I'm writing this with my eyes propped open with toothpicks. We've just had the weekend from...well, it was a very busy weekend with a dual meet Saturday morning and Relay Carnival Sunday morning.
We are now halfway through the season--more than halfway for kids who don't go to divisionals. Chances are the team reps are feeling a little fried--at least, I always did when I had that job. They have two more dual meets and divisionals to get through plus the banquet and probably 100 other odds and ends. (I used to say I went on the rep summer diet--with all the demands on my time and the running around, I usually lost 5 or more pounds. And those were back in the days before email took over, so the phone was always ringing.)
So let's make today "Hug your team rep" Day." (Unless you are very close to your rep, it's probably best to make that a virtual hug--or, better, just a heartfelt thank you and a "what can I do to help" offer.)
And, on the Olympic Trials front, big congrats to Eric and Ryan who had great swims. Eric came in 31st; Ryan, 22nd, and both dropped time. Up today are Cara, Brady, and Chris in the 100 Back and Katura in the 400 Free. Good luck!! (For a fun MCSL-mom-on-the-scene report, be sure to check out Robbye's blog on the Hallowell website.)
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
First day of Olympic Trials!
Today's the first day of the Trials and guess what? There will actually be live TV coverage! Every night from 8-9 pm you can see some of the most exciting swimming in the world. Tune into NBC tonight and next weekend (July 4-6) or USA (M-Th) to get your daily fix. You can also go to NBCOlympics.com starting at 11 am Central time (noon here, I think) each day to catch the webcast of prelims. And there will also be extensive coverage on usaswimming.org.
Wondering which MCSL current or former swimmers are competing? Click here for the list. Today Eric and Ryan are swimming in the 100 Breaststroke prelims and--hopefully!--semifinals. Ryan is seeded 26th; Eric, 64th out of 84. Wish them luck!
Wondering which MCSL current or former swimmers are competing? Click here for the list. Today Eric and Ryan are swimming in the 100 Breaststroke prelims and--hopefully!--semifinals. Ryan is seeded 26th; Eric, 64th out of 84. Wish them luck!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Who goes to Long Course?
Today is the last day for a swimmer to qualify for the Coaches Invitational Long Course meet. How do we decide who gets an invitation? If you're really curious, the relevant rule is Rule 15, on p. 57 of this year's MCSL handbook.
The eight fastest swimmers, based on the first three dual meets of this season, plus two alternates in each event will be invited to participate. But, unlike our dual meets or even individual All Stars, a swimmer can swim only TWO events at Long Course. Some swimmers qualify for only one or two events, but others are eligible by speed to swim more--but by rule, they can't.
So, how do swimmers decide which two events they will swim? A swimmer has two choices. He or she can do nothing and let the league decide, which the automation team does using computers and numbers. I won't even go there--when the computer folks start talking, I'm afraid I feel like I've been transported to a foreign country. I just can't quite comprehend--but you can read it, I think, in the rule.
Or, if the swimmer cares which two strokes he/she competes in, he/she can scratch the events he/she doesn't want to swim. Here's an example provided by our Chief Automation Guru: Alice Allstar has 4th place in back, 5th place in free and 10th place in fly. Because her competitors submitted scratches (or were scratched during seeding) for 2nd, 4th, 5th , 6th and 8th in fly (they know what its like to do a 50 LC fly!), Alice has moved up to 5th place in fly. Because her 5th place seed is a lower ratio to the record time than free, she is seeded into back and fly. So--and this is me again--if she really doesn't want to swim fly, she should scratch out of it by the deadline, and then she'll only be seeded in back and free.
There is a deadline to scratch individual events--the automation team gets very...tired if they have to reseed events over and over and we want to have time for all the eligible swimmers to find out they are scheduled to swim. (We really, really hate empty lanes, especially at these invitational meets.) This year the deadline is tomorrow, June 29.
Here's how to scratch, also straight from the Chief Automation Guru:
1. Scratches should by sent by a designated team contact (team coach or team rep) to automation@mcsl.org with "Long Course scratch" in the subject line.
2. Scratches must include:
The name of the swimmer.
The name and abbreviation of the team.
A contact e-mail and phone.
A valid return e-mail address.
The stroke (s) that the swimmer does not wish to swim.
3. Scratches that are hypothetical, involve “what-if” scenarios, are contingent, or are improperly submitted (e.g. “I want to swim back only”) will not be accepted, nor will we notify the senders. Please refer to the handbook (pages 57-58) regarding the seeding process. If it is important that your swimmer swims a particular stroke, they should scratch out of other strokes – it is common for higher level scratches and seeds to move swimmers several places, and likely into other strokes, especially in this meet.
4. Once the seedings are posted, they are final--a swimmer may only scratch out of the meet, not out of individual strokes.
The eight fastest swimmers, based on the first three dual meets of this season, plus two alternates in each event will be invited to participate. But, unlike our dual meets or even individual All Stars, a swimmer can swim only TWO events at Long Course. Some swimmers qualify for only one or two events, but others are eligible by speed to swim more--but by rule, they can't.
So, how do swimmers decide which two events they will swim? A swimmer has two choices. He or she can do nothing and let the league decide, which the automation team does using computers and numbers. I won't even go there--when the computer folks start talking, I'm afraid I feel like I've been transported to a foreign country. I just can't quite comprehend--but you can read it, I think, in the rule.
Or, if the swimmer cares which two strokes he/she competes in, he/she can scratch the events he/she doesn't want to swim. Here's an example provided by our Chief Automation Guru: Alice Allstar has 4th place in back, 5th place in free and 10th place in fly. Because her competitors submitted scratches (or were scratched during seeding) for 2nd, 4th, 5th , 6th and 8th in fly (they know what its like to do a 50 LC fly!), Alice has moved up to 5th place in fly. Because her 5th place seed is a lower ratio to the record time than free, she is seeded into back and fly. So--and this is me again--if she really doesn't want to swim fly, she should scratch out of it by the deadline, and then she'll only be seeded in back and free.
There is a deadline to scratch individual events--the automation team gets very...tired if they have to reseed events over and over and we want to have time for all the eligible swimmers to find out they are scheduled to swim. (We really, really hate empty lanes, especially at these invitational meets.) This year the deadline is tomorrow, June 29.
Here's how to scratch, also straight from the Chief Automation Guru:
1. Scratches should by sent by a designated team contact (team coach or team rep) to automation@mcsl.org with "Long Course scratch" in the subject line.
2. Scratches must include:
The name of the swimmer.
The name and abbreviation of the team.
A contact e-mail and phone.
A valid return e-mail address.
The stroke (s) that the swimmer does not wish to swim.
3. Scratches that are hypothetical, involve “what-if” scenarios, are contingent, or are improperly submitted (e.g. “I want to swim back only”) will not be accepted, nor will we notify the senders. Please refer to the handbook (pages 57-58) regarding the seeding process. If it is important that your swimmer swims a particular stroke, they should scratch out of other strokes – it is common for higher level scratches and seeds to move swimmers several places, and likely into other strokes, especially in this meet.
4. Once the seedings are posted, they are final--a swimmer may only scratch out of the meet, not out of individual strokes.
Friday, June 27, 2008
And the mystery swimmer is...
Michael Raab!
