Is swimming too competitive for my swimmer?
Is there any time off from practice in year-round swimming?
What is the difference between Long Course (LC) and Short Course (SC)?
How often should my swimmer practice?
What ability level is required for my swimmer to join the Tigers Aquatics team?
How does my swimmer move up in groups?
Why are parents not allowed on deck during practice or meets?
How often should my child compete?
What are the different types of meets?
How do I register my child for a swim meet?
Will my swimmer be competing against swimmers at his or her own level?
How does a New Jersey Swimming meet work?
What are the parents' responsibilities at the swim meets?
How does my swimmer check in at a meet?
How do the swimmers know their heat and lane assignments?
Where do we sit at swim meets?
Is there food available at the meet?
Tigers Aquatics, while intending to develop a strongly competitive team, also encourages the USA Swimming focus on making swimming a fun and inspiring sport. One advantage of competitive swimming over other sports is that swimmers compete not only within their age group, but also within their skill level, as races are seeded by best times through the A/B/C system.
The seasons generally run as follows:
Short Course - Second week of September through JOs in March, usually 26 weeks.
Long Course – First week of April through JOs in late July, usually 17 weeks.
There is a five to six week break through August and the first week of September, and usually a couple of weeks in late March.
The swim year is considered to begin in September with the short course season. The meets during the SC season are in 25 yard pools (the width of DeNunzio Pool). Some meets offer 25 yard events for the 8 and under group. The SC season culminates with Junior Olympics championships in March.
The long course season generally begins in late March or April. The meets during the LC season are usually in 50 meter (Olympic size) pools (the length of DeNunzio Pool). The shortest races in a LC meet are 50m, or one length. The LC season culminates with the Junior Olympics championships in late July.
Each Tigers Aquatics training level requires a specific level of commitment, which obviously increases commensurate with skill level. Each training level description (found on the Training page of the website) contains recommended attendance ranges. The good news is that there is little increased risk of injury with additional swimming as there is in other sports because of the lack of impact or contact in the sport of swimming.
Tigers Aquatics offers programs from Tiger Technique (has some swim lesson experience) through Olympic level swimmers. The ages generally range from 5 to 18, sometimes a year or two older if attempting Olympic qualification.
Each member of the Tigers Aquatics team must be registered with USA Swimming. Membership includes the mandatory insurance coverage for practices and meets. Each swimmer will receive a membership card from USA Swimming with a membership number. This number is a combination of the swimmers’ birthdate and name. Swimmers should carry the card in their swimmer’s notebook to each meet in case there is ever a question regarding membership.
The move-up criteria is provided on the Members Only section of the website. However, the final decision is at the coaches’ discretion and based on maturity and dedication in addition to physical skills.
The insurance provided through USA Swimming does NOT cover parents or siblings on the pool deck. In addition, extra people on deck can be a distraction to the swimmers, the coaches, and the meet officials. Parents are welcome to view practice from the stadium seating at DeNunzio Pool, and may speak with the coaches regarding any questions or concerns after practice.
Providing support for your swimmer is critical. Ensuring consistent attendance at practices and meets, assisting your swimmer with a proper diet and rest, and helping your swimmer understand that swimming, like most other things in life, is an ongoing learning experience, both physically and mentally. Leave the coaching to the coaches, and provide unconditional support to your swimmer.
In addition, active participation with Tigers Aquatics through volunteer and social activities will help us create a positive team environment, making the team an outstanding experience for all swimmers.
Tigers Aquatics is a member of New
Jersey Swimming (www.njswim.org). NJ Swimming is a regional governing body
and part of USA Swimming (www.usaswimming.org),
the governing body of all competitive swimming in the
Tigers Aquatics competes year-round and averages one to two meets per month. It is important that each swimmer attends the swim meets so that coaches can assess the swimmers’ progress.
The most common types of meets are:
ABC Meets: Swimmers of all levels are invited to participate in these meets.
AB Meets: Only swimmers with A or B times may compete in these meets. Swimmers with C times or who have not previously competed in an event (NT – no time) may not participate in these meets.
Championship Meets: Swimmers must meet time eligibility requirements for the end-of-season Championship meets.
Junior Olympics: The Junior Olympics, usually referred to as the JOs, is the end of season Championship meet. JOs are held twice per year, in March for the end of the Short Course season and in July for the end of the Long Course season.
