Question 1

How do I know if my child is ready for Tridents?

Accepted Answer

If your child is already in our program, they should be swimming at the Anchor 2 or 3 level to be eligible for Tridents. Sometimes Anchor 1 swimmers also qualify, please speak with the Deck Coordinator and they can help determine if your swimmer is ready. If your child is not in our program, please call 252-931-8081 to set up a swim evaluation.

Question 2

How often does summer swim team meet?

Accepted Answer

Once the season begins, swim team will practice 3 times per week. Practices take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Once swim meets begin in June, we will have a meet each Tuesday and practice on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. The swim league championship is held the last weekend in July.

Question 3

Do participants need any special equipment?

Accepted Answer

We highly recommend each swimmer have their own pair of quality swim goggles. Please speak with our coaches if you're unsure what goggles would be appropriate for your swimmer. They'll also need a competition swimsuit, we will provide information on where to purchase those. Lastly, they should always have 1-2 towels and a bag to carry everything in.

Question 4

What is GASSL?

Accepted Answer

GASSL stands for the Greenville Area Summer Swim League. This league is made up of 11 teams from Greenville and the surrounding area and is run completely by volunteers. The league has its own executive board made up of representatives from each team. The positions on the board automatically rotate each year.

Question 5

Who supervises/coaches Swim Team?

Accepted Answer

The Tridents team has 1-2 representatives that serve on the GASSL board of directors. These representatives help plan each season's schedule and communicate with parents. The team also has a head coach and assistant coaches, all of which have been trained and vetted by Aquaventure. In addition, supplemental instructors will be scheduled as needed and Future Staff (older swimmers) will act as team mentors.

Question 6

Do participants have to attend every swim meet or practice?

Accepted Answer

We know sometimes things come up, so we make swim team as flexible as you need it to be. Attending all meets and practices is beneficial, but please do not rearrange schedules or move vacation plans. Swim team should be a fun supplemental summer activity, not a burden for each family.

Question 7

What time do swim meets begin?

Accepted Answer

Every Tuesday there are 5 swim meets running simultaneously in Greenville and the surrounding area. The structure for all meets are identical with warm-ups beginning at 5pm and meet start at 5:45pm. Each team gets a 20 minute warm-up with the home team usually going first.

Question 8

If we have the 2nd warm-up slot can we arrive at 5:30pm?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately no. There is an array of duties that must be accomplished between 5-5:45pm. Warm-ups, swim assignments, equipment adjustments, changes to the line-up, parent assignments, calls for timers, team pep talks, etc. We barely cram it all in so having everyone there early certainly helps things run more smoothly.

Question 9

Can swimmers bring snacks?

Accepted Answer

Yes, although most pools do have concessions available. If you’re bringing snacks please keep it to competition friendly choices. Gatorade, water, fruit, snack bars, etc., are much better swim fuels than junk food. After the swimmers have completed their races, please feed them whatever they like, they have earned it!

Question 10

How many volunteers should our team provide?

Accepted Answer

Each team is expected to provide half the volunteers needed for meet positions. Many times the volunteers will switch out halfway through the meet so you may want to volunteer for the first shift if your child is swimming more in the second half and vice versa. The volunteers run the meets so they are very important. No experience is necessary and it’s a great way to learn more about how the meets work. Plus it’s OK to cheer your child while volunteering. We will put together volunteer lists before each meet so that there is no confusion of volunteer duties.

Question 11

What will my child swim? How many events can they be entered into?

Accepted Answer

The events each swimmer is entered into depends on what strokes they are proficient at. We never put swimmers in events for strokes they are not confident in, but we will work through the season to help them with new strokes. So while your swimmer may only be entered for Freestyle and Backstroke the first few meets, they may be working on their Breaststroke or Butterfly and be swimming that stroke later. Each swimmer can be entered into three individual events and one team relay.

Question 12

Should swimmers stay in the water until everyone in their race has finished?

Accepted Answer

YES! This is a great display of sportsmanship and we reinforce it regularly with our swimmers.

Question 13

What is a heat sheet and where do I get one?

Accepted Answer

A heat sheet is the list of all events for a swim meet. It lists the events in order that they will occur in the meet, and also lists the swimmers that will be in each event. The heat sheet is what you will use to figure out in what event, heat and lane your child will be swimming. There will be some heat sheets at the meet and we'll always try to send it out via email if possible.

Question 14

What is the order of events in a swim meet?

Accepted Answer

- Individual Medley
- Freestyle 
- Backstroke
- Freestyle relay
- Breaststroke
- Butterfly
- Medley relay

Question 15

Are all of the age group events together?

Accepted Answer

No. The order of events is listed above. Each event will start with the youngest swimmers and move through to the oldest swimmers. This gives swimmers time to rest and cheer on their teammates.