Michael joined the Tilden Woods dolphins when he was only six years old and graduated when he was 18--that means (if I counted on my fingers correctly) he swam for TW for thirteen summers! He also swam for Walter Johnson high school, the University of Virginia, and RMSC (Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club). He has international swimming experience, too, representing the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games, the 2004 SCM [short course meters] World Champs, and the 2005 LCM [long course meters] World Champs. Mike also had a very exciting swim at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, and since many MCSL swimmers are heading out to Omaha now, this seemed like a good time to catch up with him.
Sally MacKenzie--Hi, Michael! Thanks so much for stopping by. First, for those who may not know, what’s your favorite stroke?
Michael Raab--Butterfly, of course.
SM--I see you’ve had a few MCSL records, even at one point the Long Course 15-18 200 free record, but you still hold the MCSL Long Course 15-18 100 fly record--56.51. And you’re on the list of MCSL Olympic qualifiers. Are you hopping a plane to Omaha soon?
MR, laughing--No. I only swim once or twice a week now to stay in shape (no mornings!). I have no plans to compete again but would love to spend some more time coaching/teaching swimming.
SM--So what are you doing to keep busy?
MR--I work as an equity analyst at an asset management firm in Arlington, Virginia called Sands Capital Management. I also still play some guitar, but only around the house--the band members have all gone their separate ways, though it was fun while it lasted.
SM--Well, I’ll tell you my then-teenaged son liked your band’s CD, though I have to admit, it wasn’t quite my thing. But tell us what you liked best about MCSL swimming.
MR--MCSL swimming offers a unique experience where six year old boys and girls can compete on the same team as 18 year olds from their neighborhood. The result is an environment that promotes sportsmanship, competition, friendship, and a sense of community. Tilden Woods and MSCL swimming have provided me with many of my best memories - not just in swimming.
SM--What are some of those memories?
MR--Feeling the support from the Tilden Woods community whenever I traveled to an international or national meet. For MCSL specifically, my best memory is really just any given Saturday morning in the summer at a meet. I still watch as many as I can.
SM--Great! Now, give us your secret--how did you psych yourself up for all those record-breaking swims?
MR--It didn't take much to get myself excited for a race if I set goals ahead of time. The main challenge was making sure I was excited and not nervous.
SM--Hmm, okay. But what about practice? How about telling us what your worst practice ever was.
MR--It wasn’t a TW practice--it was at UVA. I had to stay after regular practice on a Friday morning and do five 300s butterfly sets at race pace by myself.
SM--Ouch! I can’t even imagine doing one 300 fly without dying--okay, I can barely manage a 25 fly. Why did you have to undergo this torture?
MR-- In all honesty, I had to stay after for "punishment." This was a common thing for me in college. I would say I had to stay after practice for extra sets at least once every few weeks. However, I later learned that it was a plan by my coach to help build confidence and challenge me. And yes, the five 300s were all out. My coach stood on the deck and clocked me on every one.
SM--I’m exhausted just thinking about it! What would you say was your best or worst race?
MR--My best MSCL race and memory is when I won the 50 freestyle Coaches Long Course race as an 8 year old. It was my first time diving off the blocks and swimming in a long course pool. My best and worst race in my career was the 200 fly at the 2004 Olympic Trials when I got third.
SM--Why was the Olympic Trials 200 fly your best and worst race?
MR-- It was my best swim because it was what I believe to be my greatest swimming accomplishment--just missing the Olympics by finishing third to Tom Malchow by .3 seconds. It was my worst because I didn't make my goal. The only thing that still bothers me is that it wasn't my best time. I was off my best by about .3 seconds.
SM--Wow. Still, an amazing, amazing accomplishment. And now another crop of MCSL swimmers are heading off for the Trials, including one of your fellow Tilden Woodsians, Eric Friedland. You want to encourage them with your favorite Tilden Woods cheer?
MR--Sure. My favorite cheer is definitely "Ah Bey" (if that's how you spell it). It's a Tilden Woods classic. It’s great because there are basically five words: Ah Bey . . . Hey. Who's going to win? . . . Tilden Woods! Then you have a splash party in the pool.
SM--Thanks for stopping by the blog, Michael. If any readers have questions for Michael, put them in the comment section and Michael will try to look in during the day and answer them.
Michael joined the Tilden Woods dolphins when he was only six years old and graduated when he was 18--that means (if I counted on my fingers correctly) he swam for TW for thirteen summers! He also swam for Walter Johnson high school, the University of Virginia, and RMSC (Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club). He has international swimming experience, too, representing the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games, the 2004 SCM [short course meters] World Champs, and the 2005 LCM [long course meters] World Champs. Mike also had a very exciting swim at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, and since many MCSL swimmers are heading out to Omaha now, this seemed like a good time to catch up with him.
Sally MacKenzie--Hi, Michael! Thanks so much for stopping by. First, for those who may not know, what’s your favorite stroke?
Michael Raab--Butterfly, of course.
SM--I see you’ve had a few MCSL records, even at one point the Long Course 15-18 200 free record, but you still hold the MCSL Long Course 15-18 100 fly record--56.51. And you’re on the list of MCSL Olympic qualifiers. Are you hopping a plane to Omaha soon?
MR, laughing--No. I only swim once or twice a week now to stay in shape (no mornings!). I have no plans to compete again but would love to spend some more time coaching/teaching swimming.
SM--So what are you doing to keep busy?
MR--I work as an equity analyst at an asset management firm in Arlington, Virginia called Sands Capital Management. I also still play some guitar, but only around the house--the band members have all gone their separate ways, though it was fun while it lasted.
SM--Well, I’ll tell you my then-teenaged son liked your band’s CD, though I have to admit, it wasn’t quite my thing. But tell us what you liked best about MCSL swimming.
MR--MCSL swimming offers a unique experience where six year old boys and girls can compete on the same team as 18 year olds from their neighborhood. The result is an environment that promotes sportsmanship, competition, friendship, and a sense of community. Tilden Woods and MSCL swimming have provided me with many of my best memories - not just in swimming.
SM--What are some of those memories?
MR--Feeling the support from the Tilden Woods community whenever I traveled to an international or national meet. For MCSL specifically, my best memory is really just any given Saturday morning in the summer at a meet. I still watch as many as I can.
SM--Great! Now, give us your secret--how did you psych yourself up for all those record-breaking swims?
MR--It didn't take much to get myself excited for a race if I set goals ahead of time. The main challenge was making sure I was excited and not nervous.
SM--Hmm, okay. But what about practice? How about telling us what your worst practice ever was.
MR--It wasn’t a TW practice--it was at UVA. I had to stay after regular practice on a Friday morning and do five 300s butterfly sets at race pace by myself.
SM--Ouch! I can’t even imagine doing one 300 fly without dying--okay, I can barely manage a 25 fly. Why did you have to undergo this torture?
MR-- In all honesty, I had to stay after for "punishment." This was a common thing for me in college. I would say I had to stay after practice for extra sets at least once every few weeks. However, I later learned that it was a plan by my coach to help build confidence and challenge me. And yes, the five 300s were all out. My coach stood on the deck and clocked me on every one.
SM--I’m exhausted just thinking about it! What would you say was your best or worst race?
MR--My best MSCL race and memory is when I won the 50 freestyle Coaches Long Course race as an 8 year old. It was my first time diving off the blocks and swimming in a long course pool. My best and worst race in my career was the 200 fly at the 2004 Olympic Trials when I got third.
SM--Why was the Olympic Trials 200 fly your best and worst race?
