Harleysville Swim & Dive Team Website: www.harleysvilleswimteam.com Email: harleysvilleswimteam@gmail.com Team Handbook Head Coach Judy Hemmerle Dive Coach Zeke Flandro Harleysville Community Center (HCC) 215-256-9480 Coach s Philosophy My main goal in coaching swimmers is to make it FUN! It has been my experience that swimmers and divers who have fun come to practice. If they come to practice, they improve. If they improve, then they win as individuals, and we win as a team. -Judy Hemmerle Statement of Purpose The objective of the Harleysville Swim & Dive Team is to provide our children with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of competitive swimming/diving to develop and improve their physical skills, develop a positive attitude and self-image through seasonal improvement, encourage responsibility, good sportsmanship and team enthusiasm. Affiliation Harleysville Swim & Dive Team is part of the Bux-Mont League which is made up of eight teams. Copies of the Bux-Mont League Constitution and the Bux-Mont League Rules & Regulations will be available at the team office or on the Bux-Mont League website www.northpennswimming.com/buxmont/. The pools in our league are different lengths; some are 25 yards and others are 25 meters. Harleysville 25 Meters Pennridge 25 Yards Nor-Gwyn 25 Meters Fanny Chapman 25 Yards Hatfield 25 Meters Souderton 25 Yards Lansdale 25 Meters Towamencin 25 Yards 1
Swimming - There are seven dual meets during the season, and three championship swim meets (A s, B s and C s) which are divided according to ability. Every team member will qualify for at least one Championship swim meet and qualifying times may be met at any one of our league meets. Qualifying swim times will be posted on the bulletin board. *When A Championships are held at a yard pool, all meet times during the season that are recorded at meter pools must be converted to yard times as directed by the Bux-Mont League rules. Likewise, when A championships are held at a meter pool, all meet times during the season recorded at yard pools must be converted to meter times. Directed by the Bux-Mont League rules. To change a yard time to meters: Multiply 1.11 x Yard Time To change a meter time to yards: Multiply.901 x Meter Time Diving There are seven dual meets during the season and two diving Championship (Junior and Senior) which are divided according to age and gender. Divers will be notified by their coach regarding Championship qualification. Qualifying scores may be met at any one of our league meets. Eligibility Harleysville Swim & Dive Team accept all school-aged children (K 12 th grade). Please note, the Bux-Mont League imposes a penalty to anyone who changes teams within the Bux-Mont League without physically moving to a new geographical location. The swimmer or diver who changes teams within the League must participate unofficially for the entire season their first year on the new team. (See Article II, Section 1, Part b of the Bux-Mont League Constitution). Pool Membership All swimmers and divers must be a member of the Harleysville Community Center (HCC) in order to register with the team. Membership to the HCC may be obtained from the Lower Salford Township Community website, www.lowersalfordtownship.org or at the Harleysville Community Center. You can also find a link to HCC from our website www.harleysvilleswimteam.com. Team Registration Registration for all swimmers and divers is required. No swimmer or diver will be permitted to practice until all registration form and fees are paid. No refunds will be given after 2 weeks from the start our season. 2
Practice Rules Harleysville Swim & Dive Team begins land practice the Tuesday after Memorial Day weather permitting. Land practice will continue until the Harleysville Community Center opens the pool. Appropriate clothing and footwear should be worn for land practice. Should the HCC open the pool prior to school ending, water practice will take place after school (times will be communicated). The coaches will begin to evaluate the swimmers and divers for appropriate morning practice placement. Morning practice begins the first morning of summer vacation according to the Souderton Area School District calendar. Swimmers are placed into groups according to ability, not age. The coaches will communicate with the swimmers and divers their practice time. If there is a conflict regarding a certain practice time, our coaches will assist you in resolving the matter. All swimmers and divers MUST be on deck for warm-up 15 minutes before practice. 8:15 9:30am Advanced Group (lower pool) 9:15 10:00am Beginners Group (meet at the upper pool) 9:30 10:30am Intermediate Group (lower pool) 8:30-9:30am Diving (diving well) 9:30 10:30am Diving (diving well) - Practice begins promptly at designated starting times. Meet at the assigned area ON TIME. Arriving late disrupts practice! - Follow the coaches training instructions. Team members are expected to strive to improve their skills and physical endurance. - No splashing, running or horseplay permitted. - Team members are expected to be kind and cooperative to other team members. - Any injuries or other problems must be immediately reported to the coach. - All swimmers and divers should be picked up immediately following practice. We are not responsible for those remaining after practice hours. Please make sure you pick up all of your belongings prior to leaving practice. Meet Rules Swimmers and divers should remain in the designated swimmer/diver area. Leaving the premises without permission of the coaches is prohibited. Please do not sit with your parents. This makes it very hard to find the swimmer/diver for lineups and their event. ONLY WORKING PARENTS AND SWIMMING OFFICIALS ARE ALLOWED ON THE DECK DURING A SWIM MEET. No person attending the meet shall challenge any official during the meet. 3
