the iowa flyers swim club handbook

7/31/2019 The Iowa Flyers Swim Club Handbook

1/44


2/44

2

Contents:

IntroductoryLetter 3

Introduction 4

Vision,MissionandValues 5

TheSportofSwimming 7

Organization 8

GroupFlowChart 9

EntryRequirementsbyGroup 10

20112012PracticeSchedule 14

PracticeEtiquette

for

Swimmers

15

PracticeEtiquetteforParents 17

PoolRules 18

SwimMeets 20

201112MeetSchedule 21

HowtoSignUpforaSwimMeet 22

Relays 23

SwimMeet(Etiquette)GuidelinesforSwimmers 24

SwimMeetGuidelinesforParents 27

NewSwimmerMeetHelp 29

SwimmingTerms 31

IowaFlyersHostedMeets 34

Officials 35

RegistrationandBillingPolicies 36

UniformsAttireEquipment 37

Problemswiththecoach 39

YourRoleasaParent 40

201112PracticesChanges 42

20092012LCMTimeStds(Rev912010) 43

20092012SCYTimeStds(Rev912010) 44


3/44

3

DearFlyers,

OnbehalfoftheUniversityofIowaandthestaffoftheIowaFlyers,Iwouldliketowelcomeyou

tothe20111012swimseason.Weareexcitedtohaveyouonboard!

IamtheheadcoachandprogramdirectorfortheFlyersandIamenjoyingtheexperienceso

much. Iamhavingsomuchfunseeingyourchildrengrowinthesportandinthelifeskillthatitteaches

throughtheparticipationprocess. Ourteamiscomprisedofbrandnewnoviceswimmerstoaspiring

USANationalTeamathletes. Nomatterwhereyourswimmerspathinswimmingleads,weareallgoing

throughthesametypesoftrialsalongthewayandourpurposeasateamistosupporteachpersonas

theyexploretheirpathinthewonderfulsportofswimming. WeareallvaluedmembersoftheIowa

FlyersSwimClub.

Wearefortunatetobeabletopursuethissportinoneofthenewestandgreatestvenuesinthe

UnitedStates

and

this

provides

us

with

the

resources

we

need

to

excel

to

the

highest

levels.

Our

coachingstaffiseducated,trainedand,mostimportantly,enthusiasticaboutyourchildsexperience,

andourparentsaresupportive,positive,andhappytocontributetothesuccessofourteam.

Ihopeyouwillfindalltheinformationyouneedtobecomefamiliarwithwhatitmeanstobean

IowaFlyer. Youmayalsorefertoourwebsite

http://recserv.uiowa.edu/Apps/YouthPrograms/IowaFlyers.aspx andstaytunedforplentyofemail

communicationfrommekeepingyoupostedonyourteamssuccessesandkeepingyouontopofevery

aspectofparticipationaswegothroughtheseasontogether. YourparentmeetingattheendofAugust

isagreatplacetomeettheotherfamilieswithswimmersinyourchildstraininggroupandaskany

questions

you

might

have

about

what

to

expect.

You

may

also

contact

me

or

your

childs

group

coach

at

anytimeandwewillhelpyoukeepgoingintherightdirection.

WeareexcitedtocreatesomethingspecialhereinIowaandshowourprideandsuccesses

throughoutthecountryandweregladyouhavechosentobeapartofit!

GoFlyers!

Sincerely,

MeganOesting

HeadCoach/ProgramDirector

IowaFlyersSwimClub


4/44

4

Introduction

ThepurposeofthishandbookistohelpIFLYfamiliesunderstandthephilosophy,policiesandgeneral

expectationsofbeingapartoftheIowaFlyersSwimClub. Youmayreaditcovertocoveroryoumay

referjusttothepartsyouneedatthetime. Iwillgooverthishandbookwiththeparentseachyearat

theendofAugustinourgroupmeetingsandthiswillhelpprepareyouforwhatyouryearwillholdin

theworldoftheIowaFlyers.

AsanIowaFlyerparentwewillexpectyoutomakethisexperienceapriorityinyourchildslife. This

meansgettingyourswimmertotheirdesignatedpracticesontimeandconsistently,takingyour

swimmertotheappropriateswimmeetssos/hecanseetheprogresstheyhavemadeandsetnew

goalsfortheirtraining,andtreatingyourswimmer,his/hercoach,teammates,competitorsandthe

swimmingcommunityatlargewithrespect.

Youwill

meet

great

people

on

this

team

and

Iencourage

you

to

get

to

know

them.