MR-- It was my best swim because it was what I believe to be my greatest swimming accomplishment--just missing the Olympics by finishing third to Tom Malchow by .3 seconds. It was my worst because I didn't make my goal. The only thing that still bothers me is that it wasn't my best time. I was off my best by about .3 seconds.
SM--Wow. Still, an amazing, amazing accomplishment. And now another crop of MCSL swimmers are heading off for the Trials, including one of your fellow Tilden Woodsians, Eric Friedland. You want to encourage them with your favorite Tilden Woods cheer?
MR--Sure. My favorite cheer is definitely "Ah Bey" (if that's how you spell it). It's a Tilden Woods classic. It’s great because there are basically five words: Ah Bey . . . Hey. Who's going to win? . . . Tilden Woods! Then you have a splash party in the pool.
SM--Thanks for stopping by the blog, Michael. If any readers have questions for Michael, put them in the comment section and Michael will try to look in during the day and answer them.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Cue the Jaws music!
Can you name this swimmer? Here are three hints:
1. He used to play guitar in a band.
2. He swam in the MCSL from 1989 to 2001 and still holds an MCSL record.
3. He missed going to the Olympics by .3 second.
Tune in tomorrow to find out the mystery swimmer's identity.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The 80s--the League is still growing
The 80s saw 17 more teams join MCSL. Cinnamon Woods and Carter Hill barely made it through the decade, however. Diamond Farms didn't--it dropped out in 1988, but came back into the League in the 90s.
1980
Cinnamon Woods (1990)
East Gate
Eldwick
Rock Creek
Shady Grove Village
1981
Diamond Farms (1988)
1982
Bethesda
Carter Hill (1991)
Glenmont
Long Branch
1983
Poolesville
1984
Rockville
1985
None
1986
None
1987
Flower Hill
1988
Plantations II
Tanglewood
Upper County
1989
Waters Landing
1980
Cinnamon Woods (1990)
East Gate
Eldwick
Rock Creek
Shady Grove Village
1981
Diamond Farms (1988)
1982
Bethesda
Carter Hill (1991)
Glenmont
Long Branch
1983
Poolesville
1984
Rockville
1985
None
1986
None
1987
Flower Hill
1988
Plantations II
Tanglewood
Upper County
1989
Waters Landing
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The 70s--more teams join the fun
Growth slowed after the 60s, but the league continued to expand. Eighteen new teams joined the MCSL in the 1970s, most in newly-developed areas of the county. Dates in parentheses are the last year a team competed.
1970
Palisades
Tallyho
1971--no new teams
1972
Fallsmead
Inverness
New Mark Commons
Olney Mill
Stedwick (2003--most swimmers went to Whetstone)
Whetstone
1973
Country Glen
1974
North Creek
River Falls
Rockshire
Tanterra
Watkins Mill (merged with Stedwick)
1975--no new teams
1976
Somerset
1977
Darnestown
Northgate (1999--most swimmers went to North Creek)
Westleigh
1978
Quail Valley
Stonegate
1979
Quince Orchard
1970
Palisades
Tallyho
1971--no new teams
1972
Fallsmead
Inverness
New Mark Commons
Olney Mill
Stedwick (2003--most swimmers went to Whetstone)
Whetstone
1973
Country Glen
1974
North Creek
River Falls
Rockshire
Tanterra
Watkins Mill (merged with Stedwick)
1975--no new teams
1976
Somerset
1977
Darnestown
Northgate (1999--most swimmers went to North Creek)
Westleigh
1978
Quail Valley
Stonegate
1979
Quince Orchard
Monday, June 23, 2008
The 60s--explosive growth
The 1960s saw the biggest growth in the new league. Thirty-seven pools joined the original 10 charter members--the six from 1958 and the four from 1959. Here they are by year of entry (according to the history I have--if anyone has more information, please send it to me!). If there is a date in parenthesis following a pool's name, that is the last year the team participated in the MCSL. As you can see, most of these early teams are still competing.
1960
Old Georgetown
Parkland
1961
Merrimack
Mohican
North Chevy Chase
Oakview
Park Forest (1993)
Potomac
Twinbrook
Twin Farms
1962
None
1963
Hillandale
West Hillandale
Wildwood Manor
Woodley Gardens
1964
Northwest Branch
Pleasant View (2002)
1965
Forest Knolls
Hungerford-Stoneridge (1990)
North Bethesda (now Seven Locks)
Old Farm
Tilden Woods
1966
Aspen Hill (2004)
Franklin Knolls
1967
Carderock Springs
Damascus
Montgomery Square
Regency Estates
1968
Ashton
Calverton
Kemp Mill
Mill Creek
Potomac Woods
Robin Hood
1969
Flower Valley
Little Falls
Manor Woods
Montgomery Village (became various Village teams)
Stay tuned for the 70s.
1960
Old Georgetown
Parkland
1961
Merrimack
Mohican
North Chevy Chase
Oakview
Park Forest (1993)
Potomac
Twinbrook
Twin Farms
1962
None
1963
Hillandale
West Hillandale
Wildwood Manor
Woodley Gardens
1964
Northwest Branch
Pleasant View (2002)
1965
Forest Knolls
Hungerford-Stoneridge (1990)
North Bethesda (now Seven Locks)
Old Farm
Tilden Woods
1966
Aspen Hill (2004)
Franklin Knolls
1967
Carderock Springs
Damascus
Montgomery Square
Regency Estates
1968
Ashton
Calverton
Kemp Mill
Mill Creek
Potomac Woods
Robin Hood
1969
Flower Valley
Little Falls
Manor Woods
Montgomery Village (became various Village teams)
Stay tuned for the 70s.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Relay All Stars--wild cards
So your relay team came in second at relay carnival...might you still go to All Stars? This year, if you are in divisions A through H, the answer is no. If you are in divisions I through O, the answer is maybe. Why?
We swim Relay All Stars in two sections, appropriately labeled Section I and Section II. (Roman numerals are so much classier, don't you think?) If we had an even number of divisions, the sections would be equal, but since we have an odd number (15), one section has 8 divisions and the other has 7. This year Section I has 8 divisions; next year Section II will. Division H, being smack in the middle, is the division that bounces back and forth between Section I and Section II.
Why do you care about this? Because we swim Relay All Stars in an 8 lane pool. If you are in Section I this year, you have 8 divisions, so all the lanes are filled. But if you're in Section II, you have only 7 divisions. One lane is empty. Since we hate empty lanes, we fill it with a "wild card" team--the team in Section II that has the second fastest time in that event for the entire section.
We swim Relay All Stars in two sections, appropriately labeled Section I and Section II. (Roman numerals are so much classier, don't you think?) If we had an even number of divisions, the sections would be equal, but since we have an odd number (15), one section has 8 divisions and the other has 7. This year Section I has 8 divisions; next year Section II will. Division H, being smack in the middle, is the division that bounces back and forth between Section I and Section II.
Why do you care about this? Because we swim Relay All Stars in an 8 lane pool. If you are in Section I this year, you have 8 divisions, so all the lanes are filled. But if you're in Section II, you have only 7 divisions. One lane is empty. Since we hate empty lanes, we fill it with a "wild card" team--the team in Section II that has the second fastest time in that event for the entire section.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Who qualifies for Relay All Stars?
Tomorrow, some divisions will have their relay carnivals.
At the April MCSL meeting, the reps decide together when their division will hold its relay meet. They choose a date--and a rain date--within the relay carnival window (this year from June 22 to July 6). So while some teams will swim June 22, others will swim June 29--and other divisions may have chosen a different date.
