Welcome to the Steel Eels Swim Team!

This handbook has been prepared to give you and your family information that is needed to know throughout the swim season.  Please read it carefully especially if you are a new member of the team. You will find information about the coaches and practice sessions as well as the procedure for letting the team know whether your child will be swimming in the meet.  If you have any questions, ask the Swim Team Rep or Head Coach.

The swim team’s goal is to provide the support our swimmers need, to help them have a completely enjoyable and rewarding experience, and to learn the four competitive swim strokes.  Swimming is a life skill that each person should master for safety’s sake.

The residents of the Steubing Ranch subdivision organized the Steel Eels Swim Team in 2012.  The team is a member of the Maverick Summer Swim League (MSSL) which organizes the summer swim program for 24 swim teams from all over the greater northern San Antonio and outlying areas. 

We are excited to have you and your family as members of the Steel Eels Swim Team, and we look forward to another exciting and fun summer swim season.

INTRODUCTION

Team Goals

The goal of the Steel Eels Swim Team is to provide our neighborhood youth and thos in surrounding neighborhoods, ages 4 – 18, with a high-quality summer swim program.  The team provides a program in which swimmers improve their aquatic skills, promote teamwork and good sportsmanship, and most of all have lots of fun with people from the neighborhood!

Season Overview

The 2023 program will last about 8 weeks.  The program begins on Tuesday, May 2nd.  On that date, the coaches begin holding afternoon practices to improve strokes and build endurance.

The season climaxes with a division championship meet during the weekend of June 23-25th.  An invitational All-Star Meet is held on Thursday, June 29th for the fastest of the fast swimmers in all four divisions.  An end-of-the season team and family pool party celebration will be held. Ribbons from the division championship meet and other awards will be presented.

About This Handbook

The purpose of the handbook is to inform swimmers and their parents about our swim team and how it operates.  Your participation on the team is more enjoyable if you are familiar with the contents of this handbook and if you eagerly take part in our volunteer organization.

The handbook does not include MSSL rules or rules for executing the strokes.  This information can be found on the league web site at https://mssl.swimtopia.com/

Eligibility

Swimmers are eligible to join the team if they are 4 to 18 years of age (or their summer immediately following high school graduation whichever comes last) as of June 1 of the current year. To join the team, a swimmer must consistently swim the following distances without holding onto the sides of the pool or lane lines (unless the swimmer is 6 or younger) or touching the bottom of the pool until the required swim distance has been completed.

Ages 4 - 10 - Must be able to swim one stroke for 25 yards/meters.  Note: Freestyle means any means of swimming across the pool to include “doggie paddle” for the youngest swimmers ages 4-6.

Ages 11 & Up - Should be able to swim any two strokes for 50 yards/meters or 2 lengths of the pool.

If you are unsure about your child’s ability, attend the practices as scheduled. The coaches will determine each swimmer’s ability and decide if a swimmer meets the requirements. If a swimmer is unable to meet the requirements, a full refund will be made (see Refunds).

Swimmers must demonstrate their ability to meet the above requirements by the predetermined date set by the Coach.

Registration Fees

The fees to join the team are as follows:

• First swimmer in a family       $105
• 2nd  swimmer in a family       $95
• 3rd swimmer in a family         $85
• Family cap set at                   $315 

A parent must complete a registration form, pay the fee, and sign a MSSL insurance waiver form before attending a practice.

Late Registration

Swimmers may register late, or even after the regular season has begun up until the night before the 2nd scheduled meet. There will not be any swimmers added after that time.

Refunds

A full refund will be given only if a swimmer drops off the team before practices begin.  A partial refund at the end of the first week of practices, but no refunds are given after that week. NO exceptions.

PRACTICES

Practices are Important

Swimmers benefit greatly through regular attendance to practice sessions. At practice swimmers receive instruction in the four competition strokes, racing dives, flip turns, and are given the opportunity to build physical endurance.  Regular attendance at practice also helps the swimmers and their families keep up with what is going on.

In an attempt to maximize the benefits of the practice sessions, each coach is assigned the responsibility for a particular age or ability group.  This enables the coach to get to know the swimmers better, to identify their strengths, and to work on their weaknesses.  The coaches are then able to place the swimmers in the appropriate events for swim meets.

Be On Time

Swimmers should be at the pool and ready to swim 10 minutes prior the time their practice session is scheduled to begin, get ready for stretching exercises, and check their name off on the attendance roster.  When the practice is over all older swimmers should promptly leave the pool area.  Younger swimmers should stay with an adult, team rep, or coach until his or her parent has arrived.

Practice Schedule for the Summer

The practice schedule begins the first Tuesday of May with times as follows: Tuesday – Thursday afternoon: 4:30-5:30 p.m. or 5:30-6:30 p.m.