All Tigers Aquatics swimmers will be assumed to be attending the meets posted on the team website. The schedule will be posted by the first week of each season. Any changes will be announced both on the website and via email.
If your swimmer has a conflict with a specific meet, you will need to email meets@TigersAQ.com to notify us. Often, registration for meets is required far in advance, as are the non-refundable meet entry fees, so late notice may result in charges to your Meet Entry Escrow even if your swimmer is unable to attend.
Yes!! When a swimmer enters an event for the first time, he or she will be entered with a C time. Each meet is seeded by best times. Usually, C swimmers (including those with no previous time) will swim first, followed by B times, then A. For most meets, awards will be given for each level of swimmers.
Most swim meets are extremely organized events and run very smoothly. Once each of you have participated in the Tigers’ team-hosted meet, you will have an excellent understanding of the effort that goes in to running a successful swim meet!
Upon arrival at a swim meet, the swimmers need to check in with their coach. It is generally required that swimmers check in 30 minutes prior to the start of the meet. Otherwise, they may be scratched from the meet altogether. The team will generally sit together in one area. After check-in, the team will warm-up and swimmers will be given their event and heat entries (usually written on their arm). Once the meet starts, the swimmers must pay attention to the event and heat announcements (or scoreboard) and be prepared to line up at least three heats before their own. Swimmers will check in with their coach both before and after the race.
Most of the Tigers Aquatics attended meets are within 90
minutes of
In addition to supporting your swimmer and the Tigers team, parents are needed to assist the hosting team with timing throughout the meet. The volunteer coordinator will organize sign-ups for each meet so that no one parent ends up timing for hours!
Tigers Aquatics requires that all meet participants wear the team suit and swim cap at meets. In addition, swimmers will be expected to wear Tigers Aquatics warm-ups and t-shirts to display team unity and spirit!
Swimmers must arrive and check in with the coach 30 minutes prior to the start of a meet! Coaches are required to check all participating swimmers in with the meet director usually 15 to 20 minutes prior to the meet start in order for the meet director to accurately seed the meet. Once a swimmer is checked in, he or she is expected to participate as it is possible for the team to be fined for no-show swimmers who have been checked in.
If your swimmer has a last-minute emergency and will be late or unable to attend, please call 609-902-3120.
Upon arrival and check-in, the meet director will produce heat sheets for each event and provide this information to the coaches. The coaches will assist the swimmers in writing the event, heat and lane assignment on their arm. About 3 to 5 heats prior to a swimmers’ race, the swimmer should check in with the coach and line up to race.
Immediately following your swimmer’s race, he or she should check in with the coach to receive feedback on the performance. Then, he or she will usually rejoin the team and cheer on their teammates! Of course, there is often sufficient time between scheduled events to have a quick snack or break. Once a swimmer has completed all events, they should warm-down in the assigned pool.
Swimmers’ seating is usually a roped off area near the pool. The remainder of the stadium seating is available for spectators. Many local meets do not allow spectators to bring chairs, blankets, etc. Specific rules for each meet will be outlined in the Meet Announcement for that meet, and will be available on the Meet area of the website.
Generally, the host team provides an extensive snack bar and sometimes breakfast and lunch meals.
Most meets have vendors onsite to provide at least meet t-shirts and swim gear such as goggles, practice suits, etc.
A DQ means the swimmer was disqualified from the race and will not receive an official time for the race. Each meet is staffed by well-trained officials who are responsible for paying careful attention to every detail of the swim, from start to finish. There are a number of infractions that can result in a DQ, including a false start, incorrect stroke or kick, or illegal finish. In the event of a DQ, the official will speak with the swimmer and/or the coach immediately after the race to explain the infraction. Though a DQ can be upsetting to the swimmer, most swimmers experience them and they should be considered as an educational experience.
Most swim meets are two-day events, with each day divided into two to three sessions by age group. Usually, if your swimmer is in the first session on Saturday, he or she will also be in the first session on Sunday. The exact scheduling of age groups is on the Meet Announcement, available on the website on the Meet Schedule.
Yes! Tigers Aquatics host at least two meets per year, one in May (LC) and one in early November (SC). All families are required to assist in the various responsibilities associated with hosting the swim meets.
If you have any further questions, please email info@TigersAQ.com.