Welcome!! Mission Have fun!

Transcription

1 SCC Parent Packet 2015

2 Welcome!! Congratulations - you are now a member of the proud and strong swimming and diving Sea Lions of Sylvania Country Club! We are so excited this year. Our Sea Lions have brought tremendous pride to our club and families. Among our team are secondgeneration swimmers - proof that being a Sea Lion is a family tradition, and we look forward to continuing this tradition as we begin competing in our new facility! We are so excited to have Ani Geha returning once again as our head swim coach! She has many exciting plans for the upcoming season. Also returning this year is Caroline Berger as our head diving coach! She is wonderful and we are so excited to have her and her sister, Abby, back with us! Our swim team is a parent volunteer organization. We cannot run these events on our own! Thank you to the parents who volunteer to help organize the season. Additionally, we need YOUR help as well. We ask all families to volunteer to help with at least 2 meets per season, possibly more. This is vital for us to succeed. Thank you in advance! Mission The SCC Sea Lions swim program strives not only develop good swimmers and divers, but also to teach our kids to work hard, strive for their personal best and be part of a team. As a summer swim club, we are challenged to balance fun and competition. Summer swim leagues are not as competitive as USA swimming by design we want to encourage swimmers of all ages and ability levels to be part of the team and develop a love of swimming and diving. However, please keep in mind that the meets are competitive by nature; this will be reflected in our meet lineups. Our coaches are committed to giving each child the full experience of being part of our Sea Lion team and will encourage the kids to: Strive for their personal best Engage in friendly competition Demonstrate good sportsmanship Set and work toward goals Show respect for coaches, teammates and opponents Make new friends Have fun!

3 Western Lake Erie Swim League Sylvania Country Club is a member of the Western Lake Erie Swim League (WLESL). The Board of Directors and Representatives are volunteers from all of the clubs in the league. The clubs are: Highland Meadows Golf Club (HMGC) St. James Club (SJC) Sylvania Country Club (SCC) Sylvania Recreation (SR) The WLESL is responsible for defining and interpreting the rules that govern our Dual Meets, Tri Meets, and Championships. The WLESL also provides the awards for the "Swim Your Own Age and Championship Dive and Swim Meets. Swimmers will compete in one of the following age groups based on their age as of May 30, 2015: 8 and under 9/10 11/12 13 / Sea Lion Options The SCC Sea Lions swim team includes a competitive and pre-competitive component. Swimmers may move between pre-competitive team and competitive team at any time during the season as their skills progress. 1. Pre-Competitive Swim Team Pre-Competitive swimmers are generally 6 and under swimmers still working on stroke development, but are able or close to able to swim 25 yards unassisted. (Form does not matter as long as they can get across the pool on their own.) The Pre-Competitive swimmers will be more closely supervised than the competitive team, but the Pre- Competitive team cannot serve as a substitute for swim lessons. Swim lessons will be available and should be the starting point for a new, inexperienced swimmer. The swim coaches offer swimming lessons for those who are interested in learning how to swim or to improve a stroke. Instructors and coaches can help you decide when your child is ready for the pre-competitive swim team. Pre-Competitive kids will swim in the pre-competitive part of the meet beginning at 2:45. They may also be included in some exhibition relays. Swimmers may swim in the pre-competitive meet as soon as they reach the goal of swimming 25 yards on their own at ANY point in the season. Check with your child s coach the day before each meet to see if your child is ready to participate in the meet. *****Please note: These swimmers won t begin practicing until the SCC Pool is open!

