Mount Vernon Park Swim Team

General Information

The swim team’s objective is for each child to have fun while learning to improve his or her overall physical fitness and swimming skills. We emphasize development of swimming skills and team sportsmanship. Each swimmer should work equally hard for him or herself and for the team. 

The Mount Vernon Park Gators swim team is one of over 100 teams participating in the NVSL. The NVSL sanctions Saturday morning “A-meets” as well as a championship series in which these teams compete against each other both in individual events and relay events. In addition, the Gators hold regular practices to work on their swimming skills, compete with other teams in the neighborhood in Monday-night “B-meets” and hold social events aimed at team building and simply having fun. The B-meets are developmental meets which are unscored and open to all Gator swimmers who are ready, willing and able to compete. 

Among NVSL teams, MVP has one of the lowest participation fees for membership on the team. Volunteers are a crucial part of our swim team and your assistance is imperative to ensure that the team is well-organized and operates efficiently for the benefit of our kids. Well-run meets benefit the swimmers by providing a safe and fair environment in which to compete. Your active participation will also provide you with a better understanding of the sport and enable you to help your child get the most out of the swim team experience. Unlike some other teams, volunteering is not required, but it is encouraged.

Standards of Conduct 

The Mount Vernon Park Gators community adheres to the NVSL Standards of Conduct. The NVSL Standards of Conduct promote respect, fairness, civility, honesty, responsibility, and appropriate behavior; foster a positive environment at all swim and dive meets; establish an atmosphere of respect for all participants, officials, and spectators; produce positive learning outcomes for all; build participant and team spirit; and enhance the sports of swimming and diving. 

All Athletes, Coaches, Team Representatives, Officials, Parents/ Spectators, and NVSL Leadership shall: 

• Abide by the established rules of the NVSL. Respect all officials at all times, and address them in a courteous manner. 
• Avoid using inappropriate language, profanity, humiliating or intimidating remarks or behavior (including through social media), verbal or physical assault toward any athlete, coach, team representative, official, NVSL leadership representative, or spectator. 
• Follow applicable management, pool, and facility rules, respecting others’ property at all times. 
• Display respect, courtesy, and good manners toward athletes, coaches, Team Representatives, and spectators. Team Representatives shall assist officials in maintaining control of spectators during meets. 
• Demonstrate humility in victory and courtesy in defeat. 

Additional information on expectations for coaches and spectators are presented in the NVSL Standards of Conduct.

Eligibility 

The swim team is open to Mount Vernon Park members 5-18 years of age (on June 1) who can swim across the 25-meter pool unassisted. Swimmers are encouraged to join the team anytime during the season once they meet eligibility requirements. 

Practices 

Practices are a means of preparing individuals for team competition. While some individual attention and stroke work is offered, swimmers may benefit from private or group lessons offered through MVPA. Swimmers are strongly encouraged take part in the regularly scheduled practices and are expected to attend at least one practice per week to qualify for seeding in an upcoming “A” meet. 

Practice schedules are posted to the Gators website ahead of each season. In general, morning practices are held five days a week during summer vacation through the end of the NVSL season (except for 6 and unders, who do not practice on Friday). Make-up practices for those unable to attend morning practices are held in the afternoon on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Make-up practices are not for swimmers who do not want to get up in the morning. 

Only coaches are permitted on deck during practices. While parents play an essential role in swimmer development, it is a distraction to the coaches and swimmers if parents are on the deck during practice. For your child’s safety and instructional benefit, please do not enter the deck area or talk to the coaches/swimmers until practice is over. 

The Park itself and all pools are closed during morning team practice. Parents and siblings of swimmers cannot utilize the pool or park areas (including the playground and baby pool) while the Park is closed. 

Team Suits and Caps

Team suits and caps are available for purchase at at the beginning of the season's "Gator Gear-up" and generally offered for sale from Sport Fair or directly from the vendor (e.g., Speedo, Arena, Nike). Swimmers are encouraged to purchase a team suit, but it is not a requirement for participation in a meet. New designs for team suits are selected every 2 to 3 years and previous years' suits can be worn in meets.

The head coach will determine the policy regarding requirement of swim caps. NVSL rules state “swimmers are not permitted to compete in swim caps which include the name or insignia of any team other than their NVSL team.” 

Swim Meets

In general, meets are differentiated as official NVSL Dual ("A") meets on Saturdays and Developmental ("B") meets on Mondays. (There are also once per year NVSL meets, including Relay Carnival, All-Star Relays, Divisionals, and Individual All-Stars.) 

NVSL A Meets

Beginning with the third or fourth Saturday in June and continuing through July, “A” meets are held each Saturday morning. The six teams in each division compete in these "dual meets," with the division champion determined by the team with the best dual meet record for the season. The meets are scored on a 5-3-1 point basis for first through third place in individual events and 5-0 for relays. Each team may enter three swimmers in each individual event. Teams generally enter the three fastest swimmers in each age group in each event. The “time trials” held on the Saturday before the first dual meet represents the first opportunity of the year to determine the fastest swimmers for that year’s team. If the swimmer does not have a swim in an event for the current year, the prior year’s time may be used, subject to approval by the coach. Once the swimmer has a swim in the current year, prior year’s times will no longer be used. 

