Storm Families,
Welcome to the 2024-25 swim season! It's hard to believe we are starting another season. One thing I like about the beginning of the season is that it's a chance for a fresh start. It's the time for athletes to learn from past mistakes, make needed adjustments, and begin with a clean slate. It's the perfect time to commit to a new way of approaching things.
On behalf of myself and all the coaches, we wish everyone a productive season and are excited about the great achievements that will be accomplished.
"Every day is a chance to begin again. Don't focus on the failures of yesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations." — Catherine Pulsifer
- October 19-20: GSCY Champions Classic
To all of our swimmers, good luck and swim fast!
Note: event information is being added and updated on our website regularly. Please visit the Events Page for the latest event information.
If you have any general questions about the team, please contact Melissa Thompson at mthompson@gscymca.org. If you have a specific question for one of our Parent Committee chairs, the Parent Committee Page on our website lists all of our committee members and their contact information.
We're thrilled to announce the launch of a new "State of the Storm" feature that shines a spotlight on some of our favorite (and most important!) swim meet personnel: our officials! First up is Steve Sawin, who was gracious enough to shed some light on his experience fulfilling this crucial role for a whopping 40+ years.
Why I became an official
I was reminded the other night as I waited to watch one of my grandsons at a summer league meet of one reason why I became a swimming official. Another one of my grandsons, also a swimmer, who came to watch his cousin said to me, “Now I understand why you became a swim official. This waiting around is awful!” The waiting is especially bad if you’re near the top of the bleachers in a pool where it’s hot, humid, and smells badly of chlorine.
The other reason I started officiating is that I could see that it took lots of volunteers to run a swim meet well, and I wanted to support an activity in which my children were active. I also found that understanding the rules made swim meets much more interesting. All four of our kids swam through high school, and three went on to become college swimmers. I’m still an official after 43 years and have stayed with it because I’ve developed many friends through swimming and still see the need for parent (or grandparent) volunteers.
My favorite experience as an official
Our youngest daughter swam for Boston University, and her swim meets were usually held on Saturday afternoons. After driving from Bridgewater to Boston one Saturday to watch her swim, we were sitting in the stands during warm-ups when the BU coach and referee (both of whom knew I was a college swim official in addition to a YMCA/USA-S official) headed our way. They asked if I would be willing to assume the role of starter for the swim meet as the other official couldn’t make it (I had in fact worked with the "other official” at Y Nationals, and he had introduced me to the referee for this meet). I said of course I’d help and eventually received kudos from my daughter, who reported the other swimmers on her team thought I did an excellent job of starting.
My learnings from that experience were:
A) Don’t wear leather-soled shoes on a wet pool deck. They’re very slippery!
B) Always take your officials uniform to any swim meet you attend.
My advice for future officials
Just try it out! The more you learn about swimming rules, the more interesting the sport will become to you. Many people who don’t become officials say something like, “I could never disqualify a young swimmer for doing something wrong.” Yet, what they’re really doing when they disqualify a swimmer is protecting swimmers who follow the rules. You never want to be that parent who becomes a swim official but never makes a call even when he/she observes a rules violation, which isn't fair to both the swimmer who's violating the rules or those performing the strokes correctly.
Also, as an official you’re working with the coaches. If kids don’t get disqualified when they do something wrong at a meet, they are unlikely to listen when a coach tells them they’re doing it wrong during practice.
Interested in becoming an official? We need you! Please click on the files below for additional information. If you have any questions, please contact Orsi Lake at gscyofficials@gmail.com.