Welcome to the Washingtonville Seahawks Swim Club. In this handbook, you’ll find much information that will be useful to both returning and new swimmers and their families.

The Washingtonville Seahawks Swim Club (WSSC) is a competitive swim team that started in 1993. This is not a swim lesson program. Swimmers will be instructed in technique and conditioned for the purpose of competing against other swimmers in both the Empire State Swim League(ESSL) and the US Swimming League(USA Swim). The members of this club wish to encourage our youth to become more aware of the benefits of good physical health, achievement of personal goals, good sportsmanship and team spirit through competitive swimming. If you have questions about the team’s organization and activities, please don’t hesitate to speak to a member of the Board.

From The Coaches:

The Seahawks prides itself on our openness as a team, and our natural understanding of teamwork. We would like to emphasize teamwork, as it helps the Seahawks maintain our commitment to the core values of CARING, HONESTY, RESPECT, & RESPONSIBILITY. The very essence of this team represents those core values, and it is our goal that we will continue to do so in the future. Furthermore, this team’s success is based on our acceptance of ALL swimmers as participating members of the team. Every swimmer brings his or her individual talents to the team, therefore making the team unique. With that we have devised a recipe for success.
The ingredients are simple:

• ¼ Swimmers’ Technique and Fitness- Technique and endurance will be the focus of every practice. Much of the technique work is based on repetition in a given set, as we train our muscles to obey our commands. With the repetition and the increase in yardage throughout the season we will not only train our muscles to perform the way we want them to, but we will increase our fitness level. Practice will not consist solely of drills, but technique work will be built into the sets that we do on a continual basis. This will help to prepare swimmers for races.

• ¼ Swimmers’ Attitude- Swimming is as much about attitude as it is about technique and fitness level. Some would argue that swimming is 60% attitude, and 40% technique and fitness. This is important for all of our swimmers to remember. A positive attitude towards swimming will help propel you forward, help you to obtain your goals. Developing and maintaining a positive attitude is stressed on the Seahawks, not only within each swimmer, but also with the whole team. We support each other; when things do not go as we had hoped, teammates support one another and lift spirits for the whole team’s good. If you are upset about something, reach out to your fellow teammates, coaches, and parents. Keeping that head up, and spirit high, will not only help you swim to the very best of your abilities, but will also help the team’s performance.

• ¼ Coaching- The coaches play an important role in the stroke development and improvement of each swimmer. Sometimes we will ask the swimmers to swim different and/or new events in meets, work to exhaustion in practice, or to take part in a teambuilding activity. We will all work hard to infuse the swimmers with our swimming knowledge. It is important to remember that all swimmers progress at their own pace. We will make every effort to individualize practices to best suit the needs of each swimmer. If, as a parent or a swimmer, you have a question, please do not hesitate to set up a meeting with us; we are all available after practice or via e-mail.

• ¼ Parental Support- You are an extremely important part of this team. We rely on your help at swim meets, for parties, for odds and ends, and most importantly we rely on you for your support of and dedication to the swimmer. The swimmer’s commitment to the sport is real; please support your swimmer in his/her efforts to obtain his/her goals. Help your swimmer to set realistic, yet challenging goals for the upcoming season, and check in with him or her regularly about his or her goals. It is important to remember that the swimmer should set his or her own goals, not the parent, as it is very difficult for the swimmer to strive for a goal that he or she did not set, and may not have wanted to set! Please remember that every practice is an accomplishment, and every swim is a success. DO NOT determine for your swimmer what success is for the season. It is most important that your swimmer went out and swam his or her best; BE PROUD of that!

We are all looking forward to what this season will bring. There are many new goals to be set, many personal and team records to be broken, and tons of GOOD SWIMS and GOOD TIMES to be had! Welcome back returning Seahawks swimmers and parents and welcome aboard to all new Seahawks swimmers and parents.… Let’s Get Started!