Boys and girls compete in separate events and are grouped according to age: 8 and under; 9-10; 11-12; 13-14; and 15-18. A swimmer’s age is determined as of June 1. In some meets, a swimmer may be asked to compete in a higher age group to gain a competitive edge over the opposing team or to fill in a gap in the age group. Swimmers may “swim up” but never down in age group. No one may swim up in the Relay Carnival, mixed age relay or Divisionals. 

Meets offer competition in four strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Each swimmer may swim in only two individual events and up to two relays (i.e., age group relay and mixed-age relay). 

The Team Reps and coaches rely on a positive check-in system to ensure availability for A meets. If you do not respond to the request for availability within the time specified, a substitute swimmer may be inserted in place of the non-responder. 

MVP Gators Seeding Policy

Based on swimmer availability for each week, the coaches, with concurrence from the Team Reps, determine the three MVP Gators swimmers for each event according to the following "Seeding Policy," which is a team-based (not individual-based) approach. 

• Official NVSL A meets are seeded according to the head coach's judgment of the entries that will yield the highest team score. 
• In general, entries are determined on the basis of best times earned in time trials, A meets, or B meets. (Note that B meet times can be used for seeding A meets but, in accordance with NVSL rules, cannot be used for seeding Divisionals if a swimmer has an A meet time.) 
• Entries may not directly benefit individual swimmers. For example, a swimmer may be asked to swim an event they do not like, that is not their best stroke, or that may result in a lower number of points than they might earn by swimming in a different event. 
• Entries may include selection of a slower swimmer over a faster swimmer if, for example, the faster swimmer has a history of repeated disqualifications in that stroke, is experiencing impacts from an illness/injury, missed numerous practice sessions, or exhibited inappropriate conduct.
• On the rare occasion that a swimmer sets his fastest time during time trials but never equals it and other swimmers repeatedly best them, the coaches may, at their discretion, hold a "swim-off." A swimmer who has no recorded times for the current year for an event may use a prior year’s time to determine their position on the swim ladder, or may request the coaches and team rep establish times during or after practice. Such requests will be considered on an individual basis and be at the discretion of the coach. 
• In general, seeding for relays will be based on the swimmers’ positions on the swim ladder. Whenever one swimmer is the top swimmer in two or more strokes, the head coach shall determine which leg of the relay that swimmer will swim, and the remaining legs will be filled by the top swimmers in the remaining strokes. The head coach may, with the approval of the Team Rep, request a 25m swim off to determine the swimmers for a relay.
• Seeding for Division Individual Championships, IM invitational, etc. will be based solely on the fastest times achieved during the current season.
• Swimmers (and parents) are expected to respect and support the head coach's decisions, including those that may not be advantageous to individual swimmers. Remember: MVP Gators swimming is a team sport. 

Developmental ("B") Meets

These are (mostly) just for fun! “B” meets are informal individual competitions and do not count in the NVSL standings. Times may be used by the team to determine the A-meet swimmers but are not official NVSL times and are not used for lane seeding in meets. There are no team scores for these meets. Rather, this is a chance for young swimmers to experience a swim meet without the pressure of a sanctioned A-meet. The goal is to have a good time. 

Each member of the team is generally limited to swimming two strokes in these meets. MVP’s policy is to restrict any swimmer who has placed first or second in a stroke in the preceding week’s “A” meet from swimming those strokes in that week’s “B” meet. They may swim a different stroke to improve their time. This continues as a rolling week restriction throughout the season, but may be waived in the coach's discretion. “B” meets operate under the same general rules as “A” meets. To allow all interested swimmers to compete, events may have more than one heat. Age and gender groups may be combined for expediency. 

Ribbons are awarded for all swimmers in all events. 