Ihope

that

you

learn

fromthosethathavebeendoingthislongerthanyouhaveandteachormodeltothosethathavemore

recentlyjoinedus. Itisnotuncommonforparentswhohavegonethroughthissportwiththeir

swimmerstostickaroundafterwardsandcontinuetovolunteerasofficials,meetstafforinsomeother

capacity. Itsagreatplacetobe.


5/44


6/44

6

Fulfilltheneedforswimminginstruction,coaching,training,andcompetitionopportunitiesforalllevelsofability;

Maintainaselfsustainingbudgetthroughvariousmeansincluding,butnotlimitedto,collectionofmembershipdues,fundraisingevents,hostingcompetitiveevents,donations,andsolicitation

ofsponsorships;

Becomealeaderinthelocal,state,regional,andnationalswimmingcommunitiesthroughdisplayofcourtesy,positivebehavior,andsportsmanshipeverywhereIFLYispresent.

Values

TheIowaFlyersSwimClubvaluesateamenvironmentofsupport,encouragement,workethic,

consistency,confidenceandfocusbothatpracticeandincompetition.Westrivetorepresentthe

UniversityofIowawithprofessionalismandexcellence.


7/44

7

TheSportofSwimming

Iloveswimming. IloveswimmingforsomanyreasonsIcouldprobablywriteabookonallofits

benefitsandjoys. Allsports,intheory,encouragekidstobuildstrongbodies,strongmindsandabroad

levelofselfconfidencebutIfeelthatswimminghasaculturethatsupportsthisgrowthfromsomany

anglesitshardnottoachievetheseendgoals.

ItisthegoaloftheIowaFlyerstocreateanenvironmentthatpromoteslearning,curiosity,positiverisk

taking,positiveteamskillsandultimatelyastrongfaiththatisbuiltonthecontinuingprocessof

dreaming,specificgoalsetting,specificskillbuilding,steppingoutinfaithtodemonstrateprogressand

thenachievingtheoriginalgoalandtherebybuildingmorefaithtodreamagain. Andsoitgoes,no

matterwhatlevelofachievementonehasgained,weareallgoingthroughthesamecycleofpotential

toactualityagainandagain. Thisfostersarespectforeachindividualontheteam(andinfact

swimmerseverywhereseemtohavethisbond)nomatterwhatleveltheyhaveachieved. Italsohelps

usremember

that

although

what

people

achieve

is

valuable,

the

process

of

achievement

is

what

creates

thosechampionshipeffortsandmoreimportantlywhatgetsapersonthroughlifesuccessfully.

Swimmingisagreatmediumtopracticethisprocessofachievementinafunandsafeenvironment.

Swimmingisthesportmostlovedbyathleticdirectorsatcollegesacrossthecountrybecausetheir

athletesarequiteoftentheonesearningthehighestgradesandmakingdecisionsthatreflectwellon

theUniversitiestheyattend. Swimmersareoftenthehealthiestathletesastheirsportrequires

strength,flexibilityandenduranceaswellasconsistencyofeffortbothmentallyandphysically.

Swimmersareheldsolelyresponsiblefortheirachievementsandstumblesastherearenoteammates

thatdroporcatchtheballandthisfosterstheirpersonalresponsibilityforotheraspectsoftheirlives.

Swimmersunderstand

being

teammates

from

the

perspective

of

being

ahealthy

and

positive

training

partnerandanavidcheeringsupporter.Whowouldntwantthosequalitiesinacoworkerorpartner?

Allthetimetheyspendwitheachotheralsocreatesanenvironmentoffamilywhichallowsforrisk

takingtotakeplaceinanofailenvironment. Nomatterwhathappensyourteammatesarestillthere

foryoubecausetheywerewithyouforthewholeprocessbeforeyourattemptanyway. Thisisthe

cultureofswimmingandthisiswhatwehopetocreatearoundyourswimmerastheydreamand

achievetheirwaythroughthesport.

Ihopethatyouappreciatethegiftyouaregivingyourchildreninthechoicetoparticipateinthesportof

swimmingandIhopetheyengageinthesportlongenoughandwithenoughinvestmenttodiscoverall

the

various

joys

of

being

a

swimmer.

Its

a

beautiful

journey.


8/44

8

Organization

TheIowaFlyersSwimClubisrunbytheUniversityofIowathroughtheDepartmentofStudentLife,

RecreationalServices. Theprogramisdesignedtoofferacompetitiveswimmingexperienceforall

levelsthroughthesport. ThereisaplaceontheFlyersforanyswimmertoentertheprogramatthe

novicelevelandastheyprogresstherearemoreadvancedopportunitiesforthemtoexperience. The

mosteliteswimmersontheFlyersaspiretocompeteonthenationalandinternationallevel.

