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A common misconception is Glenwood has separate “A” and “B” Teams.  This is far from the truth; we are one team.  Some swimmers may swim the A-Meet one week and the B-Meet the next week, and some swimmers may swim both.  Regardless, we encourage everyone to attend every meet. Coming to meets is the best way to have fun, make friends, and get the most out of being a Glenwood Tiger.

If your swimmer(s) will be unavailable for any meet, for any reason, the coaches must be notified in writing (see COMMUNICATIONS section). Unexpected absences generate a lot more work for everyone in terms of line-up changes, and could cause our team to lose A-Meet points.  There are far too many swimmers for the coaches to remember everyone’s schedule.

Time Trials
Time Trials can be likened to a "practice swim meet."  It is a chance for the coaches to get times on all the swimmers and for the meet officials and other parent volunteers to work out the kinks of running the meet.  All Glenwood Tigers will swim in Time Trials.  Individual Medley (I.M.) and Relay events are not swum in Time Trials.  NOTE:  Please be sure to arrive by 6:45 AM for the annual Team Photo; individual / sibling photos take place immediately thereafter.

A-Meets
A-Meets are swum on Saturday mornings, each one against a different team in our division.  In general, the fastest swimmers in each event will swim in the A-Meet (for related rules see MCSL rules, section 11).  The coaches make the line-up for each Saturday on the preceding Thursday using a list of every swimmer’s times in every event as of that date.  This line-up will change every week due to swimmers’ improvement, absences, and other factors.  The coaches are very careful and deliberate when making this line-up.  Decisions pertaining to it will be completely at their discretion.  The line-up will be posted on the bulletin board at the pool.  Please make sure you regularly check the bulletin board.

A-Meets will begin at 9:00 AM.  However, swimmers will need to arrive earlier to allow time for warm-ups.  Parent Volunteers will also need to arrive earlier to allow time for set up (see “Expectations of Parents” section).  For away meets, we typically rendezvous at Glenwood first to check in, ensure that everyone has a ride, and decorate vehicles.  Arrival times will be announced and posted separately for each meet.   It is very important that everyone be on time. Swimmers who are late may be scratched from the meet.  A-meets will usually be over by 11:30.

B-Meets
B-Meets are swum on Wednesday evenings, typically with teams which are geographically close to Glenwood, rather than teams which are in our division.  For this reason, team scores are not kept in B-Meets.  Our policy is that swimmers who did not swim the previous Saturday, or swam less than two events, can swim on Wednesday.  No swimmer will swim the same event in both meets.  Relays are not swum in B-Meets.  B-Meets will typically begin at 6:00 PM with warm-ups beforehand.  Specific times will be announced and posted separately for each meet.  B-meets will usually conclude between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM, depending on how many swimmers each team has.

For Wednesday meets, the coaches will have a preliminary line-up ready for practice on the preceding Monday.  During practice on Monday or Tuesday swimmers will consult with the coaches regarding what they will or will not swim.  NOTE:  If a swimmer does not attend practice on Monday or Tuesday, he or she will not be included in Wednesday’s meet.  No changes to the line-up will be made on the evening of the meet.  Such changes create more work for meet officials, distract the coaches from coaching, and interrupt the flow of the meet, causing it to run later into the evening.

Illegal Strokes
For younger swimmers or for swimmers new to the sport, it is common to experience difficulties learning certain aspects of the different strokes, especially breaststroke and butterfly.  When these strokes are done incorrectly, they may be illegal.  The difficulty is that one incorrect kick over the length of the whole race can cause a competitor to be disqualified. 

Swimmers will not be allowed to compete in any stroke unless the coaches are confident that he or she can complete that event legally.  The reason for this policy is that it would be unfair to all parties if we were to allow swimmers to compete who may be gaining a competitive advantage as a result of an illegal motion.  Also, “D.Q.s” as we often call them, create more work for meet officials and significantly slow down the meet.  Again, for young swimmers, these difficulties are more the rule than the exception.  In fact, it is only within the past decade that 8 & Under swimmers were included in breaststroke and butterfly events. 

For detailed rules on the legality of the strokes, consult your MCSL handbook section “USA Swimming Rules for Swimming the Strokes.” In addition, you can visit www.usaswimming.org, click on the 'Parents' link, and review the 'Swimming 101' section.  If you are unsure about the status of your swimmers strokes, please ask any of the coaches outside of when practice is session.

Relay Carnival
Composed entirely of relay races, this is often the most fun meet of the season. All six teams in the division are present for this meet. Like an A-Meet, a line-up will be made and posted prior to the meet. Relay Carnival is very loud and confusing, but also very fun. It is especially important that swimmers in this meet be attentive and follow instructions. In 2008, Lake Marion is scheduled to host the Relay Carnival on Sunday, June 29, although this meet may be moved to Glenwood. Final determination will be made by mid-June. Additionally, Glenwood will field a team for a non-division open Long-Course Relay Carnival on June 22 at Lake Marion.

Divisionals
Divisionals is the annual Division Championship Meet.  All six teams in the division are present.  Each team enters only two swimmers in each event.  The Divisionals line-up will be made and posted after the final A-Meet.  In 2008, Regency Estates will host the Division G Championship Meet on Saturday, July 19.

All-Stars and Long Course
These are MCSL-wide meets for the fastest swimmers in the league.  To qualify for the All-Star Relay meet, a relay team must have the fastest time in the division, as determined at the Relay Carnival.  To qualify for the Individual All-Star meet, a swimmer must first achieve an All-Star Nominating Time (see MCSL handbook).  Of the swimmers who achieve an All-Star Nominating Time, the top 16 will be invited to Individual All-Stars and the top 8 will be invited to Long Course.  In the Long Course meet, swimmers race the same number of lengths of the pool, but the pool is twice as long (50 M).  For example, a 9-10 would swim 100 Free.  Glenwood usually sends a handful of swimmers to these meets. They are a good opportunity for everyone to come out and see some excellent swimming.