Eastside Eagles Swimming

1. INTRODUCTION

Eastside High School has been at the forefront of South Carolina high school swimming since the sport became sanctioned in 1994. Eastside teams have consistently finished in the top ten in the state, highlighted by these great finishes:

• AAAAA-Div 2 State CHAMPIONSHIPS for the 2024 & 2025 Men's Team
• AAAAA-Div 2 State CHAMPIONSHIP for the 2025 Ladies' Team
• AAAAA-Div 2 State Runner-Up for the 2024 Ladies' Team
• AAAA State CHAMPIONSHIPS for the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Men’s Team
• AAAA State CHAMPIONSHIPS for the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Ladies’ Team
• AAA State CHAMPIONSHIP for the 2015 Men’s Team
• AAA State Runner-Up for the 2000 and 2016 Ladies’ Teams
• AAA State Runner-Up for the 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2005 Men’s Teams
• 3rd in the State for the 2014 Men’s Team
• 3rd in the State for the 2013 Ladies’ Team
• Region Championships for both Men and Ladies in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and the Men won in 2012 as well.

Starting with fewer than 20 teams in 1994, SC High School swimming now has over 80 schools fielding teams. High school swimming is very much a TEAM sport. All meets are scored, and each team accumulates a win-loss record just like other high school sports. Because of the team competition aspect, athletes are asked to swim events that benefit the team. This means that all swimmers will not be able to swim their favorite events or even their best events because high school rules limit entries to 4 swimmers per event.

The high school season begins practice near August 1st, and the season ends with the State Championship Meet in mid-October. The team is allowed 8 meets according to the SCHSL.

Eastside practices are conducted Monday – Friday and/or Saturday mornings each week. Practices are held at the local community pool PMP through September or Greenville County Aquatic Center (Westside) once the outside temperature drops.

II. TEAM ORGANIZATION

Coaching Staff

• Jack Kosmicki, Athletic Director   jkosmick@greenville.k12.sc.us

• Tiffany Watson, Head Coach    [email protected] / 864-350-8599

26 years coaching; 18 years for SAIL; 9 years Head Coach at Wade Hampton High School (1999-2008); 14 years at Eastside High (2012-current)

• Mark Sharp, Assistant Coach (10th year at Eastside)
• Tyler Sites, Assistant Coach (6th year at Eastside)
• Maddie Kirkman, Assistant Coach (2nd year coach for Eastside)

III. Communication

Swim team information will be communicated to swimmers and parents via:

• Eastside Varsity Swimming – TEAM HANDBOOK
• Swimtopia Website
• Email. All swimmers and parents must provide an email address in order to receive timely notification of practice schedules and meet information. Please check email DAILY.

IV. Team Captains

Selected seniors serve as team captains. In the event that there are no seniors on the team, juniors will serve as captains.

Responsibilities of Team Captains:

• Discuss swimmer concerns with the coach
• Organize team activities away from the athletic environment
• Provide leadership both in and out of the pool
• Be a role model for academic and athletic hard work
• Demonstrate sportsmanship
• Help the coach with tasks at practice

• FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Team fees and other costs vary from year to year. Below is a listing and description of the types of fees and costs:

• Team fee (~$100) – covers team t-shirt, state t-shirt, team cap, equipment, splash fees, bus transportation, team meals, senior gifts, goodie bags, banquet meat/ facilities, etc.

• Athletic insurance fee ($TBD) – required by the South Carolina High School League. Multiple sports are covered under one policy for that entire school year.
• Team suit – Every swimmer must have a team suit. Purchase is the responsibility of the swimmer. Alpine Ski Center provides the sale of our suits.

• SEASON SCHEDULE

Parent/ Swimmer/ Coach meeting

A swimmer-parent-coach meeting will be held in August each season once practice starts. The purpose of this meeting:

• Provide an overview of High School swimming and the Eastside program
• Introduce the coaches, their responsibilities, and coaching philosophy
• Cover team and district rules and standards for swimmer conduct
• Outline practice and season schedules
• Discuss finances, socials, volunteer opportunities, etc.