TheIowaFlyersareaUSASwimmingregisteredswimclub. USASwimmingisthenationalgoverning

bodyforthesportofswimmingintheUnitedStatesandreportstotheUnitedStateOlympic

Committee. USASwimmingstructurestherulesandcompetitionsforthesportofswimmingandin

ordertocompetefortheFlyers,onemustbearegisteredswimmerwithUSASwimming.

USASwimmingsofficesareheadquarteredattheUSOlympicTrainingCenterinColoradoSpringsand

theyorganize

the

nation

into

Local

Swim

Committees

(LSCs)

that

run

the

meets

and

govern

the

sport

on

thelocallevel. IowaSwimming,Inc.isourLSCandthisencompassesthegeographicboundariesofIowa.

Iencourageyoutovisitwww.USASwimming.organdlookthroughtheresourcesavailabletoyouonthat

site. IowaSwimmingalsohasawebsite,www.ISISwim.org,withinformationmorepertinentto

swimmingatthelocallevelandthisisalsoextremelyvaluableasaresource. USASwimmingworkson

boththelocalandnationalleveltoprovideopportunitiesforpeopletoexperiencethesportof

swimming. Ultimately,weareallapartofTeamUSA


9/44

9


10/44

10

EntryRequirementsbyGroup

Minis

Isabletoswim25yardsoffreestylewithsidebreathing Isabletoswim25yardsofbackstroke Showstheabilitytolistentoacoachandfollowdirectionswithinasmallgroup

environment

Is7yearsofageoryounger

Developmental

Isabletoswim25yardsoffreestylewithsidebreathing

Is

able

to

swim

25

yards

of

backstroke

Showstheendurancerequiredtocompletea1hourdevelopmentalswimpractice Showstheabilitytolistentoacoachandfollowdirectionswithinasmallgroup

environment

Opentoallages

Freshman

Islegalinall4strokes Hascompletedthedevelopmentalchecklistitems Hasshowntheendurancerequiredtoswimpurposefullyfora1hourFreshmanswim

practice

Isawareofhisorherswimmeettimesandhasbeguntosetgoaltimes Hasthedesiretoattendallofferedpractices Continuestoparticipateinswimmeetswithaneverexpandingeventprogram Is9yearsofageoryounger


11/44

11

Sophomore

Islegalinall4strokes Hascompletedthedevelopmentalchecklist Hastheendurancerequiredtoswimtechnicallysoundfora1hourSophomoreB

practice

Is911yearsofageSophomoreA

HasshownthespeedandendurancerequiredtosuccessfullyengageintheSophomoreAgroupdemonstratedbythefollowing:

o Hasmadeacommitmenttoattendpractice3daysaweekormoreo Regularlycompetesinatleast3meetseachseasonandattendsthe

championshipmeetattheirlevel(RegionalsortheStateChampionships)

o Hasatleastone8&UnderAgeGroupStatecut Islearningtoapplythetechnicaldillstotheirracingstrokestogofaster Understandstheconceptsandfutureexpectationsoftheteamvaluesofsupport,

encouragement,workethic,consistency,confidenceandfocusatpracticeand

competition.

Recognizesthecorrelationbetweenpracticeperformanceandmeetperformanceandislearninghowtosetandachievepersonalgoalsforboth

Is11yearsofageoryoungerSophomore

State

HasshownthespeedandendurancerequiredtosuccessfullyengageintheSophomoreStategroupdemonstratedbythefollowing:

o Hasmadeacommitmenttoattendpractice4daysaweekormoreo Regularlycompetesinatleast3meetseachseasonandattendsthe

championshipmeetattheirlevel(RegionalsortheStateChampionships)

o Hasatleastone910AgeGroupStatecut Isabletoapplythetechnicaldillstotheirracingstrokestogofaster Understandstheconceptsandfutureexpectationsoftheteamvaluesofsupport,

encouragement,workethic,consistency,confidenceandfocusatpracticeand

competition.