Our first relay carnivals were held in 1969. The meet is quite fun, but also somewhat crazy--it's called a carnival for a reason. Page 77 of this year's handbook lists the events--they are all relays. Some events are by sex and age; others mix age groups, and others mix boys and girls. The relay teams that come in first in most--but not all--events will swim at Relay All Stars on July 26.
Which relay carnival winners aren't guaranteed a trip to All Stars? The winners of relay events #1 and #2 (boys and girls Graduated 175M Freestyle relay) and events #8 and#9 (boys and girls Open Age 200M Medley relay). Why? Because these relays, unlike the others, are swum at each dual meet and at the division championship meet (divisionals). So in these events, the relay team with the fastest time for the season is the one that goes to All Stars.
At the April MCSL meeting, the reps decide together when their division will hold its relay meet. They choose a date--and a rain date--within the relay carnival window (this year from June 22 to July 6). So while some teams will swim June 22, others will swim June 29--and other divisions may have chosen a different date.
Our first relay carnivals were held in 1969. The meet is quite fun, but also somewhat crazy--it's called a carnival for a reason. Page 77 of this year's handbook lists the events--they are all relays. Some events are by sex and age; others mix age groups, and others mix boys and girls. The relay teams that come in first in most--but not all--events will swim at Relay All Stars on July 26.
Which relay carnival winners aren't guaranteed a trip to All Stars? The winners of relay events #1 and #2 (boys and girls Graduated 175M Freestyle relay) and events #8 and#9 (boys and girls Open Age 200M Medley relay). Why? Because these relays, unlike the others, are swum at each dual meet and at the division championship meet (divisionals). So in these events, the relay team with the fastest time for the season is the one that goes to All Stars.
Friday, June 20, 2008
False starts revisited
A reader informs me swimmers got one "free" false start in regular meets and two at Long Course--meaning that the second false start in most meets and the third false start at Long Course resulted in a disqualification. He remembers quite a few meets where "swimmers intentionally false started to put pressure on faster swimmers to hold up their start on the second start." He also recalls that "many of the older boys used to try and beat the starter by guessing. It was a good plan given you got another opportunity. US Swimming then went to DQ ing swimmers for intentionally false starting and then eventually went to the one false start and you were gone."
Anyone else have memories to share? Please feel free to leave them in the comment section. Or email them to me through the MCSL website and I can do a post on them. Questions are welcome, too.
I'd love to hear from readers, especially other MCSL veterans!
Anyone else have memories to share? Please feel free to leave them in the comment section. Or email them to me through the MCSL website and I can do a post on them. Questions are welcome, too.
I'd love to hear from readers, especially other MCSL veterans!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
...and false starts
Nowadays, swimmers are disqualified if they start early. Barring extenuating circumstances, there are no second chances. But this wasn't always the case in the MCSL.
My memory here is a little fuzzy, but I think in the very Old Days, each swimmer got two "freebies"--two false starts that were forgiven. If you false started, everyone was recalled and you tried again. You weren't disqualified until you left early for the third time...in one event. You can imagine how long it would take if each of six swimmers false started his or her two "free" times--those meets would still be going on. So the rule was changed to charge the false start to the entire field instead of the individual swimmer. The field got two "freebies," that is, the first and second person in the event to false start were forgiven--but the third one was disqualified. This inspired some older swimmers to play mind games, trying to get their competitors to false start and get disqualified. Or a swimmer might false start to, in effect, nail everyone to the "blocks."
My memory might be fuzzy on the details of the rule, but I clearly remember the false start rope. I got to hold one end of it at a B meet once when I wasn't swimming. We stood at about the flags, one person on either side of the pool, the rope stretched over the water--and yes, we dropped the rope in the pool when anyone false started, catching the swimmers before they got away. It was a wonder no one got hurt.
Now there are no recalls for false starts. The swimmers swim their race--and any who left early are informed when they finish that they have been disqualified.
My memory here is a little fuzzy, but I think in the very Old Days, each swimmer got two "freebies"--two false starts that were forgiven. If you false started, everyone was recalled and you tried again. You weren't disqualified until you left early for the third time...in one event. You can imagine how long it would take if each of six swimmers false started his or her two "free" times--those meets would still be going on. So the rule was changed to charge the false start to the entire field instead of the individual swimmer. The field got two "freebies," that is, the first and second person in the event to false start were forgiven--but the third one was disqualified. This inspired some older swimmers to play mind games, trying to get their competitors to false start and get disqualified. Or a swimmer might false start to, in effect, nail everyone to the "blocks."
My memory might be fuzzy on the details of the rule, but I clearly remember the false start rope. I got to hold one end of it at a B meet once when I wasn't swimming. We stood at about the flags, one person on either side of the pool, the rope stretched over the water--and yes, we dropped the rope in the pool when anyone false started, catching the swimmers before they got away. It was a wonder no one got hurt.
Now there are no recalls for false starts. The swimmers swim their race--and any who left early are informed when they finish that they have been disqualified.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Starts
Back in the Old Days--and not so Old Days--each event at a swim meet was started with a pistol. That's right, someone said, "Take your mark," and then--BANG--shot off a pistol. (Using blanks, of course.) The timers were supposed to start their watches when they saw the smoke from the gun, since light travels faster than sound.
One of the first things I did when I became our team's "A" rep back in 1991 was purchase one of those newfangled starting machines. Yes, the Colorado (the brand we purchased) was expensive, but to me it was well worth the money. I am not a fan of guns in any form and I'd heard tales--apocryphal or not--of young swimmers crying and parents becoming deaf in one ear from firing off the pistol. I figured my chances of keeping the 8 and unders on the team and of recruiting their parents to become starters would be much better if we put away the gun.
One of the first things I did when I became our team's "A" rep back in 1991 was purchase one of those newfangled starting machines. Yes, the Colorado (the brand we purchased) was expensive, but to me it was well worth the money. I am not a fan of guns in any form and I'd heard tales--apocryphal or not--of young swimmers crying and parents becoming deaf in one ear from firing off the pistol. I figured my chances of keeping the 8 and unders on the team and of recruiting their parents to become starters would be much better if we put away the gun.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
...and Turns
Stroke rules aren't the only technical parts of swimming that change over time--sometimes turn rules change as well. The biggest turn change I can think of came while I was team rep, so I consider it a relatively recent development.
Back in the Old Days, backstrokers had to touch every wall while on their backs. We could do flip turns, but only after we touched the wall on our backs. In 1991 that changed--and the new turn caused a bit of a flutter on deck that first summer.
Backstrokers could now turn to their stomachs when coming into the wall before they touched and execute what was basically a freestyle flip. They still needed to be on their backs at the finish of the race and, unlike in high school swimming, at the transition turn from backstroke to breaststroke in the IM.
Initially, we followed--as we usually do--the USA Swimming rule exactly. However, over time we decided this wasn't working for MCSL. In USA Swimming, the backstroke turn must be a "continuous" turning action--the one pull (single arm or simultaneous double arm) must be part of the turn. If swimmers roll over on their stomachs too far from the wall for one pull to get them close enough to flip, they're out of luck.
The MCSL season is short. Many children are new to swimming and, perhaps just as importantly, many stroke and turn judges officiate at just a couple of meets a year. Judging whether a turn is "continuous" or not is sometimes a very sophisticated call and, frankly, we were getting some questionable disqualifications. We were also hearing many stroke and turn judges weren't comfortable judging the backstroke turn.
