SWIMMING 101

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FALL 2026

USA SWIMMING STRUCTURE

National (www.usaswimming.org)

• One of 2,800 clubs part of USA Swimming,

that include 400,000 members

• Age group through US Olympic Team

Zone

- 4 zones: Eastern, Western, Central*, Southern

LSC (www.ilswim.org)

• “Local Swim Committee”
• Illinois Swimming
• Approximately 20,000 swimmers (largest in USA)

Hinsdale Swim Club (www.thehinsdaleswimclub.com)

HINSDALE SWIM CLUB STRUCTURE

• Approximately 350 swimmers in 15 Practice Groups
• 501(c)3 organization (w/sponsorship opportunities)
• Parent Board and Administration Team – primarily

“dry” side

• Head Coach: Scott Erdman – primarily “wet” side

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• Lead Coaches:

10 & Unders

• Bronze/Silver/Gold: Char Mahar
• Platinum: Chuck Genoar

11&12s

• Squad 1: Shane Fergus
• Squad 2: CJ Van Wormer
• Squad 3: Brogan O’Doherty

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• Assistant Coaches
• Junior Coaches
• And, just as important . . .

13 & Olders

• Senior 2 Danny Tucker
• Senior 1 Select A: Scott Erdman
• Senior 1 Select B: Shane Fergus
• Senior 1 Advanced A:CJ Van Wormer
• Senior 1 Advanced B:Brogan O’Doherty
• Senior 1 Elite B: Mirko Mirkov
• Senior 1 Elite A: Eugene Spivak

VOLUNTEERING WITH HSC

Volunteers (aka Parents!)

• Most jobs are done by parent volunteers
• Volunteers are the engine that drive every aspect of USA Swimming
• Includes all Meet Officials – stroke/turn judge, administrative official, starter, meet referee
• Most volunteer needs are at meets. Hosted Meets include:
• Fall Kick Off meet (September 27, 2026)
• 2026 Speedo Classic (November 20-22, 2026)
• 2027 Distance Meet (January 3, 2027)
• 2027 Winter Regional Champs (February 26-28, 2027)
• Spring Kick Off meet (April 25, 2027 - tentative)
• Mid-Summer Classic (June 11-13, 2027)
• We also have non-meet jobs (e.g., 4^th of July parade coordination)

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We need ALL parents to volunteer!

HSC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

HSC Member Handbook – on the website

• Mission statement, coaching philosophy
• Practice Group Standards and Requirements (team suit)
• Financial responsibilities
• Volunteering
• Discipline
• Pool deck access
• Filming/photography
• Meet guidelines
• 4 important appendices: Bullying, electronic communication, team travel, USA Swimming Code of Conduct

SAFE SPORT

• HSC and USA Swimming are committed to the safety and well-being of all of our members, with the welfare of the athletes as the top priority
• This includes obvious physical safety (e.g., no diving in the shallow end of the pool), as well as more complex issues such as sexual abuse
• Full page on our website dedicated to Safe Sport
• Effective October 16, 2024: Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP)
• Free safe sport online classes available for both parents and athletes (recommended ages 12-17)

SWIMMING TERMS

Complete list can be found on our website

Examples:

• Short course season (Sept-Feb) vs Long course season (April-July) – Naming is based on the competition course length (short course yards, SCY – 25 yards vs. long course meters, LCM – 50 meters)
• Positive Check In
• Heat sheet
• Event / Heat / Lane
• Psych Sheet
• NT (No Time)
• DQ (Disqualified)
• False start
• Scratch
• IM (Individual Medley)

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OTHER GENERAL SWIMMING INFO

Age group swimmers (14 and younger) vs Senior swimmers (15 and over)

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Qualifying time standards (on our website, make sure you are looking at the correct information!)

• Age group vs Senior
• Short course (SCY) vs long course (LCM)
• Girls vs Boys

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Progression of Championship meets:

Motivational times (e.g., Indy meet requires at least a BB cut) -> Regionals -> Championships (aka State) -> Zones/Sectionals -> NCSA -> Junior Nationals -> Senior Nationals -> Olympic qualifying

HSC ITEMS - GENERAL

Navigating the HSC website

• Team Info tab has a tremendous amount of information

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Calendar – check every day, especially for location

• Link our Google practice group calendar to your personal calendar
• Also add Events calendar (includes Meet Commitment deadlines, social events, meets, small fundraisers, etc)
• Add and verify a cell phone (SMS number) on your account to receive last minute texts
• Verify the email in your account; You can add multiple emails
• Note dates of big meets, especially for Gold group and up - and note which meets are for which practice groups

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Equipment – bring all items every day (be sure it has athlete’s name)

Dryland – bring/wear workout clothes; WUTS

New Member Liaisons – email questions to Betsy Bruns (betsybruns@yahoo.com) or Morgan Wind (coachmwind@gmail.com)

HSC on social media: Facebook and Instagram

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SIGNING UP FOR MEETS

• The overall meet schedule (document on website) has suggested attendance by practice group; this will help you to know what meets to sign up for

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• Some meets have qualifying standards – look at each meet page

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• Read the Meet Packet (an uploaded file for each meet) and event page for important info (e.g., location of meet, what session your swimmer is in, what time to arrive for warm ups, where your swimmers will be “staged”, etc.)

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• HSC meet registration deadline is usually 1 week prior to entry deadline
• Make sure to say Yes or No to meet commitment
• Process: Entries are posted and emailed, you review, let coaches know ASAP of any issues
• Once the entry deadline has passed it is VERY DIFFICULT for us to add swimmers/events

SIGNING UP FOR MEETS (CONT.)

• Commit by Session vs Commit by Event (usually only for championship meets)
• When you Commit, you can put a note that swimmer is available only 1 day of the meet
• Once entries have been sent to the host team, you are responsible for meet fees even if you scratch your swimmer last minute
• “Notes area” of meet page has important information and updates
• Relays at meets – don’t leave until swimmer has confirmed their participation in a relay
• Live streaming
• Meet Mobile app
• SE Motion app

SIGNING UP FOR VOLUNTEER JOBS

• One of the more complicated aspects of HSC!
• All done via our website
• We will open the signups in late September

*** Exception - 9/27 Fall Kick-Off signups start soon

• Modules for each meet and non-meet jobs
• Look at meet packets to determine which sessions your swimmer is in, so you can volunteer at the same time
• We have a volunteer whose entire job is to track volunteer points! Please understand and sign up for your required number of points
• Detailed information is on our website under TeamInfo-> Volunteering
• If you have not paid it, the $150 Volunteer Deposit (per family) will be charged against accounts on October 1^st (new families)

SIGNING UP FOR VOLUNTEER JOBS (CONT.)

The 2026-27 season’s mandatory commitment per family is tentatively as follows:

** Each family must earn 4 points (and one of those points must be at the summer meet). Fines are imposed for missed shifts

Exception: Bronze-only families must earn 2 points; Then, if a Bronze swimmer signs up for long course, an additional point is owed

Exception: Any family with a parent who is an active USA Swimming Official needs to earn zero HSC Volunteer points

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Volunteering at meets hosted by other teams does not count towards your required points unless specifically communicated.

** We need your presence and volunteering much more than your money from being fined for not fulfilling your shifts. **

HSC BILLING

• Typically, charges are invoiced throughout the month and processed against your stored credit card or as an ACH transaction from your bank account on the 1st of the following month
• The only time HSC accepts checks is at registration (including 2nd and 3rd installments, if you chose that plan)
• You have access to see all invoices and payments in your account; Click on “Simulate Billing”
• Meet fees are non-refundable after commitment deadline
• Host clubs set the facility fee and per event charges
• Bronze, Silver, Gold practice groups have registered just through February

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Questions?

Zelle: thehscboard@gmail.com

Venmo: @hscfood (add 50 cents)

TShirts & Pants: $10

¼ Zips: $20

Sweatshirts: $25

Limit of 3 items