General Swim Team Questions

1. Who can answer my questions about the swim team? 

Hopefully, most of your questions can be answered on this website.  If not, please contact Coach Bill Sepich.

Practices

2. How often and when is practice? 

On each day of the week, there are practices for at least one of the training groups.  See the Practice Schedule page for the exact times and locations for specific training groups.

3. Should I stay and watch a swim practice?

You're welcome to stay and watch in the parents' area.  Practices are when the coaches spend valuable one on one time with the swimmers.  Questions for the coaches should be addressed before or after practice, or by phone or e-mail.

4. What happens if we have a conflict and my child is not able to attend practice? 

Please contact the Coaches in a timely fashion, if possible.

Meets

5a. What kind of meets are there?

There are typically four or five dual meets as a member of the South Jersey Swim League.  Generally, the meets are similar in length and format to the Tri-County and Suburban summer meets.  Normally, there are one or two meets in November before Thanksgiving, one in December, and two or three in January.  The league championships are held in Vineland in the beginning of February.  In addition, there a number of invitational and USA Swimming meets in which the Hurricanes participate:

1. Before Thanksgiving, there may be one or two invitational meets and one or two mini meets

2. Capital Classic in early December in Raleigh, NC (for older kids, very fast qualifying times)

3. NJ States right before Christmas at GCIT (all swimmers, young and old)

4. Winterfest at University of Maryland in early January (all ages if you can achieve qualifying times; sleepover)

5. Elite Meet at GCIT in late January (USA event for all ages if you can meet qualifying times)

6. 8&Under YMCA Championships (first weekend of February in Ocean County)

7. YMCA Silvers (qualifying times are slightly easier than States but still challenging and it gives you another shot to qualify for States)

8. YMCA States (compete against all YMCA teams in NJ)

9. YMCA Nationals in Ft. Lauderdale (if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere).

5b. What's the South Jersey YMCA Swim League (SJSL)?

        Camden County Crocodiles
        Gloucester County Rip Tides
        Salem County
        Vineland Seals

The SJSL and Middle Atlantic Swimming Organizations use an age group structure for competition. The age groups are: 8 & under, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14 and 15-18. The SJSL uses a cut off date for determining age at meets. The current cut off date is December 1st. In Mid-Atlantic / USA Swimming, age is determined by the swimmer's age at the start of each meet.
 

6. When are the meets?

Dual meets are on Saturdays.  For home meets, warm-ups begin at noon, with the meet starting at 1:00 pm.  Some away meets have 9:00 am start times, which makes for an early wake-up call, especially for meets at the shore.

7. Where can I find directions to the swim club we are visiting?

Directions to the swim clubs for away meets are posted on the swim team website.

8. How is it determined what swimmers will be on a relay?

The coaches makes this decision. There are a variety of factors involved.

9. How is the winner of a dual meet determined?

The fastest swimmers in each event earn points for their team using the following scale:

Individual events: 1st = 5 points, 2nd = 3 points, 3rd = 1 point

Relay events: 1st = 7 points, 2nd = 0 points

10. Does my child have to participate in every meet? What happens if my child has a conflict for a meet?

While consistent participation is expected, it is a long season and conflicts do happen.  Please let the coaches know as soon as possible if your swimmer will not be able to attend a meet.

11. How are the results of the meet posted?

There are no league websites similar to the Suburban or Tri-County leagues but team results will be posted in a timely manner on this website.

12. How can I best help the team?

Support your child by bringing them to practice, preparing them for the meet and cheering for them and the team at the meets.

Volunteer to help out at a swim meet or with other swim team duties. It's an all volunteer effort and there is always something more that can be done.

Coaches, Parents, Kids

13. Who are the coaches?

Bill Sepich is the Head Coach of the Burlington County YMCA Hurricanes.  Wendy Kobiela is the Assistant Head Coach along with Assistant Coaches Brendan Donnelley, Kristy Fischer, and Seumas Quinn. 

14. How can I best help the coach help my child?

Bring them to practices regularly, prepared and on time. Be supportive and let them enjoy the sport.  Let the coaches do the coaching.

15. How do I let a coach know when we can't attend practice? or be at a meet?

Please let the coaches know as soon as possible. It's helpful to put it in writing (e-mail) since the coaches are trying to coordinate all of the swimmers on the team and a verbal notice is more likely to be forgotten.

16. What if I have an important message to tell the coach during a swim meet?

Wait until the coach is not busy and then briefly tell them your message. The coaching staff is focused on supporting the swimmers during the meet so please leave them free to do that as much as possible.