FAQ's

General

Is EPSC a year round team?

Yes, we operate as a year round USA Swimming team competing in meets in the WV, MD, VA and PA areas. We also operate a local summer league team in the MASSL swim league. Practices go year round with short 1-2 week breaks around the holidays, in March, and in August.

Can my swimmer swim for their high school and EPSC?

Yes! We have a couple options for high school swimmers. Some High School swimmers join our team in the Fall at our HS Prep level. Practice is Tuesday and Thursday from 7-8pm and focuses on general conditioning prior to the High School season. Once High School practice begins, the swimmer only swims high school with no further EPSC obligation.

Many high school swimmers swim with EPSC throughout the High School season, competing for their school teams as well as attending USA meets with EPSC. We work with the swimmers to balance their commitment and our practice times do not conflict with the local high schools. If there are conflicts, we work with the swimmers so they can stay in good standing with their high school teams while continuing their long term development with us. 

Can my swimmer just swim in the summer?

Yes! Part of our mission is to expand swimming in the Eastern Panhandle of WV and we want to encourage new swimmers to experience competitive swimming. You can join our team in the summer with no obligation to continue in the fall (although we hope your swimmer falls in love with swimming and wants to continue!)

What is the difference between Short Course season, Long Course season and Summer Swim season?

Good question! Swimming can be a year round sport and many of our advanced swimmers swim all year round. But the season is broken into parts based on the season. USA Swimming operates all year round. The major season division for clubs is Short Course and Long Course. Short Course season goes from late August until about March. Competitions are held in 25 yard pools. Long Course season goes from April though late July or early August. Competitions are held in 50m pools, sometimes known as Olympic distance pools. Generally, Long Course is agreed to be the harder season as 50m is a long way to go at more than twice our normal 25yd training distance. But it gives a different test and many of our swimmers really enjoy racing Long Course. Plus it gives a good break and different races to compete in.

Summer Swim season is under a different jurisdiction. We swim in the Mid-Atlantic Summer Swim League (MASSL) which operates with their own set of rules (adapted from USA Swimming rules with some adjustments). The focus is on getting new swimmers on the team and getting them a taste of competition. Races are shorter, closer to home and meets are quick. The most important thing is fun in the summer. All the seasons are important as they give variety and different challenges over the year. You do not have to participate in every season!

How can I best communicate with the coaches?

We encourage you to talk with us! After practice is a great time. The lead group coach will be around for 15 minutes after practice making sure everyone gets picked up. And this is a great time to chat. Email also works well. You can also email [email protected] or [email protected]. We can either help you or communicate with the other coaches. This can include general questions, if your swimmer is going to be out, or any concerns that you may have. Communication is critical and we want to know what’s going on so we can better support your swimmer.

Registration

I’m interested in having my child join the swim team. What is my first step?

Please see our registration steps at the following link

https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/wvswc/page/about/team-registration1

What is USA Swimming and does my swimmer have to join?

USA Swimming is the governing body for competitive swimming in the US. USA Swimming provides established rules and regulations, guidance for teams, and competitive support for ages ranging from our youngest swimmers to Olympic level athletes. They provide training and safety regulations for coaches and officials, help with establishing and running programs and sanctioning for competitive meets. They do a lot!

All of our coaches are registered with USA Swimming. You can be assured that all of your coaches have undergone training ranging from CPR to SafeSport as well as background checks.

For swimmers, if you want to compete, you need to register with USA Swimming. We will provide a link after September 1st, which will register you and associate you with EPSC. This is required by all meets that we attend with the exception of our summer league season, which does not require a USA Swimming membership.

Can you explain why there is a practice fee and a team fee?

Our fees are split into two. First there is a practice fee, which is paid to Shepherd University Wellness Center. This fee pays for your swimmer’s time in the pool. The cost is directly tied to the number of hours that your swimmer will be at practice.  The money covers the cost of the pool, paying the lifeguards, coaches and the Wellness Center.

The team fee is paid to EPSC. This cost covers the administrative side of running the team, organizing swim meets, paying coaches at meets and providing things like team t-shirts and caps. There are several tiers for this - one for HS Prep only swimmers, who will only swim with us until October. Then, we have a Conditioning option for swimmers who want to practice with the team, but will not compete. The majority of swimmers will be in the Competitive tier. They will practice with the team and compete in meets over the year (see Meet section below for more info on meets).

The team fee can be paid in one lump or divided into four installments. Please note that the team fee is expected to be fully paid. If your swimmer decides to stop swimming at some point during the year (we hope not!), the team fee is still expected to be paid. If there are financial hardships, please come and talk to us.

Practice

What equipment do we need for practice?

• All Groups: Practice suit, goggles, practice cap, water bottle, yoga mat, fins

• Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Homeschool: Kickboard, Pull Buoy, Mesh Bag to hold it in

• Platinum Additional Gear:> Paddles, snorkel

• Competition Track: >Team Competition Suit

Can be purchased on SwimOutlet.com, search under Teams for the Sea Snakes swim team to earn our team points!

Many of these items are also available on Amazon (including the team competition suit).

Get your yoga mat at $5 Below! 

Meets

Are meets required?

It depends on the group that you are signed up for. We are a competitive swim team and our goal is to have our swimmers compete in meets. Swimming and competing is a great way for our swimmers to see their progress and learn valuable life lessons. However, it is not required except in our most advanced groups.

There is a conditioning option on our team, where swimmers will practice but not participate in meets. We know swimming is not the primary activity for everyone and we want to support those who use swimming as a complement to another sport or just love to swim.

We do encourage our swimmers to try a meet or two.

We want to attend a meet, but are only available on Saturday. Can we still do the meet?

Yes. Some of our meets are multiple days and conflicts happen or travel distance can be an issue. You are able to swim just one day of a meet. Talk to your coach and leave a note when you opt-in so we know what your plans are and can choose events with that in mind.

How do I sign up for a meet?

On the EPSC website, go to the Meets & Events page. Once the meets are posted, you can click on the event and read the posted information. There will also usually be a meet information PDF from the meet director with additional information. Please read the PDF, it will often answer a lot of questions, such as meet start times and what events are on what days.

If you are able to attend, you can click ‘Edit Commitment.’ You should see your swimmer’s name towards the bottom and the option to Attend or Decline. Please mark attend or decline on the sessions that you are able to attend. This will help us choose which events to sign up for.

In addition, we will send out an email the week of the meet with specific information for that meet - what time are we warming up and any special instructions.

Who chooses what events my swimmer swims in a meet?

Your swimmer’s coach will choose the events for your swimmer. We do take input from the swimmer and think of it as a collaborative process. We will discuss goals with your swimmer so we’re all on the same page. Overall, we are prioritizing the long term development of our swimmers. In practice, this means we will push swimmers to swim all strokes, IM’s and gradually increase distances. We discourage swimmers from specializing in events at a young age. However, we balance this as we want our swimmers to do great and come out of their meets and seasons feeling proud of themselves and accomplished. Sometimes this means crushing their current best event and sometimes this means tackling the hard event they are scared of. Both are wins in our eyes.

What are Meet Fees and How are they paid?

Meet fees are paid to the host team of the meet. Usually, there is a swimmer surcharge per meet - this could be $20 for example. And then you pay per event - this could be $6/event for example. So if you are swimming six events over two days you would pay $20 + $36 for a total of $56. These numbers vary depending on the meet. We will bill you after the meet through your TeamUnify account.