Willow Oaks Stingrays 2013 Season Welcome swimmers and parents as the Willow Oaks Stingrays Swim Team begins another season. One of the aims of the swim team is to provide an opportunity for our young people to participate in an activity that requires self-discipline, dedication and team spirit, while at the same time having fun. THE TEAM PHILOSOPHY is to be competitive, while allowing as many swimmers to participate as possible. We have put together the following information that should be helpful. NAMES AND NUMBERS Coach Megan Michener Cell: (757) 848-3050 meganm94@vt.edu Assistant Coach Sarah Kleinhample Cell: (757) 871-4922 sarah.kleinhample@cox.net Junior Coaching Staff: Ward Cherry, Zach Vandegrift, Cameron Powers, JR Welch, Perry Barber Booster Board Monique Vandegrift President (Roster, Registration) 850-4852 Kristy Fyfe Vice President (Concessions, Parent Liaison) 850-7650 Rebecca Francese Secretary/GPSA City Meet 537-5401 Rebecca Kleinhample Treasurer 851-1123 Mike Heath (GPSA Rep, Teeshirts) 851-6910 Ginny Hagin (Volunteer Coordinator) (785) 341-3996 VACANT (Team Equipment) VACANT (Team Breakfasts) Ginny Hagin (Team Pictures) (785) 341-3996 Leigh Ann Powers (Swimsuits & Caps) 851-0758 Ken Romney (Meet Director) 851-8365 Joy Duke (Ribbons/Swim-A-Thon) 838-1043 Wendy Crist (Ribbons/Swim-A-Thon) 851-5705 Pool Membership Melissa Savage 251-2428 PARENT MEETING & SWIMMER ICE CREAM SOCIAL May 19, at the Pool - 4PM all parents and swimmers. This is an important organizational meeting and a chance to meet the Board and the Coaches please make every effort to attend. PRACTICE The purpose of practice is to build endurance, improve stroke technique, and learn competitive strategies. Practice will be held every weekday afternoon May 20 through June 13 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. There will be two sessions - one from 4:00-5:00 p.m. and the other from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Please note, the first week of practice, May 20 through Thursday, May 23, aka dry land practice, will take place at Gosnold s Hope Park at the Cedar shelter. (Bring a towel for stretching on the grass.) In-pool practice will begin Tuesday, May 28. Please attend the practice session that is best for your schedule. Morning practices will begin on Monday, June 17. There are two morning practices one from 8:00 to 9:30 and the second from 9:30 to 11:00 am.
SWIMMER GUIDELINES 1. For safety reasons, swimmers must be able to swim the length of the pool, in a reasonable amount of time, using a competitive stroke of choice. 2. Attend practices, be on time and help with set-up and/or clean-up when asked. 3. Swimmers who refuse to participate in practice must leave the pool premises, so as not to disrupt practice (See Code of Conduct). 4. Exhibit good behavior and cooperation at practices so as to gain maximum benefit of available time. 5. Work with younger swimmers as part of the "buddy system" if asked to do so. 6. Seek additional help with stroke and competitive techniques when necessary. 7. Attend practice the day of a meet in order to be eligible to swim in that meet, unless otherwise excused. 8. USA or other club swimmers should attend as many WOST practices as possible, one of which includes the day of the swim meet. 9. If a swimmer is assigned to swim in a meet and he/she does not show up, he/she may not be allowed to swim in the next meet (at the coach s discretion). 10. Abide by GPSA code of conduct, show team spirit, and good sportsmanship at all meets. PARENT GUIDELINES 1. Fill out and sign the registration/medical/code of Conduct forms. 2. Notify coaches of any medical conditions. 3. Have swimmer arrive at practices and meets on time. 4. Inform the coaches, in writing, as far in advance as possible, of any practices and meets your swimmer will be unable to attend. 5. Do not approach coaches during practice or swim meets. Coaches need maximum interface with swimmers during these times. Any coaching concerns should be brought to the parent liaisons or GPSA Representative or Booster president. 6. Learn as much as you can about competitive swimming so you can better realize and support the coaches responsibilities and decisions. 7. Attend a Parent/Officials Swim Clinic. (more information on page 4) 8. Address constructive criticisms and/or concerns to Booster Committee members. 9. Support the Booster Committee and team. Sign-up to help with concessions, officiating, etc. We need each family to work at least four meets (two home swim meets and two away meets). (Page 6 of the handout lists descriptions of the various jobs.) MEETS Our schedule consists of seven league meets (intrasquad and 6 competitive meets) and any additional practice meets that we can schedule. League meets are those set up by the GPSA. These meets determine our standing within the league. Practice meets are designed to provide additional experience in a competitive setting. Weekday meets are from 6-8:30 p.m., warm-ups are either from 5-5:30 p.m. if the meet is at home, or from 5:30-6 p.m. if the meet is away. Swimmers should arrive at least fifteen minutes prior to warm-ups. Primary correspondence and notification about the meets including directions will be via e-mail. If you do not receive e-mail, please check the swim team bulletin board for information.