In 2002, to make the turn easier for both our stroke and turn judges and our swimmers, the League changed the rule to delete the need for continuity. Now if swimmers turn over too soon, they can still only take one pull, but they can glide or just kick into the wall--and the stroke and turn judges don't have to have philosophical discussions of what "continuous" means.
Swimmers still need to finish the race on their backs--and touch on their backs at the back to breast transition turn in the IM.
Back in the Old Days, backstrokers had to touch every wall while on their backs. We could do flip turns, but only after we touched the wall on our backs. In 1991 that changed--and the new turn caused a bit of a flutter on deck that first summer.
Backstrokers could now turn to their stomachs when coming into the wall before they touched and execute what was basically a freestyle flip. They still needed to be on their backs at the finish of the race and, unlike in high school swimming, at the transition turn from backstroke to breaststroke in the IM.
Initially, we followed--as we usually do--the USA Swimming rule exactly. However, over time we decided this wasn't working for MCSL. In USA Swimming, the backstroke turn must be a "continuous" turning action--the one pull (single arm or simultaneous double arm) must be part of the turn. If swimmers roll over on their stomachs too far from the wall for one pull to get them close enough to flip, they're out of luck.
The MCSL season is short. Many children are new to swimming and, perhaps just as importantly, many stroke and turn judges officiate at just a couple of meets a year. Judging whether a turn is "continuous" or not is sometimes a very sophisticated call and, frankly, we were getting some questionable disqualifications. We were also hearing many stroke and turn judges weren't comfortable judging the backstroke turn.
In 2002, to make the turn easier for both our stroke and turn judges and our swimmers, the League changed the rule to delete the need for continuity. Now if swimmers turn over too soon, they can still only take one pull, but they can glide or just kick into the wall--and the stroke and turn judges don't have to have philosophical discussions of what "continuous" means.
Swimmers still need to finish the race on their backs--and touch on their backs at the back to breast transition turn in the IM.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Strokes
Strokes evolve over time and occasionally, usually once USA Swimming has adopted a change, MCSL has to revise its stroke rules.
I didn't usually swim breaststroke back in the Old Days. From my limited observations, swimmers were either natural breaststrokers--if a swimmer naturally stands with feet turned slightly out, forming a sort of "V" with his/her feet, that swimmer might just be a breaststroker--or they weren't. The natural breaststrokers swam breaststroke and maybe IM; the non-breaststrokers swam everything else.
Anyway, on the rare occasion that I got stuck swimming breaststroke, I would try the trick some breaststroker on our team must have taught me--I'd go to the ladies' room, grab a bunch of paper towels, and stuff them in my swim cap before I reported to the clerk of course.
Why in the world would I do such a bizarre thing? Because the rule for breaststroke used to be that the head could never be submerged. The higher--the "larger"--the head, the less chance water would rush over it. It wasn't until 1988 that the breaststroke rule was changed to specify that the head must break the surface during each stroke cycle instead of being above the water throughout.
I didn't usually swim breaststroke back in the Old Days. From my limited observations, swimmers were either natural breaststrokers--if a swimmer naturally stands with feet turned slightly out, forming a sort of "V" with his/her feet, that swimmer might just be a breaststroker--or they weren't. The natural breaststrokers swam breaststroke and maybe IM; the non-breaststrokers swam everything else.
Anyway, on the rare occasion that I got stuck swimming breaststroke, I would try the trick some breaststroker on our team must have taught me--I'd go to the ladies' room, grab a bunch of paper towels, and stuff them in my swim cap before I reported to the clerk of course.
Why in the world would I do such a bizarre thing? Because the rule for breaststroke used to be that the head could never be submerged. The higher--the "larger"--the head, the less chance water would rush over it. It wasn't until 1988 that the breaststroke rule was changed to specify that the head must break the surface during each stroke cycle instead of being above the water throughout.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
First dual meet
Yay! By now--Saturday afternoon--everyone should have completed the first dual meet of the season and maybe even gotten home from the post meet eatery. The weather cooperated--no thunderstorms--and hopefully everyone swam fast or, barring that, at least had fun.
One meet management tip that occurred to me at our meet--I think it's a better idea for the clerk to take the relay cards when the swimmers report. Send the swimmers to the lanes and the cards to the automation table. This is not a big issue for events 3 and 4, the Open Medley, since the swimmers and timers are at the same end of the pool. But now for events 49 and 50, the swimmers are 25 meters away from the the timers, so if no one thinks to carry the cards to the other end, they get left on pool chairs or the pool deck. The automation table needs the cards to enter the swimmers' names--the timers can write their times on the lane/timer sheet for that event. Plus, sending the card directly to automation cuts down on the number of wet, chewed relay cards.
We revised the Meet Management book--the green book--to recommend this. It is an especially good practice for relay carnival.
One meet management tip that occurred to me at our meet--I think it's a better idea for the clerk to take the relay cards when the swimmers report. Send the swimmers to the lanes and the cards to the automation table. This is not a big issue for events 3 and 4, the Open Medley, since the swimmers and timers are at the same end of the pool. But now for events 49 and 50, the swimmers are 25 meters away from the the timers, so if no one thinks to carry the cards to the other end, they get left on pool chairs or the pool deck. The automation table needs the cards to enter the swimmers' names--the timers can write their times on the lane/timer sheet for that event. Plus, sending the card directly to automation cuts down on the number of wet, chewed relay cards.
We revised the Meet Management book--the green book--to recommend this. It is an especially good practice for relay carnival.
Friday, June 13, 2008
The scratch meeting
No, it's not a poison ivy fest--it's the meeting of the referee, coaches, and team reps 10 to 15 minutes before the meet begins to substitute for missing swimmers.
The basic rule is a team may only substitute for three swimmers after the entries are exchanged around noon on Friday. If four swimmers are missing, the fourth's lanes just go empty. This is why it is so important to enter only kids who intend to come to the meet. If Johnny is away at camp and you enter him anyway because you don't realize he's gone, you've got an immediate hole to fill. If Joan goes to the doctor Friday afternoon with a terrible case of swimmer's ear, Susie falls and breaks her arm Friday night, and Billy starts throwing up in the wee hours of Saturday morning, you've got big problems. You can "scratch" and substitute for three of those swimmers, but not all four.
You can only substitute for three swimmers in the line up, but you can use multiple swimmers to fill the empty slots. For example, if Susie is entered in the individual medley, freestyle, backstroke, and fly, you can put Mary in Susie's IM and free lane, Cathy in Susie's backstroke lane, and Heather in Susie's fly. If Mary, Cathy, or Heather are already entered in the meet, they have to stay in the events they are in--so if Cathy's entered in free and fly, she has to stay in those events and just add the back. If Cathy is already in free, breast, and fly, she can't go into Susie's lane in back, because she can't swim all four strokes--if you don't have another swimmer available, Susie's backstroke lane goes empty. Mary, Cathy, and Heather don't have to be in the meet already, but they do need to be on the team roster.
The basic rule is a team may only substitute for three swimmers after the entries are exchanged around noon on Friday. If four swimmers are missing, the fourth's lanes just go empty. This is why it is so important to enter only kids who intend to come to the meet. If Johnny is away at camp and you enter him anyway because you don't realize he's gone, you've got an immediate hole to fill. If Joan goes to the doctor Friday afternoon with a terrible case of swimmer's ear, Susie falls and breaks her arm Friday night, and Billy starts throwing up in the wee hours of Saturday morning, you've got big problems. You can "scratch" and substitute for three of those swimmers, but not all four.
