Welcome Parents!!! 

During the season (August-October), the participation of South Jones families is essential to the success of the Braves Swim Team. Parent involvement is a great way to support your children and their participation in the athletic program. Please read ALL of the information below we have taken the time to provide in preparation for the upcoming season. 

General Information

• All swimmers should turn in their physical forms before the first scheduled swim practice.

• All practices are held in the Natatorium of the City of Laurel Susan B. Vincent Sportsplex at 4978 US-84, Laurel, MS 39443.

• The total cost of participating in the program is $430. See fee breakdown section below.

• Questions can be directed to info@sjhswim.com.

Fee Breakdown

• $60 USA Swimming - Due June 2nd (Paid when registering your athlete on the USA Swimming Website)

• $200 paid to SJH Swim Booster Club - Due May 30th: Swim Suit, Cap & Snacks/Drinks provided to athletes during a swim meet

• $70 paid to Laurel Natatorium - Due June 2nd: Summer Program Coaching Fee

*Coach Brian is unable to coach during summer months per MHSAA Rules                       

• $100 paid to Laurel Natatorium- Due June 2nd: Summer Program Pool Fee

*If you have 2 children you will only pay a $100 pool fee for both during the summer

USA Swimming

https://omr.usaswimming.org/omr/welcome/5094A0DC1C7740

• Use the above link to register for the USA Swimming website. Once logged in you will register your child for an $60 fee. This fee is seperate from both the $170 summer program fee and the $200 fee for the regular season. 

Natatorium Registration

https://www.cognitoforms.com/LaurelSwimAssociation/_2025NatatoriumRegistration 

• Use the above link to register for the Laurel Natatorium use. 

Additional Equipment Requirements

• All swimmers should obtain swim goggles. Goggles are NOT provided to allow swimmers their preferred size and branding. These can be purchased online or in brick and mortar stores Academy or Dick's.

Helpful Parent Equipment

• Sharpie - Athletes normally write their swim events on their arm to help them remember and be present for their individual race.

• Highlighter - Parents often use a highlighter to mark their teams/childs race to keep up with and more importantly not miss a race.

Mandantory Summer Program

• Sign up and payments made at the Laurel Natatorium. See Coach Warren.

• Athletes are to check in a total of 24 times before regular school practices. 

• Available times to fullfill these requirements are Monday - Friday (9:00 - 10:15 AM) beginning June 2nd running to July 25th. *Check the SWIM MEETS page calendar for excluded Holidays

Volunteer Requirements

• The South Jones Swim Team relies on a strong support system of parent volunteers.

• Your role as a volunteer is vital to the team and will have a large impact on your child's athletic environment.

• All South Jones Swim Team families are required to volunteer. Sign up sheets will be available before the first swim meet of the season.

• Each team at a swim meet are assigned a lane or two for timing responsibility. All meets rely on these volunteers. Each student athlete is expected to provide a volunteer to time in at least 1 meet per season.  

• Please do not ask to leave the meet after your child's last race if you have not finished volunteering the entire session.

• It is vitally important that everyone show up on time and follow through with all volunteer commitments. 

• A volunteer position may be fulfilled by any member of the family or even a family friend. Some positions may have a minimum age requirement and/or training requirements. 

Strokes

• Freestyle: The competitor may swim any stroke. The stroke most used is sometimes called the crawl, which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the surface of the water surface and an alternating  up and down flutter kick.

• Backstroke: Consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns, swimmers may rotate to the stomach and perform a flip turn and some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. The swimmer must finish on the back. 

• Breaststroke: Requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pressed out from in front of the breast in a heart shaped pattern and recovered under or on the surface of the water. The kick is simultaneous somewhat circular motion like the action of a frog. On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously.

• Butterfly: It features a simultaneous recovery of the arms over the water combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must keep both legs together and may not flutter, scissors or use the breaststroke kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously on the turns and the finish. 

