Watertown YMCA. Blue Sharks Swim Team Parent & Swimmer Information Manual

Watertown YMCA Blue Sharks Swim Team Parent & Swimmer Information Manual 2016-2017 Welcome all swimmers and parents to the Watertown YMCA Blue Sharks Competitive Swim Team! This manual is to acquaint you with the goals and procedures of the team. http://www.watertownymca.org/programs/88-blue-sharks

Overview Purpose and Goals The purpose of this swim team is to enrich the emotional, mental and physical development of our swimmers through the discipline of competitive swimming. With this purpose in mind, these five goals have been set for the team: Maintain a competitive swim team Promote good sportsmanship, fair play and discipline Promote physical and mental well-being Promote team unity Promote a lifetime leisure activity Organization The Watertown Family YMCA sponsors the Watertown YMCA Blue Sharks swim team. A YMCA membership is included in the registration fee. The YMCA provides through the membership, insurance coverage for all swimmers and staff members required for us to swim in the CNY YMCA league. The Blue Sharks are totally dependent upon registration fees, fundraisers and corporate sponsors to satisfy all of our expenses. The Team is governed by the parents of swim team members through the annually elected Parent Board of Directors. The Blue Sharks Coaching staff works directly under the guidelines of our Parent Board of Directors. Swimming Program Levels The swimmer s age as of December 1 st will determine what age group they will compete in during the YMCA dual meet season. You must be a registered member of the team by December 1 st to swim in the State meet in March. The coaches must do preliminary paperwork before each meet to register a swimmer for competition. It is important that the coaches know prior to the meet if your swimmer is registered but will not be swimming for some reason. All swimmers compete within their age group, broken down as follows: A: 15-18yr B: 13-14yrs C: 11-12yrs D: 9-10yrs E: 8 & under Mighty-Mini Program This is an introduction to competitive swimming for young people ages 8 years and under. Proper technique of the four competitive strokes is stressed. Practices are held 3 days per week, Tuesday and Thursday from 6:00-7:00 pm at the H.T. Wiley pool and on Friday at the WHS pool from 6:30-7:30 pm. The child must be able to swim a form of the front crawl for the length of the pool (25 yards) without stopping and without the use of aids (pool wall, lane lines). The child should also have a comfort level in the deep end. Intermediate and Senior Programs Swimmers ages 9 to 18 years receive training in four competitive strokes with emphasis on refining technique, stamina and discipline. Practice is held daily at the WHS pool from 6:30-8:00 pm. Times may change slightly during the season based on pool availability due to Modified and Varsity Swim team schedules. Practice is not held on days that the school is not in session with the exception of some optional practices during the Christmas and February school vacations. 2

Rules of Conduct As a member of the Watertown YMCA Blue Sharks Swim Team, swimmers, parents and staff will conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the highest of values and ethical morals. Any incident involving a member s conduct or behavior at a practice, team activity, meet or any other function representing the Blue Sharks or Watertown YMCA will subject that member and his/her team status to review before the Parent Board of Directors who reserve the right of final decision of membership termination without reimbursement of fees paid. Unsportsmanlike conduct by swimmers at any function representing the Blue Sharks will be cause for review by the coaching staff and possible suspension from team activities. Cause for further review and membership termination will be at the discretion of the Parent Board of Directors. All Blue Shark swimmers are expected to exhibit respect and courtesy to staff members, parents, adults, officials, opponents and other teammates. All Blue Shark swimmers are expected to be attentive to staff members at all practices and competitions and to put forth their best effort in tasks placed before them. All Blue Shark swimmers will be responsible to maintain good personal health, hygiene and nutrition habits during the season. All Blue Shark members will respect the property of all of the facilities in which the Blue Sharks are using for team practices, activities, away competitions and other functions. Any review of a member s violation of the rules of conduct will be conducted by the Parent Board of Directors and coach. A majority vote decision will be final with regard to appropriate action. Discipline at Practice A swimmer will be given a verbal warning from the coaching staff. If the inappropriate behavior continues, the swimmer may be asked to sit out on the bleachers for a period of time. The time limit will be based on the severity of the behavior and determined by the coaching staff. The coaching staff will talk with the parent/guardian and the swimmer after practice to discuss the incident and decide appropriate action. Severe Misconduct: Disciplinary actions will be at the discretion of the coaching staff. Safety first! Parental/Guardian Responsibility Your help is greatly needed and appreciated. GET INVOLVED!!! Due to the possibility of unforeseen circumstances with the pool or inclement weather, please ensure that practice is being held before you leave your child at the pool. If the WHS District is closed or after school activities are cancelled, there will be no practice. Responsible persons should pick swimmers up promptly at the end of practice. Practices are open for your observation on Friday nights. Please remember that there are many swimmers in the pool area on Fridays and the noise level may be high. Parents are responsible for running the home meets. Holding a meet is a big job, which must be shared by all. There are many jobs to be done such as scoring, timing, bullpen, etc. The Blue Sharks run a concession stand at all home meets with the profits used to help defray expenses. All parents are required to perform some job at at least two of the home meets. The schedule will be posted on the Blue Shark bulletin board (located at the base of the stairs from the pool office). If you cannot work your scheduled job you need to find a replacement. It is fun to work at the meets and they go by faster if you are involved. We will always let you see your child swim his/her events when you are busy with a job (which is why we need lots of help)! Parents are expected to provide food items for the home meets to be sold at the concession stand. Baked items are great, but there will be a list of items needed that don t require you to cook. 3

