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Purpose
of this Handbook:
·
Document
AQUA team policies
·
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. 4
TEAM PHILOSOPHY. 5
AQUA’S AFFILIATIONS. 6
USA
SWIMMING. 6
TEXAS
AREA SWIMMING. 6
GULF
SWIMMING. 6
TEAM RULES. 7
RESPONSIBILITIES. 8
AQUA
— THE TEAM. 8
HEAD
COACH'S RESPONSIBILITIES. 8
COACHES’
RESPONSIBILITIES. 8
SWIM
ATHLETES’ RESPONSIBILITIES. 9
PARENT
RESPONSIBILITIES. 9
COMMUNICATION. 11
E-MAIL 11
WEB
SITE 11
MONTHLY
STREAMLINES NEWSLETTER 11
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. 12
FEE STRUCTURE / PAYMENTS. 13
BUDGET
REQUIREMENTS. 13
REGISTRATION
POLICY. 13
TRAINING
FEES. 13
FEE
INVOICING. 14
FUND-RAISING. 14
SWIM MEETS AND MEET INFORMATION. 15
SEASONS. 15
TYPES
OF SWIM MEETS. 15
MEET
INVITATIONS AND ENTRIES. 16
NIGHT
BEFORE THE MEET. 17
AT
THE MEET. 17
GROUP TRAINING REQUIREMENTS. 21
SWIMMING AND SPORTS MEDICINE & NUTRITION. 22
SWIMMING AND EAR CARE. 24
SWIMMING AND EYE CARE. 25
SWIMMING AND NUTRITION. 26
AQUA ON-DECK POLICY. 31
PE
WAIVER GRADE POLICY.
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 together 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.
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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.
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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.
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.
[top]
TEAM RULES
When the swim athlete commits to becoming a member of
AQUA, he/she shall follow five basic AQUA Team Rules:
1.
Any swim athlete who is known to use alcohol,
illegal drugs, tobacco, or performance-enhancing drugs shall be suspended from
the team.
2.
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.
3.
A swim athlete shall never interfere with the
progress of another swimmer during practices, warm-ups and/or swim meets.
4.
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.
5.
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).
[top]
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.
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.
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.
[top]
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.
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:
Parents
Swim Coaches
Athlete
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.
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