Season Information

High school swimming in South Carolina is a fall sport. The season runs from early August until mid October.

Regular Season consists of 7 meets held on weeknights or Saturdays. The Region Championship Meet is the culmination of the regular season. A region team champion and All-Region swimmers are determined from this meet. Progression to the State Championship Meet is limited to those swimmers who achieve State Qualifying times during the regular season with a limit of 4 per event for EHS. Those swimmers not swimming in the State Meet are not allowed to practice after State Meet participants are announced.

Championship Season consists of the State Championship Meet held in mid-October. Qualification for an event at the State Championship Meet requires swimming one of the State Meet Qualification Times. These times change every year. Swimmers who swim an automatic or consideration qualifying time in an event at a regular season meet are eligible to be entered into the State Meet in that event. Swimmers with automatic qualifying times will swim in the State Meet if entered as 1 of the 4 for EHS. Swimmers with consideration times may or may not swim if entered. Only the top 30 swimmers (statewide) entered in each event AND the top 4 in each event for EHS will swim in the State Meet. All swimmers who are eligible may or may not be entered because each team is limited to four entries per event.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Swimming is unique among high school sports in that large numbers of parent volunteers are needed. Some of these require no formal training (timers, runners) and some require both training and certification (stroke and turn, referee, starter). Parents who have referee, starter or stroke & turn training and experience in USA Swimming or SAIL are especially needed. Each year in August the South Carolina High School League runs training and certification courses throughout the state; parents who wish to referee, start or stroke & turn in High School meets must be certified through one of these High School League courses.

Volunteer positions will be assigned based on desires, availability and qualifications of the parents. A master calendar will be used at the Parent/ Coach Meeting at the beginning of the season in order fill the positions for all of the meets. Please find a suitable replacement if you are unable to fulfill your spot.

Season Positions/Duties

Computer Coordinator/Computer Operator

• Learn the computer program used by SCHSL
• Take emailed entries from all teams and set up home meets
• Arrange for a computer and printer at home meets
• Print heat sheets for officials and coaches (all teams) for home meets or arrange for this to be done.
• Email individual results (times) from all teams to SCHSL and coaches after home meets
• Email team scores to all coaches for home meets
• Submit entries from our team to visiting team

Team Photographer

• Photograph swimmers at meets

Social Events

• Host team events - facilitate or help with meal donations

Booster Club Representative

• Represent swim teams (boys and girls) on the athletic booster club

Meet Positions/Duties

Referee (previous experience required; SCHSL certification required for championship meets)

• Enforces the rules
• Can overrule any other official
• Can disqualify a swimmer if he sees the infraction and raises his hand
• Decision is final in protests

Starter (previous experience required; SCHSL certification required for Championship meets)

• Ensures a fair start
• Confirms false starts with the Referee

Stroke & Turn (previous experience required; SCHSL certification required for Championship meets)

• Signal a stroke, kick, body position, turn or finish violation by raising one hand overhead with open palm immediately upon observing a violation

Head Timer (Lane timer experience required)

• Supervises Lane Timers during the session
• Starts additional watches to be used as backup watches in case a Lane Timer’s watch fails

Lane Timer

• Become familiar with the stopwatch and backup button being used
• Start watch at the sight of the strobe light. If no strobe light is used, start the watch at the sound of the horn
• Start the watch even if no swimmer is in their lane
• Notify the head timer if their watch does not start of if there is a malfunction
• Be in position, looking over the edge of the pool at the end of their lane, to observe the finish
• Record all times to the nearest one-hundredth (.01) second

Runner

• Deliver lane sheets as directed between Head Lane timers and Computer Operator

1. AWARDS

Athletic Letter Award Criteria

A swimmer will be eligible for a high school varsity letter for swimming if the basic criteria are met and the required number of points (supplemental criteria) is earned:

Basic Criteria:

1. Eligibility. Swimmer must be High School eligible.
2. Attendance. (See Attendance policy above) Every swimmer is expected to attend all authorized practices unless excused. Excuses will be granted for illness, required school functions, school homework (1), or year-round swimming conflicts. *Authorized practices are EHS practices or other practice alternatives authorized by the head coach.
3. Meets. Swimmer must participate in all swim meets.
4. Region. Swimmer must participate in the Region Championship Meet.
5. State Meet. Swimmer must participate, if qualified and entered, in the State Championship Meet.

