Ashburton S W I M T E A M Parents Guide to Swimming as a Sport

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1 Ashburton S W I M T E A M Parents Guide to Swimming as a Sport Proudly sponsored by: Jennian HOMES Your personality, Our expertise

2 W elcome to the world of swimming. As a swimmer your child will enjoy the benefits of a high profile sport that is well funded and supported in mid Canterbury. Swimming is not only a sport that provides a high level of aerobic fitness, weight control, and is a low impact exercise. Competitive swimming requires a big time commitment and a high degree of personal discipline. It teaches athletes a number of skills that can cross over into life in general i.e. time management, goal setting, discipline, dedication, teamwork, etc. This booklet is intended to be a general guide to the new swimmer and parents on how the world of swimming works including how a swimmer normally progresses, the opportunities available for swimming as a sport, expectations for training, costs, and explanations of what you can expect to happen at a swimming meet and how to prepare for it. Administration The Jennian Homes Ashburton swim club is managed by a committee of parents who have swimmers competing at various levels. The members of this committee are elected at an AGM once a year like any other club. Committee members for the year Position Name Telephone No. address President Rae Wilson rae.wilson@farmside.co.nz Vice President, Officials Helen Tait andrewandhelentait@farmside.co.nz Convenor, NZ Data Base, Websites Secretary Anne Tait a.tait@xtra.co.nz Treasurer Andrea Scammell scammellpainting@clear.net.nz Event Co-ordinator Sandy Hogg shhogg@xtra.co.nz Club Administrator Sara Binnie sarabinnie0@gmail.com Publicity Officers: Junior Senior Toni King Ann Maree Middleton theking@xtra.co.nz p.amiddleton@clear.net.nz Booking Officer Devon Slee slee@xtra.co.nz Uniforms Officer Jo Harrison jo.dean@kinect.co.nz Fundraising Co-Ordinator Nicola Giles nigiles1@vodafone.co.nz Committee Anne-Marie Middleton p.amiddleton@clear.net.nz Liaison Officer Mark Scammell scammellpainting@clear.net.nz Head Coach Shane Jones shane.jones@adc.govt.nz Committee Sam Bentley grsbentley@vodafone.co.nz

3 Technical Officials for the year Helen Tait Canterbury Technical Panel Member National Referee Helen Elliot IOT Susan Johnstone National OT Andrea Woolf IOT Sandy Hogg IOT Henry Hogg Nicola Giles Jo Harrison Trainin IOT Rebecca Hood Trudi Martin Ann-Maree Middleton Maylene Peel Rachel Roadley Greg Roadley Mark Scammell Andrea Scammell Devon Slee Anne Tait Rae Wilson Andrea Woolf The Jennian Homes Ashburton Swim team belongs to the Swim Canterbury Region a geographical area that encompasses clubs from this side of the Waitaki River up to North Canterbury and takes in the West Coast. Swim Canterbury holds meets in the Christchurch, West Coast and Mid and South Canterbury. There are many districts in New Zealand which are administered by Swimming New Zealand as the National Governing Body. Website Addresses: Swim Canterbury West Coast: Swimming New Zealand:

4 Role as a Parent / Caregiver Your primary role as a swim parent is to provide a supportive, loving and stable environment in which your child can develop as both an athlete and a good person. As a parent, you know how important it is to be a positive role model in your child s life; children feel your emotions. We encourage you to always demonstrate to your child good sportsmanship towards all involved in the sport. This includes team mates, coaches, officials, opponents, supporters and so on. Developing an Athletes first, winning second perspective Every decision parents make in supporting and directing their child in sport should be based on what is best for the child first and what may help the child win second. This perspective of athletes first, winning second can help some children achieve more than they would if they were consumed with the idea of winning. An obsession with winning can create a fear of failure, which may result in less than average performance and an upset child. Building your child s self esteem As a parent, you are one of the main influences in your child s life, and one of your most important roles is to build their self-esteem. A child with good self-esteem is more likely to beproud of their personal accomplishments, accept challenges and new tasks and also, help others. On the other hand, children who find their confidence through winning can go through some very hard times when they lose. It is important that your child knows they can be successful without winning. If your child is aiming to beat their personal best (PB) for a certain race, and they accomplish that, then they are successful regardless of what place they finish in. As long as your child puts in their best effort, make them feel like a winner! When a new person starts swimming they will progress through various levels until they get to a level where they might want to try racing or they might be spotted by club coaches and it could be suggested that they would like to think about trying to race as they have potential. At this point there are certain things that a parent should know if their child is to get the best out of thesport. The level a child is set at depends on their level of proficiency, age, fitness for the training at that level. Boys and girls are mixed in the training sessions.