The Coaching staff of the Washingtonville Seahawks

top

I. Mission Statement

The Washingtonville Seahawks swim team serves all individuals in our community by providing swim instruction and opportunities for competition to swimmers of any ability between the ages of 6 and 18. The swim team is a community-based program that embraces people of all faiths, races, ages, and walks of life. The team is dedicated to helping all its members realize their fullest potential as athletes and as members of the community and it is committed to building strong children, strong families, and strong communities.

top

II. Team Philosophy

Although the Washingtonville Seahawks (WSSC) are a competitive swim club, we emphasize above all else competition with yourself. Individual improvement in time or skill is more important than your place in a race.

Consideration for fellow teammates, opponents, officials, meet volunteers, and parents is just as important as how well you swim. WSSC swimmers are expected to support others, have a positive attitude, behave well at practice and at meets, and adhere to the core values of respect, honesty, responsibility and caring.

On the WSSC, all swimmers who are ‘competition ready’ are encouraged and expected to participate in the Empire State Swim League (ESSL) meets. On the WSSC, everyone who wants to swim in a meet will swim.

While we want all our swimmers to achieve their goals, we want them and their parents to remember that school should be their first priority. As classes get tougher, and homework becomes more challenging, the time that they can commit to swimming may become more limited. The coaches still want you to come as often as possible, but swimmers should not over extend themselves and they must not allow their schoolwork to suffer for swimming or any other extracurricular activity. The coaches will work with all swimmers to help make sure that their swim practice schedule fits well with their other activities.

top

III. Team Principles

We encourage swimmers to learn to set reasonable and logical goals and to strive for excellence even when they experience short-term setbacks.

We define success in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to the following: competing in a meet for the first time; improving the technique of a stroke; setting personal best times; completely finishing a challenging practice; passing someone on the last lap or a race or practice set; learning to do a racing dive from atop the starting platforms; winning a race; or moving up from one group to the next. All of these are equally important achievements.

Because the WSSC is a competitive swim team, it is expected that swimmers will participate in all the ESSL competitions during the swim season. Novice and young swimmers will enter competition when they, their parents, and their coach decide they are ‘meet ready.’

Because proper technique is essential to efficient swimming, the coaches emphasize stroke instruction and extensive drill work, both of which will allow swimmers to improve rapidly.

Because swimmers need muscle and energy to swim well, age-appropriate dry land training aimed at increasing strength and flexibility is an important component of our training program and is incorporated into practice routinely for the more advanced swimmers.

Because flexibility is important to proper stroke technique and because it is needed to help prevent injury, every pool training session for all groups begins with stretching exercises.

Because mental strength is as important to physical strength, we teach our swimmers that believing in themselves is the first step towards success in the pool, at school, and in life. We also help our swimmers develop a positive attitude and a strong work ethic.

Team unity is important and we expect all our WSSC swimmers to always support their teammates, in practice and during meets. We help create team unity through scheduled activities, in and out of the pool, and along with the parents’ committee work to promote it through social functions and community service.

The coaches know that swimming is a difficult and demanding sport and they also know that learning can often be best accomplished in a comfortable, safe, and enjoyable environment, all of which they strive to ensure. The coaches also know that the incorporation of occasional games in the pool, creative and challenging sets, and team activities can make the hard work of each practice more enjoyable. We want our swimmers to be focused and to give their best effort at each practice, but this doesn’t mean that practice also can’t be enjoyable. Having fun while acquiring new skills or further refining the skills one already possesses is a key ingredient of our approach, as we believe it should be with any youth sport.

The WSSC has an excellent reputation in the swimming community where we are known as a well-coached, well-organized team whose swimmers are not only talented but who are also friendly and courteous and who always display the highest standards of good sportsmanship.

top

IV. Team Structure

To gain the most benefit from our excellent coaching staff and to help ensure that all participants receive the instruction and attention they need, the team is divided into four groups, depending upon a swimmer’s skill level, experience, and commitment. It is important for each swimmer to attend the appropriate swim practice for his or her skill level. The coaches will assess all newcomers to the team and assign them to the proper group.

Level I: Geared for graduates of swim lessons. Swimmers work on developing the skills necessary to master the four basic competitive strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

Level II: Swimmers continue to develop and refine the four competitive strokes. Swimmers will also be introduced to competitive technique, including kicks, turns, and starts.