4 2. Competitive Swim Team Swimmers on the competitive team are generally 7 and over and can swim 25 yards of freestyle using good form and without assistance. They are close to swimming all strokes legally. Dual, preliminary and championship swim meets are primarily for competitive team swimmers. Most heats, as well as the A and B relays, will be filled with competitive swimmers. Coaches of the competitive groups will plan and execute practices assuming all swimmers are safe swimming on their own. The goal for practices will be to improve technique and endurance, as well as improve competitive race times. 3. Dive Team The Dive Team is a part of the SCC Sea Lion Swim Team. Many kids choose to do both the swim and dive. All Skill Levels accepted! The Dive Team is divided into boys and girls and grouped according to age (8 and under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18). As a diver gets older, the number of different dives needed to compete increases. Our dive coaches will hold practices daily. It is possible for an interested individual to begin diving at any age, provided they are willing to put in the time to learn the dives. The youngest divers on the team are usually 6-7 years old. Dive Meets are usually held in conjunction with Swim Meets, earlier in the day at the same location. (See meet schedule for specifics) All divers can compete, with the top three scores earning points for our team. Fees Swim families will be billed $50 per child plus $50 family fee. The fee will cover awards, league and team expenses, team supplies, periodic refreshments after practice, coaches suits, team shirts and other related expenses. Number of Children Family Fee Cost per Child ($50) Total 1 $50 $50 $100 2 $50 $100 $150 3 $50 $150 $200 4 $50 $200 $250

5 Practices 1. Pre-Season Generally beginning the day after Memorial Day, practices are held Monday through Friday from 4:30-5:30pm. Diving practice would follow swim practice. This year, as we await the unveiling of the new pool, schedules are not yet finalized. Please sign up for and remind 101 alerts to stay up-to-date. 2. Regular Season Beginning the week after Sylvania Schools are out for the year, daily practices begin. Swim and dive practices are set up in the morning usually starting no earlier than 9:30. We will begin practicing at Highland Meadows and possibly Northview until our pool is completed. As we get closer, we will announce practice times. 3. ***Please note: Pre-competitive swimmers won t begin practicing until the SCC Pool is open! Swim Meets Coaches prepare the lineups for each meet. Each swimmer is limited to three competitive events per meet, with a maximum of two individual events. Lineups will be posted during the meet warm-ups. This year, we are introducing the use of a computerized to help with the meets. All swimmers will swim for places, with the top 6 receiving place ribbons and the remainder receiving participation ribbons. ***This is a competitive team. The coaches try to balance competitiveness with fun and team spirit as they prepare the lineups for each meet. As a general rule, three of the faster swimmers will swim for team points in the competitive heat, especially in the more competitive meets. Behavior and attendance at practice will also be taken into account when developing the lineups. Coaches may vary lineups based on the strength of our opponent, rotating different swimmers into the competitive heats. The coaches may also challenge the kids by asking them to swim new events. The coaches will also prepare relay teams that are competitive, inclusive and fun. Parents please take note - Preparing lineups for the meets, especially the first few, is particularly challenging for the coaches. Having had little time to work with and evaluate the swimmers, they may rely upon the previous season s results when placing swimmers in events and relays. The lineups may not seem perfect to everyone, but they will evolve through the season. Swimmers may be asked swim an event they do not like or one they feel is not their best. Please encourage them to swim the event and contribute to the team in any way they can. Meet Lineups will not be changed once they are posted. If you want to talk to your swimmer s coach about the events your child is swimming, please do so after the meet, or better yet, after practice the following day. If you must speak to someone about an issue during the meet, please find one of the parent reps.

6 Schedule for Meets On swim meet days, there will be no practices. For all typical meets, warm-ups begin at 2pm. meet will begin at 2:45pm. Meets generally last between 2-3 hours. Some meets have a different schedule. These are noted on the calendars. Please sign up for Remind 101 for changes or cancelations. Swim Meet Schedule (unless otherwise noted) 2:00 pm warm up 2:45 p.m. Meet Dual and Tri Meets We have meets each season against the other clubs in our league, either 2 (dual) or 3 (tri) teams at a meet. This year s schedule will be provided with this packet. Swim Your Own Age Meet During the Swim Your Own Age meet, non-usa swimmers (swimmers that do not compete through the winter) compete against other swimmers their own age. (The age for this meet is the swimmer s age on the day of the meet). Swimmers compete in two events of their choice. Medals are awarded through 12th place. Swim Championships The championship meet is the exciting culmination of our season. We will be following the same format as last year, every swimmer will swim at championships. BCSN has covered and aired the meet over the past few years. Last year, SCC hosted Championships and it was a huge success thanks to all of the volunteers from SCC and the other clubs. SCC will be hosting again this year! Dive Meets Dive meets are held in conjunction with swim meets whenever possible. However, 2 teams do not have dive teams (St. James and Sylvania Rec). As a result, we have added competition from other clubs in the area. The teams in our diving league (governed by the WLESL) are: Members of the diving portion of the league: Highland Meadows Golf Club (HMGC) Inverness Club (Invo) The Jewish Community Center (JCC) Perrysburg YMCA (PBY) Stone Oak Country Club (SOCC) Sylvania Country Club (SCC) Divers will compete at least 3 dives per competition. 10 and under compete 3 dives, year old divers will compete 4 dives and ages 13+ will compete 5 dives. *****We also need volunteers for dive meets as well!! Therefore if your child is a diver, please help us out at the dive meets as well.