5 Squads for competition Development Bronze Silver Gold Days and times can be found on EA Networks website or as advised by head coach via . DEVELOPMENT SQUAD 4 sessions per week Age: Male Years, Female Years. Swimmers are encouraged to attend a minimum of 2-3 sessions per week. ************************ BRONZE SQUARD This is the first of the competitive squads with each session lasting 1 hour Swimmers are encouraged to attend a minimum of 3-4 sessions per week 5 sessions per week available Age: Male Years, Female Years Key Objectives: Swim training using the pace clock Mastering correct starts and turns Increase aerobic base Basic dry land training e.g. stretching, sit ups etc Racing at local swim meets SILVER SQUAD ************************ The second level in the competitive programme with each session lasting hours Swimmers are encouraged to attend a minimum of 4-5 times per week 6 sessions per week available, plus 2 Gym. (Swimmers should be a the pool to perform dryland 20 minutes before session) Age: Male Years, Female Years.. Key Objectives: Swim training using the pace clock Goal setting Mastering correct starts 7 turns Increase aerobic base and introduction to anaerobic training Basic dry land training e.g. stretching, sit ups etc Racing at local and national meets

6 GOLD SQUAD Third level in the competitive programme with each session lasting two hours Swimmers are encouraged to attend at least 6-7 sessions per week) 9 sessions per week available, plus 3 Gym (Swimmers should be at the pool to perform dryland 20 minutes before session Age: Male Years, Female Years. Key Objectives: Using heart rate, stroke rate and developing self-awareness in the water Goal setting Developing swimmers aerobically and anaerobically More advanced dry land training i.e. palates, and cords etc Racing at local, inter regional, national and international swim meets Let the Coach, coach ************************** It is the coach s job to offer a child constructive criticism on their swimming. The parent s role is to support, encourage and recognise their child s efforts. If a parent attempts to coach their child, the child may get confused with conflicting information, and their coach may be unimpressed. It is equally important to never undermine the coach in front of the athlete, as this can be extremely harmful to the coach and athlete relationship, which is necessary for success. When training the coaches will set various drills that are designed to reinforce correct techniques or strengthen certain muscle groups. Usually it is much better for coaches to be able to plan their sessions to target these special drills if they know that certain swimmers will be coming on scheduled days. Help and encourage your child in setting realistic goals The competitive side of swimming is very important to the development of athletes and the sport of swimming. At a junior level, the most important factor is participation, effort and skill development. Communication with your child is important. Talk to them about their training are they getting along with their squad and most importantly with their coach. If they are not, you may need to assess the situation, and decide on what needs to be done to resolve any issue with the least amount of disruption to your child and the squad. Ask them questions after training such as: What new skill did you learn today? What was the best thing that happened today? What does your coach think you need to work on? Communication with your child requires your support in telling them how proud you are of them, no matter how they swam. Never be disappointed in your child s swim. Keep the focus on how well they did to make it to that point and where they can go from here.

7 Attending swimming competitions or meets Each swimming club in New Zealand will generally run a few competitive meets every year. As well as club meets there are regional and national meets where all the clubs from a region or all over New Zealand will compete. Generally a new swimmer will first attend local club night competitions where the club will run a full competitive meet under very similar conditions that they will encounter at an official meet. Swimmers do not have to be a registered member of the club to compete at club night but must be able to swim a length, so this can include Level 5 LTS to Development swimmers. Club Chocolate Fish nights are designed to encourage participation and all swimmers can earn a PB (Personal Best) Ribbon. Swimmers must register and pay a subscription which goes to the club, regional associations and to Swimming New Zealand to be able to compete. This fee is set each year. There are a few races that an unregistered swimmer may compete in, usually at junior competitions. The Future Progress of swimmer to regional or national events and special training camps Swimming is an Olympic sport and offers opportunities from club night right through to the Olympics. There are several ways of competing against swimmers from all over the region, South Island, New Zealand and the world. Swimming New Zealand run a number of national meets: Junior Nationals (10-12 year olds), National Age Groups (13-18 year olds), Open Nationals (anyone this meets is to find the fastest New Zealanders in every event), Open Water Nationals (lake or sea swims), National Short Course Championships (age group short course championships), and Division II competition (a national meet for those swimmers who haven t qualified for National Age Groups). Swimming New Zealand also runs a programme XLR8, a national programme which allows swimmers to compare themselves against the rest of the country over four (4) events (an IM, distance Freestyle and two other events). Refer to the Swim NZ Website for further information on the XLR8 programme. From all of the above competitions swimmers can be selected to attend nationalcamps/workshops.