Level III: Swimmers continue to strengthen their competitive technique and are also introduced to cardiovascular and interval training. Dry land strength and flexibility is available but optional for this group. Usual age: 10 and up.

Coaches will determine the proper level and lane assignments for all swimmers based on a swimmer’s skill level, ability to be coached, and commitment. If you have questions, please talk to the coaches. If the coaches feel that your swimmer would benefit from moving to a different level, they will discuss that with you before making the necessary adjustments. Any parent or swimmer may request a meeting with the appropriate coach to discuss a swimmer’s progress. Please contact the Coach Liaison.

Team Discipline:

Swimming is a sport which develops self-control. It is unusual for coaches to spend time disciplining any of our swimmers. Swimmers should understand, however, that signing the “Athlete Code of Conduct” indicates to the coaches that they understand what is expected of them as members of this team. Two warnings concerning unacceptable behavior will be given. If a third reprimand is necessary you will be excused from the pool and will sit on the bleachers for the remainder of practice. After a third removal from the pool, the matter will be referred to the Board of Directors at which time the swimmer will be removed from the team.

Communication:

As a large team with varied practice times, it is important that we be able to disseminate all information in a timely and consistent manner. All announcements and schedules will be posted on the club web site in addition, for last minute changes, (such as practice or meet cancellations or time changes due to inclement weather etc.) e-mails will be sent from the Website email address. Please make it a habit to check the website as well as your personal e-mail for up to date information. If you have any questions about any part of the team’s activities, you should feel free to contact any of the board members during practice or use the website to send the Board an email.
Contact information;
Web Site: www.washingtonvilleseahawks.com
Email Address: seahawks@washingtonvilleseahawks.com
Club Voice mail: (845) 469 - 3343

Swimmers Folder:

Each family will have a file folder in the Seahawk box located on the spectator level of the pool. Any information, updates, newsletters, ribbons from meets, etc. are placed in the folders and should be checked every time your swimmer is at the pool to ensure that you receive any time sensitive material.

Bulletin Boards:

The team’s bulletin board, located in the spectator area, near the ladies room, is an important source of information and should be checked regularly. On the bulletin boards you will find general information about team events, meet sign-up sheets, meet information, and meet results and qualifying standards for ESSL Championships, and USA Silvers and Junior Olympics among other things.

top

Who can I contact when I have a question or a problem?

top

V. Practice Guidelines

Attendance:
Ample time is provided at each level of swimming for skill development and conditioning, as well as for the development of team unity and spirit. Swimmers are encouraged to attend as many of their group’s practices as they can, but the coaches recognize that attendance may be restricted by studies as well as other activities. Nearly any swimmer’s schedule can be accommodated if the swimmer or his or her parents discuss the situation with the coach in advance.

Practice:
Always be punctual, if not early. Arrive at the pool deck or at the dry land locations at least fifteen minutes early and with the proper equipment (listed below under Equipment).

On rare occasions, swimmers may be late. If you have another activity on a regular basis, be sure to advise the coach of your conflict.

Plan to stay for the entire practice session. Some of the swimmer’s best efforts occur at the end of practice. If you need to leave early, be sure to tell your coach before the practice session

Behavior:
Swimmers are expected to treat each other as teammates with a spirit of respect, enthusiasm, and cooperation. Swimmers are expected to give their coaches their undivided attention at all times when the coach is speaking.

Abusive language, lying, stealing, fighting, disrespectfulness, or willful destruction of property will not be tolerated. Swimmers who engage in these or any other inappropriate actions will be subject to disciplinary actions. Swimmers are expected to follow proper lane etiquette at all times during practice.

