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Heatherfield
Swim Team Basic
Policies and Procedures, 2010 Special Notes for
Parents IMPORTANT:
When at the pool, please remember that we are guests of the pool management.
Please clean up after yourselves and help us keep the pool deck and
restrooms in good condition. Accordingly,
we must ask that swimmers NOT use the showers at the pool before or after
practice, in order to conserve water and keep the restrooms clean.
Most importantly, please
do not direct any complaints or criticism about the pool or facilities to
Heatherfield Community Association employees.
Instead, please direct any concerns to Justin Spitzer or Gregg Martino. Maintaining
a good relationship with pool management is critical
to the continuation of the team, so we greatly appreciate your cooperation. Practices ·
Practice attendance is not mandatory but
strongly encouraged. Ideally, each swimmer should attend 4 or 5 practices per week.
Remember, the only way to improve is through regular practice attendance.
·
We realize that many swimmers are
involved in other athletic, scholastic, and work activities in addition to
swimming. All that we ask is that
you attend as many practices as possible. The
swim season is relatively short, and if a number of swimmers are regularly
missing practice, the whole team will suffer at meets.
At the minimum, we ask that each swimmer attend at least one practice per
week on average. ·
Please
arrive at practice on time and ready to swim.
Swimmers should bring at least one towel, running shoes, any caps or
goggles they need, and warm clothes to put on after swimming.
Ideally, each swimmer will arrive at practice with their suit already on,
as changing facilities are limited. If
you need to change into your suit at the pool, please arrive several minutes
early. ·
Early in the season, it is usually a
given that the water will be cold. Obviously,
this is not an ideal situation, and we know that swimming in cold water is not
fun! However, with the first meet
coming up on June 13, we have no choice but to have the kids in the water as
much as possible. We will do all
that we can on land at the beginning of practice: stretching, running,
exercising, etc. But in the end,
when it comes to improving one’s swimming ability, there is no substitution
for actually being in the pool. Thus
all of us, coaches and swimmers alike, are just going to have to tough it out
until the weather and the water start to warm up. ·
Inclement
Weather Policy: In
general, practice will be held rain or shine, with the exception of
thunderstorms or extremely cold weather. If a thunderstorm is brief, we will
clear the pool, and if time allows, continue practice afterward.
If a practice is cancelled in advance, we will attempt to send an
email to each family and/or post the info on the website main page or “team
news” section. Thus if weather
conditions are poor, we ask that you check your email and the website before
leaving for practice, if possible. However,
please note that due to abrupt weather changes we will not always be able to
notify families of cancellations in advance. ·
During
practice it is important that swimmers listen to the coaches and follow
instructions at all times.
Nothing is more frustrating for a coach than trying to give instructions
while several swimmers are carrying on their own conversations.
Each practice is an opportunity to learn and improve and should be taken
seriously. We will make every
attempt to make practice fun and enjoyable, but swimmers will be expected to
work hard and excessive socializing/horseplay will not be tolerated.
Likewise, because practice time is so limited, it is essential that
swimmers make the most of every practice by pushing themselves and swimming
hard. Taking a long time to get in
the water, standing on the bottom of the pool, skipping sets, etc. hurt both the
individual and the team. ·
For families who have multiple swimmers
on the team, we realize that it may be inconvenient to bring some children to
one practice and others to another. Due
to the size of the team, we have no choice but to break up the practices into
different times for different groups. In
order to maximize the development of each swimmer, we ask that everyone, if at
all possible, attend the practice of his or her ability level.
If schedule conflicts occasionally force a swimmer to attend a
different practice level, this can usually be accommodated, especially if the
coaches are notified in advance. However,
such an arrangement can usually only work if a swimmer is swimming down to a
lower ability level. It is
common for swimmers to want to swim “up” to a higher practice level, but
that won’t necessarily give them a “better” practice.
