Coaches Tips- Swimming

Coaches Tips- Swimming The Swimming competition at the 2017 National Summer Games will be run in accordance with the FINA Rules (2015 2017 version) and the SOI Swimming Rules (2016 version). The notes below have been put together to aid you and your swimmers so the event is an enjoyable and successful experience for everyone. Helpful hints and information: National Summer Games Organising Committee again reiterate to all swimming coaches that the main Start end for all races will be from the 1.20 meter end with swimmers swimming out to the 25 meter bulkhead (that is 2.00 meter deep). And the height of the Starting Blocks at the main start end is 0.70 meters above the water surface. All coaches must therefore ensure that their swimmers have the appropriate swimming exceptions code, especially if they do not have the ability to dive safely in a pool of this depth. Etiquette Pool Side: Swimmers and their assistants, where approved, will be the only people allowed on to the field of play i.e., the pool deck. This means coaching swimmers poolside is not allowed, and coaches will be asked to leave the pool deck. Swimmers are not permitted to climb over the timing pads to exit the pool they must exit the pool by moving to the nearest side, ducking under the lane ropes. At the start of a race swimmers must not enter the water or climb on to the starting blocks until the referee gives a long whistle blast or, when advised to by an official. At the conclusion of a race swimmers need to wait for two short whistle blasts from the referee before exiting to the sides. Swimmers need to practise this before the Games. Coaches, managers and all spectators need to be quiet at the start of races, indicated by the referees long whistle, so all swimmers can hear the start commands Event Administration: Provisional Results of all event Heats and Finals will be posted for display (the location of which will be advised at first Head Coaches meeting) as soon as possible after that event or division has been completed. Any disputes relating to these provisional results must be advised to the Sports Lead through the appropriate Protest Form that is available in the Head Coaches packs and the Swimming Sports Information Desk (SID) and must be handed in to the Sports Information Desk. You will have 20 minutes in which to write and submit your Protest. After 20 minutes these results will be treated as final and no changes will then be able to be made. All event enquires should also be made through the Swimming SID. Head Coaches Meeting: At the beginning of each competition day, there will be a Head Coaches Meeting in the officials room (refer to map). It is expected that each Head Coach will be present at these meetings. Please refer to the times for these meetings in your Event Schedule of your Coaches Handbook/Event Programme. Please note, that only ONE representative for each team should attend this meeting. A role call be taken at the start to ensure all coaches are present. A written record will be taken of items discussed during these head Coaches meetings. A copy of which will be held at the Sports Information Desk. 1

Common DQ s Starts SW 4 Starting before the start signal is given i.e., it is a one start rule. It has been experienced in past meets including World Games that, if a swimmer False starts and then gets out & goes back to their lane to start again, it has been found to be more friendly & convenient to allow them to swim again but still may be DQ d by the Referee. Too many times there has been embarrassing situations where the swimmer don t understand they cannot swim. That is all eliminated by letting them, swim but under a DQ decision. Coaches therefore need to be aware of this procedure from the outset. Freestyle SW 5 Not touching the end of the pool with some part of their body during turns & at the finish. Walking on and/or jumping from the bottom of the pool. Pulling on the lane ropes. Backstroke - SW 6 Not on back leaving the wall during turns During turns left a position on the back & did not initiate turn. Took more than one single or double arm pull to initiate a turn Failed to touch the wall at turn or finish Not on back when touching wall at end of race Leaving a position on the back i.e., standing or walking Breaststroke SW 7 Incorrect stroke cycle Feet not turned out during propulsive part of the kick Non simultaneous touch at turn or the finish. Non simultaneous arm and, leg movements Arm and leg movements not on the same horizontal plane Hands brought back beyond the hip line apart from at the start and turns Leaving a position on the breast i.e., standing or walking More than one butterfly kick during the first arm stroke Butterfly kick not before first breaststroke kick Hands not separated during touch at turn or finish Butterfly - SW 8 Non simultaneous touch at turn and at the finish Left a position on the breast during the race ie, stood or walked Forward movement of the arms under the water at turn or finish Non simultaneous movement of the arms or legs Alternating movement of the legs. Hands not separated during touch at turn or finish. Medley SW 9 Incorrect stroke order Failed to finish a stroke leg in accordance with the finish rule for the stroke The Race SW 10 Pulled on the lane rope Feet not in contact with the starting platform before the preceding team member touched the wall 2

