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Mustang Monthly- Internet Edition

October 2006

Meet Recaps

COPS 11 and Over ‘A’ Meet:

Forty of our 11 and over ‘A’ swimmers started off their season with an impressive 2nd place finish in the Plano-hosted first meet of the season. The meet was held in the familiar confines of Loos Natatorium after the Little Splashers’ meet. There were some fast swims for so early in the season, particularly since DM swimmers have only been back from break for a little over a month.  Congratulations to the following swimmers who scored points for the team (bolded names indicating winning at least one event):

Emma Gruber, Ann-Claire Karalyos, Kendall Williams, Keegan Watters, Blake Osborn, Des Godfrey, Lauren Roth, Spindrift Beck, Catia Weitgenant, Hannah Ferrin, Bailey Thompson, Katherine Jones, Mel Futscher, Meaghan Watters, Christopher Alkire, Jake Watters, Harrison Tran, Eric Futscher, Fernando Lara, Burke Wiggins, Clint Hallum, Matt Thompson, Andrew Tran, and Max Murphy.

Little Splashers:

This “unclassified” meet for 10 and under swimmers was hosted by the City of Plano at Loos Natatorium during the same weekend as the 11 and over meet. An unclassified meet is special because it doesn’t restrict anyone’s participation in respect to time standards (or cut-off times).  Historically, we have not had great participation in Little Splashers because the Mustangs host a BB/B/C level meet a couple of weeks later and the Little Splashers Meet is a bit early in the season, especially after a three week break from mid-August to early September.  

 

The Mustangs finished seventh out of seventeen teams in the overall team battle despite a couple of our fastest “little splashers” not being able to compete in the meet.  Out of the 43 swimmers entered in the meet, an impressive 41 showed up ready to swim fast.  Most had at least one best time and a few were getting their feet wet in competition for the very first time!  Congratulations to the following for their participation in this meet:

 

Davis Benn, Parker Benn, Caroline Blaylock, Caroline Boyd, Parker Capron, Anna Crowling, Emily Elson, Caroline Florence, Natalie Frieze, Amanda Fugate, Tiffany Futscher, Seth Gerstenfeld, Joe Gray, Grant Hemmingway, Nick Hemmingway, Jacob Hum, Mikaela Johnson, Caitlin Klemme, Sofia Lara, Mika Malouf, Boni McVey, Kyle Morrissey, Kenzie Murphy, Conner Mullen, Walker Mullen, Courtney Nichols, Molly Pospichal, Laura Rathjen, Charlotte Rolfe, Shauna Seidel, Timothy Simenc, Alex Tcheng, Dylan Tcheng, Cy Thompson, Evie Thompson, Virginia Tiernan, Dana Valelly, Conner Williams, Alexa Zotos, Annalyse Zotos, Max Zotos

 

Way to go Mustangs!

 

Meet Entry Information

There have been many questions regarding which meets to enter, how to enter these meets, what to expect at a meet, etc.  Unlike summer league swimming, most USA swimming meets in North Texas are classified by ability and will have required qualification times. Your child’s coach is the best person to discuss which meets are appropriate for your swimmer, but as a general rule new swimmers start at the BB/B/C level meets.   Also, swimmers must enter events based on their age as of the first day of the meet.  This differs from many of the summer leagues that have one cutoff date and allows a child to compete at that age for the entire season.                                                          Once you determine which meet your swimmer will attend, you can find meet information at the North Texas swimming website: www.ntswim.org. The “meet information” link on the left hand column has warm-up times, event schedules, and general info about the meet you are looking for.  You can click on the link to the meet you want information for and then print it out.  A few items to note that are different than what you will find in the meet information, however, are that ALL CHECKS ARE MADE OUT TO THE DALLAS MUSTANGS, not the host team, and the MEET ENTRIES ARE DUE THE THURSDAY, TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE MEET, not the date that is given in the meet information. This allows us to process your entry in time to send it to the meet host as a team. Other than that, all other information is accurate.  You then must start the entry process by completing a “consolidated meet entry form” which can also be found on the North Texas website.  Simply click on the “meet ops” link on the top of the page and scroll down until you find the meet entry form link.  Print this out and make several copies for future meets.

 

To fill out the form:

1. Write the meet name and date down on the entry form.  Since we participate in several levels of meets each month it is easier to sort through the different meets when the names are on the top of the form.  Your child’s birth date, your current address, and a daytime phone number are also necessary to fill out in case something on your entry is unclear or incorrect.  Your USA Swimming ID Number and team code are already saved in our database, so don’t worry about putting those down unless you have to late enter on the day of the meet. In case you need this number it is your swimmers’ birth date in mmddyy format, followed by the first three letters of your child’s legal first name, then the first initial of your child’s middle name and lastly the first four letters of your last name.