Please speak with one of the coaches if you have questions or concerns
regarding practice levels. ·
Please be considerate of other swimmers
at practice. Lanes will sometimes be
crowded – please “circle-swim” by swimming on the right-hand side of the
lane. Give the swimmer in front of
you plenty of room. When turning,
cross over to the middle/left of the lane before
the turn if possible, so you don’t collide with the person behind you after
the turn. Use the middle of the lane
to pass slower swimmers in front of you, but use caution so as not to collide
with other oncoming swimmers. ·
***Attendance at dual meets cannot be
stressed enough.
It is extremely important that the team be at full strength; missing even
a handful of swimmers can be costly in a close meet.
The whole team will suffer when swimmers cannot attend meets, much more
so than with practice absences. Accordingly,
please make every effort to schedule family trips so that they do not conflict
with the 5 dual meets. This is
especially important for families with multiple swimmers.
We realize that giving up several Saturday mornings can be a big
sacrifice, and we are very appreciative of those swimmers and families who
are able to attend every meet.
·
If
you know in advance that a swimmer will miss a meet and there is no way to avoid
it, please Email Justin Spitzer ASAP, and make sure you receive a response that
he got the message. With
the exception of illness or emergency, Justin should know by the Wednesday
morning before the meet (at the very latest) if a swimmer will be unable to
attend. Finding out at the last
minute, after the meet lineup has been created, can be very frustrating and time
consuming. ·
Please note that Mid Penn Swim League
rules prevent lineup changes after a meet begins.
Therefore, if a swimmer needs to leave early and has not informed the
coaches of this in advance (several days before the meet) we will not be able to
replace them in the lineup. This is
especially costly in relays, as the entire relay might have to be scratched.
Thus it is critical that you also inform one of the coaches several days
in advance if you will arrive late to a meet or need to leave early.
·
Meet lineups will be determined solely
by the coaches. We welcome input
from swimmers and parents, and make every attempt to accommodate your requests.
However, we have an obligation to the team to create the lineup that
offers the best chance for team success. As
a result, swimmers will often be asked to swim events that they dislike, or to
swim up to a higher age group, etc. All
we ask is that you do your best. Even
if you are unable to swim in the regular heat of a certain event, you can always
ask to swim in an exhibition heat in order to get a time (as long as you are not
already entered in the maximum number of 4 events).
If there are events you feel you would be strong in that you are not
swimming in meets, please let the coaches know.
Sometimes, especially with new swimmers, we may not be aware of which
events are your strongest. ·
Because we have a large number of
swimmers in certain age groups, some swimmers will be asked to swim exhibition
events at meets or swim up to older age groups to help the team.
We will make every attempt to ensure that each swimmer has an opportunity
to swim regular events, especially in relays.
Though they do not count for points, exhibition events are still timed
and swimmers do earn ribbons. They
are an excellent way to practice and improve your times. Divisionals
·
Divisionals is a special meet late in
the season attended by every team in our Division.
Each of the 3 Divisions in our league has its own Divisionals, and the
top 16 individuals and top 8 relays in each event from all 3 Divisions qualify
for All-Stars the next day. For
example, it is (theoretically) possible that every All-Star swimmer in a certain
event could be from ‘A’ Division, if the top 16 times in the event were all
recorded at ‘A’ Divisionals.
·
Please
note that you must participate in at least 3 dual meets in order to swim at
Divisionals.
Swimming at Divisionals is optional, but strongly encouraged even for
those swimmers who are not likely to qualify for All-Stars.
Every meet is an opportunity to improve and many swimmers swim their best
times of the year at Divisionals. ·
Swimmers may ONLY enter a total of 3
events at Divisionals, including relays. Thus
you could enter 1 indiv event and 2 relays, 2 indiv and 1 relay, etc.
In addition to being a lot of fun, relays often offer a better chance of
qualifying for All-Stars than individual events. ·
Unlike dual meets, swimmers can choose
which individual events they want to swim at Divisionals.
Other than the limit of 3 events per swimmer, there are no limits.
For example, 10 swimmers from our team could enter a particular event; we
are not limited to 3 as in dual meets. Information
on the requirements and selection of Divisional relays will be available at a
later date.
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