You can only substitute for three swimmers in the line up, but you can use multiple swimmers to fill the empty slots. For example, if Susie is entered in the individual medley, freestyle, backstroke, and fly, you can put Mary in Susie's IM and free lane, Cathy in Susie's backstroke lane, and Heather in Susie's fly. If Mary, Cathy, or Heather are already entered in the meet, they have to stay in the events they are in--so if Cathy's entered in free and fly, she has to stay in those events and just add the back. If Cathy is already in free, breast, and fly, she can't go into Susie's lane in back, because she can't swim all four strokes--if you don't have another swimmer available, Susie's backstroke lane goes empty. Mary, Cathy, and Heather don't have to be in the meet already, but they do need to be on the team roster.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Meet entries
By now, at least in a perfect world, all our swimmers have been timed so the coaches can do their entries for our first "A" meet this Saturday. It's easy--you just enter the three fastest kids (six for the 12 & under freestyle events) in each event and you're done, right? Not exactly.
One swimmer cannot swim all four strokes, even if he/she has one of the three fastest times in those events. The coach needs to decide which event that swimmer has to come out of. For example, suppose Susie is the fastest 8 & under girl in free, back, and fly, but only third fastest in breast. Easy decision--you take her out of breast. But what if there are no other legal 8 & under breaststrokers and Susie isn't that much faster than the number two freestyler? And maybe the coach has been working on breaststroke this week and thinks Susie is really ready to go faster. Hmm. Not so easy a decision.
And a swimmer can't compete if he or she isn't at the meet. When I was our team rep many years ago, the team was a regular inhabitant of K or L division. I used to tell our coach that the team who would win the first meet was the team that could get more of its swimmers to show up--the team with the fewest empty lanes. Lower division teams aren't in the lower part of the alphabet because they have slow swimmers; they're often there because they don't have many swimmers. And there's often a big time difference between their fastest swimmers and the rest of the age group. In "A" division, if the third fastest 9-10 boy backstroker is away at camp one Saturday, there may be two or three possible substitutes who are only hundredths or tenths of a second slower. In L division, your next backstroker could be many seconds slower--if you even have a next backstroker.
Suffice it to say, doing the meet line up is a science--but it's also an art.
One swimmer cannot swim all four strokes, even if he/she has one of the three fastest times in those events. The coach needs to decide which event that swimmer has to come out of. For example, suppose Susie is the fastest 8 & under girl in free, back, and fly, but only third fastest in breast. Easy decision--you take her out of breast. But what if there are no other legal 8 & under breaststrokers and Susie isn't that much faster than the number two freestyler? And maybe the coach has been working on breaststroke this week and thinks Susie is really ready to go faster. Hmm. Not so easy a decision.
And a swimmer can't compete if he or she isn't at the meet. When I was our team rep many years ago, the team was a regular inhabitant of K or L division. I used to tell our coach that the team who would win the first meet was the team that could get more of its swimmers to show up--the team with the fewest empty lanes. Lower division teams aren't in the lower part of the alphabet because they have slow swimmers; they're often there because they don't have many swimmers. And there's often a big time difference between their fastest swimmers and the rest of the age group. In "A" division, if the third fastest 9-10 boy backstroker is away at camp one Saturday, there may be two or three possible substitutes who are only hundredths or tenths of a second slower. In L division, your next backstroker could be many seconds slower--if you even have a next backstroker.
Suffice it to say, doing the meet line up is a science--but it's also an art.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Meeting tomorrow
Tomorrow is the last MCSL reps meeting before the season starts.
Things are crazy for the team reps now. They may still be dealing with late registrations; they've just had time trials; they may be having a B meet. But it's important to make the time to get to the meeting--if for no other reason than this is when the reps get the meet paperwork. They'll need those cover sheets and relay cards come Saturday.
Tomorrow we also have a meeting for coaches to cover MCSL issues including safety and good sportsmanship. And new meet managers will get the chance to go through the meet management guidance (green book) and ask questions.
Tomorrow is also the last day to nominate people for our virtual Hall of Fame--so if you've been delaying, it's time to get in gear and email off your submission.
Things are crazy for the team reps now. They may still be dealing with late registrations; they've just had time trials; they may be having a B meet. But it's important to make the time to get to the meeting--if for no other reason than this is when the reps get the meet paperwork. They'll need those cover sheets and relay cards come Saturday.
Tomorrow we also have a meeting for coaches to cover MCSL issues including safety and good sportsmanship. And new meet managers will get the chance to go through the meet management guidance (green book) and ask questions.
Tomorrow is also the last day to nominate people for our virtual Hall of Fame--so if you've been delaying, it's time to get in gear and email off your submission.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
All Star Times
First, what All Star times are NOT--they are not qualifying times. Parents and swimmers familiar with USA Swimming know about qualifying times--those are times a swimmer tries to achieve to go to a particular meet. For example, if a 10-year-old boy swims the 100 Fly in 1:35.19 or faster in a short course yard pool or in 1:47.59 or faster in a long course meter pool, he has achieved the qualifying time in that event for the 2008 PVS 14 and Under Junior Olympic Championship meet. (Those qualifying times are listed here.) As long as he wants to go to the meet, his team enters him and he swims.
All Star times don't work that way. They are NOMINATING, not qualifying, times. If a 10-year-old boy swims an 18.70 during one of our "A" meets (including divisionals), he has achieved an All Star time in the 9-10 25 meter fly and should be very happy. He is one fast kid. However, unless he is one of the sixteen fastest boys in that event--after all the scratches and other variables are taken into account--he probably won't be swimming in All Stars.
Unlike USA Swimming championship meets, All Stars has only two heats, so only sixteen kids can get in the water. Our automation team sets All Star times based on what our fastest times have been historically. They pick times that should give us enough swimmers to fill the lanes at the meet. Every so often they adjust the times, making them faster if the old All Star times were producing too many nominated swimmers or, occasionally, making them slower if not enough names were popping up.
This is a year that many of the times were adjusted downward--our kids are just getting too fast!
All Star times don't work that way. They are NOMINATING, not qualifying, times. If a 10-year-old boy swims an 18.70 during one of our "A" meets (including divisionals), he has achieved an All Star time in the 9-10 25 meter fly and should be very happy. He is one fast kid. However, unless he is one of the sixteen fastest boys in that event--after all the scratches and other variables are taken into account--he probably won't be swimming in All Stars.
Unlike USA Swimming championship meets, All Stars has only two heats, so only sixteen kids can get in the water. Our automation team sets All Star times based on what our fastest times have been historically. They pick times that should give us enough swimmers to fill the lanes at the meet. Every so often they adjust the times, making them faster if the old All Star times were producing too many nominated swimmers or, occasionally, making them slower if not enough names were popping up.
This is a year that many of the times were adjusted downward--our kids are just getting too fast!
Monday, June 9, 2008
All Stars
If you read this year's MCSL handbook carefully, you'll find the results for the 50th Individual All-Star swim meet. That's right--the 50th All-Star meet has already been swum. But this is our 50th season now--so what's up with that?
The First Annual Maryland Metropolitan Area Community Pool Meet, held at Connecticut-Belair pool in 1958, counts as the first "All-Star" meet, even though it was swum before the league was officially established. It wasn't until 1962 that the meet was renamed All Stars.
