Overview
The season begins after Memorial Day with daily after-school practices. The meets and summer practice schedule kick off at the end of the MCPS school year, and the season wraps up at the end of July. The meet schedule includes Time Trials, four or five Wednesday night dual meets, five Saturday morning dual meets, a Relay Carnival, and the Division Championship, or “Divisionals.”
The Serpents celebrate the end of the season with a team banquet on the evening of Divisionals. The team banquet is an entire-family event with an awards ceremony (all swimmers are recognized), catered dinner, viewing of the team video, and much, much more.
Throughout the season, the team organizes many social events, including Friday night pep rallies and potlucks, Team Tuesdays, and Thursday donut breakfasts; being a Serpent is a fun experience from beginning to end!
Tell Me About The Meets
Time Trials
Time Trials are held at Stonegate on the Saturday one week before the first A meet of the season. This is a Serpents-only event where all swimmers will be timed in as many events as they desire. Time Trials provides the coaches and swimmers with a baseline or “seed” time in each event and helps the coaches determine which meets and events to put which swimmers in for the next week.
The rest of the season primarily consists of Wednesday night B meets and Saturday morning A meets, some taking place at Stonegate and some at the opponent’s home pool. The coaches determine which swimmers compete in which meets and events.
Wednesday 'B' Meets
At Wednesday night B meets, Stonegate swimmers get to compete against swimmers from other, typically nearby pools. And although these meets are not officially scored, the swimmers who participate are recognized for best times and earn ribbons for their swims. Wednesday night meets also provide swimmers with the opportunity to work their way into the more competitive A meets on Saturday mornings.
The lineups for Wednesday night meets are posted on the team bulletin board on Mondays. Each meet has a theme, and swimmers are encouraged to dress accordingly. The meets start at 6pm, and swimmers are typically expected to be there by 4:45pm/5pm for warm-ups (but always double check the report time once the lineup is posted).
Saturday 'A' Meets
A meets are official MCSL competitions between teams within each division. The meets are scored, and the result of each dual meet helps determine the team’s ultimate standing within the division at the end of the season. Scores from boys’ and girls’ events are combined to add up to the team’s overall score, and each place in each event counts the same (i.e., 1st place in 8 & under boys freestyle equals the same amount of points as 1st place in 15-18 girls breaststroke). Swimmers are recognized for best times and earn ribbons for their swims.
The coaches determine who swims in which events at A meets, and typically the swimmers with the fastest times swim on Saturday mornings. According to MCSL eligibility rules, in any given A meet, swimmers may only enter three of the four individual stroke events, and no more than five events in total, including individual medley events and relays.
Many factors go into the coaches' decision-making process, but generally the swimmers with the top six times in freestyle and those with the top three times in the other strokes in each age group will be selected to represent the team in A meets. However, because swimmers are permitted to swim only three individual events, sometimes swimmers with the fourth- or fifth-fastest times will be chosen to swim.
The lineup for Saturday morning meets is posted on the team bulletin board by Thursday morning before the meet. Each meet has a theme, and swimmers are encouraged to dress accordingly. Saturday meets (except Divisionals) normally start at 9am, and swimmers are typically expected to be there by 7:45/8am for warm-ups. If the meet is away, the team usually meets at Stonegate so families can caravan.
We NEVER want to swim empty lanes at an A meet since that means an opportunity lost to another swimmer and zero points for the team. It is critical that the coaches know by the Wednesday before (at the latest) if a swimmer will not be available for the Saturday meet.
What do I need to bring?
Swimmers need to arrive for practice in their bathing suits ready to be active. Please bring goggles and swim cap, if desired, and a towel.
With as many as 200 kids on the team, bear in mind that there are a lot of matching goggles, t-shirts, caps, towels and suits. Get out the permanent marker, and make it easy to retrieve your child’s things from the pile.
Is there anything besides swimming?
It just wouldn’t be a swim team if there were no celebrations. Here are some of the events that happen during the course of the swim season:
Team Tuesdays: Swimmers enjoy time with their teammates and coaches that doesn’t involve swimming and often takes place away from the pool. Past activities have included craft-making and tie-dying, a trip to the movies, bowling, laser tag, mini golf, and other events.
Thursday Donut Breakfasts: Swimmers get donuts and juice on Thursday mornings after practice. Often, the ribbons earned on Wednesday night are distributed at these breakfasts. (Donuts will be given to Thursday afternoon swimmers as well.)
Friday Night Potluck Dinners and Pep Rallies: All team members (including Pre-Team) and their families get together for a themed potluck dinner/event to celebrate, socialize, and get pumped up for the Saturday morning meets.
Saturday After-Meet BBQs: After each home Saturday meet, there is a cookout at the pool. Food is available for a nominal fee. All team members, whether or not they are swimming on Saturday, are encouraged to attend. Bring the whole family! When not at our home pool, the team often goes out to lunch at a nearby restaurant after the meet finishes.
Team Banquet: This is a fun family celebration of the swim season and the Serpents’ accomplishments. All swim team members and their families are welcome to join in the festivities, which include awards, dinner, fun in the pool, and a slide show.
Please refer to the Serpent eNews for up-to-the-minute information regarding the team social events.
Other FAQs
Q: When will I know if my child is swimming in a Saturday 'A' meet?
A: The A meet lineup is posted on Thursday morning on the team bulletin board in the pavilion.
Q: When will I know if my child is swimming in a 'B' meet?
A: The B meet lineup is posted by the end of the day Monday. If your child swam two or fewer events in the preceding A meet, it is likely that they will be swimming in the B meet. If they swam no events in the A meet, they will definitely be swimming in the subsequent B meet.
Q: What if my child is unable to swim in a meet they are assigned to swim?
A: Tell the coach AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, but please PLAN AHEAD. Tell the coach three days ahead of time, and by WEDNESDAY NIGHT at the latest, if your child is unavailable to swim on Saturday. It is much better for the team to be able to insert another swimmer in your child’s spot than to forfeit a lane.
Q: When will my Pre-Teamer swim in his/her first meet?
A: When they are comfortable swimming the length of the pool (25 meters), the coach will let them (and you) know that they will be in the next B meet.
Q: Once my child swims in an A meet, will they continue to just do A meets?
A: Not necessarily. The A meet lineup is determined on a week-to-week basis by the coaches and is based on a number of factors, including swimmer times, availability, attitude, and attendance. Make sure to check the A meet lineup every week to see if your child is scheduled to swim. The coaches try to inform swimmers and parents of a swimmer who normally does not swim A meets if he or she has been included in the lineup for the next Saturday. It also is important to check the B meet lineup each week because sometimes regular A meet swimmers will be entered in an event they don’t normally swim on Saturdays.