ILLNESS/VACATION It is important that the coaches are notified promptly if a swimmer is unable to swim in a meet due to illness/vacation. This gives them time to make the necessary changes in the line-up. Remember to notify the coach if you know in advance (in writing) that you will be unable to swim in a meet for any reason. RIDES Parents are responsible to see that their swimmer(s) has transportation to and from an away meet. This is not the coach s responsibility! Parents are encouraged to stay and support the team. ADVICE On the day of the meet, please stay out of the sun as much as possible. Eat a big meal around mid-day, but stay away from sodas and candy. The team often goes out to eat after meets, but this is optional. WHO SWIMS IN A MEET? Due to the size of our team, we are sometimes unable to swim every swimmer in every meet. The coaches consider the following when creating the line-up: Who swims the stroke the fastest. Who is available. Participation in practice. A swimmer may only compete in three individual events and one relay per meet (per GPSA rules). Please remember that the coaches do their best to allow everyone a chance to swim. Please note however: If the coaches know that the meet will be close, the fastest swimmers will be placed in the meet. The coaches try to obtain the other team's times before preparing the lineup. Therefore, if a slower swimmer can be used, then he/she may be placed in the meet. Additionally, during the course of the meet, if coaches realize a safe margin of points exist, the remaining line-up may be revised to allow swimmers to participate in accordance with GPSA rules who might otherwise not have been scheduled in a specific event. The coaches always try to get exhibition lanes to ensure as many swimmers as possible the chance to compete. EXHIBITION LANES These lanes are the two outside lanes in a six-lane pool, with each team using one. The coaches are free to use it at their own discretion. No points are earned toward the score, but the times are applicable to the Championship Meet. A swimmer is free to request an exhibition event. The coaches will make good use of this lane during the season. Note that all pools do not have six lanes. As a result there will be some meets where there will be limited slots for swimmers. CHAMPIONSHIP MEET This meet is held Saturday, Aug. 3, at Fort Eustis Aquatic Center. Only those swimmers who meet posted GPSA-qualified times will be eligible to participate. The coaches urge swimmers to use these as their goals. MINI MEET This meet will be held July 20 at the Fort Eustis Aquatic Center. Only those swimmers who have not met the posted qualifying times for the Championship meet will be eligible to participate. More information will follow. We encourage swimmers to participate however, Willow Oaks would like for a minimum of 5 participants in order to send the coaches with the swimmers to the meet.