I mentioned earlier that there is an inconsistency is some versions of the 50th anniversary logo. The first version that appears on the meet management and officials' handbooks has the league establishment date as 1958. That was corrected to 1959 on our league handbook and other publications. But it really is a little ambiguous. However, since we celebrated our 40th anniversary in 1998, we're celebrating our 50th in 2008.
The First Annual Maryland Metropolitan Area Community Pool Meet, held at Connecticut-Belair pool in 1958, counts as the first "All-Star" meet, even though it was swum before the league was officially established. It wasn't until 1962 that the meet was renamed All Stars.
I mentioned earlier that there is an inconsistency is some versions of the 50th anniversary logo. The first version that appears on the meet management and officials' handbooks has the league establishment date as 1958. That was corrected to 1959 on our league handbook and other publications. But it really is a little ambiguous. However, since we celebrated our 40th anniversary in 1998, we're celebrating our 50th in 2008.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
And in the second year...or is it the first year?
In 1959 four more community pools joined the original six--Bannockburn, Daleview, Wheaton Woods, and Wheaton Haven. (In 1996, Wheaton Haven's pool closed and the team merged with Kenmont.) I'm still quoting the league history:
This [1959] was the first year of the Montgomery County Swim League. These ten pools [yesterday's list and today's] were the Charter Members and Peggy Whilden was elected President on June 20, 1959. A constitution and by-laws were adopted on September 22, 1959 at a meeting held at the Merlands Club. The Second Annual Maryland Metropolitan Area Community Pool Meet scheduled thirty events."
This [1959] was the first year of the Montgomery County Swim League. These ten pools [yesterday's list and today's] were the Charter Members and Peggy Whilden was elected President on June 20, 1959. A constitution and by-laws were adopted on September 22, 1959 at a meeting held at the Merlands Club. The Second Annual Maryland Metropolitan Area Community Pool Meet scheduled thirty events."
Saturday, June 7, 2008
In the beginning
In my files, I found a history of the league. It only goes up to 1998, when we celebrated our 40th anniversary, so one of my goals is to update it. But here's what it says about the beginnings of the league:
"In the spring of 1958, Stan Tinkman, Peggy Whilden, and Frank Martin considered the possibilities of forming a swim league in Montgomery County. On July 24, 1958, six clubs met at the Bellaire Country Club to organize the League. A committee consisting of Forest Gustafson, John O'Neil, Peggy Whilden, Helene Kromer, Bill Assmus, and Frank Martin drafted a constitution. It was mailed to twenty-six community pools that showed an interest. Upon receipt of the returned constitution from interested parties, the League was created. There was informal competition sponsored by the Exchange Club of Bethesda Chevy-Chase for the year 1958 between six pools. The first annual Maryland Metropolitan Area Community Pool Meet was held at the Connecticut-Belair Pool to complete the first year."
Which were the very first six teams? Cedarbrook, Connecticut Belair, Garrett Park, Glenwood, Kensington Heights (now Kenmont), and Merlands. Five of those teams are still in the league. Merlands dropped out after the 1964 season.
"In the spring of 1958, Stan Tinkman, Peggy Whilden, and Frank Martin considered the possibilities of forming a swim league in Montgomery County. On July 24, 1958, six clubs met at the Bellaire Country Club to organize the League. A committee consisting of Forest Gustafson, John O'Neil, Peggy Whilden, Helene Kromer, Bill Assmus, and Frank Martin drafted a constitution. It was mailed to twenty-six community pools that showed an interest. Upon receipt of the returned constitution from interested parties, the League was created. There was informal competition sponsored by the Exchange Club of Bethesda Chevy-Chase for the year 1958 between six pools. The first annual Maryland Metropolitan Area Community Pool Meet was held at the Connecticut-Belair Pool to complete the first year."
Which were the very first six teams? Cedarbrook, Connecticut Belair, Garrett Park, Glenwood, Kensington Heights (now Kenmont), and Merlands. Five of those teams are still in the league. Merlands dropped out after the 1964 season.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Time trials
This weekend most, if not all, of our teams will hold time trials. Sadly, I'll miss our meet, the last one I'll have a kid swimming in.
Why hold time trials? First, it lets the coach determine the first "A" meet's lineup. Lots of things change over the summer--kids grow, start (or stop) winter swimming, age up into longer events, etc.--so last year's times don't always tell you how fast a kid will be this year. And, of course, if a child is new to swim team or is swimming a 50 instead of a 25, you don't have times for him or her at all. Second, it gives the swimmer a starting time that he or she can work to better over the season. Third, it gives children new to swimming--and those who may have forgotten over the winter--the experience of swimming in a meet. New swimmers learn how to report to the clerk of course, how to line up for their events, and what a starting machine sounds like. They get an introduction to the sights and sounds of competitive swimming--and they also get to check out the snack bar.
Time trials is also great for parents, giving them a chance to learn or remember what they need to do at meets. It lets them brush off their rusty timing skills or figure out where the team's coffee pot went over the winter. New meet managers and team reps get a practice run, hopefully making the first dual meet go more smoothly.
I love time trials because I get to see all my summer friends again and catch up on what they and their families have been up to since last summer. But this year our third son is graduating from college that weekend, so I'll be heading north.
Have fun, everyone! I'll be thinking of you.
Why hold time trials? First, it lets the coach determine the first "A" meet's lineup. Lots of things change over the summer--kids grow, start (or stop) winter swimming, age up into longer events, etc.--so last year's times don't always tell you how fast a kid will be this year. And, of course, if a child is new to swim team or is swimming a 50 instead of a 25, you don't have times for him or her at all. Second, it gives the swimmer a starting time that he or she can work to better over the season. Third, it gives children new to swimming--and those who may have forgotten over the winter--the experience of swimming in a meet. New swimmers learn how to report to the clerk of course, how to line up for their events, and what a starting machine sounds like. They get an introduction to the sights and sounds of competitive swimming--and they also get to check out the snack bar.
Time trials is also great for parents, giving them a chance to learn or remember what they need to do at meets. It lets them brush off their rusty timing skills or figure out where the team's coffee pot went over the winter. New meet managers and team reps get a practice run, hopefully making the first dual meet go more smoothly.
I love time trials because I get to see all my summer friends again and catch up on what they and their families have been up to since last summer. But this year our third son is graduating from college that weekend, so I'll be heading north.
Have fun, everyone! I'll be thinking of you.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Power outage
I'm beginning to feel the world--or at least the techie world--is against me. I lost power yesterday around 4 pm when the thunderstorms roared through and just got it back this morning.
Did anyone else note that yesterday was Wednesday? Let's hope the atmosphere has gotten this out of its system and will behave more politely on future Wednesdays--but thunderstorms have long been the curse of the "B" meets.
This is probably a good time to remind everyone to put safety first. We talk about weather in the "green book"--our meet management handbook that all the reps got three copies of at the last MCSL meeting. If you'll be in charge of running your team's meets and you haven't read that section, please do. We want the kids to be able to swim, but we don't want people to feel worried or uncomfortable. It's a good policy to err on the side of caution. Your pool management company representative should let you know when to suspend a meet for weather.
This is also a good time to remind everyone that there will be a meet management training session for any new "A" meet managers at our June meeting. And don't forget--coaches are supposed to come to that meeting as well.