Special Olympics Swimming Summer Sports Rules - 2016 Swimmers can only stop and stand in a flotation, assisted, unassisted, kickboard and freestyle events they must not walk or jump. This does not apply for the 15m walk event. Did not have at least one foot in contact with the pool bottom at all times in a walking event Took arm stroke/s during kickboard event Hand not in contact with kickboard at finish Swim Suits BL 8.2 & 8.3, SOI 3.1.8, 3.2.1 & 3.2.2 Please refer to the Special Olympics branding document forwarded to all clubs by Angela Day, the SONZ Brand Manager. If coaches wish to seek a swim suit exemption for religious beliefs, medical, cultural or modesty reasons for the swimmer, then this must be submitted in writing to the Sports Lead for Swimming prior to the start of the competition and if approved swimmers will be granted a U code and this must be written on the swimmers arms. Exceptions should allow male and female swimmers to cover a greater part/s of their body but all swimwear must be made of textile material. Taping or Strapping Used by Swimmers Any Taping or strapping on a swimmer must be approved before each session by the Sport Lead/Technical Delegate. Taping or strapping should be for wounds, or injury as long as it is not deemed to provide an advantage, e.g. Compression or webbing. A medical certificate from a Doctor or Physio would assist in final approval. Divisioning The process for divisioning will be advised to the Head Coaches of all the eleven sports at the initial Head Coaches meeting In Swimming, and in compliance with the Special Olympics New Zealand Fill the Lanes Policy all heats will be divisioned by gender then by time, the 15% variance will NOT be used and therefore all 10 lanes will be able to be used to expedite the days programme. Heat divisioning is taken from the entry times as submitted by coaches. For finals, swimmers will be divisioned according their gender then ability. If the percentage difference margins in the initial Finals divisions are too great within the genders, then events may become co-ed to keep the ideal margins within 15% variance in each division; and awards will be assigned based on finishing position of the swimmers and NOT on gender. An in compliance with the Special Olympics International General Rules, final divisions will have a minimum of three (3) participants and a maximum of eight (8) per division within each event. Marshalling: Swimmers need to be at marshalling at least 6 races in advance. If they do not arrive at marshalling before their scheduled race is taken to the seating behind the starting blocks they will be marked as a no show and not be able to compete in this race. Swimmers names will be called three (3) times only and this will be via the Marshalling officials, NOT by the venue s sounds system. This is where the Bib numbers clearly displayed on both arms is beneficial to the marshals as some athletes do not respond to their name when called. We need to adhere to the tight schedule we have set for this meet, so races will not be delayed. If it is preliminary/heat races then a no show will eliminate the swimmer from competing any further in this particular event i.e. the final, irrespective of whether there may be a spare lane in a later race for them to slot into. 3

Protests: Protest procedures are governed by the rules of competition. The role of the competition management team is to enforce the rules. As coach, your duty to your athletes and team is to protest any action or events while your athlete is competing that you think violated official sports rules. It is extremely important that you do not make protests because you and your athlete did not get your desired outcome of an event. Making protest are serious matters that impact a competition's schedule. The protest form must be submitted to the Sports Information Desk within 20 minutes of the posting of the provisional or final result. There is no cost payable by a Head Coach/Team Manager in lodging a Protest. Protests will only be accepted from the athlete s Head Coach or Team Manager. NO parents, supporters or athlete can submit a protest. Ensure if you are going to lodge a protest you complete all sections thoroughly including an accurate account of the rule or regulation deemed to have been broken. No protests will be accepted if the form is incomplete. Copies of the rules are available from the information desk but it is prudent to carry your own at all times i.e., both the FINA and SOI rules. The Protest Committee for Swimming will be Ross Bragg as the Sports Lead for Swimming, Sessions Referee and one other identified person. The Appeal Committee for the 2017 NSG will be Jessica Baldwin (2017 NSG, Games Director), Mike Ryan (Sports Operations Manager, SONZ) & Peter Clinton (Operations Coordinator, 2017 NSG). Swimmers Bib Number: Please bring your own broad point or chisel point vivid permanent marker Marked clearly with a permanent chisel tip marker on the upper arm with each digit at least 3cm high. Exceptions codes must be underneath the bib number. Bib numbers must be vertical with exception code below. If a swimmer has been granted an exception to wear a rash shirt then their bib number and exception code must be clearly visible below the sleeve. 1 2 3 W 4

