Most Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the philosophy of the Temecula Swim Club?
A. The TMEC program is committed
to exposing our athletes to life skills in addition to the swimming skills that will serve them far beyond the realm of competitive
swimming. The concepts of fair play, respect for self and others, the development of a productive work ethic, and accountability
for one's actions are interwoven into all aspects of the program. The goal is to teach and develop these traits so that they
become a part of everyday behavior.
Q. What is the best way to talk to my child's coach?
A. Since the coaches only have a limited time with their swimmers daily, we ask that you
do not approach coaches on the pool deck during practice time. We suggest that you wait until practice is over to speak to
your swimmers coach. Keep in mind that the coach may have a group starting as your child’s group is finishing, so try
to keep these conversations short.
Q: What do I need to bring to try-out / registration?
A: Please bring a swimsuit, towel, goggles, your checkbook and your child’s birth
certificate. We will provide registration materials and answers to your questions. Swim team try-outs are offered Monday
and Wednesday at Chaparrel High School at 5:00pm.
Q: What equipment does my swimmer need?
A: Swimmers need a water bottle, fins, goggles, cap, and suit, plus a bag to carry all
of it.
Q: How does my swimmer change groups or move up in the program?
A: All of the groups at TMEC run on a specific training cycle. The stroke schools will
test to move up every two weeks and the competitive groups have a three-month training cycle. Each swimmer will be tested
on the skills that they learned during the training cycle. A lot of the time it may take two or three cycles for a swimmer
to test out of a group. A list of the qualifications for advancement are on the just for kicks page.
Q: What is a Blue Time?
A: USA Swimming has established National Age Group Time standards
to allow for a stepping stone approach that swimmers can grasp. This is a great way to see progress even if a swimmer
doesn't win their event. They start at RED times and finish at NRT times. First time swimmers, or
swimmers with times slower than the RED time, are classified as having WHITE times for those events. Most
swim meets that use time standards to determine eligibility for swim meets use these time standards.
Q: What is Short Course? What is Long Course?
Short Course is training or competing in 25 yard or meter pools, while Long Course is
training or competing in 50 Meter Pools. Most indoor pools in the USA
are set-up as 25yard pools and so most of the times younger athletes become familiar with early on are the short course yard
(scy) times. Since these meets are held in the winter months, our Short Course competition season starts in September
and culminates with championship meets in March. The Long Course competition season begins in April and continues through
July and August depending on the highest-level championship meet a swimmer can qualify.
Q: What is the Junior Olympics?
A: The Junior Olympics Championship (JO’s) meet is the Southern
California championship meet for swimmers 14 & under in the Short Course season and all ages in the Long Course
season. The Short Course meet is held in mid March while the Long Course meet is held in late July or early August. It is
one of the premier age group meets in the USA and therefore the top age-group
meet in Southern California. Swimmers who successfully qualify and compete in this
meet are generally those that go on to greater success in High School and even collegiate swimming later in their career.
For this reason, we ask all TMEC families to wait until the summer break (usually the last two weeks in August) to schedule
their vacations. Qualifying times are established by Southern California Swimming every fall based on participants in previous
years. You must have the qualifying times to enter the meet.
Q: What are National Top 16 Reportable Times?
A: Every year USA Swimming takes results from meets all over the country and publishes
a list of the Top 16 performances from each age group the year before. There is a list for Long Course and Short Course
meets. Swimmers who achieve the reportable times are not guaranteed to be on the final Top 16 list.
Q: What is Swim-a-Thon?
A: Swim-A-Thon is a major national fundraising project available to all United States
Swimming clubs. It promotes and finances amateur competitive swimming. The purpose of Swim-A-Thon is to raise money for our TMEC
Swim Club. Swimmers earn pledges for each lap swam at the Swim-A-Thon. Swim-A-Thon is an excellent method to raise funds
for our team and is usually held each year in September.
If you have any further questions please contact:
communications@temeculaswimclub.com OR
Bryan Davis, Head Coach headcoach@temeculaswimclub.com
