Vestavia Swim and Dive Association

2023 VSA Swim Season

Welcome to the Vestavia Swim and Dive Association (VSA)! Vestavia Swim and Dive Association is a summer swim and dive program in Vestavia Hills, AL.  Children ages 5-18 are eligible to participate in the summer swim and dive program if able to swim 25 yards independently. The Vestavia Swim and Dive Association is run by a volunteer board and a part of the Vestavia Parks and Recreation. If you are interested in being a part of the board, please contact vestaviaswim@gmail.com

Registration Opens:
April 1,2023 – June 15, 2023

Cost
Price for Swim: $200 (parents will pay a fee per swimmer to swimmingly when signing up for summer 2023 so the cost has been adjusted. The swimmingly fee does not apply to guppy parents since they do not swim in dual meets)

Price for Dive: $200 (This includes required AAU membership)

Price for Swimmer and Diver: $350

Sibling Discount: $20 off per sibling

Communication:

We communicate through email and the Remind App.  If your child is registered with VSA, then you should automatically receive emails from us.  

VSA Swim email address is vestaviaswim@gmail.com    

In order to receive texts, please subscribe to the Remind App for swim and activate it by sending a text to 81010 and type this message:

For last names ending in A-M, type @vsa2023a

For last names ending in N-Z, type @vsa2023n

VSA Dive email address is vestaviadive@gmail.com

For texts for dive team, please type @vestaviad to 81010 to receive remind texts from the dive team.

This will be used when info needs to get out quickly, like a canceled practice, and also for reminders.

Please check the remind app and the VSA website FAQ’s before sending emails. The answer is often out there, but if not, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Our website is:

https://vsa.teampages.com/teams/780352-Vestavia-Swim-Association-swimming-team-website

Swim Evaluations

Swim Evaluations: Saturday, May 20, 2023 and Sunday, May 21, 2023 from 3-5pm at the Vestavia Aquatic Complex. 

The swim evaluations are used to ensure that your child is placed in the correct swim level to provide them with the best instruction. The swim levels are below:

– Guppies: New to swimming; able to swim 25 yards, but does not know strokes
– Turtles: Beginner swimmers; able to swim 25 yards easily but only knows 1-2 strokes
– Dolphins: Intermediate swimmers; swim easily for a longer distance, knows 3-4 strokes, working on technique and improving speed
– Sharks: Advanced swimmers; know all strokes, able to swim long distances with ease and has participated in swim team for multiple summers

Swim Practice Groups and Times

Daily Swim Team Practice Schedule (depending on child’s evaluation):

Monday – Friday

– Guppy A: 7:30-8:00am
– Guppy B: 8:00-8:30am
– Turtles:
 7:30-8:30am
– Dolphins: 8:30-9:30am
– Sharks: 9:15-10:30am
– Diving: 7:30-9:30am

Daily Dive Practice Schedule (you may select the option that best fits schedule)

Practices will be held at the Aquatic Complex diving well Monday through Friday, May 31-July 29, 2022 at either 7:30-8:30am OR 8:30-9:30am. (You may select your preferred time.)

For safety reasons, it is very important that parents are not on the pool deck during practice. Parents may sit in any of the chairs by the wading pool or in the concession area (please note, no coffee or other drinks/snacks besides water are allowed anywhere in the pool area). The hill outside the gate that sits up behind the practice pool also has a great view.

We have a team suit that is available at Homewood Sporting Goods, but a team suit is not required.   

 Swim & Dive Meet Info

****Your child must be registered with Swimmingly in order to swim in meets (please note, this does not apply to guppies)**** 

Swimmingly is the meet management system that the Jefferson Shelby Swim Council utilizes to run the meet and to track information. You will need to download the Swimmingly app and then register your child. Or click on the link below:

https://clubhouse.swimmingly.app/clubs/register/269317f3-3afc-11eb-83f7-c2b3e1fb23ce

 *Swimmer’s number– Once registered with Swimmingly, your swimmer will have a three digit number that will remain the same each year as long as they don’t change their Swimmingly account. Please use a Sharpie and write this number vertically on your child’s arm, starting at the shoulder.  Many swimmers wait until they arrive at the meet and have the coaches help them write it. 

*Home meets will be at the Vestavia Pool and will start at 6:00 pm.  Swimmers will need to be at the pool by 5:00pm for warmups

*Heet Sheets may or may not be available in time for meets.  We will email the heet sheet out as soon as it is ready, which will usually be late afternoon.  If it’s late afternoon and you haven’t received an email, we haven’t forgotten, we just don’t have it. 😉  Heet sheets can also be found on the Swimmingly app.  

*Guppies do not swim in dual meets.  This is a practice that VSA has had for years, and is not meant to penalize Guppies, but is logistical due to our team size.  But *Guppies don’t have to stay Guppies* the whole season, and can move up to Turtles as soon as they are ready.  We will have at least one Guppie Meet this season, and there is usually another team that hosts one as well.

Dive Meets are not on swim meet nights. They are typically Wednesday or Thursday nights throughout the summer. The schedule will be determined prior to the start of the swim season. 