7 Schedule for Dive Meets On dive meet days, there will be no dive practice. It is up to each diver individually to determine if they will attend swim practice on that day, if it is even possible. For all typical meets, warm-ups begin at 11am, and the meet will begin at 12pm. Meets generally last between 1-2 hours. Some meets have a different schedule. These are noted on the calendars. Dive Meet Schedule (unless otherwise noted) 11 a.m. warm up Noon Meet Dive Championships Dive championships are held at the end of the season at Highland Meadows Golf Club. All divers may participate. There is an opportunity to practice at an assigned time the week of championships at HMGC. Divers 9 and up will need to perform one additional dive at championships (as opposed to the regular meets). The kids need to begin working on the extra dive by mid-season to avoid last minute panic! Generally, all divers get a chance to perform all dives at Championships. If the age group is particularly large, competitors will be cut to the top 12 (similar to swim prelims) prior to the final round or two of dives. Parent Volunteer Requirements The WLESL and SCC swimming/diving team is a parent/volunteer run organization. ***Volunteers are vital for our league to function and continue. Therefore it is required that each family will volunteer to work at least two meets during the season, and additional if you have more than one child swimming. We need ALL families to volunteer to work at meets so that we can keep our kids happy and swimming and our meets running smoothly! This is also a great way to meet other people, visit with friends and to maintain the excellent reputation Sylvania Country Club has for running fun, efficient, swim meets. SCC is responsible for having 12 volunteers for each meet! This includes the championship meets and Swim Your Own Age meet. There are over 100 volunteer positions that we must fill during the season. Please help make our job easier! Thank you. Responsibilities We understand this can be an inconvenience, however, meets are run by volunteers only. If you are unable to volunteer your time, you must find your own replacement. Your replacement can be a grandparent, nanny, babysitter or other responsible person. Additionally this year, we are hoping to have a list of local high school and college students who would be able to work a meet in place of your family for a fee paid by the family. This list will be available at the beginning of the season. $25 would be suggested per meet. Once you have committed to a volunteer shift, we will count on you to be at the meet for the entire duration of your job. If something comes up last minute and you cannot make your shift, you are

8 responsible for finding a replacement. Please find someone to work for you or switch with someone volunteering a different day. It is also fine to have a nanny or other responsible young adult fill in for you as well. The volunteer coordinator and parent reps cannot be responsible for finding subs for those unable to work. There are several areas where you can help, most of which do not require previous experience. We need volunteers to help as: Timers Use stopwatches to time the swimmer in their assigned lane. Good for people who like to stand in the sun. Runners Primarily responsible for collecting the lane time cards and returning them to the scorer s table. May also need to distribute cards. Good for people who like to be busy and not stand still. Scorers Sit at the scoring table and assign points for placing in races. Usually in the shade and sitting the whole meet. Finish Judges Sit at the finish line and report which lanes came in which place. Good for those who like/need to sit. May/may not be in the sun. Stroke Judges Stand at the edge of the pool and look for stroke disqualifications. Should have some knowledge of each stroke. Good for people who like to stand. Usually in the sun. Awards Responsible for filling out the ribbons for own team. Sit at scorer s table (usually in the shade. Timing and serving as a stroke or finish judge are great ways to contribute while watching your kids swim. Scorers and ribbon volunteers are good positions for people who would rather sit and/or be out of the sun during the meets. Signing Up Signup sheets will be available at the registration/fitting meeting and after that date, at the pool or you may contact the volunteer coordinator. Sign up early to be sure to get the job of your choice! You will be contacted by our volunteer coordinator if you have not signed up or had a replacement fill in for your mandatory shifts. If you have someone else fill in for you, it is up to you to notify the volunteer coordinator of this, so that you get credit for volunteering. Kids Club Babysitting will be available during our home meets so that parents with young children can volunteer on those days. Please contact the club ahead of time to sign up.

