Welcome and thanks for joining the Wilston State School Amateur Swim Club. 

We realise your first night may be overwhelming with all the noise and excitement around the pool deck, nevertheless, we also hope it is enjoyable for you and your child(ren). To ensure this, we have tried to answer some frequently asked questions. Hopefully it won’t take long before you feel like part of the family of Wilston Crocodiles. There are many families who don’t know a lot of people, so please feel free to introduce yourself to someone and hopefully, you’ll meet some new friends.

How do I nominate?

How do swimmers know when they are swimming?

How do swimmers know what lane they are in?

What do swimmers do when it's time for their race?

What happens is a swimmer misses their race?

How do I know my child's time?

Who does the timekeeping?

How does the BBQ/Canteen work?

What are the 12 1/2 metre races for?

How do I tell if my child swims 25 or 50m?

How do I nominate?

You need to nominate the events you wish your child to swim in before the end of training (6:00 pm) on the Thursday prior to club night. There are two ways of doing this:

• Complete a paper form available on the white box outside the canteen office
• Complete an online nomination by clicking on the nomination tab on the web page

How do swimmers know when they are swimming and what lane they are in?

On arrival at swimming club (it’s a good idea to arrive before 6pm), there will be a folder near the entrance. This folder will contain a sticker for each child that has nominated, and will show the events, race number and lane number. If this is your child's first night, there will be no times (personal best) against their name.  These stickers are then placed in the child's personal sticker book.

What do swimmers do when it’s time for their race?

The announcer will call swimmers’ names for each race prior to each heat.  

Swimmers assemble at the starting end when their name is called, ready for their race. Please escort your child if they are feeling unsure so you can reassure them (particularly for the 25 m events), but as the weeks go by and they feel more confident, please allow them to make their own way to the starting end. As you’ll see, the starting end is usually congested with timekeepers and other swimmers. 

Please make sure the timekeepers are able to record the previous swimmers times before they approach the starting block. 

The referee will blow a whistle to signal for the swimmers to stand on the blocks. The starter will announce the race (eg, 25 m Freestyle) and then will give the 'Take your marks' command. The electronic starter gun will then beep loudly as the signal to dive from the blocks and start the race.  

What happens if a swimmer misses their race?

We apologise if a swimmer misses an event due to the ever-present noise and excitement, and remind you of the need to be vigilant in keeping an eye on what event is on in the pool. Unfortunately, if a swimmer misses their race they will be unable to swim that event on that evening. This is to ensure the evening moves quickly and efficiently. The good news is that swimmers usually compete in more than one event on Friday evenings, so hopefully they won’t miss out on swimming altogether.

How do I know my child’s time?

At the end of each race timekeepers will write their time on the board which you can record in their sticker book. A referee will watch all swimmers and if an incorrect stroke/start has occurred, the child will either be given a warning with an explanation as to what may have been done incorrectly, or they will be disqualified with no time recorded. Swimmers stay in the pool until all competitors have finished and the referee will blow the whistle for them to exit the pool.

What if I miss my child's swimming times?

Don’t worry if you miss recording your child’s swim times, as we publish all swimmers’ times within 2 or 3 days on the Swimming Club’s website. Please visit:
http://wilstonswim.org.au/club/results.htm.

Who does the timekeeping?

At the beginning of each club night, and at various intervals throughout the evening, volunteers will be called upon for timekeeping. If you are able to help with timekeeping, please make yourself known to the chief timekeeper. There is no commitment to do this all night; feel free to swap when it’s time to go home. We appreciate all the help you can offer on any given night, even if it is just for a short time. No experience is necessary if you haven’t done this before; it’s a great way to join in and participate – very easy and very social too. Two timekeepers are posted on each lane, so you will have a “buddy” to chat to during and between races.  A quick guide on how the stopwatch works can be found in the Swim Club handbook. An easy to follow guide how to use stopwatches can be found here:
http://wilstonswim.org.au/club/timekeeping.htm

How the BBQ/Canteen work?

Each family is rostered on twice in the season: 1 x BBQ roster, and 1 x canteen roster. You will have one roster in Term 4, and one in Term 1.  

BBQ Roster: Please arrive by 5:50 pm to give yourself enough time to set up before the crowd arrives. We need at least one person from each family on roster to set up the BBQs, gas bottles and trestle table. Supplies will be ready in the canteen for you to take to the BBQ table. Begin cooking as soon as you are set up. No money is taken at the BBQ – all food is paid for at the canteen where tickets are dispensed for the food bought which are taken to the BBQ. Thank you for washing up the dishes and packing everything away when finished.  

Canteen Roster: At least one person from each family on roster is requested to help from 6:00 pm to sell BBQ tickets and drinks. Unfortunately, no children are allowed in the canteen, and thank you for helping us enforce this rule. We have occupational health & safety rules to follow, even though we love as much help as we can get. 

The roster is available on the website
 (http://wilstonswim.org.au/club/bbq%20roster.htm), the pool notice board at the front gate, and the canteen. If you can’t do your night, feel free to swap. It’s your arrangement, so there’s no need to notify anyone. We really appreciate your time, effort and support.

What is the 12 ½ m race for?

If a young club member wishes to try out a stroke before they are ready to compete in the 25 m event, then they may choose to participate in a 12 ½ m race. This is held prior to the 25 m freestyle events.  

These young swimmers are aided by Year 7 students, and it is a privilege for these senior swimmers to provide this assistance. We understand that very young swimmers lacking confidence may wish to have their older siblings in the pool with them, rather than an unfamiliar person. However, as the season moves on and the children become more familiar with the 12 ½ m event, we will limit the helpers to Year 7 students only. Please support us in enforcing this as it is in place to avoid the congestion and confusion at the starting end of the pool, thereby maximising the children’s safety.

How do I tell if my child swim 25m or 50m?

When your child swims for the first time they will swim a 25m race. Once their time is recorded, the computer automatically slots them into either 25 m or 50 m on their next event, so there is no need to differentiate between the two events when nominating. The qualifying times are in the handbook for your reference. Once a swimmer qualifies for 50 m, they always swim 50m, so there is no turning back!