Welcome to the Ravensway Racers Swim Team! The information on this page is designed to acquaint you with important team rules and help you navigate the swim team experience.

Practice:

• Swimmers must attend the practice time designated for their age-group unless the coach has stated otherwise.
• Parents are not allowed on deck (concrete area directly around the pool) during practice. If you wish to stay and watch your child swim, please find a seat near the pool entrance or outside the fence.
• Please do not coach your child during practice. When your swimmers are practicing, only the coaches and designated helpers are allowed to coach them. Young swimmers and children still new to swimming are in the care of the coaches, and will be well supervised.

Website:

The team website is https://ravenswayracers.swimtopia.com/. Please visit the website and create a login. This website will allow you to RSVP for meets/events, view meet results, access team info, and sign up for volunteer jobs.

Swim Meets:

• Attendance: Swim meets are required events, in order to have a successful team and smoothly ran meets, we need all swimmers and parent volunteers in attendance at all meets.
• Competition:
  • Swimmers can compete in 3 individual events and 1 or 2 relays per meet. Yet, swimmers 6 & under will usually only swim freestyle, backstroke and the freestyle relay.
  • There are 2 deciding factors when it comes to whether a swimmer participates in a relay:
    • there must be at least 4 swimmers on hand to make up the relay team, and
    • if there are more than 4 swimmers on hand, a swimmer’s time in that stroke must be one of the 4 fastest in order for them to qualify as a participant. The head coach can also change relay participants if she chooses.
• Start Time: Swim meets begin each Saturday promptly at 8:30 AM, however swimmers are required to sign-in with the team by 7:30 AM in order to compete that day.
• Warm Ups: Meet warm ups are done by age group starting between 7 AM and 8 AM at each meet. Warm-up times will be posted on the website weekly.

Volunteering:

• RRST is an all-volunteer organization that is completely parent run.
• All parents are required to complete 40 volunteer points and 3 food donation points during the season.
• During meets, parent volunteers can work a variety of positions including concession stand shifts at home meets.
• Volunteer shifts are monitored closely by every board member. If your shift is not completed in full, volunteer points will not be awarded.
• Volunteer sign-up happens weekly. Each Sunday night the volunteer sign-up on the website will be opened to parents; sign-up closes Friday nights. Volunteer positions are first come first served. Training for all volunteer jobs is available. 

Home meet volunteer needs: Home meets offer the most volunteer opportunities

• ready bench timers
• scribes empty trash
• age group parent concessions
• runner announcer
• bathrooms
• drinks for volunteers
• set-up/tear down

Away meet volunteer needs:

• ready bench scribes
• timers age group parent

Weekly happenings:

• Newsletter: Families will receive a weekly newsletter by email updating them on team information, activities, upcoming swim meets, etc. Save these emails for the week as they contact important information you will need to reference. Newsletters and other important info will also be posted on the website and on the cork board near the pool entrance, as will other swim team related information.
• Folders: Each family can retrieve ribbons and other printed swim team information from their folder daily during practice.
• Text messages: Communications regarding practice and other updates will be distributed via Remind101. Please sign up for our text messaging program by texting to 81010 the word @ravensway.

Good to Know:

• What to bring to a meet:
  • A sharpie to write your swimmer’s event numbers on their arm and/or yours.
  • Each swim team operates its own concession stand, so you might want to have some cash on hand for lunch, breakfast, or treats.
  • Bring your own water or money to buy water.
  • Swimmers swim for short bursts of time and spend lots of time socializing, so bring things to occupy them while they are waiting to swim. Unfortunately, playgrounds are off-limits at all swim meets per NWAL rules.
  • Bring your camp/folding chairs, a blanket for the kids, and a canopy tent if you like.
  • Bring an extra pair of goggles and swim cap just in case! 
• Where to sit at a meet - At home meets the team must sit underneath the clubhouse unless otherwise designated. At away meets, we will have a designated area in which to sit, so look for your fellow Racers when you get to each away meet.
• Meet Standings - Swimmer times and meet scores are posted throughout each meet in a designated area. At home meets, standings are posted near the stairs.
• Divisionals - This is the last meet of the season where all teams in our division compete on the same day. You will hear more about this meet as the season progresses.
• Fundraisers – Spaghetti Dinner May 8th 5:30-7:00pm
• End of Season Party - The team will hold an awards party on June 22nd. All swimmers are encouraged to attend!

COMPLAINTS: It is the job of the swim team board to address parent complaints (including coach complaints) no matter what they are in regards to.