9 Etiquette Attendance Coaches assume that all swimmers will be at each meet for its entirety unless otherwise notified. If your swimmer will miss all or part of a meet, please document the absence in the Conflict Notebook located on the table by the entry gate. This is extremely important information for coaches as they prepare their lineups. Coaches must be notified if a swimmer will miss events as soon as possible. Communication We are really hoping to improve communication this year in 2 ways: 1. Weekly s will be sent out to update parents and swimmers about the schedule for the upcoming week as well as any additional important information. Please be sure to put your address(es) on the registration forms so that you will be included in the system. 2. Remind101 This is a texting system that will be used primarily in cases of cancelations or delays. There are 2 separate distribution lists, one for swim and one for dive. If you have a child who swims AND dives, you will want to sign up for BOTH of the alerts. If your child only does one or the other, sign up for the appropriate alert. Follow these links to sign up: For swim team: For Dive team: ******Please note: you will get a text reminder after you sign up to confirm that you have successfully registered. Courtesy We have many swimmers at every practice and meets. We expect swimmers (parents too!) to be on their best behavior so that the coaches can focus on swim practice and swimming, and give their full attention to the kids that are focused on working hard and improving... Each swimmer is expected to be on time and ready to swim. It is understood that there may be times that your swimmer is unable to attend practice or meets. Please let the coaches know about this ahead of time if possible! There is a conflict notebook by the entrance to fill out any times your child will not be able to be there. Please use this. Swimmers are expected to behave in a courteous, non-disruptive manner in and around the pool and locker room. Disrespectful behavior toward teammates, coaches or opponents will not be tolerated. Poor behavior at practice may result in swimmers being pulled from meet events. Parents will be notified if the swimmer s behavior is a problem. Please do not interrupt the swim coaches with questions during a practice; that is their time to work with the kids. The coaches will be happy to talk to you after practice. If you have an

10 immediate question, please direct it to a parent representative who will bring it to the coach's attention. Coaches will keep an Emergency Information Sheet on hand for each swimmer. Parents are responsible for keeping that information up to date. A current emergency contact person and phone number must be available in case a child becomes ill or injured after the parent leaves the pool. Practice will be held as scheduled through cool temperatures and rain. The only time practice will be cancelled is during a thunderstorm. Please look for s or text reminders through Remind101, or if you have a question as to whether practice is being held on a specific day, first check at practice, or if you need to, call the main office at Miscellaneous Pep Rallies - The day before each meet, there is a pep rally that is held at the pool to help build excitement and team bonding before the meet. It usually consists of fun and games, sign making, and food. Pep rallies are not required but are a very good time! Banquet - The banquet is held upon completion of the season in the main dining room at the club. It is a social time for the swimmers to enjoy each other s company and a common time for awards to be handed out to each swimmer. Food will be charged to each members account. Fun Fridays This consists of a little surprise for each swimmer who attends on Fridays. This is a way to have fun, encourage Friday attendance and build team spirit. Lost & Found: The Lost & Found was located near the entrance to the Men's Locker Room. Please look for the new location once the pool is open this season! Swim Lessons: The swim coaches offer swimming lessons for those who are interested in learning how to swim or to improve a stroke. The Swim Lesson notebook can be found on the table near the entry gate. Rates are generally $15 per 30 minute sessions but are set by the coaches. Team Swim Suits and Spiritwear Every season, we have Sea Lion swim suits and spiritwear available for purchase. The swimsuits are high quality racing suits from Speedo and should be worn to meets, and can be worn everyday to practice or just when just having fun at the pool. The team suit is optional and certainly not required to participate on the team. Generally other team spiritwear is also offered as well, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweats, towels, bags, and swim caps, etc., many of which can be personalized. All suits and accessories are unveiled at the swimsuit fitting prior to the start of the season, however can be purchased other times as well, if you are unable to make this fitting session. These can be purchased from our vendor, Wilkinson s Sportswear, Show your SCC spirit with your suit, swim cap and spiritwear! Please label all articles with your name, including goggles. Remember, there will be many sets of the same uniform and accessories at the pool!