Swimmers may not leave the pool without the coach’s permission.
• Swimmers may bring a towel out on deck.
• Place their clothing in a locker—and lock it—rather than leaving it in a changing booth or on a bench. (WSSC will not be responsible for missing items)

Equipment:
For pool workouts:
• Bathing suit(s)
Girls should wear one-piece competition suits, not bikinis or two-piece suits
Boys should wear competition suits or jammers, not shorts or baggy suits
• Combination lock for lockers both at home and away
• Goggles (always have an extra pair)
• Water Bottle
• Towel
• Swim Cap
• Flip flops or deck shoes

For dry land workouts
• Sneakers
• Shorts
• Tee shirts
• Socks
• Sweatshirts (in cooler weather)

Please mark your swimmer’s equipment clearly. The team supplies kickboards pull buoys, and flippers.
Team suits and caps are required for all team competitions. Swimmers should not wear their competition suits or caps to practice. If a swimmer wears a team suit or cap to practice they will not be permitted to practice that evening. A date will be set prior to the start of the season for suit try-ons and ordering.

Team gear (sweats, bags, tee-shirts) can also be ordered in the fall.

top

VI. Meet Guidelines

The Seahawks participate in two types of competition: ESSL, and USA Swimming and in two types of meets (dual or tri-meets and invitational). Information on these leagues and meets follows below.

Empire State Swim League (ESSL). – www.esslswim.com
Every Seahawks swimmer is automatically eligible to swim in Empire State Swim League meets. The ESSL is a league that has been in existence for more than 30 years and is comprised of fifteen teams in the Mid-Hudson Valley region. More than 2000 area age-group swimmers participate in the league each season, which runs from mid-September through late March or early April. The league is split into three divisions, the Red, the White, and the Blue based primarily on the size of the clubs. Within each division, each team competes in dual meets (see below) against each of the other clubs in its division. The season concludes with a championship meet in which swimmers from all divisions who have met or exceeded the qualifying times (cuts) for their events compete. It is expected that all Seahawks swimmers will participate at all ESSL meets during the course of the season. Meets are generally held on Saturday or Sunday mornings and can last from 4 – 5 hours. The schedule is based on a home and away format so that a team we swim at home this year we will travel to swim next year. The teams in our division are all within a short driving distance from our pool. F

USA Swimming. – www.usaswimming.org
The WSSC is also a certified member of USA Swimming, the national governing body of the sport in the USA. USA Swimming offers swimmers the chance to swim a wide variety of different events and offers more avenues for competition than the ESSL does. Many of the clubs we swim against in ESSL are also USA Swimming clubs. USA meets are all invitational. While some of these meets are one-day affairs, many of them offer several sessions spread out over two or three days, with swimmers attending only those sessions in which their age-group is scheduled to swim. To participate in USA Swimming, swimmers must pay an additional registration fee of $55, all of which goes directly to USA Swimming. The USA Swimming fall/winter season culminates in a series of championship meets, including the Silver Championships and Junior Olympics, for both of which swimmers must meet qualifying standards. The WSSC is part of the Metropolitan LSC (local swim committee), as designated by USA Swimming. Metro is a non-profit organization whose objectives and primary purpose shall be the education, instruction and training of individuals to develop and improve their capabilities in the sport of swimming. Metro shall promote swimming for the benefit of swimmers of all ages and abilities, in accordance with the standards, rules, regulations, policies and procedures of FINA, USA Swimming, and Metro and its Articles/Certificate of Incorporation.
Metro has over 7,250 registered athletes (boys and girls) participating on more than 59 clubs in the portion of New York State south of Albany, including the counties of Sullivan, Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and the 5 boroughs of New York City (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens). Competition is available for all ability levels from novice to National Championship.

Preparation for Meets:

Meet equipment:
Arrive at the meet with the following items: team suit, (a spare suite is a god idea) team cap, two pairs of goggles, towels, something to keep your swimmer warm between events, water bottle, healthy snacks, books, games, and other activities. Often swimmers will be sitting on the floor or on bleachers have your swimmer bring something comfortable to sit on. Make sure your swimmers name is on all the items and check the swimmer bag content before you leave.

Warm-up:
Team warm-ups are usually held one hour prior to the start of the meet. Swimmers should be on deck dressed to swim 20 minutes before the pool warm-up for dry land stretching and to check in with the coach so the coach can get a team head count and issue you your events for the meet. If you are late, you run the risk of being scratched from your events. It is important to be on time or inform the coach of possible delays.

