Wakefield Chapel Wahoos

There are five NVSL Dual Meets on Saturday mornings starting in mid/late-June. The Wahoos Swim Team participates in these competitive meets against the other NVSL teams in our division. These are competitive, scored meets and the team’s overall performance determines our standing in the division and within the NVSL. Dates for these meets (and other meets and activities) can be found on the Swim Meets page.

Swimmers are responsible for their own transportation to and from the meets. Pool addresses are provided by email prior to the meet. For NVSL Dual Away Meets, swimmers and parents meet in the WCRA parking lot and caravan together to the opposing pool. Saturday NVSL meet swimmers must check-in with the Team Rep at WCRA before departing for the host pool. If you are not going to caravan with the team you must notify the Team Rep prior to the Saturday NVSL meet. (Please note that swim meets may be delayed or rescheduled because of weather. However, swimmers should always report for the meet, regardless of weather predictions. )

Warm-ups occur before every meet. The home team warms up first and times are strictly enforced. Please make sure your swimmer makes it to the pool in time for warm-ups. For Saturday NVSL Dual meets, the home team warms-up from 8am to 8:20am and the visiting team warms-up from 8:20am to 8:40am.

A team lunch follows each Saturday NVSL meet – at a restaurant for Away meets, a picnic on the Hill for home meets. All team swimmers and their families are encouraged to attend as a fun team- building event.

After each NVSL Dual Meet, the results will be posted to the event on the team website. Results will also be available on the NVSL website (www.mynvsl.com).

Ribbons are awarded for 1st through 6th place at Saturday NVSL Dual meets. Ribbons are distributed through Wahoo mailboxes on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Please only check your own mailbox for ribbons, and let your friends collect their own – we cannot replace lost ribbons. If you are missing a ribbon, wait a few days, check your mailbox, and then ask the Team Reps or the Developmental Reps if it still doesn’t show up.

Information about NVSL rules and policies can be found on the NVSL website; of particular use is the annual handbook that can be found linked on that page.

NVSL Dual meets consist of 40 individual events and 12 relays, divided by age group and gender.

• Each pool length is 25 meters
• Order of events: youngest to oldest, by stroke, boys & then girls (for event numbers/details, see meet sheet order of events at end of handbook)
• Mixed age relays are the last two events of the meet:

• Mixed age order: 11-12yo, 9-10yo, 13-14yo, 15-18yo
• Swimmers are selected based on fastest freestyle times in the current season / ladder

NVSL Dual Meet Scoring

• Total number of points available in a NVSL Dual Meet is 420.
• Individual events are scored: 5 points for 1st place; 3 points for 2nd; 1 point for 3rd.
• Relays in NVSL Dual Meets are scored: 5 points for 1st place; 0 points for 2nd place.

Results are available later the same afternoon of the meet, online at: www.mynvsl.com

Because there are a fixed number of heats and limited entries for these competitive meets, coaches select the swimmers for all NVSL Dual meet events based on swim times. Swimmers may be selected for up to two individual events, in addition to relay events.

Coaches have total discretion in selecting the roster for Saturday NVSL Dual Meets. Coaches will use the Wahoos fastest official time from the current season to select the roster, to set the team up for the best possible outcome – not only for the single meet, but for the entire season. (A record of these times is kept on the “ladder” – see The Ladder for more information). To this end, coaches may mix up rosters at any meet to gain the greatest competitive advantage for the team.

The needs of the team may occasionally ask that a swimmer swim above his/her age group; however, this will only be done if there are no available swimmers in the older group. Coaches may use discretion when selecting swimmers for Saturday NVSL Dual meets, including but not limited to swimmer practice attendance and sportsmanship on deck with coaches and teammates.

The needs of the team, as decided by the Head Coach, ultimately determine the events a swimmer will swim.

The Team Reps are available to answer questions about Saturday NVSL Dual Meet rosters.

Swimmers selected by the coaches to swim in Saturday NVSL Dual meets will receive an email on Wednesday and will be notified by their coaches at Thursday practices.

As a longstanding Wahoo tradition, we ask that parents not share the Wednesday email with their child, so the swimmer can be surprised by the team announcement (and cheers) at Thursday practice. This final meet/event entry list will be emailed/posted no later than Friday morning after the list is exchanged with the opposing team on Thursday evening.

Swimmers selected to swim in Saturday NVSL Dual meets are required to confirm their availability with a Team Rep as soon as they have received the Wednesday e-mail. You must notify the Team Reps as soon as possible if your swimmer cannot participate in a Saturday NVSL Dual meet. (Substitutions at meets are only allowed under extremely strict NVSL rules. )

Surprises about vacations can affect the whole team, so please keep us informed. Please indicate all planned absences for your swimmer(s) in your account on the team webpage (by meet/event), as early as possible in the season. Unmarked swimmer availability is assumed to be YES/Available. If a swimmer cannot attend an NVSL Dual Meet where he/she is slated to swim due to sudden illness, please contact one of the Team Reps immediately.

A successful meet requires many volunteers. If you have a swimmer participating in a Saturday NVSL or Monday Developmental Meet please plan to volunteer during the meet.

To support the swimmers competing in the meet, every meet requires timers, deck marshals, a clerk of course, starters, stroke & turn judges, relay take-off judges, table workers, and announcers. Home meets also require snack bar workers and other volunteers. Please see the volunteer page for more information.

Our ability to run meets and social events for the swimmers are completely dependent on volunteers. Each Wahoo family must support the team – whether volunteering on the pool deck as a timer or official or helping to organize a social event. It takes over 40 volunteers to time, officiate, & score one swim meet – over 450 different volunteer activities over the course of one summer season! Volunteers are the backbone of our neighborhood team – the Wahoos cannot succeed without your help!

Anyone thinking about becoming an official should contact our head official. We need officials to run all our meets. Serving as an official is a unique opportunity to learn more about swimming and get a great view of the meet! Dates for training clinics are available from the Team Reps and are posted on the NVSL website at www.mynvsl.com.

The Great Wahoo is a swimming force for good! Saturday NVSL Dual meet swimmers may be surprised to discover that the Great Wahoo visits on Friday nights and leaves a note cheering for the swimmer to do their best in the Saturday meet.

• Swimsuit (team suit if available)
• Team t-shirt
• Shoes
• Swim cap (& an extra in case of rips)
• Goggles (& an extra pair in case the goggles or strap breaks)
• 2 towels (one to sit on/hangout on, another one to dry off)
• Water bottle
• Sunscreen
• Healthy snacks / money for the meet snack bar (granola, fruit, bagel, etc.)
• Weather appropriate clothes

Label everything! If your items are labeled, we will try to return them. If not, they will be put in the WCRA Lost & Found.