Competitive Swimming Team Swimsuits Team swimsuits are generally ordered at the beginning of the season. While cost is not included in registration fees, every attempt is made to keep it reasonable. Team suits are worn at swim meets (Home, Away, Invitationals, District and State meets). They should not be worn for practice. Any one-piece swimsuit can be worn for practice. Sizing for the suits will be done at registration and prices will be determined before ordering. Meet Participation With the understanding that Blue Sharks is a full time competitive swim team, all participants are encouraged to attend all swim meets, both home and away. It is in the best interest of our team for all swimmers to attend all meets to have a successful season. Away Meets Transportation to and from away meets is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Swimmers are expected to let the coaches know by the Tuesday prior to the away meet if they will not be participating. Directions will be posted on the Blue Shark bulletin board with copies available for you to take. If you cannot provide transportation, but would like your child to participate, let a coach know and they may try to find a ride for your child. Coaches cannot transport any swimmers, except their own child, to a meet. Home Meets The Blue Sharks host approximately 3-4 home meets during the YMCA league season. All swimmers are strongly encouraged to participate in these meets. Swimmers are expected to let the coaches know by the Wednesday prior to the home meet if they will not be participating. Winter Whiteout Meet This is a meet that has been held in Rochester for several years. It is an open meet and anyone can participate regardless of times achieved in an event. The meet is a lot of fun and any times which swimmers record become part of their League record and will qualify them for the State meet if achieved. Similar to the Goodwill meet, this meet is closer to home and promises the same fun. Information about the event will be given out as it becomes available. It is usually held in December. District Meet All swimmers are eligible and encouraged to attend the District meet. This is a meet where all teams in the Central NY YMCA league get together at one location and swim competitively. The meet is held in February. This is the last chance for a swimmer to achieve a qualifying time to participate at the NY State Meet in March. Information about where the meet will be held and what event your child will swim will be available closer to that time. New York State Championship Meet Once the District meet is over, we consider this to be the end of the swim season for all swimmers except those qualifying and planning to attend the State meet. The meet is held on a Fri, Sat and Sun in March and location varies from year to year. Past meets have been held in Long Island, Buffalo, Rochester, Cortland and Ithaca. Practice for qualifying swimmers will continue to be held until the meet. 4

Operations Parent Meetings Parents/guardians are encouraged to attend occasional informational meetings held at registration and periodically throughout the season. Important issues are brought up for discussion, information is given and input is sought from you to help improve the team. Your ideas, suggestions and support are needed at these meetings to keep the team working together and running smoothly. Parent Board The following parents handle the routine team operations and report at the parent meetings: Casey Nicol, President 771-8624 Laticia Urf, Treasurer 408-8741 Banquet Each spring, a swim banquet is scheduled. The swimmers are recognized for their accomplishments at this time. It is one of the few times swimmers can be seen all dressed up and not soaking wet! There is a per person charge for this banquet. In recent years the banquet has been held at the Black River Valley Club, Elks Club, North Side Improvement League, Savory Downtown, or the Watertown High School. With the large amount of swimmers, we keep looking to new venues to accommodate our size for dining and presentations. More information will be sent to you as the time draws near. FAQ s Does my child have to be a good swimmer to join the Blue Sharks? No, but we do expect a minimum skill level equal to that of an intermediate swimmer through recreational lessons. The child must be able to swim a form of the front crawl for the length of the pool (25 yards) without stopping and without the use of aids. Depending on the age group of the child, they may be expected to swim 50 years for some events. The child should be able to go underwater for short periods of time and have a comfort level in the deep end. Does my child have to be at every practice and meet? The Blue Sharks does not have an attendance policy for practices or meets, but if a child wants to swim in a meet they must attend at least one practice the week prior. The staff will encourage consistent participation to better develop skills and proficiency. We ask that the staff be advised if a swimmer will be absent from more than a week at a time. Also, the Blue Sharks payment policy does not allow for partial attendance or discounted membership fees. We strongly suggest each swimmer to attend as many practices and meets as possible. What should my child expect from practice? Depending upon what age group the child is placed in, he/she will be exposed to a wide variety of water drills which make the swimmer repeat fundamental of a stroke, turn or start. Where the older group will be training for endurance more than instructional drill work thus swimming many more laps, the Mighty-Mini group swimmers will be doing fewer laps and more individual drills, having hands on instruction and demonstrations. Similar abilities within a group will be placed in the same lanes to accommodate uninterrupted workouts. How can parents get involved? The Parent Board of Directors has a list of volunteer positions that are vital to the operation of the team. Any parent wishing to find out more about how they can help can let a Board member know. Even though some coordinator positions may be filled, any additional help is welcome. We have so many needs for help at each meet that any help above and beyond the required 2 meets is appreciated. Parent volunteers help us offer a better team program! How much individual attention will my child get from the staff? This is a team environment in which 40-80 swimmers may be in the pool area at one time. Therefore, individual attention will be limited but the staff is instructed to give every swimmer some attention during the course of the practice. Qualified staff will be on deck at all times. 5