Those swimmers who meet these criteria will initially receive an Eastside Athletic Letter with a swimmer pin. For any subsequent seasons, if a letter is earned, the swimmer will receive a bar pin. Those swimmers who do not earn the required points for a Varsity Letter will receive a Certificate of Participation.

All-Region Award

The winners of each individual event as well as the winning relay team members in the Region meet are designated All-Region swimmers.

All-State Award

The top three finishers in each event (including relays) at the State Championship Meet are designated All-State.

SWIMMING IN COLLEGE

Eastside has produced 25 college scholarship swimmers in the 24-year history of the program. You are the key to the recruiting process. You must “recruit” the coaches’ interest. Let them know you are out there, that you are a good investment and are worthy of consideration.

The high school student who wants to swim on the intercollegiate level will need to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse by their sophomore year of high school. The student can register online with the NCAA Clearinghouse or get forms from the school guidance department. When you take the SAT or ACT, have a copy of your scores sent to the NCAA Clearinghouse (code 9999).

The NCAA Clearinghouse determines a student’s eligibility to swim in college based on the student’s high school academic performance.

Getting started in the College Search

• Begin to narrow your list of schools. You may be able to take a virtual tour of the college campus of your choice. You can also visit the athletic web site. Most collegiate sport web sites will feature a biography of the coaches, a team roster, a season schedule and team records. Often, an athletic web site will have a “prospective athlete questionnaire” form. If you are interested in a particular college, you should complete the online questionnaire.

• Compose a letter of introduction to send to coaches at schools that you are interested in attending. Be sure to enclose your resume and list of your current times along with your introductory letter.

• Follow up. Continue to correspond with coaches throughout the school year. Use this correspondence to update coaches on your performance and let them know of major upcoming meets. College coaches are interested in seeing prospective swimmers in action.

Begin to eliminate schools

• You will be able to quickly eliminate some schools from your list. Consider eliminating schools if:

• Your scores are far from the college’s admission standards
• The cost of attending is excessively high and you will have limited financial assistance
• You wish to swim but there is no swim team
• Your times indicate you are not a realistic fit (either too fast or too slow).

• Again, remain in contact with college coaches to show them you are seriously interested. Keep your contacts short and sweet. Once a school is interested in you, they will begin to recruit you.

School visitations

As a recruited athlete, you are only allowed a certain # of official paid visits; however, you may have as many unofficial visits as you wish.

On your visit, talk privately with the coach, assistants, athletes and school advisors, professors and counselors. Don’t be shy. Check out the facilities – the pool, training room, and weight room. Watch a practice or go to a meet. Upon your return home, record your impressions of your visit.

Do not take a trip unless you are really interested in the school. Do not make any commitments while you are on campus. Get all of your trips under your belt and take plenty of time to compare notes and make a final decision.

Top Five

Eliminate schools that are no longer of interest. Call remaining schools with any unanswered questions. Apply to your final list of schools. If some are a financial stretch, be sure to have some lower cost alternatives just in case. Stay in constant contact with the coaches.

Make your decision

There may be numerous right or wrong schools. It is not a life and death decision, nor an exact one. It is an important decision so make an educated one. Once you decide, don’t get too nervous. Your choice will be what you make of it. No choice will be perfect, but it will be great! Most agree that you should not make an on-campus decision. Take all of your visits and wait 48 hours before making a decision.