ELITE NEWS BULLETIN               09-22-08

 

WE ARE BACK IN BUSINESS AT NEWARK ACADEMY;

PRACTICE TO RESUME TODAY AS NORMALLY SCHEDULED;

ADDITIONAL POOL TIME SECURED;

 

            The Newark Academy Pool is back in working order. Practices will resume there starting today as normally scheduled.

 

            In order to “get back” some pool time, Elite has acquired additional pool time in the near future for the Marlins (the two groups most affected by the pool shut down): 1) Saturday, Sept 27 at Morristown-Beard and 2) Saturday, Oct 7 at Newark Academy. Please see the 3 week schedule for details.

 

            Of course, both Newark Academy and Morristown-Beard have scheduled nights in October where we can’t use the pools (Parents Nights, Jewish Holidays). Please see the 3 week schedule for details.

 

            The coaches appreciate your patience and each swimmer’s flexibility during this trying time. Hopefully, our pool situation will return to normal!   

 

WAVEBUSTER TIME TRIALS MOVED TO TUESDAY, OCT 7:

 

            Due to the Newark Academy pool situation, Elite has moved the Wavebuster Time Trials to Tuesday, Oct 7 in order to give swimmers additional workouts prior to them competing. The trials will be from 5:00 pm to 8:15 pm.

 

            Timers and officials are needed and requested. Anyone who can volunteer should contact Carolyn Balbo at CBALBO@COMCAST.NET   

 

            Entries to Fall Festival and Halloween will be adjusted as a result of swimmers who qualify for Fall Festival as a result of these time trials.

 

PRACTICE SUIT, ACCESSORIES SALE THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH:

 

            Elite will hold a “Swimming Accessories Sale” Sunday, September 28th at Morristown-Beard from 1:00 am to 4:00 pm. The sale will have four components:

 

Component #1 will have Donna Kay of Swimming, Etc. selling all swimming related items from fins, goggles, practice suits, practice racing caps, pull buoys, flip-flops, and paddles. Credit cards can be used to purchase these items. All Elite swimmers need fins while all Wave Blacks, Wave Golds, Seniors Preps and Seniors need pull buoys. Payment will made directly to Swimming Etc.

 

Component # 2 will have Elite selling excess inventory of “Elite Apparel” such as Elite racing caps, last year’s t-shirts, last year’s towels, etc. tpants.  Checks or cash can be used to purchase the Elite Apparel. Checks should be made out to Elite Swim Club.

 

Component #3 will have the Parents Organization providing additional “Elite Wear” such as collared shirts, fleeces, etc.

 

          Component #4 will have the Parents Organization providing information regarding the structure and plans of the Elite Swim Club Parents Organization (ESCPO).

 

Please remember that all Elite members will receive a team suit, two team t-shirts and a team sweatshirt & team racing caps as part of their membership of Elite separate and distinct from this sale.

 

WITH MEETS FAST APPROACHING, SWIMMERS & PARENTS ARE REMINDED OF

TEAM SUIT, UNIFORM & RELAY POLICIES:

 

            With meets on the horizon, Elite will begin its competition season that will run thru the middle of March 2009. Elite teams act as a unit and follow procedures set forth by their coaches. Elite has several policies all swimmers and parents need to understand and follow regarding competitions. Elite Simmers are expected to know and follow these procedures:

 

1)      Elite has a team suit policy. Each swimmer is expected to wear their team suit at all non-end of the season championship meets

 

Elite swimmers perform in their team suit until championship season. Each swimmer is provided a team uniform (the entire uniforms are in and will be disturbed shortly). Elite swimmers do NOT wear technically advanced racing suits at any non-championship meet (with exceptions made for a swimmer trying for a state record or a sectional level or higher qualifying standard). Elite coaches believe that the swimmer makes the suit, rather than the suit making the swimmer. Thus, we hold back using these types of suits (LAZR, fastskins, FS-II, aquablades, etc) until our championship season, when we bring everything together (training, positive mental attitudes, stroke technique and fast suits). This guarantees that swimmers will be excited to perform their best when their best is required! Coaches can and will remove a swimmer from a meet if they are not in the proper team racing attire.

                 

2) At every meet, wear your correct t-shirt!!

 

Each swimmer is provided with a team uniform consisting of two Elite t-shirts, a sweatshirt and a racing cap. Swimmers are expected to wear the team uniform at the meets (it is the swimmer’s responsibility to know which t-shirt to wear on which day of the competition. This information is listed within the meet information of each meet on the team website. Smart swimmers pack both t-shirts so they can never be wrong!). Swimmers are expected to wear the t-shirts (to keep warm, and thus increase the possibility of performing well) at all times at meets when they are not performing. Thus, Elite swimmers look like a team (psychological advantage to Elite) and are the best prepared to perform well. Swimmers and training groups will be penalized if swimmers are not in the team uniform at the meet.

