Swim Team
2011 Richland Gators Swim Team
The Richland Gators Swim Team is an excellent way for your children to improve their swimming, have fun and meet other children of members of Richland Country Club. It is an excellent way to get to know other Richland members too. In addition to practices and meets, there are social events for members of the team.
Richland is excited to welcome back coach Dona McIlvain (Coach Mac) for her second season. After swimming competitively and collegiately, Coach Mac began coaching age group swimming in Barrington, Illinois, for the Barrington Swim Club. She has also served as head swim coach for the Temecula Swim Club in California and also coached for the Nashville Aquatic Club. Coach Mac works full time as a Literacy Specialist at Edmondson Elementary School and is also an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University. A native of Winter Park, Florida, she received her bachelor’s degree from Furman University and her master’s degree from Chapman University. She enjoys spending her free time with her family—husband Andy, daughters Ashley and Lindsay, and son Drew.
Swim Team Schedule:
May 31 - First day of practice
June 7 – Green and White Meet at RCC – 10 and under swimmers only
June 9 – 10 and Under social event at the Pool
June 9 - 7pm – Stroke and Turn Clinic at Richland in the Hancock Room
June 14 – Richland and Wildwood
June 21 – Richland at Whitworth
June 28 – West Meade at Richland
July 5 – BYE
July 12 – Belle Meade at Richland
July 19 – BYE
July 23 – City Meet for 10 and Under Swimmers
July 24 – City Meet for 11 and Older Swimmers
July 25 – Richland Banquet in the Richland Ballroom
FAQs about the Richland Gators
Q: Who can participate on the swim team?
A: Any Richland member who is 18 or younger may be on the swim team if they are able to swim the length of the pool unassisted with minimal stopping.
Q: If my child is unable to swim the length of the pool, how can I help them so that they may be a part of the team?
A: During the summer, the swim coaches will teach private lessons at the Richland pool. You can schedule those lessons directly with the coaches once the pool opens. Coach’s information will be posted at the pool on the swim team bulletin board. Swim lessons are offered throughout the winter and spring at various locations in Nashville and Brentwood. NAC offers a Swim American program, Excel has a swim school, and all of the area YMCA’s offer both group and private lessons. Richland Gators Assistant Coach Shantel Perry teaches lessons at the YMCA at Maryland Farms during the school year. If your child learns to swim, they may join at any time during the summer.
Q: When are the practice times?
A: Practices are as follows beginning May 31:
Mornings (Monday – Friday) Afternoons (Monday – Thursday)
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.: 11 and older 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.: All age groups
10:00 – 11:15 a.m.: 7 – 10 year olds
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 noon: 6 and under
Swimmers may choose the practice times based on their age group that best meet their schedules. There are no limits on the number of practices that swimmers may attend and no requirement to attend a certain number of practices.
Q: Does the team swim as part of a league?
A: Richland completes in the Nashville Swim League which is a summer swim competition program for children ages 4-18 in the Nashville area. For more information about the League visit: http://nashvilleswimleague.com/index.html
Q: What if my child doesn’t swim year round? Is summer swimming for them?
A: Summer swimming is designed for both the competitive swimmer and swimmers who do not swim year round, but enjoy competing in the summer. For swimmers older than 7, there are two different divisions: Open and Novice. Year round swimmers who have achieved certain time standards must swim in the Open Division. Any swimmer younger than 10 who placed in the top 4 in a particular event in the 2010 City Meet must swim Open in that event in 2011. A swimmer older than 10 who placed in the top 8 in an event at the 2010 City Meet must swim Open in that event in 2011. For more information, please visit: http://nashvilleswimleague.com/resources.html
Q: How do the meets work?
A: They are broken into two sessions with the swimmers younger than 11 swimming in the morning and older swimmers swimming in the afternoon. The meets typically start around 8:30 or 9:00 with warm ups beginning at 8:00 for 10 and under swimmers. Swimmers will need to arrive 15-20 minutes before the warm up times. The 11 and older swimmers begin around noon with a warm up and the meet follows.
Q: What if my child cannot attend every meet?
A: Of course the coaches hope that all swimmers would be able to swim in every meet, but there is no requirement to swim in a certain number of meets. The only requirement is that swimmers must have participated in 2 dual meets in order to swim at the City Meet.
Q: What is the City Meet?
A: The City Meet culminates the Nashville Swim League season. It is held at the Centennial Sportsplex on July 23 and 24th. All 21 teams in the Nashville Swim League compete in the City Meet. The City Meet has three sessions. The 6 and Under swimmers compete on Saturday morning. The times have not been determined, but I would plan on an early morning. The 7 -10 year old swimmers compete following the 6 and under swimmers. The 11 and old swimmers will complete on Sunday morning. At the conclusion of each session, High Point awards are presented in each division for each age group.
Q: Will I have to volunteer?
A: We do need volunteers to help run the meets. The jobs are fun, and it is a great way to get to know fellow club members. You can sign up for the volunteer positions of your choice at the pool on the days leading up to the meet. Every family should plan for someone in the family to work at some of the meets.
Examples of Volunteer positions:
Timer
Training will be provided on the day of the meet. No previous experience is necessary.
Hospitality
Serve drinks to Timers, Officials and Coaches during the meet – no previous training is necessary
Runners
Runners walk results from the timers to the scorer’s table or disqualifications from judges to the meet referee. No previous experience is necessary.
Clerk of Course
The Clerk of Course workers keep the meet running smoothly by making sure the swimmers are lined up for their events. We need at least one experienced Clerk of Course worker for each session, but others are needed for the morning session who do not need prior experience.
Photographers
We need photographers to take individual and group photos of the team. This is a bigger job than you might think, but a lot of fun. If you are interested, contact Nancy Windley at nanwindley@comcast.net
There are positions such as the Starter, the Meet Referee, Stroke and Turn judges which we must provide and do require training. We will hold a clinic on June 9 at 7pm to be certified for these positions.
Q: Who should I talk to if I have more questions?
A: Contact the Richland Team Representative, Nancy Windley at nanwindley@comcast.net or 579-7872.
Swim Coaches:
Dona McIllvain
Shantel Commander
Brian Bolton
Kate Wiseman
Swim Team Parent Representatives:
Nancy Windley - nanwindley@comcast.net, 579-7872
Kelly Taylor - edtaylorjr68@mac.com, 330-5788