Martin's Chase Manta Rays

SwimTopia Mobile App Alerts and/or Email are our primary methods of communication. Please make sure to download the app (below) and that we have the most current email address in order to reach you.

Receive Team Alerts on weather delays/cancellations etc. Keep up with upcoming meets, events, your volunteer roles, and results. 

Meet Entry Deadline: Sunday by midnight - each week of a meet

What if I declare attending and my kid is sick?

Email Amy Beahm at [email protected] AND Computer Operator Sree Mogulla at [email protected] ASAP.

What if we are past the deadline, I originally declared we can’t attend, but now we can?

Email Amy Beahm at [email protected] AND Computer Operator Sree Mogulla at [email protected].

• Relays may not be an option to add unless a kid on a relay is sick.
• NO LATE ENTRIES the day of the meet. 

All meet entries are done online prior to the meet (NO Deck Entries).

There are strict deadlines for meet sign-ups which we must adhere to in order to share this information with the opposing team as regulated by the bylaws of ODSL.

Our goal is to give the coaches as much time as possible to coach while allowing the swimmer/parents significant input in which events they swim. Please remember, the final decision of what event(s) your child swims belongs to the coach.

Indicate your availability for each swim meet...even if you will not be attending.

Relays are made by the Coaches with the team in mind. They will do their best to make sure every kid swims at least 1 relay each season.

Being placed on a relay team is an honor. Relays take a great deal of coordination and are usually constructed by using the fastest times from prior meets. Please respect the coaches’ decision on the relay teams as they have put a lot of thought into this placement. Your swimmer must be signed up to swim at the meet or they will not be assigned a spot on the relay.

Medley Relay: If your child is placed on the relay they must arrive on time to the meet and immediately check in with the appropriate parent volunteer. Parent volunteers will be organizing the swimmers for this event before the meet starts; if your child is not checked in they will unfortunately be replaced for that relay.

Freestyle Relay: Be prepared to stay until the end. It is critical that he/she stays to swim – the whole relay team is affected if one swimmer is not present to swim.

Relays are fun and are intended to be that way! They build team spirit and help kids really feel a partnership with their fellow Manta Rays.

Please bring the following to the meets (and label everything!):

• Wear team suit, t-shirt and cap
• Goggles
• Towel
• Visor or hat
• Sunscreen
• Money for concessions
• Blanket or chair, if desired
• Please do not bring glass containers

Plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to warm up time (earlier if your volunteer position requires). Your first stop upon arrival will be the Volunteer Check-In table. After confirming your volunteer position, you will then proceed to the Swimmer Check-In table. Next please take your children to their appropriate age group. If, for some reason, there is no coordinator, please stay with your child until they arrive.

Please instruct your child to remain at their age group location at all times. If the Parent volunteer cannot find your child, he/she might miss their event. 

Warm up periods vary for each meet with the home team warming up the first half and the visiting team warming up the second half. Check the website and read your emails to know exactly when our warm up period begins for each meet. It is important for each swimmer to loosen up before racing.

Each event begins with the youngest age group and progresses to the oldest age group. Swimmers will be entered in only 3 individual events, plus relays per meet.

Disqualifications (DQ’s) are part of the learning experience in age group swimming. There is a “legal” way to swim each of the four strokes and when “infractions” occur, a swimmer is DQ’d. The swimmer receives no ribbon for that event, and if a swimmer is DQ’d during a relay, the entire team is disqualified. The reason for this process is that no swimmer is to have an unfair competitive advantage and improper techniques may sometimes provide just that. The upside is that DQ’s help the swimmer to recognize when they are doing something wrong and the coaches can help them make corrections in their stroke. DQ reports will be given to the coaches after every meet in order to help correct the problem areas.

Please be aware that if your swimmer, especially in the younger age groups, frequently DQ’s, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t trying or that the coaches are not working with them. Development of motor skills varies dramatically, and some children may not be physically be able to perfect their stroke at their current age. Encourage your child to keep trying! It takes perseverance and development.

Also keep in mind, Stroke Judges are “referees” who are volunteers trained in the proper rules and techniques for executing strokes, turns and touches. All stroke judges, starters, and coaches must attend a stroke clinic for certification. There is a strong effort to provide consistency throughout the league and throughout the season. The decision of the stroke judge is final. Most importantly, please understand that their objective is to help our swimmers learn to swim the strokes legally and properly and to make sure that no swimmer has an unfair competitive advantage over another by swimming the stroke improperly.

Common DQ’s:

• Standing on the pool bottom before the final touch
• Not using the proper kick
• Not touching with both hands simultaneously in Breaststroke and Butterfly
• Not remaining on their back until the final touch in Backstroke
• Not transitioning from the dive to the stroke properly
• Pulling on the lane line to propel swimmer in the water

The results of each event will be posted shortly after the completion of each event. The results will show place rankings and individual times. Ribbons will be in a file box made available at swim team practice. Each family will have a file with their name on it where their children’s ribbons will be located. The top 6 finishers in every event will receive a place ribbon. The winner of each heat will receive a heat ribbon – heat ribbons are handed out during the meets. When a swimmer lowers his/her best time in any event, they will receive a Best Personal Time ribbon.

Parent volunteers are very important to your swimmer and are critical to ensure a smooth flowing meet. They maintain their groups in a designated area and are generally responsible for seeing that your children are where they are supposed to be and get to the Ready Bench on time for their events. Therefore, all swimmers are expected to stay with their age group for the entire meet.

The Ready Bench is the staging area where swimmers are lined up in their lanes before they swim their events. A smooth Ready Bench is key to a well run meet. These volunteers help ensure that everyone is in the proper lane, heat and event.

Timers are a crucial element of the meet, and they get a great seat! Each lane has three timers. The swimmer’s official time is the middle of the three times. If only two times are recorded, an average is taken.