Lake Hills Splashers

SwimTopia Mobile App Alerts and/or Email are our primary methods of communication. Please make sure to download the app (below) and that we have the most current email address in order to reach you. 

Since email is unique to your SwimTopia account, updates will need to be made by the Website Admin found on the Committee Contacts page.

Receive Team Alerts on weather delays/cancellations etc. Keep up with upcoming meets, events, your volunteer roles, and results. Look for the "LH Splashers" 

Meet Entry Deadline: Tuesday by midnight - each week of a meet

What if I declare attending and my kid is sick?

Email Amanda Kool at [email protected] AND Coach Alison at [email protected] ASAP.

What if we are past the deadline, I originally declared we can’t attend, but now we can?

Email Amanda Kool at [email protected] AND Coach Alison at [email protected].

• Relays will not be an option to add unless a kid on a relay is sick.
• NO LATE ENTRIES the day of the meet.
  • Ex: You come to the meet and ask to be added. We will not do this. 

All meet entries are done online prior to the meet (NO Deck Entries). 

There are strict deadlines for meet sign-ups which we must adhere to in order to share this information with the opposing team as regulated by the bylaws of AHSL.

Our goal is to give the coaches as much time as possible to coach while allowing the swimmer/parents significant input in which events they swim. Please remember, the final decision of what event(s) your child swims belongs to the coach.

Indicate your availability for each swim meet...even if you will not be attending.

STEP 1: LOG INTO YOUR ACCOUNT

You will need to be logged in to your account to declare attendance and signup for events/jobs. You can do that first, or you will be prompted to log in if you click on the "Meet Entry" button on the Home or Meets/Events Schedule page.

STEP 2: SELECT YOUR ATTENDANCE

OPTIONAL STEP: SELECT EVENTS AND ADD COACH NOTES 

• Either stop there and let Coach Alison enter their events
• Enter their individual events.
  • 10 and Under get a MAX of 3 individual events
  • 11 and Ups can swim all 5 events
  • If they have not swum an event, and the screen prompts you for coach approval.
    • Please leave a note for Coach Alison on what event they want to swim.
  • NOTE: Coach Alison will review and remove if they are not legal/ready to race in an event.

STEP 3: SAVE AND REVIEW YOUR SELECTIONS. 

You can edit your selections until the meet entry button is no longer active. The coach has the final say in meet entries and relays.

NOTE: ATHLETE'S MOVING UP FROM 9-10 GROUP WILL NOW SWIM 50s IN ALL INDIVIDUAL EVENTS BUT FLY, SO DON'T BE SURPRISED THAT YOU SEE "NT" AND MAY NEED COACH APPROVAL THE FIRST TIME YOU SIGN UP FOR FREE, BACK, BREAST.

Don't forget to sign yourself up to volunteer if you will be at the meet! 

VOILA! You're all done!

This is the championship meet for the league.

• Kids must meet a qualifying standard to swim at this meet OR be a part of the relay.
• We ask that all those that qualify please make best efforts to attend for the team. 

Relays are made by the coach(es) with the team in mind. She will do their best to make sure every kid swims at least 1 relay each season. 

Being placed on a relay team is an honor.  Relays take a great deal of coordination and are usually constructed by using the fastest times from prior meets.  Please respect the coaches’ decision on the relay teams as they have put a lot of thought into this placement.  Your swimmer must be signed up to swim at the meet or they will not be assigned a spot on the relay.

Medley Relay:  If your child is placed on the relay they must arrive on time to the meet and immediately check in with the appropriate age group parent.  This relay was moved from last to after the 6 and under Freestyle Relay, by the AHSL in 2015.  Age group parents will be organizing the swimmers for this event before the meet starts; if your child is not checked in they will unfortunately be replaced for that relay.

Freestyle Relay: If your child is placed on this relay and is in the 6 and under group, this relay will be after the Individual Medley events at the beginning of the meet.  If in older age groups, this relay was moved to the end of the meet by the AHSL in 2015.  Be prepared to stay until the end.  It is critical that he/she stays to swim – the whole relay team is affected if one swimmer is not present to swim.

Relays are fun and are intended to be that way!  They build team spirit and help kids really feel a partnership with their fellow Splashers.