The leagues the WSSC competes in have enacted a number of warm-up rules to insure safety when swimmers are warming up. The most important of these is that there is to be no diving. During warm-up, which is a circle swim, swimmers must step, not jump, into the water feet first to make sure that no one is injured. At the end of warm-up there is the “one-way” sprint time when swimmers can practice diving from the starting blocks. Swimmers must wait for their coach or the meet marshal overseeing the deck to inform them that circle swim has ended and the one-way sprints have begun. During the sprints, all swimmers must swim directly to the wall opposite the starting platforms and they must immediately exit the pool once they reach that wall. Swimmers may never swim back towards the diving blocks once the one-way sprints have begun.

After Warm-up and During the Meet:
Immediately after warm-up, put on your warm-up or sweat suit including socks and shoes. Stay warm.

Pre- and post-race conferences are very important and it is each swimmer’s responsibility to report to the coach before and after he or she swims. Be sure that you know what event, heat, and lane you will be swimming in. Your coach will have this information, as will the parent in charge of swimmer supervision. It can also be found on the meet entry sheet that will be posted in the team’s area on deck.

Report to the start end of the pool in plenty of time to be by yourself and concentrate on your race.

Be sure that you adjust your equipment and have your goggles and cap securely on before you step onto the starting platform. Swimmers can be disqualified for delay of meet if they are not ready to follow the starter’s directions once they step on the starting platform

After your race, get your time from the timers and report to your coach. Be sure to dress again in your full warm-ups so that you can stay warm and ready until your first race.

Meet Conduct:
• Sit with the team in the team area at all times (parents are not permitted to sit in the team area). Support your teammates by cheering, offering congratulations, and being positive.
• At dual meets, it is your responsibility to stay on deck and in your swim suit for the entire meet.
• If a swimmer must leave the team area on deck for any reason (including to visit his or her parents, to go to the concession, or to use the bathroom), be sure to get permission first from your coach or the swimmer supervisor.
• The meet is not over when you’ve swum your final event of the day (sometimes you might be needed in a relay you weren’t originally scheduled to swim) but rather after the entire team offers their opponents a cheer. Not offering a strong cheer at the conclusion of a meet, regardless of outcome, is bad sportsmanship.
• Show respect for the meet officials, as well as other teams and coaches.
• Be responsible for yourself. Remember, you represent the Washingtonville Seahawks! Handle yourself with pride and dignity.

Types of Meets:

1. Dual (or tri-) meets. These are meets that we swim against another team and that, in the ESSL, are used to determine division standings. Points are awarded for places 1-3 and ribbons for places 1-6. As in all the meets we swim, swimmers are broken down into age groups, usually 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18. In the ESSL, girls swim against girls and boys against boys

In dual meets, the coaches are the ones who will determine what events and relays all WSSC swimmers will swim based on the strategy the coaches adopt for a given dual meet and based on the coaches’ knowledge of how our swimmers match up with those on the opposing team. Swimmers are permitted to swim up an age-group in dual meets, and on occasion may be asked to do so. There are no additional fees required for participating in dual meets and all WSSC swimmers who are ‘competition ready’ are required to take part in all ESSL dual meets during the season. Swimmers are generally permitted to swim two individual events and one relay in a dual meet. Dual meets are run in one session and there is no spectator fee. Since the coaches don’t want opposing teams to know who is swimming what in a dual meet, dual meet entries are not posted online.

2. Invitationals. Unlike dual or tri-meets, invitationals require a separate, per event fee (usually $3 per event) and since teams use invitational as fund-raisers, there is usually a small fee ($3-5) for spectators. At invitationals, the coaches will generally choose an event or two for each swimmer and after consulting with the coaches and their parents, the swimmer may be permitted to choose what other events he or she will swim. Depending on the how the organizers have set up their invitational, swimmers may swim as many as four or five events per session. Unlike dual meets, in which all the swimmers are at the pool at the same time, invitationals are broken into sessions, with several age groups swimming certain strokes and distances at each session. The exact details of what age group swims what stroke, etc., are decided by each meet’s organizers and so vary considerably from meet to meet. Entries for invitationals will be posted on the website when time permits.