June Friday morning practices begin the first Friday after the school year ends 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Twice a day practices for Tuesday-Thursdays begin the day after the last day of school with 2 practice times: 8:30-9:30 a.m. OR 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Practice Dos and Don’ts

All of our activities take place in community pool. We are given special permission to use the pool by our homeowner’s association.  Swimmers are expected to obey all normal pool safety rules during practices and meets.  Disruptive behavior not only wastes the coaches’ time, but also may jeopardize future use of a pool by the swim team. If necessary, a swimmer will be asked to leave the pool area. Parents who are present during practice are asked to help keep swimmers in order and to enforce pool rules.

Swimmers and their siblings are NOT ALLOWED to play in the Baby Pool during meets.  As no lifeguard is on duty for the baby pool during practices or meets, it is a safety risk to the team, the HOA, and the league which secures the liability insurance for all teams.

Need to Speak With a Coach?

The coaches are responsible for a large number of swimmers during practice sessions, and a lot must be accomplished at the practices.  For these reasons, please do not hold conferences with the coaches during scheduled practice times.  If you need to speak with a coach, please try to do so before or after the practice session. If you have any concerns about a coach or instructor, please contact the swim team rep, Vicki Bass, at (210) 332-3673.

Swimsuit Requirements

The team chooses a suit every year for the team. It is preferred that swimmers wear the team suit but it is not a requirement. Suits are an additional cost and can be purchased from Swim Freak. If you cannot purchase the suit for the current season, please try to wear a suit that is comfortable and is in the team colors of red and black. Boys may compete in jammers or a speedo (please no loose swim trunks) and girls should compete in one-piece suits. No two piece suits at meets or practices. All swimmers with long hair should wear a swim cap.

PARENT PARTICIPATION

Because a swim team is run by volunteers—with exception of a highly qualified, paid coaching staff—parent participation is essential at every swim meet.  The Steel Eels Swim Team must furnish volunteers for both home and away meets, although more volunteers are required to host a home meet.

Each family is expected to work at least 3 times during the swim season.  At registration, parents were given the opportunity to sign up to work in various positions.  Please be on time for your job.  If you have a schedule conflict or must be absent, it is up to you to schedule a replacement.  The best way to do this is to contact people assigned to your same job at another meet and arrange a switch or if you become available at the last minute please, contact the Volunteer Coordinator to assign a substitute in your place.  Please do so as soon as you know you will not be able to attend the meet you signed up for.

No Experience Needed

Parents of new members are encouraged to sign up for these jobs. There are easy jobs to fit everyone’s skills or abilities.  Even mothers with small children can bake for the concessions stand or do other odd jobs like sorting the place ribbons alphabetically after a meet for the team.  Each job is important and can be fun!

Below is a list of jobs which are necessary to run a swim meet.  Please sign up to work as a starter or stroke and turn judge if you have a competitive swim background either at the high school or college level.   

Equipment Set-up and Take-down workers set up equipment before meets and pack equipment after meets (both home and away).  They also coordinate clean up of the pool area and parking lot after home meets. 

Concession Workers aid in setting up the concession stand, selling refreshments, and cleaning up the concession stand at home meets.  Bakers will also be needed to provide muffins, cookies, or cupcakes for sale at the stand.

Team Ready Area Parents call swimmers to the ready area and help the coaches get swimmers lined up for the next events and maintains order in the ready area.  The assistant coaches and sometimes the older swimmers take the youngest swimmers to the starting block area.

Timers use stopwatches to time and record the time on the lane timer sheets.  Each lane has three timers—one is in charge of the clipboard and legibly writing down the watch times, a second timer watches to ensure the times are correctly transcribed, and the third timer asks the swimmer his or her name to be sure the correct swimmer is in their event, heat, and lane.

Runners collect lane timer sheets and disqualification slips from timers and judging officials and delivers them to the scorekeeper’s table.

Ribbon personnel takes the teams’ printed labels with each swimmer's results (recording the swimmer's name, event, and time) AFTER the meet and attaches it to the appropriate place ribbon and sorts them for the coaches to pass out at practice.

Positions requiring training at a free, annual MSSL clinic includes the following:

MEET REFEREE: has complete responsibility for a speedy and impartial conduct of the competition, knows the MSSL and swim stroke rules, is familiar with the whistle start procedures, inspects the pool and equipment, and conducts an officials’ meeting before the meet begins. The Meet Referee usually has worked as a stroke & turn judge for at least one swim season and could be, but DOES NOT have to be a nationally certified official.

STARTER:  primary job is to ensure all swimmers have a fair and equitable start, knows the MSSL rules and how they are applied, and is familiar with the whistle start procedures.

STROKE AND TURN JUDGE: observes the swimmers in their assigned lanes, makes disqualifications when applicable, and understands the MSSL and swim stroke rules and how they are applied.

SCOREKEEPER: captures the Dolphin stopwatches’ data files and inputs it into the Meet Maestro software on the SwimTopia team website.  He/she also double checks the Dolphin watch data against the times written on the lane timer sheets.  The scorekeeper prints the ribbon labels at the end of the meet.  He/she creates the final score report and asks the Referee and 2 head coaches to sign it.

Note: ALL scorekeepers need to attend a 2019 software clinic for their introduction to Meet Maestro.  If a scorekeeper wants a refresher course he/she can attend as well but is not required to.