Did anyone else note that yesterday was Wednesday? Let's hope the atmosphere has gotten this out of its system and will behave more politely on future Wednesdays--but thunderstorms have long been the curse of the "B" meets.
This is probably a good time to remind everyone to put safety first. We talk about weather in the "green book"--our meet management handbook that all the reps got three copies of at the last MCSL meeting. If you'll be in charge of running your team's meets and you haven't read that section, please do. We want the kids to be able to swim, but we don't want people to feel worried or uncomfortable. It's a good policy to err on the side of caution. Your pool management company representative should let you know when to suspend a meet for weather.
This is also a good time to remind everyone that there will be a meet management training session for any new "A" meet managers at our June meeting. And don't forget--coaches are supposed to come to that meeting as well.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Email woes
Yesterday I discovered the email I'd been sending from my MCSL email address wasn't getting out.
I'm not sure how long I've had this problem. It's probably been at least a week, so if you didn't get a reply to an email you sent me, I'm not ignoring you. I thought I'd answered you. There was no sign I had a problem. I was getting email and my replies were going into my sent mailbox. (Sadly, I didn't have my email preferences set to always save a copy, so much of what I wrote is gone.) I didn't get an error message.
Actually, I was getting a little annoyed. The board wasn't replying to me. I sent a very long, helpful (I thought) email to a team rep and hadn't gotten even a short thanks. Well, people are busy, I decided. Still how hard can it be to hit "reply"? Pretty hard if you never got the message.
It turned out the problem was this blog address. I'd added it to my signature line and I guess the email gods didn't like that. But email is great when it works. I'm not quite sure when the league switched over to email as our primary means of communication. I'm guessing it was in the late 90s. The 1996 handbook doesn't list email addresses for the board; the 1997 book does. I remember helping Mary, who was secretary in '98-'99, do a physical mailing. By the time I took over the secretary position in 2002, we had moved entirely to email. All the meeting notices and minutes go out over the Internet now.
Email allows the board to be more responsive--except when it doesn't. Sigh. I'm off now to try to contact everyone who thinks I owe them an email.
I'm not sure how long I've had this problem. It's probably been at least a week, so if you didn't get a reply to an email you sent me, I'm not ignoring you. I thought I'd answered you. There was no sign I had a problem. I was getting email and my replies were going into my sent mailbox. (Sadly, I didn't have my email preferences set to always save a copy, so much of what I wrote is gone.) I didn't get an error message.
Actually, I was getting a little annoyed. The board wasn't replying to me. I sent a very long, helpful (I thought) email to a team rep and hadn't gotten even a short thanks. Well, people are busy, I decided. Still how hard can it be to hit "reply"? Pretty hard if you never got the message.
It turned out the problem was this blog address. I'd added it to my signature line and I guess the email gods didn't like that. But email is great when it works. I'm not quite sure when the league switched over to email as our primary means of communication. I'm guessing it was in the late 90s. The 1996 handbook doesn't list email addresses for the board; the 1997 book does. I remember helping Mary, who was secretary in '98-'99, do a physical mailing. By the time I took over the secretary position in 2002, we had moved entirely to email. All the meeting notices and minutes go out over the Internet now.
Email allows the board to be more responsive--except when it doesn't. Sigh. I'm off now to try to contact everyone who thinks I owe them an email.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Automation
Tonight is the first of our two automation clinics--check the website for details.
It seems hard to imagine now, but meets weren't always automated. Before 1996--the year MCSL switched over completely to computers--Friday afternoons or nights meant time spent with a typewriter (or very strong hand), 5-part forms, and pink and blue cards. Here's a picture of the blank white/top copy of the dual meet score sheet and the pink copy filled out:
It seems hard to imagine now, but meets weren't always automated. Before 1996--the year MCSL switched over completely to computers--Friday afternoons or nights meant time spent with a typewriter (or very strong hand), 5-part forms, and pink and blue cards. Here's a picture of the blank white/top copy of the dual meet score sheet and the pink copy filled out:
And two close ups:
When coaches met at the home pool on Friday afternoon, the visiting coach brought a stack of pink and blue cards--yes, pink for girls, blue for boys--and an entry sheet. The person setting up the meet would fill in the 5-part form, putting the fastest--or "A" swimmer--for the home team on the top line, the "B" swimmer below that, and the "C" swimmer last. That process was repeated for the visitor's section of the form--and then repeated for every event. Then you seeded the meet. If the visitors chose the odd lanes, then the "A" home swimmer would be in lane 4, the "B" in 2, and the "C" in 6. (Correspondingly, the visitors would be in lanes 3, 5, 1.) The lane numbers were added to the cards and the cards shuffled so they were in event order by lane.
After the event was swum, the cards went to the scoring table where the scorers would check the times, put them in order from fastest to slowest, and assign place and points. Until 1995, there was a 10 point cap on each event. As you can see from the picture above, the visitors earned 12 points, but were only awarded 10 because of the cap. In addition, the scorers circled the All Star times in red. At the bottom of every page, they added up the points for that page, added that to the total points from the previous page, and moved on. There were two scorers--one from each team--and they checked their totals as they went to be sure they agreed.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Our virtual Hall of Fame
To celebrate our 50th season, we're starting a Hall of Fame, but since we don't have any offices--no physical wall on which to display names--our Hall of Fame will have to a virtual one.
We're collecting names of people who made significant contributions or are outstanding representatives of the league. Swimmers, coaches, officials, team reps, board members, league founders--if you think someone deserves special recognition for his or her connection to MCSL, we want to hear about it. Send the name of your nominee along with a short statement telling us why you think this individual should be included in the Hall of Fame to Pam--see our website for her email address.
Don't delay. The deadline is June 12.
We're collecting names of people who made significant contributions or are outstanding representatives of the league. Swimmers, coaches, officials, team reps, board members, league founders--if you think someone deserves special recognition for his or her connection to MCSL, we want to hear about it. Send the name of your nominee along with a short statement telling us why you think this individual should be included in the Hall of Fame to Pam--see our website for her email address.
Don't delay. The deadline is June 12.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
First full clinic
Today was the first of our full clinics. Here you see some of the many parents who came out to recertify or to learn for the first time how to be a referee, starter, or stroke and turn judge. The morning began about 8 am at the Olney swim center with Marty, a former MCSL president and current chair of our competition committee, giving everyone an overview of MCSL officiating. Standing next to him on the stairs is Denice, the chair of the clinics committee, who organized the day's events. It was so crowded, we had to keep telling folks to move closer to the stairs side of the room so people arriving later could get through the doors.
After the general session, we broke out into job-specific groups. First, the stroke and turn judges left for their classes--very experienced judges went with Lionel; less experienced and new people went with Brian. Starters and referees stayed to hear Jim discuss topics that are important for both positions. When Jim finished, the referees went upstairs with Marty and Dave; the starters went outside with Denice.
Here's Denice running the starter clinic. She provided a very thorough discussion of everything a starter should know and even had all participants try their hand at the starting machine before receiving their "diploma"--the card we use to track who has attended which clinic.
Finally, here's Brian in the water, teaching the basic stroke and turn clinic. He started on land, going over general stroke and turn topics, assisted by Scott. But there are so many things you just have to see to understand, so he donned his goggles and, along with a current swimmer, physically illustrated some to the things you'll see in a swim meet.
Our next full service clinic, also at Olney, is June 8, followed by an evening clinic at the county's Germantown pool on June 11. Check our website for details.
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