Montgomery County Swim League

Representatives Meeting

Minutes of June 13, 2002

Call to Order: Marty Cohen called the meeting to order at 8:00 pm.

Advertisers: Catalogues for Lamb Awards & Engraving were available for reps to pick up. Please support our advertisers. Their support helps us fund our programs.

Pool depth: Now that the pools are filled, all teams should measure the depth of the shallowest part of the competition area of their pool and email that measurement to Sally MacKenzie at secretary@mcsl.org. You should also keep a record for yourself. The measurement should be taken 39 inches down the lane from the wall at your shallow end. At that distance from the wall, you should measure from the pool floor to the water height when the pool is filled as it would be for competition.

Email entries: Marty Cohen clarified that email entries are permitted, but are not encouraged. If you choose to use email to exchange entries, you do so at your own peril, and the board will not entertain protests that arise out of problems with emailed entries. It is a much better policy to exchange disks and paper copies of entry sheets in person.

MCSL meet materials: Ribbons for divisionals and relays were given to hosting teams. Meet paperwork (relay cards, DQ cards, etc.) was distributed to all teams. Please note that the back cover of the MCSL handbook has a typographical error. The 11-12 swimmer in the new 175m freestyle relay (events 49 and 50) swims TWO, not one, length. Please ink in this change on any handbooks you have not already distributed.

Treasury report: The teams who ordered Colorado systems through Jim Garner were asked to see him after the meeting.

Automation: Teams are reminded that they must purchase Team Manager II. The LSC code for all teams is “PV”—there is no longer any division designation. There will be an automation page on the website that will address questions that the automation team fielded at the automation clinics. There will also be revisions to the Meet Manager automation handbook and some guidance on Team Manager on the web. You can ask questions or make comments via automation@mcsl.org.

Transfers: To date, we have received only about 8 to 10 requests to transfer teams. This is significantly fewer than in past years. The decrease may mean that few people want to transfer this year, or it may mean that some people neglected to follow the transfer procedure. Please take the time now, before the season starts, to check your own rosters. If you find you have swimmers who should have requested a transfer, have them contact Bill Ferguson at rules@mcsl.org immediately. The chances are good that the transfer will be approved. However, you do not want to find yourself mid-season with an illegal swimmer who has swum in your “A” meets.

Officials: We have had a very good turnout at all of the officials’ clinics. The last clinic for stroke and turn only will be held June 25, 6:30pm, at Potomac Woods.

Awards: B meet ribbons were available for teams that ordered them. Please contact Tracey Glass, awards@mcsl.org, if you need personal best and B meet ribbons.

Six Flags: Teams were reminded that if they want to participate in the Six Flags day, Tracey Glass needs to receive one team check (no personal checks) by July 8. If you want to come to Tracey’s house, you can bring your team check to her as late as July 14. Contact Tracey for details.

Records: Since we have two new events this year—the 175m freestyle relays—there will be new league records. There is no special form to fill out. If you have a league record achieved at your pool, you should have all three timers on the lane, as well as the head timer and the referee, sign the lane/timer sheet. The original of this sheet should then be sent to Mary Parker, the league records chairperson.

Coaches’ clinic: At the conclusion of the reps’ meeting, the coaches met to discuss rule changes, safety concerns, and other coaching issues. However, before the reps’ meeting ended, Bill Bullough addressed the reps and coaches together. He advised the reps to see that their coaches had a copy of the MCSL handbook, the blue Officials’ Handbook which was distributed at the officials’ clinics, and the green Meet Management Handbook. Teams need to be sensitive to meet noise levels and parking issues so as not to alienate their neighbors and get county officials involved. In addition, teams should see that their B meets are run efficiently. Teams should hold “B” swimmers to the same stroke standards as the “A” swimmers; teams should have at least a few experienced officials on deck; and coaches should not put any swimmer in any meet who has not demonstrated in practice that he or she is fundamentally legal in the stroke to be swum. Bill reminded everyone of the importance of good sportsmanship. Sometimes coaches or older swimmers can get a little carried away with their “psyche-ups,” and being aware of that possibility can help reps andr coaches control any actions before they cross the line of good sportsmanship.

Meet management clinic: Meet managers gathered separately after the general meeting for a short training session on the “green” book and running meets.

Next Meeting: The next meeting will be held at the Executive Office Building cafeteria on Thursday, July 11, 2002, 8:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Sally MacKenzie

Secretary