Meet Sign-Up procedures:

Once it is finalized, a complete meet schedule will be posted on the WSSC web site. Approximately two weeks before a given meet, a sign-up sheet will be posted on the appropriate bulletin board along with the deadline for signing up. For dual meets, the deadline is usually the Monday before the meet. The deadline for signing up and paying for invitationals will vary and so parents and swimmers must pay close attention to the information that will be posted for each invitational.

If your child is unable to compete in a dual meet that he or she has signed up for, please notify the coaches as soon as possible so that they can make the necessary adjustments to the events and relays. The absence of one swimmer affects many others – sometimes resulting in no entry for individual events or the cancellation of a planned relay team. If the meet is close it could also result in a loss for the team. The coaches understand that a swimmer may become ill on the day of a meet, but please call the head coach as soon as possible on the swim meet morning, so adjustments can be made.

It is also important that you let the coaches know if your swimmer is going to be unable to compete in an invitational for which she or he has signed up so they can submit accurate scratch reports to the meet’s organizers. Also, please note that you must pay all entry fees for invitationals even if your child is unable to compete.

top

VII. Parent Guidelines

It is extremely important for you to support your children by encouraging them to chart their progress, to strive, to improve and ultimately to reach their goals. However, it is just as important to keep in mind that on the Seahawks swim team, swimming is not a spectator sport; it can better be described as a participant sport, both for its athletes and the athletes’ families. With this said, we should note that family participation is both expected and required. We know that not everyone is comfortable officiating or supervising swimmers in the bullpen or timing during meets, but whether it’s working the concession stand, assisting with the preparation of the news articles, designing a fund-raiser tee-shirt (or other campaign), preparing meet results for publication in the O.C. Post, or something else, we know that there is a team job for you!
Remember pool and spectator area are always hot(even in the winter) Bring appropriate clothing so that you can enjoy the meet.

Parent responsibilities:
• On practice days please bring your child to practice on time and with all the proper gear.
Come back to the pool on time to pick up your child: Your child will not be left alone but please remember that the coaches want to go home also.
• Do not interfere with the practice by offering advice or otherwise distracting your swimmer from his or her workout. Remember to let the coaches’ coach. Questions for the coaches should be reserved until after practice.
• On meet days please get your swimmers to the meet in time to get changed and be on deck 15 minutes before warm-ups begin so that she or he can have ample time to take part in stretching drills.
• Parents are not permitted in the team area on deck during meets or practices.
• A mandatory informational parent meeting will be held at the beginning of each season. (Attendance at this meeting is required for your swimmer to participate for the season.)
• All committee/volunteer work must be fulfilled or a $200 work waiver fee will be imposed.
• Volunteering for three(3) Friday night Open Swims is mandatory.
• All families must volunteer to work at our largest fundraising event for the year - The Seahawk Winter Classic Invitational Meet.
• Please note that all swimmers must be registered and team membership fees must be paid in full before they will be permitted to participate.

Ten Commandments for Swimming Parents
by Rose Snyder, Managing Director Coaching Division, USOC Former Director of Club Services, USA Swimming
(adapted from Ed Clendaniel’s 10 Commandments for Little League Parents and available on-line at http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1313&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&mid=725&ItemId=3061