Recognizesthecorrelationbetweenpracticeperformanceandmeetperformanceandislearninghowtosetandachievepersonalgoalsforboth

Is11yearsofageoryounger


12/44

12

Junior

Islegalinall4strokes Hascompletedthedevelopmentalchecklist Hastheendurancerequiredtoswimtechnicallysoundfora1hourJuniorBpractice Is11yearsofageorolder

JuniorA

HasshownthespeedandendurancerequiredtosuccessfullyengageintheJuniorAgroupdemonstratedbythefollowing:

o Regularlyattendspractice3daysaweekormoreandhasshownapatternofdoingsopriortomovinguptothisgroup

o Regularlycompetesinatleast3meetseachseasonandattendsthechampionshipmeetattheirlevel(RegionalsortheStateChampionships)

o Hasatleastone1112NationalBTimeStandard Hasshowntheabilitytopushthemselvesoutsidetheircomfortzoneinbothpractice

andinmeetsonaregularbasis

Demonstratestheteamvaluesofsupport,encouragement,workethic,consistency,confidenceandfocusatpracticeandcompetition.

Recognizesthecorrelationbetweenpracticeperformanceandmeetperformanceandhassetpersonalgoalsforboth

Hasidentifiedskillstoworkoninordertoachievetheirpersonalgoals

Is

11

years

of

age

or

older

JuniorState

HasshownthespeedandendurancerequiredtosuccessfullyengageintheJuniorElitegroupdemonstratedbythefollowing:


o HasmadeacommitmenttoattendallmeetsontheJuniorElitemeetscheduleo HasatleastoneAgeGroupStatecutatthe1112level

Demonstratestheteamvaluesofsupport,encouragement,workethic,consistency,confidenceandfocusatpracticeandcompetition.

Hasidentifiedskillstoworkoninordertoachievetheirpersonalgoals


13/44

13

Senior

Hasenteredtheir9thgradeyearofschool Isproficientinall4strokes Isabletoswimatalevelsufficienttocompeteatthehighschoollevel

SeniorState

Hasshownthespeed,enduranceandmotivationrequiredtosuccessfullyengageintheSeniorStategroupdemonstratedbythefollowing:


o HasmadeacommitmenttoattendallmeetsontheSeniorStatemeetscheduleo HasatleastoneSeniorStatecutatthe1314level

Showsconsistentdailyattendancewithminimalinterferencefromoutsideactivities Demonstratestheteamvaluesofsupport,encouragement,workethic,consistency,

confidenceandfocusatpracticeandcompetition.

Showstheabilitytoworkthroughtheirpersonalplantoachievetheirgoals

SeniorSectional

Hasshownthespeed, desireandcommitmenttocompeteatthehighestlevelsofseniorswimmingdemonstratedbythefollowing:

o Regularlyattendspractice7daysaweekandhasshownapatternofdoingsopriortomovinguptothisgroup

o HasmadeacommitmenttoattendallmeetsontheSeniorSectionalmeetschedule

o HasmadeatleastoneSpringSectionalcutinthepreviousseasonorisa1314yearoldmalewhoscoredover730powerpointsinasingleeventintheprevious

season

Modelstheteamvaluesofsupport,encouragement,workethic,consistency,confidenceandfocusatpracticeandcompetition.

Showstheabilitytoconsistentlyevaluateandadjusthisorher goalsandtrainingplansinordertocontinuetoachievehigherlevelsofperformance

Consistentlyfollowsthroughwiththerequirementsofhisorhertrainingplan Allowslimitedinterferencefromoutsideactivities


14/44

14


15/44

15

PracticeEtiquetteforSwimmers

Whenweareatpracticeweneedtocreateanenvironmentconducivetolistening,learning,and

practicingtheskillswearedeveloping. Itsimportanttoberespectfultoyourteammatesandthis

involvesknowingtherulesoftheroadandfollowingthemwell. Thefollowingarethegeneral

ingredientsthat

make

practice

fun

and

productive.

Weshowupforpracticeontime,whichmeansyouareinyourswimmingsuitandonthepooldeckreadytoreadthewarmup5minutesbeforepracticeofficiallystarts. Ingeneral,you

shouldbeenteringthewaterforwarmupatthesecondpracticestarts,i.e.ifpracticestartsat

4:30,youareenteringthewaterforthewarmupsetat4:30.00.

Leavethewallforyourswimwhenthecoachtellsyouto. Ifyouaretheleaderofthelaneandthecoachtellsyoutoleaveonthetopthatmeansattheminutemark,whentheseconds

read00. Unlesstoldotherwise,eachswimmerwillgoinwaves5secondsapartmeaningthe

secondswimmerwillgoonthe:05andthe3rdonthe:10,etc. Thiswillgiveeveryoneenough

spaceand

speed

leeway

to

focus

on

the

assigned

task.

Knowwhenyouleftthewall. Ifyouaregoingthirdinthelaneandthereforeleaveonthe:10,youshouldknowthis. Thereasonyoushouldknowthisisbecausewhenyoucomeinonthe

:50forinstanceyouwillthenknowthatittookyou40secondstocompleteyourswim. Ifyou

dontknowwhenyouleftorwhenyoucameinitsdifficulttoknowhowfastyouswam.

