Tip of the Day: Just keep Swimming!

The Reading Racers had a great swimming practice on Sunday.

Remember the pool at Cecil Field is open every day if you think your child needs more practice in the pool.

Hours of Operation:
Mon-Thur:  8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday:  8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday:  9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday:  1 to 6 p.m

Admission to the pool area is $1 whether you are there to swim or not.

If you weren't able to make it here are a few things that we went over:

• Once the age group is called, kids will go over in a group to the pool.  Officials will line them up.  Kids will enter the pool every 8 seconds. You will be given a swim cap in your race packet that will designate your division.
• Junior division will swim 4 laps and then exit the pool and Senior division will swim 8 laps then exit the pool.  
• Once kids get to the end of the first lap they will then swim under the lane rope, and then proceed to swim to the other end of the pool in that lane. As you can see from the diagram below, they will enter the pool in the designated lane for their division and them continue to swim lane by lane from left to right until they have reached the last lane where they exit the pool. 

• Kids do not have to stay behind the person in front on them, they can swim around the people in front of them if they are able to go faster.  Just make sure we are not hindering them from swimming by pushing past them or swimming on top of them :)
• Typically staying to one side of the lane is preferable so that other kids can pass if need be.  Try to stay out of the middle of the lane.  However, this is harder for the younger age groups.  
• Don't panic if there becomes a traffic jam in the lane, just do your best to go around or wait if need be.  The biggest area of congestion can be the end where everyone is trying to go under the lane rope.  
• Try your best as you approach the end of a lane to use your last stroke or two to veer toward the lane rope you will be going under and go under the rope in one breath.  Seconds are lost as kids stop at the end, take a big breath and then go under the rope only to stop and catch their breath on the other side to begin down the new lane. 
• IF they can practice going under the rope, then turning into the new lane direction and then catch their breath as they come up to begin with a stroke this can save time during their swimming portion.  There is no penalty for not touching the end of the lane but they need to get close enough as they can.
• If your child will need to take breaks at the end of each lane it might be best to encourage them to hold on to the wall of the new lane once they go under the rope.  SO much congestion will occur at the end of a finished lane but not so much at the wall of the beginning of the new lane.
• The path from the pool to the transition area is grass and gravel and will probably cause your child's feet to get dirty.  A recommendation from Kelley Swain/YMCA was that a bucket of water - or extra bottle of water -  might be good at transition to have the kids dunk their feet in and then dry off quickly on the towel laid out.
• The pool at JU is an outdoor pool