PRIVATE LESSONS Private swimming lessons may be arranged through the pool manager. Check pool bulletin board for details. PARENT/OFFICIALS SWIM CLINICS Two clinics have been scheduled to provide parents with basic fundamentals of competitive swimming so that they may be prepared to assist with officiating at the swim meets. In addition to the Referee and Starter, responsibilities for Timers, Lane Judges, Stroke and Turn Judges, and Scorers are discussed. At least 16 officials are needed to conduct a home meet. We encourage our parents to take part in one of the clinics as we are always in need of officials. Please attend one of these: (1) Saturday, June 1 - Training for Coaches & Officials @ Poquoson Parks & Rec - 9:00 am. (2) Tuesday, June 11 - Training for Officials (Stroke & Turn / Starters) @ TBD Please contact Mike Heath, GPSA rep at 851-6910 for more information. TEAM PICTURES Team and Individual pictures will be taken during the first morning practice on Friday, June 28. Ms. Ginny Hagin will be taking the pictures and packages will need to be paid for at the time pictures are taken. Additional information and order forms will be forwarded later in the summer. Please wear your TEAM SUIT for the picture Willow Oaks Stingrays Swimmers' Awards RIBBONS Ribbons are awarded for each swimmer who participates in an event. Ribbon colors are as follows: 1. 1st place - Blue 2. 2nd place - Red 3. 3rd place - White 4. 4th place - Yellow 5. Participation - Rainbow - for those who swim in an exhibition lane or an exhibition heat. PARTICIPATION AWARDS Given to each swimmer who is available to participate in at least three meets during the summer. This includes any regular meets and practice meets (B Meets), but does not include the intrasquad meet, Mini meet or the GPSA Championship meet. High Point winner trophies will also be awarded to both the boys and the girls in their respective age categories. The point system is as follows: 1 st place 5 points; 2 nd place 3 points; 3 rd place 1 point Relays, city meet and practice meets do not count toward points. COACHES AWARD A special award will be given by the coaches to one boy and one girl who exemplifies the following during the season: Contribution to the team, Sportsmanship, Team spirit, Cooperation, Determination, Attendance, etc. This award will be given in addition to a participation award. Visit gpsaswimming.org for rules and GPSA league information.
SWIM SUITS The suit for this year is - Circle Sound. (This is the 2 nd year of our 2 year suit) Female, $60 plus tax Male jammer, $45 plus tax Swim and Sport Stop, 13641 B Warwick Blvd. Newport News Phone: 874-7946 (874-SWIM) (It is best to call for the availability of the size needed) Hours. Mon-Fri. 9:30am-6:00pm Sat. 9:30am-1:00pm Closed Memorial Day Weekend PARENT DONATIONS FOR SWIM TEAM CONCESSIONS In order to keep our registration costs low WOST asks for parent drink donations to the concession stand. Concessions are our primary source of income throughout the season and help to support our coaching staff, pool equipment, and team activities. Last names beginning with the following letters should bring the listed drink items by June 18. Please label your donation when you drop off it at the pool. A-D 8 pack of 20 ounce Gatorade and 12 pack of 12 ounce Pepsi/Coke E-H 8 pack of 20 ounce Gatorade and 12 pack of 12 ounce Diet Pepsi/Diet Coke I-L 8 pack of 20 ounce Gatorade and 12 pack of 12 ounce 7Up/Sprite M-P 8 pack of 20 ounce Gatorade and 24 pack of 16.9 ounce bottled water Q-Z 8 pack of 20 ounce Gatorade and 24 pack of 16.9 ounce bottled water
Swim Meet Officiating Positions GPSA Representative: (At least one per team). Pool s representative to the summer league, the Greater Peninsula Swimming Association (GPSA). The ONLY person designated to approach a referee in regard to a question relative to a ruling by a meet official. Referee: (One per home meet) Conducts and manages the meet. Makes the final determination in regard to eligibility and finish of swimmers, interpretations of rules, and conduct of the meet. (Advanced training required and previous experience at other positions highly desirable.) Starter: (One per home meet). Prepares and starts each event, and works closely with the referee to insure a fair and smooth running meet. (Advanced training required.) Stroke and Turn Judge: (Minimum of two per team per meet) Responsible for insuring that the swimmers are swimming the respective strokes correctly as specified in the USA Swimming Rules. Also responsible for insuring that turns and finishes are completed in conformance with the rules. Makes written report of