Knowyourtimes. Thissportisjudgedbyhowfastyouswimandnothingelse. Youneedtoknowwhatswimswerefastsoyoucandowhatyoudidagainnexttimeandwhatswimswere

slowersoyoucanknowthatwhateveryoudidthattimedidntwork. Alwayskeeptrackofyour

timesatpracticesoyoucangetthatfeedbackandknowifyouaregettingfasterandremember

whatyoudidtoaccomplishthat.

Ifsomeoneelsedoesnotleaveontimeordoesnotknowtheirtimes,thecoachwilladdressthat

issue,

keep

doing

the

right

thing

yourself.

If

the

person

in

front

of

you

leaves

3seconds

behindinsteadof5,youmaynotassumethatyoucanleave5secondsafterthatpersonorstart

leaving3behindasiftheruleshavechanged. Ifyouaregoing3rdinthelaneyouaretoleaveon

the:10,not5secondsafterthesecondperson.

Ifyouendupcatchingthepersoninfrontofyou,touchthebottomsoftheirfeettoletthemknowyouarethere. Donotgrabaholdofthemordoanythingyoumightfinduncomfortable.

Thiswillsignalthemthatyouarethereandyoumaybeginthepassingprocedure.

Passingaswimmerinvolvesmovingtothecenterofthelanewhilethepersonbeingpassedneedstoswimasclosetothelanelineaspossible. Ifyouarebeingpassed,makethepassingas

easyonthepasseraspossible. Theywerealready4secondsfasterthanyouwhenthey

touchedyourfeet,nowisnotthetimetoracethem,youalreadylost,sojustletthemby.

Passer,you

are

swimming

down

the

center

of

the

lane

right

now

so

get

this

over

with

as

quickly

aspossibleandslideintoyournewposition. NowremembertomaintainyourspeedsoYOU

dontgetpassed.Whenyougettothewallattheendofthatswim,officiallyswitchpositionsin

yourlaneorder.

Itisnotpropertooversprintadrillsetinordertoimproveyourlaneposition. Focusonthedrilltomakeyourstrokebetterandifyouaretrulybetteratthatdrillthanthepersoninfront

ofyouthenthatsgreat,goaheadandmoveahead. Howeversacrificingthedrillinorderto

improveyourlanepositionisfrownedupon.


16/44

16

Whenwedosetswhereyouareaskedtodescend. Thatmeansyourtimesneedtoprogressivelygetfasterasyougo. Forexample,timeson450sdescendmightlooklike:40,

:37,:34,:31. Itisfrownedupontogo3easyandonesprint.Wewouldaskfor3easy1fastif

wewantedyoutodothatanditirritatesthefolksgoingnexttoyouwhoweredoingtheset

correctlyandarethereforemoretiredthanyouonthelastoneandmightgoslowerthanyou

becauseyoudecidedtobeaSammySaveUp. Performthesetsthewaythecoachesaskyou

toperformthem.

Whenthecoachisaddressingthegroup,lookhimorherintheeyes. Ifyoucanseethewhiteoftheireyeballsthenyoulooklikeyouarelistening. Goodlisteningincludesyourheadbeing

abovethewaterandthatyouarelookingatyourcoach. Pleasekeeponehandonthewalland

refrainfromhavingotherconversationswhilethecoachistalking.

Ifthecoachisaddressingyourfriend,youneedtonotbeadistractiontoyourfriend. Itisactuallyagoodideatolistentothecommentseveniftheyarenotdirectedatyousoyoucan

getabetterideaofwhatisimportantandexamineifyouaredoingagoodjobinthatareaas

well. Thebestswimmerslearnbylisteningwhentheircoachtalkstothem,whentheircoach

talkstothegroup,andwhentheircoachtalkstootherindividualsaswell. Beanactivelistener.

Beanactiveencourager. Whenthesetischallenging,tellyourbuddyyoubelieveinthem.When

your

buddy

is

slacking,

remind

them

you

are

depending

on

him

or

her

on

that

relay

at

State.Whenyourbuddysayssomethingnegative,ignoreitorsaysomethingpositiveto

counteractit.Makeyourteambettereveryday.

Pushyourselfoutsideyourcomfortzoneasoftenaspossible. Alwaysendasetwithyourbesteffortandeverydaytrytoputthateffortintothesetearlierandearliersothatwhenyouget

olderyoucanconsistentlyworkentiresetslikethebestswimmersdo. Alwaysbethinking

aboutwhatyoucouldbedoingbetterorwithmoreeffort. Youwillbethankfulyoudidwhen

itstimetogetontheblocksatyourChampionshipmeet.

