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Bay Area Aquanauts, Inc.
(AQUA/AQUASTAR)
Parents and Swimmers
Handbook
For a PDF version, click here.
Purpose of this
Handbook:
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Document AQUA team policies;
and
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Provide parents and swimmers a reference document to ensure that
AQUA team expectations as set by USA Swimming and the AQUA board of
directors are clearly
understood.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
TEAM PHILOSOPHY
AQUA’S AFFILIATIONS
USA SWIMMING
TEXAS AREA SWIMMING
GULF SWIMMING
TEAM RULES
RESPONSIBILITIES
AQUA — THE TEAM
HEAD COACH’S
RESPONSIBILITIES
COACHES’
RESPONSIBILITIES
SWIM ATHLETES’
RESPONSIBILITIES
PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES
COMMUNICATION
E-MAIL
WEB SITE
MONTHLY STREAMLINES
NEWSLETTER
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
FEE STRUCTURE / PAYMENTS
BUDGET REQUIREMENTS
REGISTRATION POLICY
TRAINING FEES
FEE INVOICING
FUND-RAISING
SWIM MEETS AND MEET
INFORMATION
SEASONS
TYPES OF SWIM MEETS
MEET INVITATIONS AND
ENTRIES
NIGHT BEFORE THE MEET
AT THE MEET
GROUP TRAINING
REQUIREMENTS
SWIMMING AND SPORTS MEDICINE
& NUTRITION
SWIMMING AND EAR CARE
SWIMMING AND EYE CARE
SWIMMING AND NUTRITION
AQUA ON-DECK POLICY
PE WAIVER GRADE
POLICY
INTRODUCTION
The Bay Area Aquanauts, Inc. (AQUA) was formed in August 2000 with
a vision to establish a premier year–round swim program for
the communities in and around the Clear Lake area. The club’s
membership started with 60 athletes of all abilities and ages, from
the beginning swimmer to the most competitive skilled
swimmer.
When a family joins AQUA, it should expect the team to emphasize
the values of commitment, teamwork, conditioning, and
sportsmanship. The mission of the AQUA board members and coaching
staff is
to
work with swimmers and parents to minimize the gap between a
swimmer’s potential and
performance.
This handbook for parents and swimmers will provide basic
information about AQUA, its policies and the expectations of both
parents and athletes in a successful swimming experience on a
competitive level.
TEAM
PHILOSOPHY
AQUA’s team focus is to develop swim athletes by stressing
quality instruction before quantity. Team practices/workouts will
be managed efficiently and structured according to age and ability
of the swimmer. The ultimate goal is to ensure that swim athletes
for all ages groups (swim levels) have a positive/successful
swimming experience.
Swimming is a unique sport where learning transcends the pool into
everyday life experiences. The attributes of the swimmer athlete
— i.e., confidence in one’s abilities, high
self-esteem, goal-setting, perseverance, self-discipline,
commitments, and courage to take on a challenge — ensure
success in the pool, classroom, and future life
challenges.
Through swimming, the year-round swim athlete will learn physical,
emotional, and intellectual skills that will last a lifetime.
Memories of the medals and records will fade with time. The
development of interpersonal skills, discipline, goal-setting, and
high self-esteem serves the swim athlete for his/her entire
life.
AQUA’S
AFFILIATIONS
USA
SWIMMING
USA Swimming is the national governing body for all competitive
swimming in the United States, having been established for that
purpose after the reorganization of the Amateur Athletic Union
(AAU) in 1978. USA Swimming is governed by a Board of Delegates
which regulates all aspects of competitive swimming, from age-group
developmental swimming programs, to preparing our national swimming
contingent for the Olympic Games and other international
events.
USA Swimming is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and
can be reached at (719) 578-4578. For more information about USA
Swimming, visit www.usaswimming.org.
USA Swimming is also affiliated with the international swimming
body, La Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur
(FINA). See www.fina.org.
TEXAS
AREA
SWIMMING
Within the United States, USA Swimming is divided into 59 Local
Swim Committees (LSC). Each LSC is granted jurisdiction over
swimming in a specific geographic area of the country, each of
which is entitled to representation on the Board of Delegates of
USA Swimming.
Texas is divided into five Local Swim Committees: North, South,
West, Border, and Gulf. For more information visit www.tsaswim.org.