11 Awards The following is a list of the team awards given at the annual Swim Awards Banquet. President's Trophy Given to the team high point winner. This includes perfect attendance. Perfect Attendance Given to any Sea Lion swimmer or diver who has been to all practices and meets as defined on the next page. Kay Klein Memorial Award Given in memory of the Sea Lion swimmer who passed away at a young age and exemplified what a SCC swimmer should be: dedicated, loyal, showing good sportsmanship and a desire to help the team in any way. Senior Award Given to every Sea Lion who has just graduated from High School and has been a member of the team since 8 and under. Senior swimmers must swim in two regular meets and championships to qualify for Senior award. ** IMPORTANT: Parents, if your swimmer qualifies for this award, please notify the Head Coach NOW! Championship High Point Given to the boy and girl in each age group who earns the most points for the team in the championship meet. Season High Point Given to the boy and girl in each age group who earns the most points for the team in the regular season. (May not be given this year.) Most Improved Determined by the coaches, given to the most improved swimmer in each age group. Coach's Award - Determined by the coaches, given to one swimmer in each age group. Youngest Boy and Girl - The winners are the youngest boy and girl having swum 25 yards during one meet unassisted and not touching the lane lines.

12 Point System The awards given based on points are the coveted Perfect Attendance, Championship High Point Boy and Girl in each age group, Season High Point Boy and Girls in each age group, and finally, the President's Trophy, given to the swimmer with the most points overall throughout the season including attendance. The Championship High Point award is given to the boy and girl in each age group, who earned the most points in the championship meet in their events. The Season High Point award is given to the boy and girl in each age group, who earned the most points during meets during the whole season, not including championships. The President s Trophy is awarded to the individual who has earned the most points throughout the entire season and includes attendance points. Points earned for the team at Championships by your swimmer are added to their attendance points. The competition is often tight regarding the President's Trophy. In years past, attendance points have been the difference between first and second place. Perfect attendance is attending and swimming the entire practice, every practice, every meet, (which includes "Swim Your Own Age" for summer swimmers), inter-squad meet, and championships. To earn full attendance points, swimmers must be on time and swim the entire practice. Swimmers arriving late will not earn full attendance points. Good attendance during pre-season practices may factor into perfect attendance. If you are part of a USA swim team, you may count those swim practices for attendance. There is one exception; however, you must attend our Tuesday practice in order to get that day s attendance points. Attendance to USA Swim Team practices must be reported to the Swim Team age group Coach by Friday of each week. For the average, beginner or young swimmer (and even our champions) the Perfect Attendance award is a special recognition showing dedication to the team and to his or her own self-improvement. Granting exceptions to our attendance policy cheapens the Perfect Attendance award. The head swim coach may grant an exception to this policy for ill or injured swimmers. Pre-season practice attendance may also be factored into this decision. There is a weekly Tuesday afternoon practice designed as a MAKE-UP session ONLY for those who have had to miss a practice. There are a limited number of coaches during this practice and should not be used as an additional practice for swimmers. On a lighter note, attendance every day is not a prerequisite for a successful swim team experience. The team needs your swimmer most on Meet day, and the Championships. Often our older swimmers can only attend on those days. Not being in town for all five weeks (yes, that is right! only five weeks!) of the summer season should not discourage your participation. The team needs everyone!

13 2015 Swim Team Committee Chairpersons: Jonelle Clark C Nicole Worth C Diving: Kate Fineske C Lela Rashid Awards: Amanda Dietrich C Volunteer Coordinator: Nikki Touri C Publicity/Ads/Sponsors: Cynthia Flores Rae C Terri Wallace C Hospitality: Sherri Campbell C Brandy Davis C H WLESL Board Representatives: Jonelle Clark C Nicole Worth H Kate Fineske C Please consider becoming a member of the swim team committee! It is a GREAT way to get involved and get to know others. Please let us know if you are interested in helping next year so we can show you the ropes this summer. Pool Manager: Mark Geha mgeha@blissfieldschools.us Head Swim Coach: Ani Geha ageha@stjoesylvania.org Head Dive Coach: Caroline Berger Caroline.berger@rockets.utoledo.edu