 

3)      Any pre-meet relay combination is subject to change at the meet!!!

 

             At several meets during the season, Elite will enter teams in relays (Fall Festival of X-Cellence Meet being the 1st meet). All swimmers entered in

             relays prior to the meet are done so tentatively. This means the coaches will be determining the fastest relays on the day of the meet. Thus, a swimmer

             who is tentatively scheduled to perform a relay could be removed and a swimmer who is not listed could be inserted. Changes will be made on the

            day of the meet based upon performances at the meet that dictate a change in the relay combination. We want our 4 fastest swimmers to represent

            Elite in the each relay (spectacular and mediocre performances will factor into the coaches decision making process!).

 

4)      We have new racing caps this year. Those are the caps to be worn.

 

Elite will be sporting new racing caps this year. No one is to wear an “old” Elite cap during an Elite competition. The uniform now calls for the new cap.

 

ELITE PARENTS SOCIAL TENATIVELY SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY, OCT 17:

 

            Note from ESCPO (Elite Swim Club Parents Organization):

           

Following last years very successful social, we are looking forward to another great evening.  This year the social will be on Friday, October 17 from 7:30 to 10:30 PM.  Same location as last year- Chatham Fish & Game. We are looking for a few people to help with organizing this great event. Please grab a friend-old or new-and let us know if you would like to help.   Please contact Sandi Niccolai at sandnic@aol.com

 

ELITE TO PARTY ON A SATURDAY; AWARDS DINNER TO BE HELD SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2009:

 

Plans are set for the annual Elite Awards Banquet for the Winter 2008-09 Season: Saturday, March 28 from 12:00 pm to 4 pm at the Hanover Marriott on Route 10 in Whippany. This is the sight of the last 4 award banquets.

 

MEET ENTRIES TO “MEET OF X-CELLENCE” (FORMERLY FALL FESTIVAL) & “HALL-O-WEEN” POSTED; EVENTS DOVE-TAILED, SOME ENTRIES WILL BE ALTERED BASED UPON TIME TRIAL RESULTS:

 

            Hard as it may be to believe, Elite will be sending in entries for two NJ Swimming Meets within the next few days. In order to insure Elite is accepted into these meets, these entries will be sent prior to team’s internal Time Trials scheduled for next Tuesday.  Please note that the original entries will be modified to reflect the time trial results (particularly if swimmers post new silver level times and can be entered into Meet of X-Cellence).

 

To insure we get as much data on our swimmers as possible, where possible the meet entries for both meets will be dovetailed (swimmers will swim the widest variety of strokes and distances as possible between the two meets. This is done early in the season to establish new yard times/baselines for each swimmer).

 

            Below is the strategy behind these meet entries:

 

1)      Meet of X-Cellence has qualifying times (which are Silver qualifying times). Any swimmer who qualifies for 1 event in a session can swim up to 3 events in that session. Where logical, Elite will enter a single event session qualifier into a second or third session event

2)      All Seniors, Senior Preps, Wave Golds, Wave Blacks and Wave Teals whom have qualifying times are entered into Meet of X-Cellence

3)      Hall-o-ween has no time standards

4)      All Wave Golds, Wave Blacks, Wave Teals & Marlin Blacks are entered into Hall-o-ween

5)      Where events are offered in one meet but not the other, the team’s individual entries will be slanted towards those events only offered at one meet.

6)      Entries will be amended if swimmers who previously did not qualify for Meet of X-Cellence post Silver qualifying times at Wavebuster Time

     Trials.

 

NEW JERSEY SWIMMING’S SCY TIME STANDARDS NOW POSTED:

 

            The time standards for Junior Olympics and Silver Championships are now posted on both Elite’s (under time standards) and will shortly be posted on New Jersey Swimming’s website (njswim.com). Compared to last year, there have been minor changes to the New Jersey time standards.

 

With regards to the JO qualifying times, approximately 1/3 of the times have been tightened-the rest of the times remain the same as last year’s.

 

With regards to the Silver qualifying times, all time standards have remained the same as last year’s. This is a result of the success that the “Silver/Bronze” championship meet formats have had and the splitting of the meets into two meets at the 12 & Under level. Be advised that there may be “bottom” cuts for the 13 & Older Bronze levels swimmers, as last year’s 13 & O Silver/Bronze Championship Meet (which was hosted by Elite!!) needs to be reduced in size. This bottom cuts are not expected to be drastic.

 

Swimmers: lets get prepared to CRUSH these times!!!

 

BILL TO REPRESENT NJ SWIMMING AT USA SWIM COACHES CONVENTION IN ATLANTA THIS WEEK:

 

            As Administrative Vice-Chairman of New Jersey Swimming, Elite Head Coach Bill Deatly will represent New Jersey Swimming at the annual USA Swim Coaches Convention to be held this week in Atlanta, Ga . This will be the 2nd convention Bill has attended (he also attended last year’s).

