Madison Area ymca

Mariners Swim Team

Parent Handbook

 

MPCO Leadership Team

8/1/2010

 

 

This document provides information for new and returning swimmers and their parents with regard to specific operational policies and guidelines.

 

Madison Area YMCA

Mariner Swim Team - Parent Handbook

2010 – 2011 Season

 

 

INDEX

 

 

 

Team Philosophy …………………………………………………………………………………………….  Pg. 3

Mariner Parent /Coaches Organization (MPCO), definition…………………………………………….. Pg. 3

Team Policies

Ψ      Communication…………………………………………………………………………. Pg. 4

Ψ      Fees………………………………………………………………………………………   Pg. 4

Ψ      Volunteer ………………………………………………………………………………..    Pgs. 4, 5

Ψ      Practice ………………………………………………………………………………....    Pg. 5

Ψ      Meets…………………………………………………………………………………….    Pgs. 6, 7

Ψ      General Behavior ………………………………………………………………………   Pg. 7

Ψ      Parent/Swimmer Guidelines……………………………………………………………                Pg. 7

Ψ      Snow / Weather Policy………………………………………………………………….  Pg. 8

 

Madison Area YMCA

Mariner Swim Team - Parent Handbook

2010 – 2011 Season

 

 

TEAM PHILOSOPHY

 

The Madison Mariners is a competitive YMCA swim team that serves competitive swimmers ages six and up. 

 

The goal of the Madison Area YMCA Swim Team is to provide swimmers with the opportunity to develop their individual potential to the fullest and to improve their competitive skills. This is done while giving each swimmer the chance to experience the satisfaction of success in a fun and nurturing the team environment. A full team effort is important at every meet, with every swimmer receiving the support of their teammates and coaches.

Members of the Madison Area YMCA Mariners are not only swimmers…they are athletes and will be referred to as such.

 

Work Hard, Swim Fast, Have Fun!

 

THE MARINERS PARENT / COACH ORGANIZATION

The purpose of the MPCO is to provide support services and financial assistance to facilitate the Madison Area YMCA (MAY) competitive swim program goals delineated in their philosophy and mission statements in the team’s handbook.

A.      Membership on the MAY MPCO is automatic for all parents or legal guardians of each competitive swim team participant.

B.      Active membership will be restricted to the parents or guardians of MAY Mariners swim team members in good standing*.  (*Having met all financial obligations including MAY membership fees, swim team fees, MPCO membership, and declining balance.)

 

Complete MPCO By-Laws have been provided in your new season information packet and are available on the Mariners Swim Team Website http://www.madisonymca.org/content.php?scid=61

 

TEAM POLICIES

 

Communication:

The Madison Area YMCA Mariners Swim Team website:  http://www.madisonymca.org/content.php?scid=61 has been established as a source of information for all swim team activities. Important information will also be posted on the bulletin board outside the aquatic office at the Y.  Invitational meet entries will be posted on the website.   Coach John will send out a weekly update / highlight e-mail detailing any upcoming events, changes or exciting meet results.

 

 

 

Fees:

 

The following fees are in addition to Madison Area YMCA membership and program fees:

 

1)        Mariner Parent / Coach Organization Dues

a)       Designated for social events, meet expenses, and end-of-year awards.  Waived for those receiving Financial Assistance.

b)      $200 per family. 

c)       Any additional fundraising will be limited and will be conducted only in the event of a specifically identified need not included in the current year budget.

 

2)       Declining Balance

a)       $35 for all 8 & Under swimmers;  $60 for all other swimmers

b)      In order to facilitate timely meet entries, these funds are used for individual event entry fees required at invitational and championship meets.  Relay entries are paid for by the MPCO.  Additional fees may be required throughout the season depending on the number of invitational/championship events in which your swimmer competes.

 

3)       Volunteer Deposit

a)       Beginning with the 2010-2011 season, the MPCO will no long collect a volunteer deposit.  If you have one on account, please contact Patrice Visco (pdvisco@verizon.net) in writing to request your refund.

 

 

Volunteer Policy:  NEW AND IMPORTANT>>>>

b)      Swimming is a labor-intensive sport, both for the swimmer and parent/guardian.  In registering a child for the swim team, parents/guardians must commit to participate in the running of meets and in the various social activities sponsored by the team.

 

The volunteer policy established by the MPCO requires a minimum of three assignments per regular season.  This does not necessarily include championship meets or invitational meets.  If your child participates in a meet or team event, it is reasonable to expect you may have to volunteer your time.  This is a great way to participate and support your child as well as a great way to learn more about the sport of swimming.

 

Assignments are generally determined alphabetically, and will be sent out during the week before an event.  If you are unable to make the commitment, it is your responsibility to find a substitute and inform the volunteer coordinator of the change.