GULF
SWIMMING
AQUA is a member of the LSC called Gulf Swimming [www.gulfswimming.org], which governs competitive
swimming in southeast Texas. The primary purpose and objective of
Gulf Swimming is the education, instruction and training of
individuals to develop and improve their capabilities in the sport
of swimming. Gulf Swimming promotes swimming for the benefit of
swimmers of all age and abilities, in accordance with USA Swimming
and FINA standards, rules, regulations, policies, and
procedures.
Any swimmer registered with AQUA — and therefore Gulf
Swimming— can swim in any meet sanctioned by any LSC,
provided they meet the qualifying standards and provided the meet
is not a “closed? meet (e.g., dual, invitational, Zone
Championships, etc.). If swimming in a meet sanctioned by another
LSC, however, the swimmer will probably be required to provide
proof of registration in the
Gulf.
USA Swimming is composed of a very dedicated group of volunteers.
These interested individuals donate their time, energy and
expertise at every level from the national Board of Directors to
our very own AQUA parents.
TEAM
RULES
When the swim athlete commits to becoming a member of AQUA, he/she
shall follow five basic AQUA Team Rules:
Any swim athlete who is known to use alcohol, illegal drugs,
tobacco, or performance-enhancing drugs shall be suspended from the
team.
AQUA swim athletes and family members (including parents/siblings)
are guests at practice and meet facilities; therefore, all have an
obligation to respect the facilities and properties. Every member
of AQUA needs to do everything possible to respect this privilege
to ensure AQUA is a member in good standing at all facilities and
with other teams within the swim
community.
A swim athlete shall never interfere with the progress of another
swimmer during practices, warm-ups and/or swim
meets.
At all times (meets, practices, school, club functions) the swim
athlete (and families) shall behave in such a way that his/her
actions reflect a positive team
image.
AQUA swim athletes and parents must continue to strive toward the
goal that AQUA as an organization has an excellent reputation
throughout the community (both swimming and local
municipalities).
RESPONSIBILITIES
AQUA —
THE
TEAM
Bay Area Aquanauts is a 501(c)(3) federally tax-exempt non-profit
organization, which operates through parent volunteers, team fees,
and corporate donations.
The Board of Directors manages the team financial affairs
administratively and establishes team policy, including the
selection and dismissal of
coaches.
The Board is comprised of eight members — four elected
officers and four members at-large. Elections are held annually in
April. Nominations for Board members are solicited prior to the
elections. Parents and/or legal guardians of swim athletes are
eligible for nomination. A minority of the Board may be selected
from volunteers outside the
team.
The AQUA Board of Directors is guided
by the team By-laws. See the By-laws of Bay Area
Aquanauts for additional
information.
HEAD COACH’S
RESPONSIBILITIES
The head coach supervises the entire AQUA swim program. He/she
establishes overall team goals and strategies and implements them
through the AQUA coaching staff. The head coach oversees coaching
staff development. He/she also makes final decisions concerning
which swim meets the team will attend. The coaching staff also
reserves the right to determine which meet events a swimmer
enters.
COACHES’
RESPONSIBILITIES
The coaches are responsible for designing, implementing, and
supervising workouts to provide the swim athletes the best
technical training, conditioning, and mental preparation to achieve
their highest potential in swimming. This well-rounded approach of
technical excellence, physical conditioning, and motivation will
minimize the gap between the swim athlete’s potential and
maximum performance. Additional responsibilities of the coaches are
as
follows:
Initial swimmer placements in practice groups
. This is based on the ability level, level of conditioning, and
age of each individual. Once assigned to a group, each swimmer is
encouraged to complete the developmental skills within the group in
order to advance to the next level. Upon completion of the
advancement requirements, and when his/her coach has concurred it
is in the best interest of a swimmer, he/she will be placed in a
more challenging training
group.
Stroke instruction and the training regimen
. Each group’s practices are
based on sound swimming principles and are geared to specific
goals.
Conduct and supervise warm-up procedures for the team at swim
meets
. After each race, the coach will offer
encouragement and/or constructive criticism regarding the
swimmer’s
performance.
Relay team member selection
. Relays will generally be organized with the goal of assembling
the fastest combination of swimmers as determined using official
times for the same stroke and distance; however, coaches may apply
discretion based on individual or team circumstances when entering
individuals in relays, determining order of swimmers, and
strokes.
SWIM
ATHLETES’
RESPONSIBILITIES
The expectation is that the swim athletes arrive to
practice/competition prepared to perform to his/her best. At
practices, this means arriving on time with all the equipment
required for the training group level, and following coaching
direction; during meets, this means being aware of race start times
and following coaching
direction.