Question 16

What events are there for 6 & under swimmers?

Accepted Answer

Children in the 6 & under division will have three truly 6 & under events: freestyle relay, 25 yard freestyle and 25 yard backstroke. Children 6 & under can sometimes be entered into 8 & under events such as the 25 yard breaststroke, 25 yard butterfly, and the medley relay. This decision is at the coaches’ discretion.

Question 17

How far does my child have to swim?

Accepted Answer

If your child is 8 & under, they will be swimming 25 yards for most events.  The only exception is the 100 yard IM; it is rare for new swimmers and 6 & under swimmers to get placed in the IM early on. If your child is 9 or older, they will be swimming 50 yards for all of their events with the exception of the 100 IM.

Question 18

What is the Individual Medley (IM)?

Accepted Answer

Swimmers swim one length (25 yards) of each of the following strokes in this order: BUTTERFLY, BACKSTROKE, BREASTSTROKE, FREESTYLE.

Question 19

What is a freestyle relay?

Accepted Answer

A freestyle relay is a team race of four swimmers who are all swimming freestyle. For swimmers 8 years and younger, each swimmer will swim 25 yards (one length) of freestyle; for swimmers 9 years and older, each swimmer will swim 50 yards (one lap) of freestyle.

Question 20

What is a medley relay?

Accepted Answer

A medley relay is a team race of four swimmers who each swim a different stroke in the following order: BACKSTROKE, BREASTSTROKE, BUTTERFLY, FREESTYLE. For swimmers 8 years and younger, each swimmer will swim 25 yards (one length); for swimmers 9 years and older, each swimmer will swim 50 yards (one lap). NOTE THAT THE STROKE ORDER FOR THE MEDLEY RELAY IS DIFFERENT FROM THE ORDER OF THE INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY.

Question 21

Is it possible that my child will get to a swim a relay even if they were not originally listed to swim one on the heat sheet?

Accepted Answer

YES!! Please check with the coaches at the meet to see if your swimmer is needed for a relay before you leave. Coaches can add swimmers / relay teams at the meet, so your child may be added to a relay.

Question 22

Should individuals on relay teams stay with the team until the race is finished?

Accepted Answer

YES! Parents, please reinforce to your swimmers they should exit the pool after their part of the relay and then cheer their teammates until the race is finished.

Question 23

Is it possible my child will get disqualified?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Disqualifications do occur in swimming, especially in the breaststroke and butterfly events. It is also common for children to be disqualified if they are trying a stroke for the first time. If your child is disqualified, there will be a “DQ” on the result sheet. This is NOT the end of the world, and you and your swimmer should not be devastated if this happens. Talk to your coaches at the next practice about ways for your swimmers to improve their strokes. Remember summer swimming is about learning the strokes; being disqualified in an event is like striking out in baseball or softball. You can read more about disqualifications in the GASSL League Manual.

Question 24

What are reasons for DQ’s and who should tell the swimmer?

Accepted Answer

There are lots of reasons for DQ’s and we emphasize the most common mistakes just before the kids swim. Errors in stroke, turns, and putting feet on the pool bottom are just a few reasons for DQ. Most judges use a sliding scale of enforcement based on age group. The youngest get the least enforcement while older kids get the most. To my understanding, no official on deck (judge, timer, etc) should tell a child they were DQ’d. The DQ’s are logged into the computer and the results with the reason why are sent to coaches. Our coaches will do their best to explain DQ’s to the kids, although many times they see them on the results first. We read through the DQ’s and use them to help plan practices.

Question 25

Are there any age groups that are not DQ’d?

Accepted Answer

4-6 year olds are usually not DQ'd. However, if they engage in an act that gives them a competitive advantage (ex. pulling on the lane line) then they can be DQ'd. The DQ rule also effects 4-6 year olds swimming Breaststroke and Butterfly, as there are not individual events for their age group.

Question 26

What are heats and how are races formatted?

Accepted Answer

We use a computer program to generate the meet set-up. The program groups heats (races) based on a swimmer’s seed time (their fastest time swimming that event). This allows swimmers with similar seed times to race together for better competition. Depending on the number of lanes for a given pool, there may be several heats of one event.

Question 27

Does our team have a specific gathering area at meets?

Accepted Answer

Although there is not an “assigned” area at most pools, it is helpful to set up a central camp for our team. It allows us to quickly communicate between families and keeps the kids in a centralized location. We also advise bringing chairs and/or shade tents, as it can be very hot early in the meet. The more tents we gather together the more shaded area we make for our team.

Question 28

Are there any discounts on registration?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We offer discounts on multiple swimmers, but please remember they must be registered together in order for the system to recognize siblings and apply the discount. We also discount active Riptides swimmers since they are already paying practice fees.

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