In the unfortunate event that volunteer obligations are not met, the coach and/or meet director will request a meeting with you.  Unresolved issues may result in your child’s suspension from meets.

 

 

All home meets will also require volunteer officials and volunteers to help work the Omega Timing System.  If you wish to help as an official or working the Omega Timing System please let us know early.  Both of these positions require extra training.

 

 

Practice:

 

Swimmers are to arrive on deck at least 10 minutes prior to the start of practice. Swimmers are to have all equipment (practice suit, paddles – 11 & Up, caps, goggles, fins – 11 & Up, drag suits – 11 & Up, Finis snorkel – 13 & Up, water bottles) with them on the pool deck and placed at the end of their assigned lane. Swimmers must give the coach a note prior to the start of practice if they must leave early.

 

Swimmers participating in the greatest number of practices each month are recognized by the coaches and will receive a t-shirt marking this accomplishment.  Practice attendance is also a determining factor when determining an individuals’ qualification for championship meets.  A 60% practice attendance is required for these meets.  This is discussed below – “Championship Meets”.

 

Practice schedules will be posted on the team website.  Any changes to the schedule shall be communicated through the website and/or via e-mail.

 

A description of required equipment follows:

 

Practice suit:  Worn for practice only.  Typically an older or less expensive suit which should be rinsed out with water following each practice to increase its longevity.  (Chlorine is a killer to all bathing suits!)

Paddles:  Plastic hand paddles which enlarge the surface area of swimmers hands to promote proper feel and positioning as well as strength-building.

Finis Snorkel:  A center-mounted snorkel that helps promote proper head position and spine alignment in the water.

Caps:  MAY caps should be worn for all practices and meets.  (For the boys, caps are optional, but do improve aerodynamics.)

Goggles:  To protect eyes from chlorine.

Fins:  The short fins (not scuba fins) are used during kick drills to improve strength and technique.

Water bottles:  As in every sport, an athlete should hydrate periodically during their sport.  Swimming (even though in the water), is a strenuous activity.

Drag suits:  Worn over the practice suits to increase the drag while moving through the water. 

 

All of this equipment can be purchased at the Fall BBQ from our team supplier (http://www.swimnewjersey.com), at your local sporting goods store, or on-line.

 

 

Meets:

 

As with practices, swimmers should arrive prior to the start of the meet warm-up (Coach John will indicate warm-up and expected arrival times in his weekly communications.  Swimmers should ensure that they have everything they need with them on-deck upon the start of the meet (caps, goggles, towels, sweats, etc.)

 

Swimmers are required to compete in team suits and caps – this is our uniform.  Please save team suits for meets-only.  It is also a good idea to keep a “meet cap”.   A back-up cap and pair of goggles is a great idea - just in case!

 

Dual Meets - YMCA Dual Meet attendance is mandatory.  If a swimmer cannot attend a meet, Coach John must be notified (jgullotta@madisonymca.org) by the Thursday prior to the meet.  Dual swim meets are a team activity (these are our “games”) and, as such, it is expected that all team members stay through the last event to support their team members and participate in the final team cheer.  Team cheers at the beginning and end of a meet are a long-standing swim meet tradition and contribute a great deal to overall spirit and team recognition.

 

Invitational Meets – Invitational meets are scheduled throughout the swim season.  Invitational meets are meets involving more than one team and requiring entry fees per event per swimmer.  The fees for these types of meets are paid for by parents through your declining balance account.  Typical entry fees are $4.00-$5.00 per event.  Entry fees for relays are paid for by the Mariners Swim Team.

 

The procedure for entering an Invitational Meet is as follows:

 

1)        Meets will be posted as soon as dates and entry information is provided to the Mariner Coaching Staff.

 

2)       As soon as possible, please review all dates for your child’s/children’s availability. 

 

3)       If your child is not available to swim in a meet, you must notify Coach John in writing (e-mail: 

jgullotta@madisonymca.org) to let him know.  He will provide a deadline for each meet.  Please include your swimmer’s name, the date, and meet name.

 

**This is important!  When the team is scheduled to attend an invitational, the coaches will automatically enter every swimmer who qualifies for the meet unless notice has been given through this procedure.  This system enables the coaches to act quickly to get our swimmers entered before a meet is “closed out”.  If appropriate notice has not been given and your swimmer is entered, you will be responsible for the entry fees and your declining balance will be charged.

 

4)       Final entries will be listed on the team website in the Swim Meet listing.  Once the entry list appears, entries and payment have been sent to the meet director and it is too late to withdraw from the meet. At this point, you will be responsible for meet entry fees whether or not your swimmer participates in the event(s).