1. Thou shalt not impose thy ambitions on thy child. Remember that swimming is your child’s activity. Improvements and progress occur at different rates for each individual. Don’t judge your child’s progress based on the performance of other athletes and don’t push him or her based on what you think she or he should be doing. The nice thing about swimming is every person can strive to do his or her personal best and benefit from the process of competitive swimming.
2. Thou shalt be supportive no matter what. There is only one question to ask your child after a practice or a competition—”Did you have fun?” If meets and practices are not fun, your child should not be forced to participate.
3. Thou shalt not coach thy child. You are involved in one of the few youth sports programs that offers professional coaching. Do not undermine the professional coach by trying to coach your child on the side. Your job is to provide love and support. The coach is responsible for the technical part of the job. You should not offer advice on technique or race strategy. Never pay your child for a performance. This will only serve to confuse your child concerning the reasons to strive for excellence and weaken the swimmer/coach bond.
4. Thou shalt only have positive things to say at a swimming meet. You should be encouraging and never criticize your child or the coach. Both of them know when mistakes have been made. Remember “yelling at” is not the same as “cheering for.”
5. Thou shalt acknowledge thy child’s fears. New experiences can be stressful situations. It is totally appropriate for your child to be scared. Don’t yell or belittle, just assure your child that the coach would not have suggested the event or meet if your child was not ready. Remember your job is to love and support your child through all of the swimming experience.
6. Thou shalt not criticize the officials. Don’t criticize those who are doing the best they can in purely voluntary positions.
7. Honor thy child’s coach. The bond between coach and swimmer is special. It contributes to your child’s success as well as fun. Do not criticize the coach in the presence of your child.
8. Thou shalt be loyal to and supportive of thy team. It is not wise for parents to take swimmers and to jump from team to team. The water isn’t necessarily bluer in another team’s pool. Every team has its own internal problems, even teams that build champions. Children who switch from team to team find that it can be a difficult emotional experience. Often swimmers who do switch teams don’t do better than they did before they sought the bluer water.
9. Thy child shalt have goals besides winning. Most successful swimmers have learned to focus on the process and not the outcome. Giving an honest effort regardless of what the outcome is, is much more important than winning. One Olympian said, “My goal was to set a world record. Well, I did that, but someone else did it too, just a little faster than I did. I achieved my goal and I lost. Does this make me a failure? No, in fact I am very proud of that swim.” What a tremendous outlook to carry on through life.
10. Thou shalt not expect thy child to become an Olympian. There are 250,000 athletes in USA Swimming. There are only 52 spots available for the Olympic Team every four years. Your child’s odds of becoming an Olympian are about .0002%. Swimming teaches self-discipline and sportsmanship; it builds self-esteem and fitness; it provides memories and creates friendships that will last a lifetime, and much, much more. The intangibles will far outweigh any ribbon or medal your swimmers have won along the way. Swimming builds good people and you should be pleased that your child wants to participate.

top

VIII. Team Operations:

We need the assistance of parent volunteers to help with everything from administering the team, to running a meet, to coordinating fund-raising and social events. Below is a list of the many jobs that are required for the team to run smoothly—or at all! The directors and committee chairs welcome your participation and to participate you need only one qualification: the willingness to step forward and say “I’d like to help.” You will not be asked to learn any job by yourself, but will have at least one person, and probably several people, ready to answer your questions and help out in any way possible.

Dual Meet Operations:

- Officials (The home team must supply at least 2 officials at an ESSL home meet and one
for an ESSL away meet. If a team does not supply officials, it must hire them, per ESSL rules, at $75 each)
- Timers (6 per dual meet)
- Runners (for result postings)
- Meet set-up/clean-up
- Food concession
- Swimmer supervision
- Locker room monitors
- 50/50 sales

top

IX. Projected expenses:

What follows below is a list of the sorts of expenses that swimmers can expect to incur during the season. All prices are estimates and are listed for illustrative purposes only. Your own expenses may be different.

• Team registration fees.(varies depending on # of swimmers)
• USA Swimming registration fee: $55 (required only for those who wish to compete in USA
Swimming meets)

• Team suit and cap: To insure delivery by the first meet, suits & caps must be ordered in September. Purchase of the team uniform is included in the registration fee. Swimmers are required to wear their uniform & caps to every meet. These team uniform suits are not to be used for practicing. Any swimmer who wears their team suit or cap to practice will not be allowed to swim for that practice. Swimmers who come to a meet without their uniform will not participate in that meet.

• Goggles for meets/practice: $10 - $20

• Swim cap for practice (optional): $5 - $10

• Team bags, shirts, sweatshirts, etc.: see prices on team clothing order form on the website.

Various Volunteer / Committee Positions:

top

Directors
The Directors shall be the executive heads of the organization. Duties shall include; conducting the annual meeting of the members, calling and conducting special meetings as required, coordinating and negotiating coaching contracts and pool time agreements, representing the organization with the Empire State Swim League, Metropolitan Swimming, Inc and the USA Swimming, and such other duties as are typical of the chief executives of an organization. No Director shall be authorized to enter into contracts and or agreements without the approval of the majority of the Board.

