Heritage Greens Gators

WELCOME! We are so happy you’ve joined the Gators!

The Heritage Greens Gators are a member of the Rocky Mountain Swim League (RMSL), which is a summer swim league operating in the southern Denver metropolitan area. The league currently has four divisions of three to six teams each. Each team has five dual meets per season, and then the league conducts prelims and finals. The league trains officials and coaches, and acts as an organizer, unifier, and authority on any issues that may arise between teams. However, besides the coaches, almost everyone else you'll see working during a swim meet (timers, stroke judges, parent reps, scoring table, announcers, etc.) are all volunteers.

The Gators thrive because of dedicated parents who have put time, effort and energy into running a successful program. We cannot survive without parent volunteers! Due to our amazing parent volunteers and coaches (past, present and future), our program has been thriving for decades. We have earned the respect of the league and other swim teams have often commented on how well-run our meets are, how clean and nice the pool and facilities are and, most importantly, the wonderful sportsmanship displayed by our athletes.

Through the years, our quality coaching and volunteers have also allowed us to accomplish many things. There have been many Gators that hold pool records, league records and have gone on to swim at colleges. We are even fortunate enough to have been the home of 6-time Olympic medalist Missy Franklin! However, whether one of our swimmers holds records or not, Gators truly care the most about personal bests! We are so proud of everyone that participates with a great attitude and gives their all!

New to Swimming?

Don’t panic, we have all been there! If you feel overwhelmed, please remember you are not alone! Our Coaches, Parent Reps and other swim families in the neighborhood are all happy to help! Additionally, you will find a great deal of information here, to help you navigate the swim season.

1. HOW THE GATORS OPERATE

Volunteers:

The Gators require every family to complete a certain number of volunteer hours or pay a fee to opt out of volunteering for the season. The number of hours is determined by the number of families and volunteer needs to run meets, social events, fundraisers, etc. Typically, the minimum volunteer requirement for each family is between 10-12 hours a season. THE TEAM CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS! If you have a problem, question, or concern regarding your volunteer commitment, please contact the parent reps or volunteer coordinator.

Fundraising:

The Heritage Greens Gators run entirely on swimmer fees, concession profits, fundraising proceeds, and donations. The coaches are the only paid employees of the team, and all of the swimmer registration fees, plus some, go to our coaches’ salaries. In addition, the team pays for t-shirts, treats for swimmers, team parties, ribbons, trophies, league insurance/fees, and prelim meet entry fees. We also buy all our own supplies and equipment, such as team tents, dolphin timers, etc. The team hosts fundraisers throughout the year to help meet all these financial needs. These are neighborhood-wide events that are held annually and are a lot of fun! Additionally, the team greatly appreciates your support!

Coaches:

Our coaching staff is hired in the off season and consists of a head coach, age group lead coaches and assistant coaches. They are mostly high school students. Most have swimming experience and a good knowledge base, but it is NOT a requirement. We look for reliable, fun, hard working kids that can make a positive impact on our swimmers! They are also required to take training courses and must be CPR certified.

Parent Reps and Team Leads:

• The Parent Reps are a group of parent volunteers who run the team on a day-to-day basis. They are all unpaid and put in long hours on behalf of the team. There are at least two parent reps that serve a minimum of 2-years; typically shadowing the first year and then leading the second. They hire the coaches, negotiate pool usage for practices, meets and social events with the HOA, they organize our swim meets, and so on. 
• The Team Leads are selected to help the Parent Reps with the team operations. They are parents that have volunteered to take the lead on a certain area of the swim team. Other volunteers will be assigned to help with the tasks in all categories, but the Leads are the ones that organize, arrange, and ensure the success of their given division. The Gators exist for the swimmers, but it is the parents and guardians who keep things running. These Team Leads are absolutely essential!

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN BECOMING MORE INVOLVED, WE ALWAYS NEED THE HELP! Please contact one of our Parent Reps at [email protected].

2. UNDERSTANDING BASIC SWIM TERMS:

• Starting Blocks– These are stationary platforms where the race begins.
• Starts– When the beep goes off, swimmers jump out as far as they can in a streamlined position to start their race.
• Backstroke Starts– Starts for backstroke begin in the water, with the swimmer holding onto the wall or handles on the bottom side of the starting blocks. Toes must be underwater.
• Event– What is being swam. This is for meets and it describes the race. There is a number and name. Ex. #18 Girls 25 Yard Freestyle.
• Heat– There will be a lot of swimmers swimming a certain event so there are different heats of the same event. You may have event #10, heat 3, lane 1. Which means your swimmer is in the 10th event and goes with the third set of swimmers (also known as a heat), and they are in lane 1.
• Lane – Denotes what lane your swimmer is racing in.
• Relay– Swam with 4 swimmers. One swimmer will swim at a time, and when that swimmer touches the wall, the next swimmer will dive in and start swimming their leg of the race. So on and so forth, until all 4 swimmers have swam.
• Freestyle Relay – All swimmers on the relay team will swim freestyle Medley Relay – Each of the 4 swimmers on the relay team will swim a different stroke, which will be assigned to them by their coach prior to the race. The relay order is: Back, Breast, Fly, Free.
• IM – Individual Medley – is a race where a single swimmer will swim EACH of the strokes in the following order: Fly, Back, Breast, Free. (Ex. 100 IM is a 25-yard swim of Butterfly, 25-yard swim of Backstroke, 25-yard swim of Breaststroke, and a 25-yard swim of Freestyle, in that order.)
• Scratch -
• DQ -

3. GENERAL SWIM SEASON INFORMATION

The Gator season is roughly 8 weeks long. The season is composed of practices held 5 days a week and 5 regular season swim meets, held on Saturdays. Then, at the end of the season, there is a special weekday meet for each age group, called "Prelims." At prelims, if a swimmer or relay team finishes within the top 16 fastest times, they qualify to go to "Finals," which is held on the last Saturday of the season. Additionally, two alternates (those who places 17th & 18th at Prelims) will also go to finals, in case one of the top 16 qualifiers scratch prior to their race. Following finals, our team will have an Awards Banquet to recognize all of our swimmers and to allow everyone to gather one last time for the season. 

The MOST IMPORTANT thing about being a GATOR is to have fun! We are so excited you are part of the team!