 

5)       Unlike a dual meet, swimmers are permitted to leave once their events have been completed.  Please notify the coach when you are leaving.  This allows the coach to double check that all events have been swum and that all swimmers are accounted for.

 

 It is especially important to find out if your child is in a relay.  If you leave, and your child is entered in a relay, three other children will NOT be able to swim in their scheduled event.

 

 

Championship Meets – These include YMCA Bronze, YMCA Silvers, YMCA States, Junior Olympics (JO’s), Sunkissed, and YMCA  Nationals.  These events may require travel and usually include relay entries. In order to ensure that the team and individuals are prepared, a 60% seasonal attendance is mandatory for participation.

 

All swim meets –

 

1)       Typically, parents are not allowed on deck during a swim meet unless timing or officiating.  In fact, this is a USA swimming rule and teams can be fined for infractions. 

 

2)       Warm-Up time is very important for swimmers.  This is especially important in getting used to a new pool and making sure bodies are ready to go.  It also offers another opportunity for team unity.  Warm-up times are limited so it is important to be on time and ready to get in the water prior to the established warm-up time.

 

3)       For most meets, entries are posted on the website ahead of time.  It is helpful to both you and your child if you make note of events and event numbers prior to the meet. 

 

General Behavior:

 

All swimmers, coaches, staff, and parents are expected to conduct themselves in a proper manner during the entire season, both home and away. All swimmers must understand that they are representing the Madison Area YMCA as well as their parents, the coaches, and the team.

 

Ψ      During practices, swimmers will not disrupt the workout in a lane or show disrespect to teammates or coaches.

Ψ      When participating in a meet, a swimmer is expected to discuss his/her performance with a coach directly after the event to receive feedback from the coach concerning his/her race.

Ψ      Parents will not be on the pool deck during swim meets unless they are working the meet as officials, timers, scoring table statisticians, recorders, or runners.

Ψ      While the locker room can be a fun place after meets and practices, all swimmers are to show respect to others in the locker room as well as to the locker room physical plant.  The use of the locker rooms is a privilege. There will be no running, yelling, or roughhousing of any kind - it is not a place to play. Repeated offenders may lose their locker room privileges. Swim team members are expected to shower and change as quickly as possible, both before and after practice.

 

Any swimmer found going through other peoples' lockers may lose their locker room privileges. Team members are strongly encouraged to bring a lock for their locker or to bring their valuables on deck in their swim bag.

 

Ψ      There is to be no willful destruction of property. In the unfortunate event that this does occur, the swimmer and his/her parents will be held financially accountable.

Ψ      Smoking, drinking, use of illegal substances, and use of foul language will not be tolerated.

Ψ      The Mariner Swim Team program has a zero tolerance policy for bullying of any kind.  Any bullying incidents will result in a parent / coach meeting.  Disciplinary action will be taken and may include full suspension (practice and meets) or expulsion without refund. 

 

Parent Guidelines:

 

1)       BE ON TIME - Get your swimmer(s) to practice and meets early enough to enable him/her to be on deck ten minutes prior to the start.

 

2)       BE PATIENT - Remind your swimmer to go to the coach immediately after each race. Once the coach has been addressed, your swimmer may come to see you.

a.       Remind your children that obtaining goals is a process.

3)       BE SUPPORTIVE - Coaches will critique your swimmer; it is your job to keep a positive attitude.

a.       Refrain from coaching your children; we have a highly qualified staff that does this for you.          

b.      Make sure your child experiences success.

c.       Allow your children to experience failure.

 

4)       SWIMMERS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE - Allow your swimmer to be responsible for reading heat sheets, holding goggles and swim caps, and attending to other necessities during the meet.

a.       Encourage your children to make independent decisions.

b.      Encourage your children to maintain healthy diet and sleep habits.

5)       REMIND YOUR SWIMMER TO SIT WITH THE TEAM - Swimmers should sit with their teammates (not their parents) during meets so the coach is able to locate him/her when necessary. Swimmers should support other Madison Mariner swimmers during the events.

 

 

All of our athletes, coaches and volunteers are working hard, and they all need parental support.  You are a vital part of the success of your athlete, our coaches and our team.  We appreciate everything you do and the encouragement that you show for our efforts.  Our staff is committed to making competitive swimming a meaningful, rewarding, and enjoyable experience for your swimmer no matter what their level.

 

Snow / Weather Policy:

 

Whenever possible, closings or cancellations due to inclement weather will be posted on the Mariners Swim Team Home Page.  However, if in doubt, call the Welcome Desk of the Madison Area YMCA at (973) 822-9622 for the latest information or go to http://www.madisonareaymca.org/.  A general assumption may be made that if schools and/or the Madison Area YMCA are closed, practice will be cancelled.