC Swim Team Suit

2 pair of goggles

MIBC Swim Cap

Sun Screen (waterproof)

Sharpie Marker (to write events on swimmer’s arm)

Water, high carb snacks, or cash for concessions purchases

Low beach chairs or blanket to sit on

Optional book, games or homework

MIDLAKES LEAGUE DIVISIONS & SCORING For Division Alignment, Meet Scoreboard and other info go to: www.midlakesswimleague.org

Dual Meet Scoring

Team points for individual races are as follows:

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

4th Place

5th Place

6th Place

7 Points

5 Points

4 Points

3 Points

2 Points

1 Point

Team points for relay races are as follows:

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

4th Place

14 Points

10 Points

8 Points

6 Points

PARENT VOLUNTEER JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND HELPFUL TIPS

Parent volunteers are at the heart of a successful swim team!

TIMERS

Description: Record each swimmers time in an assigned lane using stop watches.

Check in with the Volunteer Coordinators before the meet so we know who is here!

Timer meeting is at 5:15. This meeting is for all timers, 1st and 2nd half, to get any

special instruction and training if needed. 1st half timers check in with Head Timer.

1st Half Timers: Do not leave your post until your 2nd half MIBC timer relieves you.

2nd Half timers be ready to switch around event 35 (estimate around 6:30/7pm) –

listen to PA announcements as to the exact event switch over. It delays the meet (and

causes your Volunteer Coordinators unbelievable stress) if you are late for the switch

over.

If you miss a start (i.e., forgot to clear your stopwatch or miss hitting the start button)

RAISE YOUR HAND and the Head Timer will come and finish timing your

swimmer so you have a time to write down. Don’t be embarrassed, it happens to the best

of us.

SWIMMER COORDINATORS

Definition: Help 8 & under or 10 & under swimmers at meet Check-In and behind the blocks.

1st Half Swimmer Coordinators: Be ready to work at the start of check in which is

4:00 for home meets, 4:30 for away meets.

Place yourself in a spot near the volunteer check in table (this keeps us all central). Have

your flag visible as it helps parents and swimmers spot you.

Your job: Hand out Swimmer Event Sheets to the parents and mark the swimmer off on

the list on your clipboard. This will help us identify missing swimmers that the coaches

will need to know about before the meet.

Assist your swimmer or swimmer parent to take a Sharpie permanent marker and write

their events and positions in a list on the inside of the swimmer’s arm for the swimmer

and parent volunteers to reference. Ex. Event #51, Lane 2, Heat 3, Butterfly Stroke

translates to the following list on the swimmer’s arm.

E (Event) H (Heat) L (Lane) S (Stroke) and Distance

#51 H3 L2 Bfly (50)

Your clipboard should consist of (1) A full set of Heat Sheets (2) Swimmer Event Line

Up sheets to hand out (3) List of swimmers in your group. We recommend you take a

highlighter and highlight all the events for your group of swimmers on your heat sheets.

2nd Half Swimmer Coordinators – Be ready to take over from the first half Swimmer

Coordinators when the Timers switch (approximately 6:45pm). Get 1st Half Swimmer

Coordinator clipboard and ask for any news or updates. Sometimes when swimmers

don’t show up, we have replacements in their lanes and heats, so be sure that is written

in on your Heat Sheets.

Relays are at the beginning of the meet and at the end. It is important to round up your

swimmers early and place them in the correct lanes and in the correct order.

8&Under Relays: since they only do one length of the pool, you will need to take

swimmers in positions 2 and 4 and place them at the OPPOSITE side of the lane.

Swimmers 1 and 3 are at the BLOCKS.

Medley Relay: 1st Event of the Meet! Important to line up EARLY. The heat sheets

will help you. Stroke Sequence: (1) Back, (2) Breast, (3) Fly, (4) Free. Ex. Heat sheet

will look like this, but names only – you will need to know the positions:

Sally (#1-Back) Franny (#2-Breast)

Betty (#3-Fly) Matilda (#4-Free)

Free Style Relay: Near the end of the meet, all swimmers do free style. 8&Unders will

need to line up according to our example above.

During the Meet: Swimmer Coordinators (and Parents can help), get kids to their lanes

and line up according to their heat placements at least 1 EVENT prior to theirs.

Announcer will make “first call” for events to give everyone an audible cue that it’s time

to collect goggles and get to their blocks. By “second call”, swimmers should be at their

blocks.

Parents can help in the lanes! Make sure the younger and newer swimmers know

which stroke they are doing, how many hands to touch the wall when they reach it. (2

hands for Breast and Fly, 1 hand for Back and Free). You can also help guide them to

follow instructions of the Starter in getting up and ready on the block. 8&Unders need

the most guidance and it’s greatly appreciated if parents stay nearby to help them.

CONCESSIONS

Food trucks are sourced for swim meets and Wave Café is also open for quick meals and

treats.

From time to time, volunteers are needed for team social events and special events.

Cashiers work a shift (5:30-6:45 or 6:45-8:00/end) taking orders and handling money at

the concession stand. This is an adult-only job.

Food Attendants work a shift (5:30-6:45 or 6:45-8:00/end) handing out and replenishing

food at the stand. Note: This can be done by non-swimming older siblings.

RUNNERS

Works behind the blocks collecting timer sheets for each lane and taking them to data

entry.

Timer sheets must be collected and organized in lane order (1-8) and sequentially by

event

Collect DQ sheets from the Officials at each side of the pool.

May run the labels from data entry coordinators to the ribbons volunteers.

RIBBONS

Put labels on ribbons for each event during the meet and separate out ribbons for MIBC

and opponent.

Give Coaches of both teams their swimmers ribbons at the end of the meet.

May help insert ribbons into MIBC swimmers cubbies.

HEAD TIMER AND BACKUP TIMER

Description: A trained and seasoned timer who:

Helps lead the timer’s meeting at the beginning of the meet, answers question on rules

and procedures

Helps to assure that all timers are ready to time their assigned lanes

Wears 1-2 stop watches and starts them in case a lane timer needs a time for a missed

start.

ANNOUNCER

A special trained volunteer who announces the current and upcoming events throughout

the meet on the PA system.

OFFICIALS

A Midlakes League trained volunteer who watches each race to make sure swimmers

comply with league stroke and turn rules.

STARTER

A Midlakes League trained volunteer who starts each event and judges false starts.