Please bring the following to the meets (and label everything!):

• Wear team suit, t-shirt and cap
• Goggles
• Towel
• Visor or hat
• Sunscreen
• Activities for in between races (books, games, etc.)
• Cooler with healthy snacks
• Money for concessions
• Blanket or chair, if desired
• Please do not bring glass containers

Plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to warm up time (earlier if your volunteer position requires). Your first stop upon arrival will be the Volunteer Check-In table. After confirming your volunteer position, and getting your nametag, you will then proceed to the Swimmer Check-In table. Next please take your children to their appropriate age group. There is a sign for each age group with a parent Age Group Coordinator located at/near each sign. If, for some reason, there is no coordinator, please stay with your child until they arrive.

Please instruct your child to remain at their age group location at all times. There are 3 places your child can be at a meet: 1) bathroom 2) swimming 3) at their designated age group location. Age Group Parents cannot leave their assigned groups to look for missing children. If the Age Group Parent volunteer cannot find your child, he/she might miss their event. 

Warm up periods vary for each meet with the home team warming up the first half and the visiting team warming up the second half. Check the website and read your emails to know exactly when our warm up period begins for each meet. It is important for each swimmer to loosen up before racing.

Each event begins with the youngest age group and progresses to the oldest age group. Grouping is determined by the swimmer’s age as of May 1, 2014. Age groups are 6 & under, 7 & 8, 9 & 10, 11 & 12, 13 & 14, 15 through 17.

The order of events is as follows:

• Individual Medley (IM) for 7 & 8’s and older
• Freestyle Relays (6&Under Only)
• Medley Relays (for 7 & 8’s and older)
• Freestyle
• Backstroke
• Breaststroke
• Butterfly
• Freestyle Relays (for 7 & 8’s and older)

Swimmers under the age of 11 may be entered in only 3 individual events, plus relays per meet. Swimmers age 11 and up may swim in all individual events, plus relays. Swimmers must swim in a designated age group. Swimmers may swim up in age group in relays. Swimmers may not swim down. 

Disqualifications (DQ’s) are part of the learning experience in age group swimming. There is a “legal” way to swim each of the four strokes and when “infractions” occur, a swimmer is DQ’d. The swimmer receives no ribbon for that event, and if a swimmer is DQ’d during a relay, the entire team is disqualified. The reason for this process is that no swimmer is to have an unfair competitive advantage and improper techniques may sometimes provide just that. The upside is that DQ’s help the swimmer to recognize when they are doing something wrong and the coaches can help them make corrections in their stroke. DQ reports will be given to the coaches after every meet in order to help correct the problem areas.

Please be aware that if your swimmer, especially in the younger age groups, frequently DQ’s, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t trying or that the coaches are not working with them. Development of motor skills varies dramatically, and some children may not be physically be able to perfect their stroke at their current age. Encourage your child to keep trying! It takes perseverance and development.

Also keep in mind, Stroke Judges are “referees” who are volunteers trained in the proper rules and techniques for executing strokes, turns and touches. All stroke judges, starters, and coaches must attend a stroke clinic for certification. There is a strong effort to provide consistency throughout the league and throughout the season. The decision of the stroke judge is final. Most importantly, please understand that their objective is to help our swimmers learn to swim the strokes legally and properly and to make sure that no swimmer has an unfair competitive advantage over another by swimming the stroke improperly.

Common DQ’s:

• Standing on the pool bottom before the final touch
• Not using the proper kick
• Not touching with both hands simultaneously in Breaststroke and Butterfly
• Not remaining on their back until the final touch in Backstroke
• Not transitioning from the dive to the stroke properly
• Pulling on the lane line to propel swimmer in the water

The results of each event will be posted shortly after the completion of each event. The results will show place rankings and individual times. Ribbons will be available the Tuesday following each meet and will be in a file box made available at swim team practice. Each family will have a file with their name on it where their children’s ribbons will be located. The top 6 finishers in every event will receive a place ribbon. The winner of each heat will receive a heat ribbon – heat ribbons are handed out during the meets. When a swimmer lowers his/her best time in any event, they will receive a Best Personal Time ribbon.

Age Group Parents are very important to your swimmer and are critical to ensure a smooth flowing meet. They maintain their groups in a designated area and are generally responsible for seeing that your children are where they are supposed to be and get to the Ready Bench on time for their events. Age Group Parents cannot leave their assigned groups to look for missing children. Therefore, all swimmers are expected to stay with their age group for the entire meet.

The Ready Bench is the staging area where swimmers are lined up in their lanes before they swim their events. A smooth Ready Bench is key to a well run meet. These volunteers help ensure that everyone is in the proper lane, heat and event.

Timers are a crucial element of the meet, and they get a great seat! Each lane has three timers. The swimmer’s official time is the middle of the three times. If only two times are recorded, an average is taken.