Rememberthatwhatyoupatterninpracticewillcomeoutinyourraces. Strivetocreategoodhabits.Whenyoufatigueinaraceandcantconsciouslycontrolyourtechniqueanymore,the

ingrainedpatternsyourbodywillthendoaretheonesyoupatternedinpractice. Ifyouwantto

finisharace

with

good

legs

and

ahigh

long

catch

then

work

that

in

practice

all

the

time.

If

you

wantgoodwalls,patterngoodwalls. Yourbodywilldoexactlywhatyouhavetrainedittodo

sotrainitwellandwithconsciousintent.

Workthedetails. Mostswimmersthinkshowinguptopracticeisanachievement. SomethinkshowingupANDworkinghardisanachievement. Butplentyofswimmersdothat. Setyourself

apartinthedetails,takecareofthebasicsofattendanceandeffortandthengoaboveand

beyondandbecomeatechnicallybetterswimmer. Improvingthelittlethingscansetyouapart.

Leadbyexampleinyoureffortandyourfocus. Modelwhatitistobesomeonecommittedtothepursuitoftheirgoals. Modelwhatyouthinkanidealteammatewouldbe. Modelwhatitis

tobeexhaustedandscaredoftheintervalandstillthrowyourselffullyintotheset. Model

goodchoicesoutsidethepoolthatcontributetoyoursuccessasanathlete. Butatpractice,be

the

swimmer

you

would

look

up

to

yourself.


17/44

17

PracticeEtiquetteforParents

WearethrilledtohavesupportiveandenthusiasticparentsonthisteamandIlovehowhardyouwork

volunteeringatmeetsandbehindthescenestogivethekidsagreatexperience. Whentheswimmers

arepracticing,however,itisimportantthatwefacilitatethebestlearningandtrainingenvironmentwe

canfor

these

kids.

We

want

them

to

focus

as

much

as

possible

on

the

directions

of

their

coach

and

the

processofleaningandthereforeweaskthattheparentsstayinthespectatorareasandallowthe

coachesandswimmersenoughspacetogetsomeworkdone.

Weencourageparentstocomewatchpracticesotheyhaveageneralknowledgeaboutwhatisgoingon

intheirchildsswimminglife. Whenyoudocome,however,itisimportanttoensurethattheswimmer

canstillfocusfullyonthecoachsdirectionandthetasksathand. Inordertofacilitatethebestpossible

learningexperienceforyourswimmerweaskthatyounotcommunicatewithyourswimmerduring

practiceasthisdividesaswimmersattentionandcancausethemconfusionastowhotheyaretryingto

pleaseatthetime.

Wealso

ask

that

you

do

not

interrupt

the

coaches

on

deck

while

they

are

coaching.

We

will

give

you

the

contactdetailsforthegroupcoachesaswellastheheadcoachandweaskthatyoucommunicate

outsideofpracticetime. Thecoachesarenotavailableforconversationswhentheyareondeck

coaching.

Mostimportantly,pleasedonottrytocoachyourchild. Inthevastmajorityofcases,thecoachesnot

onlyknowwhattheyaredoingbutareimplementingaplanthattheyhaveputtogethertogetthe

groupandeachindividualinthatgrouptoimproveasfastaspossible. Evenintherarecasethatthe

parenthasasmuchknowledge,skill,experienceandtalentincoachingasthechildsgroupcoachdoes,

itisimportanttohonorthecoach/athleterelationshipandallowtheswimmertobeapartofthe

program.

Duringpracticethecoachesarewatching,teaching,thinkingabouthowtocorrectissuestheysee,trying

tofigureoutwhyBobbyisstillnotdoingwhathasbeenaskedtodo,etc. Youmayseethecoachsimply

watchingtheswimmersattimesbutthatdoesnotmeanthereisnothinggoingon. Pleaserespectthe

flowofpracticeandlearningastheswimmerspendssometimeworkingouthowtoexecutetheskills

theyhavebeenaskedtotry.

Finally,pleasedonotcallintoquestionyourchildscoachinfrontofyourchildortoyourchildasyou

havechosentoputthatcoachinapositionofauthorityoveryourchildforthataspectoftheir

development. Underminingthecoachsauthoritygenerallyonlyconfusesthechild. Insayingthat,

however,pleasefeelfreetovoiceyourconcernstothegroupcoachortotheheadcoachasweare

morethanwillingtotalktoyouaboutthesituation.