Welcome our Coaches Jill Rupp Jill Rupp has been coaching the Mighty Mini s for the Watertown Blue Sharks since 2003-2004 season. Jill has been an Instructor in the Early Childhood Education and Human Services Departments at Jefferson Community College since 2005. She is also working as a Retention Specialist in the Learning & Success Center at JCC. Jill holds degrees in both Human Services and Psychology. Jill has over 20 years experience working as an early childhood teacher, program director and training specialist in recreational & educational programs for the US Army. Jill is an American Red Cross Instructor & an Instructor Trainer. She has also been a Water Safety Instructor for over 15 years. Jill is married, husband Ken, and has a shark, Meagan who swims with the A group. Please welcome her back to the Team! Lori Peters Coach Peters will be the Head Coach for the 9-18 year olds at the WHS Pool. Lori is a familiar face as she has been a Blue Sharks Coach for the many years and the Girls Varsity Swim Coach for 20 years. Lori was named the High School Section III Class B "Coach of the Year" in 2008. She swam on her high school team in Queensbury, NY and also at SUNY Cortland where she received her undergraduate degree in Physical Education. Lori received her Masters Degree from SUNY Potsdam and currently teaches Physical Education at Watertown High School. Lori is married, husband Eric, and has 3 children: Brooke, Ryan, and Mallory. Please welcome her back to the team! Maureen Lundy-Way Coach Lundy-Way will be an assistant coach and has been coaching with Blue Sharks since 2008. Maureen was a Blue Shark swimmer herself, and also swam on the WHS Varsity swim team. She has lifeguarded for the NYS Parks system for five years. A graduate of Syracuse University, Maureen also holds a Master's degree from SUNY Potsdam in elementary education. She has three sharks of her own that swim for the team - Connor, Caleb, and McKenzie Way. Please welcome her back to the Team! Kathy DeFoe Coach DeFoe has been coaching the Watertown Blue Sharks since 2005 and working for the YMCA in Aquatics since 1988. Kathy is a Red Cross Instructor, a certified USA swimming coach and a Level 2 Official for YMCA Swimming. Kathy has coached high school, USA and YMCA swim teams. She is taking classes at JCC to learn more about childhood education. Her children Jon and Amanda swam for 6 and 8 years respectively and were NYS qualifiers. During Amanda s final season with the Sharks, she was a freshman in the Nursing Program at JCC and she also was a lifeguard for the team. Kathy wishes to see every swimmer succeed in their goals. Dara Oliver Coach Oliver started working at the Watertown Family YMCA in 1990. She worked at Fort Drum in the Aquatics Department for 5 years before becoming the Chief Pool Operator/Instructor at Indian River Central for 11 years. In addition, she coached the Blue Sharks in 2005-2006 while her son Kavanagh was 4 years old. She coached all the Modified and Varsity teams at Indian River and worked in different capacities within the Aquatics field as well as volunteered for the American Red Cross. Dara and her family moved South to Florida and North Carolina, where she coached a High School swim team that became County, District and Regional Champions for both her boys and girls swim teams. She moved back to Northern NY and worked one Modified girls season at Thousand Islands School before coaching last year with the Sharks. Both her children (Kavanagh & Delaney) swim for the Sharks and with her husband Kevin, they all live in Sackets Harbor. 6