8 Entries Swimmers and parents can choose the competitions that they wish to attend based on the competition flyers they will receive or meets advertised on various regional swimming websites. The flyers are documents that detail the time and place of the meet and what events or races are available. The flyers for targeted club meets will be distributed to you by , these are also available on the web site of the club or region running the meet. The flyer will also detail the cost per race and things like starting times, costs, warm up times, rules and which officials are running the meet. The Clubs Administrator will also give a deadline date of when entries are due. Entries are done by logging online onto the regions club fliers as they come out or onto the Swim Canty West Coast website. (monies can be banked directly into the clubs choice of bank account as indicted ) when they come out If a swimmer must cancel from an event then there is a set procedure to be followed to avoid incurring a penalty fee/fine. This must be done within a set time frame before the event and is detailed in the flyer for the meet. Generally the swimmer will choose several events after seeking advice from their coach who may suggest alternate races that may suit their skill or fitness level better, or target events for qualification times. Preparation As different pools have different seating, catering, marshalling arrangements it is wise to talk to other parents or committee members or the appointed manager about the facilities available before your first attendance at a meet at that pool. Some of the outdoor pools have grass areas where clubs can set up sun umbrellas, deck chairs etc. Timekeeping / IOTing is a good way to view the meets as often there is limited spectator seating. What Your Swimmer will need for meets: The swimmers gear bag needs to be packed with spare towels, goggles, caps and some suitable food and either a water bottle or sports drink. If the swimming meet is a multi day event then it is advisable to take extra towels separate from the one in the swimmers bag to allow towels to be dried in rotation. The Swimming New Zealand Website has an excellent section on Nutrition for swimming in its Parents Handbook. Pool Types There are two basic types of pool these are known as long and short course. Long course pools measure 50m in length and usually have 8 to 10 lanes. Short course pools measure either 25m and usually have from 6 to 10 lanes. This is important because the time measurement for records etc is affected by the swimmers getting faster times in short pools due to the extra propulsion achieved from push off the walls during the extra turns.

9 Team Management Before a meet a Team Manager is appointed by the coach / club administrator if you are interested in learning the role of Team Manager please let the coach know. The team managers are responsible for looking after all swimmers from our club. Parents are encouraged to stay in the seating provided for spectators or assist with official duties. Swimmers are not allowed to leave the club s seating area without talking to a team manager (even to go to the toilet) so as not to miss the start of a race. Para Swimmers All Para Swimmers are required to report to the Technical advisor at the start of the first session of a Meet and produce their rule card for clarification. Warm up Swimmers are expected to arrive at the pool 30 minutes before the warm up start time to complete their stretches and to make contact with the Coaches and Team Managers. Once stretching has been completed the swimmers then do their warm up in the pool (coaches will tell the swimmers what to do as warm up). This aids in each swimmer achieving good performance by being properly loosened up and helps prevent injury. Some pools have special rules regarding the direction of swimming in warm up lanes. Often this will be included in the flyer advertising the meet. Start of Races When the racing is due to start the pool will be cleared of any swimmers still warming up. At this point the swimmers in the first races are sent to their Coach by the team manager to receive instructions on how they want the swimmer to swim the race. The swimmer will then proceed onto the marshalling area where they are to identify themselves to the meet marshall and they are then organized into their heats and correct lanes. The swimmers are normally sent to the marshalling area several races in advance of their own events this is to allow enough time for organizing the event. When instructed by the marshall the swimmers proceed up to the end of the pool where they stand behind the timekeepers until their race. Often the timekeepers will check the swimmers name to ensure that the swimmer is in the correct lane. Racing Protocols The officials starting the race will blow a whistle at the point they want the swimmers to mount the starting blocks. Rules state at this point everyone must be quiet and to stop walking poolside to allow the swimmers to hear the starters commands and not be distracted by movement around the pool. Once the race has started you may cheer or yell encouragement to the competitors. When the race ends the swimmers must follow the race officials instructions either to exit the pool when the officials blow the whistle or move across to the lane ropes so that they are out of the way of the next race starters (this is called an over the top start).