Thankyouforyourcooperationandsupport. Pleasecontactyourchildscoachortheheadcoachifyou

haveanyquestions.


18/44

18

PoolRules/Guidelines:

WeutilizebothofthepoolsattheUniversityofIowa,theFieldhousepoolandtheCampusRecreation

andWellnessCenter(CRWC)poolalsoknownastheUniversityAquaticsCenter. Wearefortunatetobe

abletoswimintwoofthebestpoolsinthestateofIowaanditsimportantthatwerespectthefacilities

andotherpatronsofthesepoolsandhonortheprivilegeswehave.Wearenottheonlypatronsat

thesefacilitiesandoftenweareusingthefacilitiesatthesametimeasthegeneralpublicanduniversity

patrons.Wemustrememberthateverythingwedoispotentiallyinfrontofanaudienceand

everythingyoudorepresentsIFLY.

Guidelinesthatareimportanttofollowforbothpoolsarethefollowing:

UseyourteamIDcardtoentertheFieldhouseorCRWC Pickupyourequipmentandleavethedeckclean Berespectfultoyourteammatesandthegeneralpublicwheneveryouareinthelockerrooms

orotherpublicareasofthefacilitieslikethehallways,thewaitingareasorthepooldeck.

Nohorseplayorroughhousingonthepooldeck Noglassinthepoolareas OnlyRecServicesmembersmayusetheworkoutfacilitiesduringpractice,ifyouarenotaRec

Servicesmemberyoumaycomewatchpracticebutyoumaynotusetheworkoutequipment,

sauna,steamroom,etc. IFLYduespayforIFLYrelatedactivitiessoifaFlyerwhoisnota

memberwouldliketousetheleisurepool,spa,etc.outsideofpracticetimestheywouldneed

topaythedailyfeeatthefrontdesk.

GuidelinesspecifictotheFieldhouse:

YoumayusethebathroomsjustoutsidethepoolentrancetochangeoryoumayusetheFieldhouselockerrooms,ladiesneedtogettheswipekeyfromacoachondeck.

Swimmers,putyourbagsinthespectatorareawhileyouswim Parentsandsupporters,ifyouchoosetowatchpracticepleasestayinthespectatorareaand

allowthecoachesenoughspacetoworkwiththeswimmers(Pleaseseegeneralparent

guidelinesforpractices). Thecoachesarenotavailableforconversationswhentheyareon

deck.

Coachesandswimmersonlyonthepooldeckplease.

GuidelinesspecifictotheCRWC:

Swimmers,gotothelockerroomsandchangeintoyoursuitbeforeyouenterthepooldeckarea,donotusethepooldeckbathroomtochangeintoyoursuit


19/44

19

Swimmers,whenyouenterthepooldeckarea,gostraighttothefarsideofthepoolunderthespectatorareaandputyourstuffonthatsideofthepool. Donotleaveyourstuffonthelocker

roomsideofthepoolarea.

Parentsandsupporters,ifyouchoosetowatchpracticepleasestayinthespectatorarea. Ifyouaretheparentofayoungerornewerswimmerthenyouarewelcometogetyourswimmer

situatedbeforepracticebutthenheadbackuptothespectatorareaifyouplanonstayingto

watch. Itsalwaysgreattosayhitothecoachasyoupassbybutthecoachesarenotavailable

forconversationswhentheyareondeck.

Swimmers,gobacktothelockerroomstogetdressedafterpractice,donotusethepooldeckbathroomtogetdressed.

Coachesandswimmersonlyonthepooldeckplease.


20/44

20

SwimMeets

Swimmeetsareagreatwaytoexperiencethesportofswimmingnomatterwhatlevelorwhatageyou

are. Somepeopleuseswimmeetstoseehowmuchfastertheyaregetting,someuseswimmeetsas

somethingtomotivatethemtoexperienceatraininglifestyle(ifyousignupfora5krunningraceyou

arefar

more

likely

to

be

aperson

who

runs

twice

aweek

than

if

you

did

not

have

arace

coming

up),

and

somepeopleenjoyswimmeetspurelyforthesocialaspectandteamenjoyment. Wehonorallthose

motivationsandwanttocreateapositiveswimmeetenvironmentnomatterwhatyourreasonfor

attendingis.

