Mountville Black Marlins

There will be a meeting to cover these points with the swimmers

- All swimmers must wear a swim cap for competition! Caps must be Mountville team caps. It unites us as a team, helps the coaches quickly spot check that all our swimmers are behind the correct block before their races, helps our photographer know who to shoot, and most importantly prevents hair from becoming “drag”. If your swimmer has a “lucky cap”, it can be worn underneath the team cap.

- Swimmers should rest and eat healthy on meet days. They should avoid spending all day in the sun.

- Check the lineup papers immediately and notify a coach of any mistakes as soon as possible

- After warm-up, swimmers should meet at the team tent for a team meeting/cheer.

- After the meeting, they should use the bathroom, go to concession, see their parents, etc.

- All swimmers should be at the tent at 6:00 for the singing of the national anthem and staging for the first few events.

- Swimmers should remain at the tent for the entire meet unless they tell a coach they are leaving the area. The coaches will get them up for events, but they need to be easy to find. It’s OK if they must leave the area briefly but they must ask a coach first so we know where they are.

- Swimmers must see a coach after their swim, then they may see their “fans” before returning to the tent

- Conserve energy during the meet! NO swimmers should be running around during the meet, even if they are finished with their events.

- If siblings are finished with their events before other siblings, they may sit with their parents after telling a coach.

- The coaches encourage all swimmers to stay until the end of the meet. If this is impossible, please check with a coach before you leave to be sure swimmers are done with their events. Please check your swimmers’ area in the tent for trash and belongings before leaving.

- NO ONE MAY APPROACH THE SCORING TABLE AT ANY TIME!!!! Kids may not come see parents at the scoring table. The only person allowed to approach the scoring area is a coach and they must speak to the opposing team.

- During relays, any swimmers not swimming should be cheering! At the conclusion of the last relay, all swimmers should report to the team tent to clean up, listen for score and do a cheer.

- When the official blows the whistle, please wait to cheer until the beep goes off.

- No one should touch the water, dip their foot, etc. during a race

- No winter team caps may be worn for a summer meet

- Be respectful of facilities, whether it be our own or another pool

Common causes of disqualifications: 

Swimmers can get disqualified (or DQ'd) in a race if they perform a movement that is not allowed for that stroke. It is very common to get disqualified (no matter the age or ability level). If a swimmer is disqualified, it means their race score cannot score points. Usually the official will tell the swimmer what they did wrong. 

The following are some common ways swimmers can get disqualified in each stroke:

Freestyle: Swimmers can get disqualified in freestyle by pulling on the lane line (just holding on to is is ok) or pushing off the bottom of the pool. 

Backstroke: During backstroke, swimmers must remain on their back for the entire race. Often, younger swimmers will roll onto their stomach to see the wall at the finish of their race, but this will cause them to be disqualified. For older swimmers, backstroke flip turns are a common error. When a swimmer nears the wall to make their flip turn, they count their strokes from the flags and flip over onto their stomach to do a flip turn. This is the only time a swimmer may be on their stomach during backstroke. At this time, they may not kick and they may only do one freestyle arm movement before their flip. 

Breaststroke: In breaststroke, both arms must move at the same time and both legs must move at the same time. One simple "scissor kick" or freestyle kick" will disqualify a swimmer. Also, breaststroke and butterfly are two strokes that require both hands to touch the wall at the same time when doing a turn or finish. 

Butterfly: With the butterfly "dolphin kick", the legs must stay together the entire time. Again, a simple "scissor kick" or "freestyle kick" will disqualify the swimmer. The legs must never separate unless a swimmer is performing a turn at the wall. Also, arms must break the surface of the water, simultaneously with every stroke. 

Relay False Starts: During a relay, a false start can occur when a swimmer jumps off the block before their teammate touches the the wall. A swimmer may start the movement early, but must at least have one toe on the block when his teammate finishes before him. Some pools have the 10 and under swimmers start in the water and they must have one foot and one hand on the wall until their teammate touches the wall.