2025-2026 Parent Meeting Recap at Team Suffolk Swim Club
Board of Directors – All Volunteer: Kim Wong - President Kate Frevola- VP Melissa Gallegos – Secretary
David Sachs-Treasurer Cindy Silverstein – Yearbook
Jordan Avni – Hobie liasion Nikki Petrocelli – Social Media
Training Groups and coaches: Head Coaches – Coach John Pisano and Coach Frank DeGrazia
Senior 1, Senior 2 and Elite: Coach John Pisano, Coach Jake Pisano, Coach Christine Messina
Elite Sprint: Coach Robert Faber Jr Elite: Coach Frank DeGrazia, Coach Christine Messina
Intermediate: Coach Jen Champagne, Coach Makayla French, Coach Christine Messina
Developmental B and A and Novice: Coach Thomas Scott, Coach Kayla Balling, Coach Tyler Wong
Welcome to 2025-2026: Welcome to all our new and returning families! Team Suffolk is a private 501c(3) non-profit and are NOT affiliated with Half Hollow Hills CSD. We are guests (renters) of the school facilities at Half Hollow Hills Natatorium and Deer Park High School and Suffolk Community College. Please follow all school district and Suffolk Community College rules and requests from their staff. Our ability to use school facilities depends on the cooperation of all!
Tuition: Developmental thru Seniors is for the full season (Sept thru End of July). Payment plans are available to help families budget . You are responsible for the full season’s tuition if your children stop swimming for any reason as agreed to at registration. There is no prorating for other sports or activities.
SWIM LINGO: Swim Season is September thru Beginning of August. "Short Course" (25 meter pool) is September to April and “Long Course” (50 meter pool-Olympic Length) is May to July/Aug.
DQ - This is an abbreviation for disqualification. A swimmer may be DQ’d for an improper stroke, an improper turn, or entering the water early.
False Start - This is when a swimmer leaves the starting block prior to the gun or horn signal. A false start results in disqualification.
Jumping -When a swimmer's feet leave the blocks prior to the hand touch of his team member during a relay, which results in disqualification.
Relay- A relay consists of four team members. In a medley relay, each swimmer swims a different stroke. The stroke order for a medley relay is: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.
IM - This is an abbreviation for individual medley. In this event the swimmer will be swimming all four strokes; butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle in that order.
Warm Up - warm up is approximately a one hour period in the water that swimmers "warm up" or loosen their muscles prior to the start of the meet.
Heat Sheet – The program order of the meet, list swimmers and entry times
Psych Sheet – Like a Heat Sheet except it only lists the swimmers entered in the meet for each event
SAFETY:
ARE PARENTS ALLOWED ON THE POOL DECK? – Almost never during practice and never during a meet. This is a USA Swimming insurance requirement. If you need to speak to your swimmer's coach, either arrange to meet with the coach BEFORE or AFTER practice or contact the coach via email. Team Suffolk’s coaching staff e-mails can be found on the Team Suffolk website. DO NOT STOP the coaches DURING practice to speak with them.
ARE PARENTS ALLOWED IN THE LOCKER ROOMS? – NEVER! – Under no circumstances are parents permitted in the locker rooms. – This is a Safe-Sport Violation
Can my swimmer change on deck? – No “deck changes” are permitted. Athletes are expected to use available changing facilities. – This is a Safe-Sport Violation.
Parents are NOT allowed to take pictures or videos during practice. Swimmers are NOT allowed to take pictures or videos in the locker rooms.
If you are at a swim meet, NO photos or videos may be taken of swimmers from behind the swim block-This is a Safe Sport Violation.
DO NOT PARK, DROP OFF OR PICK UP your swimmers in front of the Hills Pool. Park your car in a parking spot and walk your swimmer to and from the building.
Meets and Practice Schedules:
Meet schedule for the short course season is posted on the website under the "meet" tab. If your group is listed to swim in a meet, then all swimmers from that group will be attending. If your swimmer cannot attend a meet, please fill out a meet excusal form, which can be found under "resources" tab, and email to your coach. You may even forward Kim Wong ([email protected]) a copy for reference. If there is no meet excusal and your swimmer does not attend a meet, you will be responsible to pay for the meet fees. Meet excusal forms must be handed in at least 1 month before the excused meet. For qualifying meets, you may click link to see if your swimmer has qualifying times to be in those meets. https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/mrlsc/page/times/time-standards
Practice schedule with days and pool locations are posted on the website. Most holidays, we will have practice with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Labor Day and Memorial Day. We do have a "calendar" tab, which will be updated regularly with other holidays and events. Please go the "calendar" tab and look under the "general" calendar for holidays and other events. If you toggle over the event or holiday name, practice schedule notices will pop up.