 

*****Volunteers*****

Volunteers are an integral part of VSA.  Our program is run completely by a volunteer board, who works continuously from early spring til the end of August, to ensure that our kids have a great experience. 

The one area where we require help from parents is for the home swim meets.  We cannot hold a successful meet without your help!  Each swimmer is expected to have a parent volunteer at each home meet at one of the jobs listed below:

Timers – easy peasy job- simply download an app and then use your phone.  The clock will automatically start and all you have to do is hit the ‘stop’ button when the swimmer touches the wall.  That’s it! (We usually need at least 10 timers including a head timer and relief timer.)

Runner- this is another easy one.  The runner picks up the paper slips from the timers after each event and takes them to the computer table. We just need one runner per meet.

Clerk of Course- this job is a little busier, but again, not hard.  The clerk of course will have a heet sheet and help the swimmers get in the right order so that they are ready to line up behind the blocks.  The younger kids usually need the most help, but that lessens for older kids.  The teenagers won’t even use the clerk of course. Having 2 Clerk of Course per meet is ideal.

Computer Scorer- Again, not difficult, but this person will need to be shown how to do it.  The computer scorer sits at the computer table and inputs the heet results as they come in. The final results will not show up on Swimmingly until everything has been put into the computer.  We did not have someone in this position last year which is why the results were not ‘live’ on the app.

Announcer- this person will call the events that need to report to the clerk of course.  No training needed, just be comfortable using a microphone.

Official- this is a job that requires training.  The training is not difficult, and you can take an online course, or attend an in person training (one 2 hour meeting) that is offered at many places throughout Birmingham. If there is ever a fee for training, VSA will cover that expense.  We currently have 2 board members that are trained officials, but we really need at least one more to ensure that we will have at least one per home meet.  The official runs the meet…

Stroke and Turn Judge- this job requires specific training, but may be completed online or in person. The stroke and turn judge ensure that the swimmer is using the correct form for the stroke and following protocol for turns without touching the lane divider or walking on the bottom of the pool.

Without these positions being filled, we are unable to run a swim meet. As the largest swim club in the JSSC, there are enough parents to fill this position. This year there will be a $25 fee charged to each family who does not assist with home swim meets.

Senior County:

Senior County is a meet at the Crossplex that is held at the end of the season. This meet is open to any JSSC swimmer that participated in summer swim and has a qualifying time.  The time standards for the Summer 2023 season can be found at https://www.teamunify.com/Home.jsp?_tabid_=0&team=recjcjsscal under league info.

Qualifying times are listed under 2022 JSSC Time Standards SCY and SCM Combined, and it is up to the parent to know if their child has a qualifying time, and then register their child when we send out the form.  This can be a bit confusing, and so please reach out with any questions, especially as Senior County gets closer.  We don’t want any swimmer to miss out on this meet if they are qualified to swim!

Interpreting the time standards:

The SRCO column is the one that has the times that you want to look at. If your child has that time, or a faster time, in that event, then he/she qualifies for that event.

JSSC Banquet:

The JSSC End of the Season Banquet is for those swimmers that have achieved the criteria listed below.  The criteria is very stringent and only a handful of swimmers will make the cut. The time standards found in the form above correlate to the awards criteria. If your child qualifies, you will receive an invitation to the banquet from the JSSC.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Are kids expected to be at practice every day?

The great thing about summer swim is the recognition that every week is different and that there are camps, vacations, and other commitments that may occur. It is up to each family to make swim team what they want it to be.

Do I need to notify the coaches if we are missing a week?

The coach(es) understand that summer is a busy time and that many families are traveling throughout. There is no need to contact coaches if you will miss.

When are the swim meets?

Typically, the swim meets are on Tuesday evenings at pools across the Birmingham area. The dates of the meets are determined approximately two weeks to the start of the swim season by the Jefferson Shelby Swim Council (JSSC).

How are swimmer levels determined?

Swimmer levels are determined by swim coaches. The coaches evaluate each swimmer’s ability to swim, knowledge of strokes, technique, and previous experience at swim when making a decision.

What is the parent commitment to summer swim?

VSA summer swim needs as much help as you can give to run smoothly. The board asks that parents volunteer at least at one home meet as a timer, place judge, or turn/stroke judge. Emails will be sent out asking for volunteers when VHAC hosts a swim meet.

What is JSSC and the Senior County meet?

The Jefferson Shelby Swim Council is a board of volunteers (typically parents) who oversee the summer swim program in the Jefferson and Shelby County areas. The JSSC provides the time cuts and sponsors the Senior County meet at the Crossplex at the end of July. Those students who qualify are able to swim in the Senior County meet. The JSSC time standards are provided on the VSA Swim and Dive website.

 What about working parents and the swim times?

VSA is bound by the times in the morning available to the swim team by the Vestavia Hills Aquatic Complex. The board recognizes that this is not always conducive to working parents but do their best to provide options wherever possible.

 

2023-JSSC-Schedule

JSSC 2023 Time Standards[80] copy

JCDC 2023 Meet Schedule