Swimmer Questions and Answers
Can Anyone Join? Anyone 18 and under (as of June 1, of the current year) can join the Preble County Stingrays. The team is made up of youth from all over the county.
How good do I have to be? You do not have to already be a competitive swimmer to join. All swimmers start somewhere, and most do not know all the strokes when they first join. There are no “cuts” and all members will swim at every meet. Emphasis is on fun, not on winning, Swimmers are broken down into two groups for two separate practices.
When are the practices and how long are they? The first practice is for more advanced swimmers each weekday morning. The second practice is for “beginners” (younger swimmers and those swimmers that need more instruction.)
Do parents have to stay for the practices? While many parents do choose to stay, you are not required to. We have two coaches as well as a YMCA lifeguard at practices to watch over the swimmers.
When does the season start? The outdoor season starts the first Monday or Tuesday after all schools are out for the summer. Board members will be there at practices for swimmer signups and to answer questions. There is usually a parents meeting during the first week as well.. Please check back here at our website for news.
Do the coaches teach swimming? The swim team practices are not specifically swimming lessons. Swimmers should be able to swim at least a rudimentary freestyle to join. However, coaches work daily with the swimmers to improve their swimming and teach them all four stokes. Very few swimmers ever join the team already knowing how to swim each stroke.
What strokes will swimmers learn? There are four primary stokes for a swim teams. Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. All swimmers start with freestyle and progress to the point where they know all four strokes. Different swimmer builds and abilities help determine which stoke they will eventually excel the most in. Swimmers usually try different strokes at different meets to help determine where their strengths lay.
What is the attendance policy? Swimmers are expected to attend all practices and meets. The organization does understand that there are other activities in the summer that prevent this. Prior notification of the coach for conflicting activities can be excused, as will personal illness. The specific attendance policy is explained in the Swimmer Handout.
What is the weather policy? The weather policy is explained in the Swimmer Handout.
How much does swim team cost? Costs are $60.00 for 1 swimmer in a family, $100.00 for two swimmers in a family, and a cap of $130.00 per family for three or more swimmers. Fees pay for the coaches, SOSL dues, ribbons, and a limited number of other expenses. We also do fundraising to offset team costs.
Did swim team costs go up this year? Costs went up slightly for this year. Some of our sponsors expressed their concern that all swimmers get team shirts. Last year we started issuing all swimmers shirts, but lost money due to the fact that we did not raise fees to offset T-Shirt costs. We decided to raise fees slightly this year (10 dollars for families of 2 or more swimmers). This increase does not pay for the T-Shirts, but should offset the cost slightly. This was decided at the April board meeting, before the official season started.
What is preconditioning? The official swim season starts off the week after school ends and the pool opens for the summer. This leaves very little time for swimmers to get in shape for the beginning of the season. Preconditioning is held at the Preble County YMCA and is a way for swimmers to get in shape before the season begins. Preconditioning is not required and separate fees are charged to pay for the use of the YMCA lanes and the coach for the preconditioning season. Preconditioning starts the week after spring break.
Who runs the meets? Parents run all the home swim meets. Parents are required to volunteer for a minimum of meets (number depends on swimmers each year.) Parents help with a variety of meet activities including concessions, timing, and filling our ribbons.
When are the meets? Meets are Tuesday and Thursday evenings. See the team calendar for specifics..
Please e-mail us if you have other questions!