Swimming Exception Codes: The Exception Codes, adopted by Special Olympics International, must be used for all swimmers who need extra assistance or who have been given an exemption for some reason. Clubs must indicate in a swimmer s entry information the applicable exceptions, if any. At the event the code/s must also be written on the upper arms of the swimmer. The rational behind the exception codes is to inform the event referee of a swimmer s personal requirements, within the rules, so they can be given a fair start in a safe environment. This information will be presented on the session programme and will greatly assist in the smooth delivery of the event. The codes as shown in the programme will be adhered to by the swim officials, irrespective of what the athlete may wish, so please ensure these are correct. Relay Team Substitutions: Replacements for any relay team members who have been submitted on the entry form will be permitted up to the time of Head Coaches meeting on the morning of the relay race. The only exception to this is an injury to a swimmer who was registered to compete in a relay race but has withdrawn due to medical reasons, in which case a replacement can be made up to 30 minutes before the race is called/ marshalled. Replacement swimmers cannot be from another club, nor can they also be entered into another relay race. Replacement swimmers should be slower than the swimmer they are replacing to avoid possible Maximum Effort Violation, as the team would have been divisioned based on the original four members time. 15Mtr Races : These will be swum in the separate Programme pool at Kilbirnie complex. Given the small space in this area, spectator seating will be restricted to Head Coaches and family members ONLY. While we regret having to offer these events in a separate area for the safety and comfort of all swimmers competing at this level, the GOC felt that this was the most appropriate compromise. 25 Mtr Races: For the 25 meter events, these will start from the main Dive Block end of the pool & finish at the Bulkhead. The electronic timing system will be used for ALL events. This will give the swimmers all they need for a normal start. Warm Up/Down: Swimmers may use the other half of the 50m swimming pool for warming up and down before/after races, and not for general fun activities. It is particularly important that all swimmers warming up/down are supervised by a coach at all times. This is to avoid Life Guards and or other personnel diving into this warm down area, because the unsupervised swimmers have just been left to chill out or calm/cool down, as happened at a recent major Special Olympics NZ swimming event. Awards: The presentation of awards will take place at regular intervals though the day, as per the schedule provided in the Team packs. Coaches should at all times, be aware of what awards are being marshalled and then presented. Athletes will be marshalled and then escorted from the podium, and then collected by the Coach at the designated area. It is suggested that swimmers wear their Club track suit Tops for the Awards. Awards will be marshalled by event to avoid large groups so look for the signage To avoid delays at the Awards Ceremony, a second dais will be used for photo opportunities. 5

Performance Improvement Declaration (PID): These will be provided in your coaches packs, & further copies can be obtained from the Sports Information Desk. If an athlete s performance in an event during a Preliminary Heat is for some reason not a true reflection of their abilities, their coach can submit a Performance Improvement Declaration (PID) requesting a time more reflective of their abilities to be used when divisioning Finals races. This ensures the swimmer is appropriately divisioned for their Finals races. If a PID form is not submitted, divisioning will be done using the preliminary Heat results time, which could result in the athlete being disqualified due to violation of the Maximum Effort Rule. PIDs must be lodged by the head coach within 30 minutes of the results, for the event, being posted. Performance Improvement Declaration (P.I.D.) Date: Time PID Submitted: Sport: Club/Team Code: Athlete/Team Name: Bib/Competitor ID: Event/Discipline: Division/Heat/Section: Entry Data: Heat Data: Preferred Data: Head Coach or Team Manager Signature: General:- Maximum Effort Violations (MEV) will not be enforced for any Straight Finals races or in the top Division of any events. Athletes who are disqualified for MEV will be awarded a Participation Ribbon as well as a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of their achieving a Personal Best Time. If the referee and starter call a false start a rope will be dropped at the 15m mark to indicate to the swimmers that the race is being recalled. Swimmers need to be coached in the reasons why the rope is across the pool. They should stop and swim back the to the start end for a new start. If a swimmer enters the water before the start signal is given they may be disqualified from starting a second time. Swimmers need to be able to perform each stroke entered technically correct. No exception will be given to a swimmer who is hindered by a physical impairment. This is of particular importance in the strokes of breaststroke and butterfly. It is recommended that relay team swimmers hug a lane rope at the completion of their leg until all team members have finished. They must not hinder any swimmer in other lanes. And should stay clear of touching the Timing Pads at all times. A relay team which combines genders to include both male and female swimmers shall compete as a male relay. When using a flutter board in the 15 and 25m events the swimmer should keep both hands in contact with the board at all times stroking with any arm/hand is not permitted. The finish in a kickboard race will be when either the board or part of the body touches the wall. For freestyle events, freestyle means any stroke/style except that in Individual Medley or Medley Relay events, freestyle means any stroke/style other than backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly. 6