Starter/Stroke and Turn Official's Info (UPDATED FROM 2017)

Good evening, everyone! This is a repost of a post from 2017, with some updated links.

The main point of this blog post is to get you all information regarding the stroke and turn/ starter training.  In the past I have served as the lone starter at home meets, and I would love to be able to pass the whistle off to some others to free me up to spend more time on deck away from meet management.

Stroke and turn officials need to do three things for us to be "certified."

Number 1: Watch the USA Swimming videos available online here: https://www.usaswimming.org/officials/how-to-become-an-official. Scroll down to find the videos. Stroke and turn officials have several shorter (6 minutes or less) videos to watch. Starters have one thirty minute video to watch. These videos are accessible through YouTube, as well.

Number 2: Take the 25 question assessment based on commonly seen things at our meets and the videos. You only need to get 18 correct to pass, and you can take it multiple times (Starters don't need to take this). https://goo.gl/forms/VF4F0RDw9J9n6WEu1

Number 3: Shadow an already established official at a meet on deck to get the hang of what it is like  officiate. Potential starters need to spend about 5-10 minutes on deck with me prior to working a meet.

Neither of  these jobs are difficult! Go ahead and give it a try. Not only will filling these roles help the team, it will help you understand what is expected of you swimmer when they step to the block. It's a great way to learn about the sport while helping out, and we can't be at our best without YOUR help (Yes, I'm talking to you!).

Thank you all for making this a fun and exciting job!

Gearing Up for Summer Fun with the Valdese Torpedo Swim Team

Good evening, Torpedo family! I hope everyone is doing well and is ready for a summer with the Valdese Torpedo!

As of this posting, there are still some unknowns, and I will be addressing them as best I can, but we will have a season, and we will have a great time. As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch either by phone or email, and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.

First a few dates/ some information for everyone:

Monday, May 10: Sign-ups start! Come to the fitness counter when we are open to get registered, order your t-shirts and caps (latex and silicone available this season), and start getting pumped up for a great season! We will accept new swimmers until June 14. We do ask that all swimmers be able to swim a complete 25-yard length without stopping in order to join the team this summer. If you aren't sure, feel free to consult with me for a swim test before paying any registration fee for the swimmer in question.

Tuesday, June 1: Practices Start! Practices will be divided by age group as we have done in the past. This is traditionally our first day of practice, and with school ending earlier this year, we'll go right to the divided practices. There will be morning/evening practice divisions as we have done in the past, and I will put out the exact times for ages once we have a good idea of how many swimmers we have in each age group.

Saturday morning, June 12: Our first meet at home. This will be an intrasquad/virtual meet where we will get a chance to see what our meets will look like at home and practice new traffic patterns on the deck, etc. We will combine results with other teams to see where everyone is.

Saturday morning, June 26: Granite Falls at Valdese. This will be our first meet at home with another team.

Saturday, July 10: Home meet, opponent TBD.

Saturday, July 17: Sprint/Distance for our 11 and over swimmers. Black Mountain Pool.

Saturday, July 26: Home meet, opponent TBD

Saturday, July 31: Championship Meet at Forest City, Callison Recreation Center Pool

As you can see, we don't yet have our full meet schedule together yet. We hope to have that at the end of April. We will be adding a couple of away meets, and we may drop one of our home meets, but the meet dates above are dates you may want to pencil in on your calendars. We will still do meet sign ups on a meet-by-meet basis, where you can sign up at the fitness counter for each meet you plan to attend.

As usual, we will need to have parents volunteer to assist with meets, particularly with regards to stroke and turn officials. Volunteering is the best way to get a view of the action during meets. If you are interested in volunteering as a stroke and turn official, please contact me ASAP so I can begin working with you.

The meets will look a little different in terms of structure and logistics due to the guidelines facilities are being asked to operate under with regards to COVID-19. These include the changing of the flow of traffic to and from the blocks, the use of sessions for different age groups, limiting numbers on deck with regards to seating, and following the most current masking and distancing guidelines as outlined by the state.

Now, everyone is wondering, what about the Bubble? Will it stay up or is it coming down? Right now we are cautiously optimistic that it will come down this summer. We rely on assistance from workers who are not being sent off-site anywhere at this time. Should they be released to work off-site, we have a mid-May date scheduled to remove the Bubble. We are exploring other options if they are not available to assist us, but as of now, we are hopeful they will be available. Should the Bubble not come down, we will be adding additional fans to assist with comfort inside the Bubble during the warmer times of day. 

I want to wrap up with this: even though our program may look a little different this summer than in years past, we are still pursuing the same program goals as we do every summer. Team and individual victories are important and shouldn't be discounted, but they are only a part of what has made us a successful program. Among other things, commitment, supporting teammates, and developing a strong work ethic while still having fun are all a part of the process for us, and those things combined have led to our success. That will still be the case this summer.

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone and having a great season. Again, please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have questions or concerns. Have a great rest of the school year, at I can't wait to see you at the pool!