 

            The convention will run Wednesday thru Saturday. In addition to dozens of workshops ranging from stroke technique and biomechanical topics, there will be the general convention meeting and a NJ Board of Directors Meeting.

 

            Like last year, Bill expects to return with dozens of tips and ideas to improve the club at every level.

 

FULL SQUAD MEANS MAKE-UP PRACTICES ELIMINATED FOR NEXT YEAR;

 

            Based upon the large number of returning swimmers plus the impressive tryout numbers from July, it is a virtual guarantee that each training group within Elite will be fully subscribed next year (with 36 swimmers training in each training group). In anticipation that the previous practice of “make-ups” would thus cause overcrowding at workouts (which is what the team is attempting to prevent by limiting each training group to 36 swimmers), the previous Elite tradition of allowing “make-up” practices will NOT be offered next year.

 

Attendance levels will remain the same (with the one exception of Wave Golds attempting to become Senior Preps, that attendance minimum will drop to 80%).

 

In response to several parental questions regarding this change in policy, the Elite coaches are analyzing several scenarios to help swimmers with scheduling conflicts to have alternatives. More information on this will follow.

 

REGISTRATION FORMS IN WELCOME PACKETS NEEDED BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE:

 

                With the exception of new Elite swimmers (who filled their paperwork out during tryouts), all Elite swimmers will receive a “Welcome Folder” containing paperwork which we ask prompt attention be given to.

 

Within each swimmer’s folder are: 1) an Elite Membership form  2) an Emergency Contact Form and 3) an Elite Code of Conduct form. The Code of Conduct form will be reviewed and signed by each swimmer at their 1st practice. Parents will also need to sign the Code, which is the ticket into Elite.

 

It is critical that these forms be returned to Bill’s mailbox as soon as possible so that each Elite swimmer is registered (and thus insured). Swimmers should hand their paperwork to their Head Training Group Coach.

 

TENTATIVE MEET SCHEDULE NOW POSTED:

 

      The tentative Winter 2008-09 Meet Schedule is now posted under Meet Schedule. 

 

       Please be advised that meet dates change during the season due to pool availability. Thus, Elite's meet schedule will be updated from time to time thru out the season. Please have your swimmer constantly review the meet schedule for meet entries, dates and session times!!!              

 

OFFICIALS & COMPUTER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO RUN MEETS:

ELITE TO HOST OFFICIALS CERTIFICATION CLASS AT NA ON OCT 2ND:

 

          To effectively run meets, Elite needs a variety of parents to volunteer their time and efforts during these meets. This season, Elite will be strongly encouraging those parents who have an interest to become New Jersey certified officials. To help in that effort, NJ Swimming will be hosting a series of certification classes thru the early part of the season. Elite will be hosting one of these classes at Newark Academy on Thursday, Oct 2nd from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

 

            To run New Jersey sanctioned meets, certified officials are a necessity. Currently within New Jersey Swimming, there is a shortage of officials certified. Elite, while having 6 certified is understaffed and thus, under represented officiating meets. In addition, Elite likes to have officials present even when we run our dual meets/intraclub meets, as the officials provide significant feed back as to areas the coaches need to focus upon.

 

            To become an official, one needs to attend one of these certification classes. The official-to-be then needs to take an open book on-line officials test. Upon passing that test, the official-to-be apprentices for 4 sessions at NJ Swim Meets before earning the stroke & turn official rank.

 

            In addition, this year Elite will be building up its volunteers with regards to the electronic running of the meets (touch pads, timing console & processing the data coming thru both into Elite’s computer).

 

Anyone with interest in either volunteer positions should contact Bill as soon as possible.

 

 PARKING AN ISSUE AT NEWARK ACADEMY (& MORRISTOWN-BEARD):

 

            There is a distinct shortage of parking spaces at Newark Academy, especially on weekdays between 5:15 pm and 6:30 pm. Parents are welcome to “drop off” or “pick-up” their swimmers by the field house entrance during this time period if the driver remains in the car. If a parent is coming into the building, they are requested to park in the “upper” lot and walk thru the school to reach the pool.

 

            Please remember to drive slowly thru the parking lots and do not park in the fire lanes, as the Livingston Police will ticket improperly parked cars.

 

            Morristown-Beard School parking should ease this fall. Construction of the new Middle School Building is finishing up, and paving of the parking lots should be completed by Sept 10. Parents are reminded not to park anywhere designated as fire-lanes!

 

WHEN IN DOUBT, CHECK THE WEBSITE:

 

            If you have questions about Elite, your first source of information is Elite’s website located at eliteswimclub.org.  When in doubt, first check the website!!!