Sherborn Snappers

Welcome to the Snappers! Please find answers to common questions below. We hope you have a great season!

When is practice?

Snappers practice in their age groups in a lane assigned by a coach. Practice times are listed on the Snappers Team website. 

• Your Snapper does not need to come to practice everyday, but remember – the more a Snapper practices, the better a Snapper swims!
• You DO NOT need to tell a coach if your swimmer will miss a practice.

When are the meets?

Some meets are at home (at Farm Pond) and some meets are away. Meets are on Tuesday and Thursday. The calendar can be found on the Snappers Team website under the Swim meets tab. Pool directions and notes about the pool can be found there. Please be sure to allow sufficient time to commute to away meets!

• Generally, swimmers should arrive by 4:45pm for home meets and 5:00pm for away meets.
• Families should mark their attendance for each meet on the Snappers Website no later then the Monday before the week’s meets. This is integral to planning the meets and your child may not be on the roster if this deadline is not met.

What do I do if I cannot attend a meet?

Make sure to mark your swimmer as not able to attend the meet on the Snappers Team webpage. The coaches use our website to set the line up and heats/lanes for each meet, so please sign out as early as possible when you know you will miss a meet. You can always change your attendance the week of the meet. We just ask that you do it that Monday for planning purposes.

What do I do for a last- minute meet cancellation?

If your child is sick, injured or something else prevents him or her from attending a meet on short notice, reach out directly to one of the team coaches, as soon as possible so they can make the last-minute adjustment.

Who are the team coordinators?

The team coordinators are volunteers who work with the Sherborn Recreation Department and other volunteers to help make the swim season great. The team advisor is Liz Grossman. You can reach the advisor or team coordinators at [email protected] or email them directly (see contact information on the parent volunteer tab)

What is a heat sheet?

A heat sheet is the printed list that tells swimmers in what events they will compete. It also defines the swimmer’s lane assignment per event. Lanes are typically assigned based on seed times, with the fastest swimmers in the center of the pool. Events are listed in order, alternating girls’ and boys’ events.

When will I know what my swimmer is swimming in the meet? When will the heat sheet be available?

You should be able to view your swimmers by logging into your Snappers Swimtopia account. Your swimmers events should be posted by noon on the day of the meet. This may change due to late cancellations or additions, but this will give you a general idea. Swimmers/parents will be able to view a heat sheet when they arrive at the meet and check-in with their age group coach. At that point, swimmers/parents can decide if they would like to mark their swimmers’ hand with the information. (See image below for explanation of what it means to “mark their hand”.)

How do we “check in” for a meet?

When you arrive to the meet, your swimmer will need to immediately go to their age group coach who will check the swimmer in and ensure that they know their event, heat and lane. At that point, swimmers/parents can decide if they would like to mark their swimmers’ hand with the information.

What does it mean to mark my swimmers hand?

You will literally write your swimmer’s events on his or her hand/arm! Here’s how.

1.Spray or slather your child with sunscreen and let it dry for 10 minutes prior to writing on hand. Sunscreen removes Sharpie.

2.Use a Sharpie.

3.Look at the heat sheet to find your swimmer’s events/heats/lane.

4.Write “EHL” (event, heat, lane) in a grid on the swimmer’s hand or arm.

5.Write the event name/stroke to the right of the lane.

6.For relays, be sure to mark which leg of the relay your swimmer is 1,2,3,4 and the stroke – FR(ee), B(ac)K, (butter)FLY or BR(east).

7.Write so it reads right-side-up to the child.

*Don’t worry—sharpie marker comes off with make-up removing wipes, which we will have on hand for all swim meets.

*Why write on their hands? This will help everyone, parents, swimmers and coaches to remember what they are swimming, so that they do not miss their events.

Where do swimmers sit at swim meets?

At home meets, swimmers will sit together in the “Snapper Zone” which will be clearly marked with lines and our team banner. Please encourage your swimmer to sit with the team in the “Snapper Zone” so that they can easily be found and can participate in team cheers. Parents should feel free to sit elsewhere on the beach. At away meets, please have your swimmer look for our team banner which is where the team will be sitting. Parents are welcome to join or to sit elsewhere.

What does a swimmer wear to a swim meet?

Team swimsuit! Team suits can be ordered from Varsity Swim Shop. You can find all the information on our Snappers Webpage under the Snapper Gear tab. You can buy team swim caps or water bottles from one of the Team Parents.

• Team gear if you have some!
• Flip flops or sandals
• Bring two towels as they get wet fast and we are in and out of the water a bunch
• Warm clothing is helpful as it can get chilly by the pond in the evening

What do we pack in my swimmer’s bag?

• Goggles, team swim cap
• Two towels: towels are not provided for meets
• Water bottle: It gets hot! Please make sure your child has enough liquids to stay hydrated.
• Food: Reminder there is no food allowed on the beach at Farm Pond

Label everything with your swimmer’s name please!

Do we stay for the whole meet?

Yes! We encourage everyone to stay for the whole meet to support the team!

What if it rains during a practice or a meet?

Lifeguards monitor thunder and lightning constantly. In the case of poor weather during a practice, we will try to notify families of cancellations as soon as possible. Our website has an App Swimtopia… we will be able to send out notifications of cancellations through the app to your phone. We will also email the team as well as post on Facebook. Meets tend to get canceled fairly last minute as making them up is difficult and the cancellation has to be agreed upon by both teams. We will try our best to tell families about meet cancellations with as much notice as possible. The app provides the fastest notification of a cancellation, but please also check your email or the team Facebook page.

What are meet awards?

Meet awards are always given at the end of the swim meet. A boy and girl from the 8 and Unders and from 9 and 10s will receive the Super Snapper Award. The Super Snapper award is a certificate as well as a sleep over with one of our giant snapping turtles (stuffed animal) with a mini stuffed turtle to keep. Please bring the giant Snapping turtle back to the next days practice. A boy and a girl from the 11-12 and 13 and Ups will receive the Turbo Turtle award. The Turbo turtle award is a certificate and special swim cap.

How do I show my Snapper spirit?

Snapper parents are encourages wear white with green accessories to the meet to show their team spirit. Swimmers can wear their team t-shirts and cheer positively for their teammates! Some meets will have Spirit themes, which will be announced in advance! Please extend your spirit to the opposing team by demonstrating good sportsmanship.

Please be sure to Download the SwimTopia App and to follow the team on Facebook and Instagran!