 

 

2. List the events in meet event order on your sheet; it makes it much easier to follow your entry form for the person entering your child in the meet.  Circle the distance of the event(s) you would like to enter (i.e., 25, 50, 100, etc.) and the type of stroke as well (FR, BR, BK, FL, or IM).  These distances and strokes should match exactly with the distances and strokes of the event numbers that you have chosen for your child to swim.  (This sometimes provides us with a clue as to what you meant to do in the event of an error/discrepancy and allows us to figure it out without having to contacting you prior to the meet).

                                                        

3. Make sure your child is eligible to participate in the meet you are attempting to enter.  The meets usually fall into either an “A” level meet or a “BB/B/C” level meet in the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons and either A, BB, or B/C levels in the summertime. An “A” swimmer should swim in the “A” meets only, not in the “BB” and below levels.  “BB” swimmers may not swim in an “A” meet until they make an “A” time standard.  Even then they must have at least three time cuts before they can swim all events at that level meet.  13 & Over swimmers are never B/C swimmers; they are BB swimmers until they have achieved 3 "A" times or above. Some meets might even require that a swimmer must have an “A” time standard in each event that they choose to enter to be eligible to swim in that event.  Again, check with your child’s coach to confirm what meet they should be swimming in if you have questions regarding this.

 

 Some other things to think about when entering a meet.

 

  1. When your child obtains the minimum of three time standards in the next highest level, they are classified as that “level” of swimmer (i.e., a “B” swimmer who gets his or her 3rd BB time standard in their age group becomes a “BB” Swimmer).  These times standards can be found in the time standards link of the North Texas webpage, in the meet information itself, or in the back of your Mustang new member handbook.  These time standards are listed in either short course (yards) or long course (meters). 

 

  1. Swim events that make sense for your child.  Once you determine whether or not your child qualifies to swim in a meet, you need to figure out what events would be best for your child to swim.  If it’s their first meet, try not to overwhelm them with too many events, especially if they are swimming some of the events in competition for the very first time. 

 

  1. Check the meet information to see how many events per day or session your child may swim. On the meet information there usually is a daily limit of events that your child may enter.  If they exceed this number at the meet, they will be disqualified in the event which exceeds the daily limit regardless of how they perform in that event.   

 

Once everything is completed simply turn in your entry form and check at the correct location.  Loos has a “meet entry” bin in the supply room.  Highland Park has a “meet entries” file at the front of one of our file boxes.   CFB has file boxes as well. Keep the meet information for yourself so you will be informed about the particulars of the meet (i.e. when you child needs to be at the pool for warm-ups, what events are swum on what days etc.).  The pool address and directions are usually available at the top of the meet information for your reference. 

 

 

About a week before the meet you can review your child’s meet entries on our website at www.dmswim.com. There is a link in the main menu on the left hand side entitled “Review Meet Entries”. Follow that link to access your swimmer’s entries in an upcoming meet.

 

Finally, questions have arisen about the “hierarchy” of swim meets. Before your child proves otherwise, technically they are a “C” swimmer.  Once they swim in a meet they will attempt to make “B” times, then “BB” times, “A” times, TAGS (Texas Age Group state Swimming time standards  for14 & Unders, Sectional times (no age limits but typically 14 and overs), and ultimately, some may even attain Junior National, National or Olympic Trials cuts. 

The day of the meet:

Please arrive at the meet at least 10 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time.  All swimmers are expected to participate in warm-ups and particularly at the BB/B/C level, this is the time that the coaches will put relays together based on who is there.  Swimmers are required to check in, usually 30 minutes before the meet begins, for each event that they are entered in.  Failure to do so will result in the swimmer being scratched (removed) from the event.  Check in sheets are typically found on deck posted on a wall.  After your child swims, he or she should go directly to their coach who will talk to them about the race.  Finally, each swimmer should wear a Dallas Mustang swim cap when competing.

Finally, please utilize the board members and other seasoned swim parents. We have all been there before; we have wondered about the same issues, asked the same questions and more often than not, had other parents help us out. You can also consult our website for a list of helpful “Key Contacts.

USA Swimming Scholastic All Americans


USA Swimming has announced the 2005-2006 Scholastic All American Team. This team is comprised of high school student athletes who have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 and have competed in an individual event in one of  the following meets: 2005 US Paralympics Swimming National Championships, 2005 Open Water National Championships, 2005 Summer Speedo Championships Series [summer sectionals], 2005 Conoco Phillips National Championships, 2005 Junior National Swimming Championships 2005 U.S. Open, 2006 Speedo Champions Series [spring sectionals], or the 2006 Spring National Championships.

The awarded score is based on a point system incorporating both grades and competition performance.  Approximately 1,100 of the more than 250,000 high school swimmers were recognized.  Twenty two of these athletes are registered in North Texas, and of those, 8 are Dallas Mustangs. Congratulations to the following athletes:

Name

Team

Score

Years Qualified

John Bannon

DM

125

2

Kannon Betzen

DM

196

2

Clint Hallum

DM

211.8

1

Alexandra Jennings

DM

153

2

Meredith Monroe

DM

197

2

Lauren Roth

DM

195

1

Madeline Steiner

DM

183

2

Bailey Thompson

DM

125

1
 
Team E-mail Communication

 

If you are not receiving team e-mails please contact me with your e-mail address.  My contact information is Donna Watters, 214-890-0227 (home), 214-535-3205 (cell), vp@dmswim.com or watters7@sbcglobal.net.    This is our primary means of communicating meet information, scheduling changes, social events, etc.