• Individual Medley (IM): Features all 4 strokes. In the IM, the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes after the one-fourth of the race to backstroke, the breaststroke and finally freestyle. 

How to Read a Heat Sheet

Swimming Terms

• Block—The starting platform.

• Bulkhead—A moveable wall, to divide a pool into different courses, such as a 50-meter pool into two 25-yard courses.

• Cut—Slang term for a qualifying time.  A time standard necessary to attend a particular meet or event.

• DQ—Disqualification.  This occurs when a swimmer has committed an infraction of some kind (ex. Freestyle kick in butterfly).  A disqualified swimmer is not eligible to receive awards, nor can the time be used as an official time.

• False Start—Occurs when a swimmer is moving before the start is sounded.  In USA Swimming, one false start will result in disqualification.

• Final—The championship heat of an event in which the top swimmers from the preliminaries compete.

• Official—A judge on the deck of the pool at a sanctioned competition who enforces USA Swimming rules. There are stroke and turn judges, administrative officials, starters, timers and referees.

• Prelims—Short for preliminaries.  Also called Heats or Trials.  Those races in which swimmers qualify for the championship, consolation finals or semi-finals.

• Q-Time—Qualifying time necessary to compete in a particular event and/or competition. 

• Relay—An event in which four swimmers compete together as a team to achieve one time.

• Scratch—To withdraw from an event prior to it being held in a competition.

• Split—A time recorded from the official start to the completion of an intermediate distance within a longer event.  Also the time for one of the four individuals in a relay.

• Touch Pad—A large touch sensitive board at the end of each lane where a swimmer’s finish is registered and sent electronically to the timing system.

• USA Swimming—The national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States.

• Warm Down—Low intensity swimming used by swimmers after a race or main practice set to rid the body of excess lactic acid and to gradually reduce heart rate and respiration.

• Warm Up—Low intensity swimming used by swimmers prior to a main practice set or race to get muscles loose and warm.  Warm up gradually increases heart rate, respiration and helps to prevent injury.

Rules

The technical rules of swimming are designed to provide fair and equitable conditions of competition and to promote uniformity in the sport. Each swimming stroke has specific rules designed to ensure that no swimmer gets an unfair competitive advantage over another swimmer.

Trained officials observe the swimmers during each event to ensure compliance with these technical rules. If a swimmer commits an infraction of the rules that is observed by an officIal, a disqualification (DQ) will result. This means that the swimmer will not receive an official time and will not be eligible for an award in that event. A disqualification may result from actions such as not getting to the starting blocks on time, false starting, performing strokes in an illegal manner, or unsportsman­like conduct. 

DQs are also a result of technical rules violations. They include but are not limited to: 

• Freestyle: Walking on the bottom, pulling on the lane rope, not touching the wall on a turn, or not completing the distance.

• Backstroke: Pulling or kicking into the wall once a swimmer has turned passed the vertical onto the breast. Turning onto the breast before touching the wall with the hand at the finish of the race.

• Breaststroke: An illegal kick such as flutter (freestyle), dolphin (butterfly), or scissors (side stroke); not on the breast; alternating movements of the arms; taking two arm strokes or two leg kicks while the head is under water; touching with only one hand at the turns or finish. 

• Butterfly: Alternating movements of the arms or legs; pushing the arms forward under instead of over the water surface (underwater recovery); a breaststroke style of kick; touching with only one hand at the turns or finish.

For specific language on any technical rules consult the USA Swimming Rules and Regulations book. Violations of the rules are reported to the Referee. The rules require that every reasonable effort be made to notify the swimmer or his coach of the reason for the disqualification. If your child is disqualified in an event, be supportive rather than critical. For beginning swimmers, a disqualification should be treated as a learning experience, not as a punishment. A disqualification alerts the swimmer and coach to what portions of the swimmer's stroke need to be corrected. Disqualifications are necessary to keep the competition fair and equitable for all competitors. A supportive attitude on the part of the official, coach and parent can make a positive situation out of the disqualification.