Away meets: Hotel block information is on our website under "meet" tab and under "hotel blocks".
Parent volunteer opportunities:
Timers, meet marshals and concession help will be needed for a few of our meets. Please respond to timer volunteer emails and help out our team.
TIMING: The purpose of a timer is to record every heat of every event so that accurate records can be kept for every participant in the meet. They must be familiar with the stopwatch and the proper procedures for timing a swimming event. USA Swimming requires a certain number of timers depending on whether the meet is being with or without electronic timing.
SECURITY/MARSHALL: These parents must make sure that the entire pool area, the upper lobby and the immediate area outside the main doors are safe and free from vandalism. They maintain order by keeping spectators away from the pool deck and starting block area and continually supervise the locker rooms in an attempt to prevent vandalism. They will have the responsibility of ejecting from the meet anyone who breaks the rules or does not conduct themselves in a proper manner. Visible posts throughout the area should be established especially at the admissions table and any other area that handles money.
CONCESSIONS: These people are responsible for the planning and acquiring of food to be sold at the swim meets. Food is a very big money making item and will be used to reduce club expenses. Sufficient change should be available to start business.Price signs should be clearly posted.
MEET OFFICIALS WANTED: Officials Needed to Run Meets and Time Trials. Guaranteed Position on Deck for Meets and Work Assignments and Hospitality. Best spot in the house for meets and can work any meet your child is at Meet Official training progression • Stroke & Turn -> Starter -> Referee • Administrative Official (Computer/Timing Console). Training Class/Video and Apprenticeship will teach you what you need to know and you do not need to have been a swimmer. If interested, please contact Kim Wong for information.
We are also always looking for people to help us with fundraising and with our other events. Please contact any of our board members if you would like to help.
Communication:
Please make sure your account on Team Unify is up to date with your current email and phone number. We mostly send communication through email. We will occasionally use text messaging during emergency situations so families will get messages right away. We also have Group Me chats with each swim group. Group Me is a informal way for families to ask questions and for us to get information out to our families. If you do not have the link to join your Group Me chat, please contact Kim Wong.
Swimmer Handbook:
Swimmer handbook is posted on our website under the "resources" tab and under "Q&A". Please read over to see the rules and regulations pertaining to our team. NEW-swimmer contracts-please read over with your swimmer and sign and return to your coachs. The swimmer contract will go over the team expectations of our team swimmers.
Social Media:
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook! All families must fill out a photo consent for their swimmers since we do post about our swimmers on social media. Photo consent forms will remain in effect unless you want to change the permission. Please contact Kim Wong if you want to change permission.
https://www.instagram.com/teamsuffolkswim?igsh=dHNjODMwNnF0eW9k
https://www.facebook.com/share/19sqhkxpMm/
Fundraising:
Fundraising helps our team pay for our annual bowling party, yearbooks that are given to our swimmers, and senior gifts. Fundraising will also help us keep membership costs lower. Some fundraising events for this year are Bocce Ball, Superbowl boxes, and TopGolf. Please look out for emails regarding these events and join us for some fun outside of the pool!
Swim Across America:
Our Charity Swim Date at Hills pool: Oct 19th
Please sign up and your swimmers will help raise money to fund cancer research and awareness. It is a great cause and a fun day for the swimmers. They will swim and enjoy a light breakfast afterwards!
Below are steps on how you could register your child if they would like to participate!
Steps:
1. Click the register button on link
2. Click join a team
3. Join as a new participant
4. Click search for a team
5. select join Team Suffolk girls or Team Suffolk boys
6. Continue registration process
Link- http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/TeamSuffolk2025 (http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/TeamSuffolk2025)
If you would like to share your child’s donation link to other family members, you can send them the link and when they press donate they can search for a participant and enter your child’s name. All participants will receive a Swim Across America (SAA) cap.
Other Fundraising Incentives:
$50 - T-Shirt
$250 - SAA Towel
$1,000 - You are acknowledged as a WaveMaker and receive WaveMaker benefits.
Other Items • Team Apparel (Swim Gear/Suits) - Click on Hobie Team Store to purchase uniforms for swim meets.Team Suffolk is sponsored by Speedo.
For any other questions or concerns, please contact any of our board members and we are happy to help!