During practices, the AQUA swim athlete
shall:
Be open-minded and trust the judgment of the coach when correction
is
given.
Exhibit proper pool/lane courtesy; specifically, not interfering
with other swimmers. When passing a slower swimmer, do so in a safe
manner. The slower swimmer should also exhibit proper lane
courtesy, and allow a faster swimmer to pass
easily.
During competitions, the AQUA swim athlete
shall:
Exhibit good sportsmanship toward other swim
athletes.
Wear AQUA team logo caps and swim suits [or any solid black or blue
suit].
Respect the facilities, remembering that AQUA is a guest and that
all actions will reflect on the team’s
reputation.
Clean up all applicable trash before leaving the
facility.
It is recommended the swim athlete follow these simple lifestyle
activities to ensure conditioning is
maximized:
Eat well-balanced meals [see Food Group
Servings].
Get plenty of rest [see Lack of
Sleep].
Ask your coach for guidance for additional dry land workouts, if
desired.
PARENT
RESPONSIBILITIES
As members of AQUA, the swim athlete’s parents play a very
important role of support. Specifically, they support the team, the
coaches, and the swim athletes. A successful swim program is a
triangular relation between parents, swim athletes, and the
coaching
staff:
As parents, it is a difficult transition to trust another
individual — e.g., a swim coach — with the
responsibility of "grooming" your child to be a successful swim
athlete. The parents must remember to separate the parental
instincts of over-protecting the child and remain objective when
the family decides to commit to a multi-disciplined sport such as
swimming. It is important that the swim athlete and coach
relationship be built on trust, discipline, and mutual
respect.
The parental role in this swimmer triangle is one of
support/encouragement to the swim athlete. The parental support,
love and encouragement will motivate the swim athlete; when
combined with the coaches’ technical training and
conditioning, this will provide the swim athlete with the
confidence to perform at the highest potential. When the parents do
not support this triangle by offering opinions that differ from the
coach or the team philosophy, it results in less than optimum
swimmer performance (and optimum performance is the goal of all
partnerships).
Parents should not attempt to conduct a conversation with the coach
or with the swimmer during practice times. If the pool were to be
considered a classroom, would a parent enter a classroom and
interrupt by starting a conversation with either the teacher or a
student? Coaches will be happy to discuss items with parents either
before or after practice. If a coach needs to talk to a parent
during practice, the coach will initiate the conversation. If a
swimmer needs to leave practice early, parents should advise the
coach prior to the start of the practice
session.
The swim athlete needs to remember that participation at the
highest level of his/her ability — regardless of whether they
win or lose — is the goal, and parental support along with
the coach’s respect will always remain consistent regardless
of the outcome. This is especially important with the 10-and-under
swimmers. Inconsistencies are common with this age group, which can
lead parents, coaches, and swim athlete down the road of
frustration and breaking the triangle of success. Parents must
remember the 10-and-under swimmer still needs to mature physically
and mentally. The key is to be patient and allow these younger swim
athletes time to love the sport and nurture the commitment to
advance further as they
mature.
Parents need to be patient with inconsistent times; generally, most
swimmers hit a low point during the season. Peaks and valleys are
normal. The parents need to be supportive during the down times and
help the swim athlete focus on the competitive spirit of
participation and trying one’s best. A good positive mental
attitude is a very important swimming skill that must be nurtured
by the parents and coaching
staff.
Parents need to remember that children tend to exaggerate when
praised or criticized. Parents need to avoid overreacting. They
should get the facts, talk with the coach, and discuss situations
in an objective manner. Communication is the
key.
AQUA is a volunteer organization that requires parental support to
function. There are many activities at various levels of
participation where parents can volunteer to show their support for
the team. Some parents show support by becoming board members or
joining a committee. Parents who do not participate in an official
capacity as a board/committee member can volunteer to time at swim
meets (this is the simplest way to volunteer for the team). Timers
are important because the Gulf LSC can fine the team if this
obligation is not met. The team cannot be successful without parent
volunteers.
COMMUNICATION
E-
MAIL
With the number of families participating, expeditious
communication avenues are imperative. AQUA uses e-mail for most
team-wide communiqués; thus it is essential that family
e-mail addresses are supplied when registering with
AQUA.
E-mailed post-meet summaries from the head coach are most
informative, highlighting swimmer accomplishments and supplying
updated AQUA team record and leader board times. Practice schedules
are also e-mailed every other week or
so.
Monthly billing statements are also sent via
e-mail.
WEB
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