Divisional Meets 

• Divisional Relay Carnival: On a Wednesday evening in the middle of the season, all teams in the division compete in a relay-only meet. Each team enters freestyle and medley relay team in each age group (boys and girls), as well as a mixed age freestyle relay team. The meet is age specific and no swimmer may “swim up” for this competition. The coaches and team rep seed this event using the time ladder. Generally only the 4 or 5 fastest swimmers in each age group participate. While technically not considered an "A meet," the meet is scored and the winning team receives a trophy as Division Relay Champion. The times of each winning relay are forwarded to the NVSL and the 18 fastest relay teams in each event are invited to the All Star Relay Carnival. If you are selected to swim at the Divisional Relay Carnival, but will not be able to swim at the All Star Relay Carnival, you must inform the head coach of your planned absence immediately because only one substitution is allowed.
• All Star Relay Carnival: On the following Wednesday evening, the 18 fastest relay teams from throughout the NVSL compete in an All Star Relay Carnival. Each member of a top finishing relay team receives an award. All participants and alternates have the opportunity to purchase a prized “All Star” T-shirt and swim cap.  
• Divisional Individual Championships: This meet determines champions in each age group, sex, and stroke. The event is held on the Saturday after the last dual meet. Each team may enter two swimmers in each event. There are two heats for each event. The top six finishers receive plaques, and places seven through twelve receive ribbons. Times from the Division Individual Championships are submitted to the NVSL for seeding in the Individual All Star meet. MVP policy is for swimmers to choose strokes by order of fastest on the time ladder until all events are filled. Generally only the fastest swimmers in each age group swim at this event. Any unoccupied lanes resulting from scratches or lack of entries will be open to swimmers (bid-ins) as stated in the NVSL rules. Swimmers are NOT be eligible to swim in Divisional Individual Championships unless they were available to swim in three A meets on Saturday mornings, OR if there is no one else in that age group eligible to swim. This policy does not apply to Divisional Relays, which generally occurs prior to holding three Saturday A meets. Divisional Relays and other non-Saturday morning meets are not considered an "A meet" when determining Divisionals eligibility.
• Individual All Star Meet: This meet is held on the Saturday following Divisionals and is the grand finale to the NVSL season. The fastest 18 swimmers for each event and age group from all NVSL teams qualify for the All Stars. Swimmers, however, may only compete in the two individual events they chose to swim at the Divisional meet. This allows more swimmers to participate in this meet which culminates the NVSL season. The top six finishers in each event generally receive a medal and swimmers in places seven trough twelve receive ribbons. All-Star group photographs (including all 18 swimmers in each event) are for sale as well. 
• Invitational Meets: There are a few invitational meets during the season, namely the Fort Hunt Sportsman Relay and Individual Medley Invitational. Swimmers are invited to invitational meets according to their times and the specific rules and requirements of the meet. Eligible swimmers will be specifically invited and asked if they are available to swim these meets. Please be prompt in verifying availability so that substitutes can be made if needed. 

"DQs" or Disqualifications 

DQ’s should be considered part of the learning process for our swimmers, not as a penalty. DQ’s are awarded swimmers for a number of reasons including false (early) starts, illegal strokes, turns and/or finishes. They are part of the learning process. All DQ’s will be discussed with the individual swimmer and instruction given at a following practice to correct his or her stroke. 

Team Records

MVP Gators team records are posted on our records Board near the 25M pool. To qualify as a team record, the time must be achieved in an “A” meet, Division Championship, All-Star competition, or any meet sanctioned by the NVSL, conducted under NVSL rules and is approved by the Team Rep. A team record may also be set at Time Trials or the IM Invitational Meet. Times achieved in “B” meets or other informal competition are not considered official, and thus can not break a team record. If an existing pool record is beaten or tied by an individual swimmer or relay team, that record will be posted on the Records Board.  

Swim Meet Absences 

A Meets

Official NVSL "A meets" on Saturday mornings are subject to league rules, including hard deadlines for meet entries and strict limitations on swimmer substitutions. Unexpected absences may result in empty lanes, which may be the difference between the team winning or losing a meet. It is essential that Team Reps and coaches know which simmers will be available, and parents are relied upon to notify the Team Reps (mvpgators at gmail.com) as soon as possible if there is an issue that might prevent participation in an “A” meet.  

B Meets

Developmental "B meets" on Monday evenings are much more flexible and can often accommodate substitutions or other changes. Please help your Team Reps and MVP Gators community by observing deadlines and processes for meet registration. 

Weather 

MVP Gators practices and meets are held rain or shine. If the pool is closed due to thunder, swimmers and spectators will be directed to take shelter either outside the pool area or in vehicles until the storm passes. If this occurs during a meet, it is essential that swimmers do not leave the meet, as this may result in empty lanes once the meet continues. 

Swim Lessons 

Even experienced swimmers can benefit from private lessons, which are offered through the Park. Many swim team coaches offer private lessons and can be approached outside of practices to arrange for a suitable time. Payment is handled in advance through the Park website, and instructors cannot accept direct payment. 

Stroke and Turn Clinics 

"Stroke and Turn Clinics" are 1-hour sessions offered to Gators swimmers several times per summer to provide additional instruction on specific aspects of swimming, such as a breastroke pullout or flipturns. These clinics may be scheduled intermittently throughout the season and, unless otherwise specified, are available to everyone on the team. 

Team Pictures 

A professional photographer will photograph a team and individual pictures once per season, often after Time Trials or the first A meet. All swimmers are requested to participate in the team picture with no obligation to purchase prints.

Ribbons and Awards

Swimmers receive a ribbon for each "splash" or event. Ribbons are distributed through the plastic boxes near the bulletin board (on the left shortly after you pass the Gatehouse). Ribbons are filed by last name and available for pickup at your convenience. 

There is also an end-of-season Awards Banquet, traditionally the weekend of Divisional Championships (a.k.a. Divisionals) held in late July. Team Reps and coaches lead a ~1-hour ceremony to celebrate the season and recognize many individual swimmers with specific awards. Although the number, nature and criteria for awards may vary from year to year, the team generally provides a trophy for each individual who registers for the team, as well as a boys and a girls trophy for Most Valuable Team Members; Sportsmanship; Leadership; Age Group Awards; and Coaches Awards