 

                             

 

ATTENTION PARENTS

 

We are still having issues with parents on deck during practice times. Parents of all groups, but particularly Highland Park because of the close proximity to the swimmers, please help the coaches by staying off the deck during practices.  Loos and CFB parents can sit anywhere upstairs and HP parents should stay on the diving board end of the pool in the stands no closer to the shallow end than the American flag located behind the podium.  Please do not talk to the coaches during practice—the coaches are responsible for the swimmers in the pool. If you have any concerns or questions, you may talk to them after practice. Also, when a coach is giving a private lesson, please do not interrupt them with questions. Thank you for your understanding.

 
Painless Fundraiser

 

The Dallas Mustangs is registered with Tom Thumb in its Good Neighbor Program. Please remember to attach our Good Neighbor Number to your Reward Card and Tom Thumb will donate a percentage of the member’s total grocery purchases back to the Dallas Mustangs every time your Reward Card is used! Painless and potentially profitable for our team!

OUR TOM THUMB NUMBER IS 7648

 

 

Add these links to your favorite’s lists

 

Dallas Mustangs website:     http://www.dmswim.com

North Texas LSC website:    http://www.ntswim.org

USA Swimming website:      http://www.usa-swimming.org

 

All three of these websites have lots of helpful information.  Our website is updated frequently with issues that concern our team primarily and has an archive of newsletters we’ve sent out over the years.  North Texas’ website has the calendar for swim meets, results of meets, meet information and many other important swimming links.  USA

Swimming has an even broader scope and includes a new database with all of your swimmers’ times and time standards achieved. 

 

 DM Tuition Policy Reminder

The Dallas Mustangs is a competitive year round age-group swimming program.  As such we strive to provide consistent quality coaching and workout facilities.  To achieve this goal we establish pool rental contracts and salary commitments with our coaching staff for a full 12-month period. Tuition amounts are established based on the 12-month budget and divided into monthly or quarterly amounts to provide reasonable payment options for our Dallas Mustang families.  The Dallas Mustangs Swim Team is not, and was not designed to be a swim program where swimmers drop in one month and out the next.  Flexibility has always been important to us.  We try to work with each family on the team and we will continue to do so. 

 

Tuition may be paid quarterly: September, December, March, and June, or monthly.  Tuition paid monthly includes a $5.00 per month processing fee.  (If tuition for the quarter is not paid by the due date, monthly payment has automatically been selected.)

 

·         Tuition is due from September through August.  (If you swim in July, you are responsible for August tuition.)

·         Tuition is due on the 1st of each month/quarter.

·         Leave of Absence (LOA) is available only for injury and medical reasons.

·         There will be a $10.00 per month tuition discount for the second and subsequent swimmers in the same family.  The fourth swimmer is free, but all swimmers must pay the annual registration fee.

·         A swimmer transferring from another team must be in good standing with their old team.

·         Statements are only mailed quarterly. If you have chosen to pay monthly, it is your responsibility to remember to mail or drop off tuition by the first of each month that we do not send statements.

·         There will be a $5.00 per family late fee after the 10th of the month for non-zero balance accounts.

·         The swimmer(s) may be barred from swimming if there is an aged account balance is excess of 60 days.

·         Please indicate in the memo portion of all checks what the payment is for (i.e. Dues – swimmer’s name, meet account, supplies, etc.).

·         If there is a problem with your billing, please contact the treasurer.

·         Should circumstances prevent full payment of your tuition, please contact the president.  Scholarships and alternate payment plans will be addressed on a case by case basis.  (Please Note: Lack of communication is not an option!)

·         Should you choose to leave the team – it is your responsibility to contact the treasurer or registration chairman.  (Informing the coach does not fulfill this responsibility!)

·         If you choose to leave the team for the summer, you must go through the tryout process in the fall. You may not return to workouts until you have attended the tryout, completed paperwork and paid your fees.  You are not automatically guaranteed a spot on the team. If your group is full, your name will be placed on the waiting list.  Any tuition/fee balances that were not paid when you left the team must be paid prior to re-joining the team. 

·         If you choose to leave the team at any point during the year, you MAY NOT represent the Dallas Mustangs at any swim meet or event that occurs after the date you have left the team. Should you choose to participate in a swim meet after you have left the team, you must register for the meet and swim as unattached (Team = UN).  

·         Tuition may be sent with the swimmer to the pool, or mailed to the Treasurer:

DM Treasurer – Shannon Rusch

121 Lansdowne Circle.

Coppell, Texas 75019

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