Thebestthingaboutswimmeetsinmyopinionistheopportunitytopracticethelifeskillsweare

workingtodevelop,particularlytheskillofbeinganywherefromuncomfortabletodownrightterrified

andthentakingaleapoffaithandtrustingyourselfthatyoucangetoutthereandtryandthendevelop

andbuildfaithinyourselfasyourepeatthisprocessinmoreandmoreintensesituations. Whenweset

goals,focusonimprovingcertainaspectsthatwethinkwillhelpusachievethosegoals,andthensee

oureffortspayoff,webuildfaithintheprocessthatwecanapplytoanythingwewanttotackle. Thisis

thereasonforswimmeets.

Swimmeetsarealsoagreattimeforgettingtoknowourteammates,boththeonesinourgroupand

theoneswedonttrainwith. Thekidsreallycometogetheratmeetsandtheirteambondingtimeat

meetsmakespracticesmorefunbecausenowitslessliketrainingandmorelikeaplaydateorasocial

gathering. Swimmersaregenerallyaverytightknitgroupofpeopleandpartofthatcomesfromthe

amountoftimewespendtogetherandwhatwearedoingduringthattime. Thepeoplewhohaveseen

metryandsucceedaswellastryandfailarealwaysgoingtobemyclosestfriendsbecauseweshared

notonlyacommonexperiencebutagenuineone. Swimmeetsareagreatwayforyourkidstodevelop

thissenseofcamaraderie.

Althoughsomeswimmerscomeintothesportfearingswimmeets,theyareactuallyquiteagoodtime.

Toputtheracesinperspective,youwillneverbedoinganythingyouhavenotdoneinpractice. Ifyou

canswimthewarmupinpracticethatisover200yards,thenyoucanswima200freeinarace. Itsthe

samedistanceandnoonesaysyouhavetosprinttheentireraceasifitwerea25. Learninghowto

pacearaceispartofswimming. Itstrueyouhavetogoofftheblocksbutyoushoulddothisinpractice

manytimesbeforeyoudoitinarace. Thebottomlineisyouwillneverbeaskedtodoanythingyou

dontalreadyknowyoucando. Sojustgooutthereandhavetheexperience,itsactuallyquitefun.


21/44

21

20112012Fall/WinterSwimMeetSchedule

October9th CRAADualMeet

October23rdBPVADualMeet

November11

13th

Grand

Prix

or

DMSF

November1820thColumbia

November1920thCRAAQ

November23rdTurkeyDayRelays*

December1011thICEAgeGroup/GNSTInvite

December18thIntrasquad

January7th

8th

CRAA

Q

or

LSS/PKWY

Tri

Meet

January2122ndAllStars

February3rd5thSchroederorDASH

February1012thRegionals

February1719th12&UnderState

February2426thSeniorState

March911

Sectionals,

Kenosha,

WI

March2024thNCSAJuniorNationals


22/44

22

HowtoSignUpforaSwimMeet

Whenitistimetosignupforaswimmeet,IwillsendoutaCallforEntriesemail. Thisemailwill

includethemeetinformationsothatyouknowwhereandwhenthemeetwillbeheldaswellasthe

orderofeventssothatyouknowwhateventswillbeheldonwhatdaysandgenerallyatwhattimes.

Lookoverthemeetinformationandthenreplytomyemailsayingthatyourchildwouldliketo

participateinthemeet. Youmaydesignatecertaineventsordaysyourchildisavailabletoswimoryou

mayjustsaycoachschoiceandwewillenteryourchildinthefullmeetintheeventswewouldliketo

seehimorherswim.

Thenextemailyoureceivewillbethetentativemeetentries. Pleaselookoveryourchildseventsand

makesureyourchildisenteredintheeventsyouwish. Ifyourplanshavechangedpleaseletusknowat

thistime. Iwillthenputtogethertherelaysforthemeetbasedonwhowillbeattending. AfterIturn

inthemeetentriesIwillapplythemeetfeestoyouraccounts. Onlytheindividualeventswillbe

chargedto

your

account,

the

team

will

pay

for

the

relay

events.

We

will

then

cut

acheck

from

the

universitytopayfortheentryfees. Afterthispoint,anychangesmadetoyourmeetentrieswillhaveto

bedonedirectlythroughthemeethost. Thecontactdetailswillbeonthemeetinformationaswellas

thedeadlinesandrulesforvariouschanges,butthismustbedonewiththemeethost. Iwillnotbeable

tochangeanythingafterthefinancialinformationisprocessed.


23/44

23

Relays

RelaysareimportanttotheteamscoresatChampionshipmeets. Atallothermeets,relaysareagood

teambondingactivity,asanacknowledgementforbeingamongthetopswimmersinaswimmersage

group,andaspracticetoprepareforgoodrelayperformancesatthechampionshipmeets. