Blue Dolphin FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions
Main Page
This section of our web site contains a huge amount of very useful information. While we try to convey as much of this as possible in our membership and seasonal information and in answering questions in person or through email, there is just too much "stuff" to cover all the bases. We have collected and organized all of this in depth information into the form of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) so you will have a convenient way to find answers to your questions.
Below is a listing of the topics we cover in this section and a brief description of that page
of FAQs.
Use the links at the top of the page to go to the page you need once you have found it below.
Basics of Competitive Swimming
(or Competitive Swimming 101)
Adapted from the USA Swimming Web Site in 2008, this page contains a brief introductory "tutorial" on some of the items a new swimmer or parent might be interested in learning.
Questions New Swim Parents Should Ask
Your child has told you that he or she wants to join a swim team. How exciting! Now you are wondering what this means for you and your family. This FAQ contains some basic topics you need to be familiar with and some questions you should ask before your child dives in.
The Role of the Parent
Rather than place specific questions and answers on this page, we thought reproducing a series of articles from the USA Swimming web site might be a better way to explain the role of the parent in competitive swimming. Where appropriate, we have placed links that will take you to a more traditional FAQ page about a particular topic and there are also links to the original articles on the USA Swimming web site if you would like to get further information on a topic.
Ten Commandments for Swim Parents
This list of "commandments" is from the USA Swimming web site. We believe it is something that all parents should become familiar with in order to make their athlete's and their own experiences with our team and our sport enjoyable and rewarding.
Glossary of Swimming Terms
We thought this glossary of those strange and wacky words we use in the sport of swimming, first published on the USA Swimming web site, would be fun to have in or FAQ section. You may or may not find these words in the English Dictionary, and if you do, their definitions will probably be radically different than the ones listed in this Glossary. Relax and take your time reading. Soon you'll be understanding and maybe even speaking some "swim slang."
This section ended up so long, we had to split it into two pages - A through M and N through Z!
Dealing with Swimmer's Ear
(Ear Canal Problems)
This FAQ page covers on of the more troublesome aspects of being a competitive swimmer - what is swimmer's ear and how can we prevent or treat it. The information is summarized from WebMD's web site and several of our families have found it to be very helpful in dealing with this issue.
Swim Practices
This FAQ contains some of the more common questions we have heard over the years regarding swim practices. We hope these help you understand when, where and how we practice and why we do some of the things we do in practice.
What to Expect at a Swim Meet
(or Everything You Wanted to Know About Swim Meets but Were Afraid to Ask - Part 1)
Swim meets are a great family experience! They're a place where the whole family can spend time together. It may seem a little overwhelming, but we tried to be as specific and as detailed as we possibly could.
This is the first of three pages of FAQs about swim meets and it deals with the "nuts and bolts" of a swim meet. These pages cover some very in-depth guidelines geared to help you and your swimmer through your first couple of swim meets.
Swim Meet Volunteer Positions
(or Everything You Wanted to Know About Swim Meets but Were Afraid to Ask - Part 2)
This second swim meet FAQ page contains brief summaries of the various volunteer positions that must be filled at all RCSL Swim Meets. Our Online Registration process allows parents to indicate the meets and jobs that they would prefer to work during the dual meet season; similarly, we have Championship volunteer sign-up online later in the season once the League has assigned us our responsibilities. This FAQ attempts to explain just what those jobs are so you can choose the one that best fits what you like to do.
Other Swim Meet Situations & Details
(or Everything You Wanted to Know About Swim Meets but Were Afraid to Ask - Part 3)
This last swim meet FAQ page covers some of the situations that may arise in dealing with how your swimmer performs at a meet and some other miscellaneous items.
If, after reading through these three pages, you still have a question, please ask your swimmer's coach (and we'll probably post your question and our answer on one of these three pages for future parents and swimmers).
Rules for Competitive Swimming FAQs
This FAQ contains some of the more common questions we have heard over the years regarding the rules for competitive swimming. It has been updated to be current with the 2011 rules for swimming the strokes. The leaders of RCSL liked what we posted here so much, they have copied it to their web site (although it may not have been updated for 2011 yet). We hope these help you understand what is required of the swimmers in competing in meets.