disqualification of swimmers who do not comply with rules, and explains the violation(s) to referee, swimmers and coaches. (Requires a training class.) Sweeps Judge: (One per team) - Observes and records order of finish of competing swimmers in each event. Head Timer or Back Up Timer: (One per each home meet) - Insures that each swimming lane has a timer to determine the time a swimmer used to complete a meet. Maintains TWO stopwatches as back-ups in case of watch malfunction or other issue in a swim lane. Timer: (Each team must cover at least three lanes during each meet). Uses stopwatch to determine the time a swimmer in a particular lane uses to complete an event. The timer starts the watch when they see the flash from the starting system (or the sound if another system is used) and stops the watch when any part of the swimmer touches the wall. The timers record all times and do not make decisions on legal stroke/turns/finishes. In most meets try to have a Recorder work with a timer. The timer times and the recorder records or writes the times down. The timer calls for a back up (Head Timer) if their watch fails during the event. Runner: Picks up the lane slips showing the times for each completed event from the timers, and delivers them to the referee for review and approval. Carries same from referee to scorer s table, for use in determining the scores given each swimmer and team for that particular event. Scorekeeper: Completes a roster of swimmers for each event, using material/information supplied by the coaches. Assigns points to swimmers/team for each event based upon order placement by referee and sweeps judges. Kid Control: (not in the GPSA Rules, but absolutely essential.) Distributes the lane slips to each swimmer for their event and helps line up the swimmers in the correct order/lane prior to each event. This leaves the coaches free to coach watch the swimmers, and provide them with instruction and feedback following their swim, when it is most helpful to the swimmer.
Willow Oaks Swim Team Code of Conduct Philosophy The Willow Oaks Swim Team is a swimming program based on water safety, fun, and participation. We realize meets are competitive situation when teams are swimming against each other, BUT winning is not our primary goal. We expect coaches, spectators and team members to participate with this philosophy in mind. We have a zero tolerance policy for coach, swimmer and spectator misconduct. To develop positive sportsmanship skills and athletic ability in a positive, safe, and fun environment, swimmers, coaches, parents, spectators and staff all play an important role in meeting our mission. All Parents, Spectators & Players are required to adhere to the following conduct: Parents and spectators are expected to encourage their team and their opponents. Parents, spectators and players are expected to support our league officials and understand that conducting a swim meet and officiating are not easy tasks in the course of a child-intensive event, and that timers and their clocks are subject to errors. All swimmers and spectators are expected to follow the facility guidelines, and be respectful of the facility at all times. Parents are expected (and required) to treat all swimmers, coaches, and officials with respect. Negative comments towards swimmers, coaches, or officials will result in the parent being asked to leave the facility. Disciplinary Actions: Verbal and physical abuse, as well as abuse of facilities will not be tolerated. Infractions may be grounds for expulsion. The zero tolerance policy applies to swimmers, coaches, and spectators. In order to insure the safety of all swimmers and to allow for a fun and productive practice session and meets for all participants the following disciplinary actions will apply: During a practice if the swimmer is "goofing off, not listening etc" First time--verbal warning Second time--sit out of practice for 10 minutes then be allowed to return Third time--parent is called to come and get child from practice that day. Physical Contact Zero Tolerance Swimmers should not be pushing, shoving, hitting or otherwise touching another teammate. It is dangerous and can result in serious injury. It is also distracting to swimmers that come to practice to improve their techniques and swimming ability. Physical contact with other teammates or participants will result in an automatic suspension from the next meet. Serious infractions such as a physical fight could result in suspension from the team. I have read, understand, and agree to abide by the rules stated in the Code of Conduct. Swimmer (Sign and Date) Parent (Sign and Date)