Important Items
In this section...
You have questions.
We have answers.
We have answers.
- Do I have to get up really early to come to practice? That depends on your definition of early. Once a week (on Wednesdays), everyone will swim at 5:30am. On Saturdays, all Varsity swimmers will swim at 9:30am. Saturday practice is optional, but encouraged, for JV swimmers. Those are the only practices regularly scheduled before noon. The others take place after school hours. For more details, consult the Practice Schedule and Schedule Changes pages.
- I want/need to be home on the weekends. Can I swim/dive? See the practice expectations above and on the Practice Schedule. If you are a Varsity-level swimmer or diver, plan to be at IMSA on non-meet weekends until noon on Saturday. JV swimmers and divers will attend Friday practice, and should make an effort to be at Saturday practice, but Saturday practice is not a requirement. On meet weekends (there are five over the course of the season: see the official Athletics website for details), all swimmers and divers should plan to be available all day on Saturday until at least 5pm. In addition, all swimmers and divers not participating in the Titan Girls' Swimming Invitational (September 13th) are expected to help with the running of the meet.
- Do I have to have swimming/diving experience? Competitive swimming or diving experience at any level is certainly helpful, but is not required. On the first day, you should have a clearance card from the Athletic Office, and be sufficiently physically fit to complete a 1.5-2 hour workout, but past that, we can teach you what you'll need to know. If you have never swum or dove before, please let the coaching staff know in advance, as you (and we) will have a bit of work to do to get up to speed, but if you're willing to learn, we're willing to work with you.
- I swam with a club or summer league team this summer, and got in the water pretty much every day. How will the workouts be the first week? If you fit into this category, please make sure to let us know. Once we make some mechanical assessments, we'll probably put you together with some people and workouts that will be sufficiently challenging.
- I didn't have access to a pool this summer, but I worked out a bunch, ran 3 times a week, and did lots of core strength exercises. Will I survive? Of course you'll survive. You have an aerobic fitness level that will help get you through the first few practices while you get back into swimming shape. It won't be a cakewalk, but you'll be fine.
- The only thing I did this summer was play World of Warcraft and Nintendo Wii Tennis when I stayed at my buddy's house. Will I survive? Well, you'll likely survive, but you have a lot of work to do. Be prepared to put in some serious elbow grease to get back into shape. We have some expectation that you've actually been preparing for the season, so be ready to work.
- I have a previous athletic (or other) injury/illness/condition. Can I swim/dive? First, be sure to inform the coaching staff of any pre-existing conditions you might have. It will help us to help you evaluate how to proceed with your training program, as well as to help you take steps to avoid reinjury. Communication is key: the coaching staff can best help you if you keep them informed.
- I am not a competitive person, and do not want to participate in meets. Can I swim/dive with the team? The program is specifically geared toward competitive swimming and diving at the high-school level. If you are not planning to compete, you may not participate in the program. The are Rec Swim times available in the evenings throughout the school year for you to practice swimming and diving.
- I want to swim/dive and do another Varsity sport. Is that possible? It is the Athletic Department's policy to allow students to commit to/participate in one varsity sport per season. This rule not only ensures that you as students have sufficient time to both train and do your school work, but also ensures that coaches can rely on students committed to their programs to be available for competitions. Therefore, you must make a choice between Swimming and Diving and the other sport in which you are interested.
- I want to make another non-academic commitment that will keep me from making all the meets. Can I still swim/dive? Typically, we advise students that the only acceptable reasons for missing a meet are un-reschedulable academic commitments, serious (one that you can be sent home for) illness, or a family emergency, all pending communication with the coaching staff. If you wish to make a commitment to another activity that does not conflict with the meet schedule, we can make case-by-case arrangements to accommodate the training schedule. If that activity will preclude you from making all assigned meets, you might want to reconsider continuing with Swimming and Diving, or with the other activity.
- I want to be a manager/statistician/timer. What do I do? Contact the coaching staff for more information on how you can help.
- I have a question not listed on this page, or elsewhere on this or the official site. Whom should I ask? Contact the coaching staff if you have other questions.