Treasurer
Responsible for keeping the team’s financial records and maintaining the team accounts of the organization. Duties shall include the transfer of funds to appropriate accounts, signing of checks in payment of authorized expenses, responding to the requests of members with respect to expenditures of the organization, preparing quarterly tax returns and reviewing those with the club’s accounting firm.

Secretary
Responsible for keeping minutes and records of the organization activities as well as receiving and keeping reports from the Directors.

Open Swim Coordinator
Responsible for the coordination of the open swim schedule. Duties shall include scheduling families for their required open swim work dates, collecting open swim fees and ensuring the safety of all in attendance.

Fund-Raising Committee
Recruit a committee to help decide upon and organize the various fund-raisers the team runs each year and oversee and coordinate the committee’s efforts. Organize and oversee the selling of 50/50 raffles at home meets. Recruit a committee to help with the planning and preparation for the team’s Annual Awards Banquet, which is usually held sometime after the end of the ESSL season, usually in April.

Web Master
The web master is responsible for keeping the web site updated and for posting information from the Coaches and Board of Directors.

Newspaper results
The Orange County Post is happy to print Seahawk results from swim meets. The results are in electronic form and need only to be e-mailed to the O.C. Post.

Team Social Events
Organize social events, which might include pizza parties, poster parties (for Championships) among many other possibilities.

Ribbons/trophies
Work with the coaches to choose and order the ribbons the team hands out at all dual meets and the trophies that every participant receives at the end of the season.

Team gear /Clothing Committee
Take orders and collect money for team apparel and merchandise (sweat suits, bags, tee shirts, etc.) Work with a vendor (who will supply sample try-on suits) to order female and male swim suits. Work with a vendor on team swim caps. Take orders and collect money for the orders.

USA Swimming Registration Coordinator
Distribute USA Swimming registration forms and collect completed forms and payments from all participating swimmers. Distribute USA Swimming cards when they arrive.

Officials Committee
Responsible for confirming the attendance of the required number of officials at each meet. Duties shall include contacting officials and confirming their intent to be present at meets, training of all officials and disseminating information regarding the time, date and place of training classes.

Statistician
Responsible for seeing that a record of times for all swimmers at every meet is maintained. Duties include the maintaining and updating of team statistics and delivering to the appropriate League officials as required, and an updated version of these statistics to the Coaching staff not less than ten days prior to a dual meet for the purpose of aiding in the seeding process.

Timing Committee
The head timer is responsible for recruiting and coordinating the timers the team must supply at each meet in which we participate. This person is responsible to train the timers in their duties and to oversee the timing equipment (stopwatches, clipboards, etc.).

Runners
Runners are responsible for collecting the timers sheets and posting event results at various locations at the pool for swimmers and parents review.

Meet Set-up/Clean up
For home meets, someone needs to see that the pool is ready for the meet (bleachers correctly placed, scorer’s tables set up and supplied with chairs, timing pads in place, lane lines in place concession stocked, etc.) and the necessary clean up following the meet.

Meet Marshal
The meet marshal wears a large yellow ‘meet marshal’ tee-shirt during warm-ups and ensures that the warm-up and meet period runs properly and safely.

Food Concession
Responsible for the coordination and supervision of the food and beverage sales at the home meets. Duties shall include coordinating with Directors the obtaining of the needed permits, organizing and scheduling volunteers to run the concession stand, directing purchases of needed items and delivery to the Treasurer or Directors of the proceeds received by the concession stand.

Team photographer
Take photos at meets and other team events. Try to photograph every swimmer at least once during the season so that every swimmer will appear on the website photo link.

Swimmer Supervision
Responsible for volunteers for the supervision of the swimmers. Duties shall include providing the swimmers events, seeing that the swimmers arrive at the appropriate diving blocks in sufficient time for the events, keeping the swimmers in their designated areas between events, supervising conduct of the swimmers to guarantee that they act in a proper and sportsman-like manner and the reporting to the Coaching staff of any swimmers who do not follow directions.

Locker Room Monitors
Be responsible for regularly checking locker rooms before, during, and after meets.

top