10 Debriefing after the race Once the swimmer has exited the pool they should collect any gear they have left at the starting area and return to the area where the coaches and managers are. This allows a coach to discuss the results with each swimmer and offer any corrective technical advice before the next event. Once this has been done the swimmer may be instructed by the coach to do a loosen, this is a warm down so that any lactic acid is cleared from the swimmers muscles. This loosen is normally carried out in another pool or area at the swimming complex. Once the loosen has been completed then the swimmer is to put on the appropriate amount of team uniform depending on the air temperature and footwear must be worn. Relays Usually the club / coach will enter some swimmers in some relay races at each meet. The swimmers will be notified by coaches or managers before the events on the day. Event Reports for meets may have swimmers named in relays, but these can be changed by the coach on the day due to a number of reasons. Food and Drink During the races the swimmers will use a lot of energy and they will need some healthy energy foods. They should usually have some small healthy snack foods packed in their gear bag. Water intake is also important to stop dehydration so swimmers should pack a water bottle. Part of theteam managers role is to ensure that the swimmers are eating and drinking. See SNZ Website handbook regarding nutrition. Gear Once a swimmer is registered a uniform will be provided. The Uniform issue requires a $50 bond to be paid which is refundable if the swimmer leaves and uniform handed back in a reasonable condition. Togs should be a reasonably tight fit to stop water filling them and acting like a brake. Theyshould be in accordance with the Fina and Swim NZ rule. All swimsuits shall be non transparent. No zippers in the back. Caps and goggles are required. The goggles should be a good quality item and will need to be adjusted to be tight enough that they will not come loose when the swimmer dives in. Once a swimmer is registered they will be supplied with a Racing Cap to be worn at all meets.

11 Cataloge of terms used by swimmers Free - Freestyle Fly - Butterfly Back - Backstroke Breast - Breaststroke IM Individual Medley. All strokes are used in the order Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle. The order for a Medley Relay is Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle. PB - Personal best time DQ Disqualification Long Course Events swum in a 50m Pool Short Course Events swum in a 25m Pool IOT Inspector of Turns JOS Judge of Stroke Websites/Apps of Interest Swim Canterbury West Coast: Swimming New Zealand Take Your Marks Ashburton Swim Team Meet Mobile An app on mobile devices which gives results of meets

12 Pool side Officials Meet Director/Technical Advisor Runs the meet where the referee has not been assigned rules to the meet.has power to postpone and cancel the meet. Referee Offically runs the meet and has control over all rules of the competition. Has the power to holt the meet if the rules are not being adhered to and run by the rules of Fina and Swim NZ. Has the power to DQ a swimmer and make sure all officials are doing there jobs at the meet. Starter Person who signals the start of the races. Has the power to DQ a swimmer. Judge of Strokes Walks along the sides of the pool deck and judges the swimmers strokes to make sure they are being meet within the fina rules. Has the power to DQ a swimmer. IOT / Inspector of Turns Stands at the ends of the pool to check that each swimmer touches the wall at the end of each lap and completes the turn in the required manner as associated with the rules of Fina. Marshall / COC Clerk of the Course Person who organizes the swimmers into the correct heats and lanes for races. Timekeepers Sit at the end of the pool and uses stop watches /automatic buttons. Team Managers Committee Members or parents who organize swimmers and documentation during racing. Control Room Supervisor (CRS) Has complete control over the control Room Recorder Assists the Control Room Supervisor in advising where records have been broken and records any withdrawal

2018 Canterbury West Coast Junior Championships

2018 Canterbury West Coast Junior Championships EA Aquatic Centre, Ashburton Short Course Saturday 27 th Sunday 28 th January 2017 Session 1: 27 th January, warm up 8.00am, start 9.00am Session 2: 27 th