(Meet Rules Cont.) The referee s final decision shall not be challenged. The starter and/or referee s request for quiet during the diving and swimming starts must be followed. Profanity from anyone attending or participating in the meet shall not be tolerated. Team members are required to cooperate with the ready bench parents. Swimmers are expected to know when they are to swim. It is expected the older swimmers will help the younger swimmers. A list, by age group, is posted before each meet to advise the swimmer which event he/she will swim. The coaches will provide the lineup at practice the day of the meet. Team members are responsible for their equipment and to keep their area clean! The coach must be notified in writing at least one day in advance if someone will be unable to attend a meet. THIS IS MANDATORY! Diving No One is permitted to join the diving team after June 19 th. Divers should follow all safety rules at practice and at meets. Divers will be advised by the coach at least one day in advance if they will be diving in a meet. Divers are required to attend practice the day of a meet in which they will be diving. Parents may contact the Diving Representative if they have any questions. Diving practice may be canceled due to weather upon coach s discretion. 4
Parent Responsibilities Communication Announcements - Swimming and diving announcements will be posted on the website and on the bulletin boards at practice. Announcements will also be made by email and text messaging. It is the responsibility of the parent(s) to obtain this information. Folders Crates are positioned at the entrance of the pool every morning during practice. The crates will contain a folder for each registered family on the team. Notices and other important announcements will be placed in each folder throughout the season. It is the responsibility of the parent(s) to check these folders on a regular basis. The head coach has a folder for parent(s) to communicate with the coach especially when the swimmer and/or diver is unable to attend a meet. Questions/Concerns Areas of concern or problems should be expressed to the coach before or after practice, not during. Anonymous letters will not be acknowledged. Cooperation It is understood that parents, siblings and friends of swimmers and divers may NOT be on the pool deck during meets and other Harleysville Swim & Dive Team associated activities. This includes all home and away meets. Only those parents working at the meet are to be on the pool deck. Volunteering Team parents are responsible for running the league swim and diving meets. This means every team parent must help in some capacity in order to conduct a meet. Harleysville Swim and Dive Team has a volunteer requirement for each family to complete 4 volunteer jobs during the course of the regular swim/dive season and 1 volunteer job during champs. The league offers a free clinic at the beginning of the season for the purpose of teaching the procedures for performing these jobs to those who are unfamiliar with them and desire to gain some knowledge before a meet. Harleysville Swim & Dive Team will collect a $100 check at the time of registration. The volunteer check will not be cashed when all volunteer requirements are made. Transportation It is the responsibility of the swimmer and diver s parents to provide transportation both to and from all swimming and diving meets. Directions to all pools are posted on the website. 5
Attendance Practice is Monday through Friday. We would love for every swimmer and diver to be present at every practice session, but realize this is not possible for everyone. We encourage you to make as many practices and meets as possible. If you cannot attend a meet for any reason, please advise the head coach in writing. Please put the note in the coach s folder located at the entrance of the pool. +Everyone on the swim team participates in every meet, unless you inform the coach otherwise. Graduating seniors who are eligible for recognition are expected to participate in a minimum of 2 meets in order to be recognized at the last home meet and splash party. All swimmers and divers must attend 2 meets in order to receive the team gift. 6
Membership Code of Conduct Harleysville Swim and Dive team is committed to promoting a safe and wholesome environment for all pool staff, members and their guests. In order to assure safety and comfort for everyone, staff, pool members and their guests are expected to act appropriately at all times. While at the Harleysville Community Center (HCC), individuals are expected to act maturely, behave responsibly, and respect the rights and dignity of others. The Code of Conduct includes all the rules of the Harleysville Community Center and any other inappropriate behavior including, but not limited to: *Hazing, bullying, harassment or intimidation by words, gestures, body language, or any other type of menacing behavior. *Verbally abusive behavior, including angry or vulgar language, swearing, shouting or name-calling. *Physical contact with another person in any angry, aggressive or threatening way. *Ethnic intimidation and gender harassment. *Theft or behavior that results in the destruction or loss of property. *Inappropriate, immodest, or revealing attire. *Inappropriate use of cameras, including camera cell phones, while on pool property. *Smoking Harleysville Community Center is a smoke free facility. *Using and/or abusing alcohol or any other controlled substance. Swim and Dive Team members shall display the utmost respect and sportsmanship toward coaches, officials, and fellow competitors. Swim and Dive Team members shall not only act in accordance with Harleysville Swim & Dive Team Code of Conduct, they are also expected to abide by the rules and regulations of other facilities while representing the Harleysville Swim & Dive Team as well as the BuxMont League Code of Conduct. The Harleysville Swim & Dive Team Board shall investigate all reported incidents of inappropriate behavior. Depending on the severity of the violation, the Board shall enforce a sanction ranging from sending the offending individual home for the day to the revocation of the individual s membership. 7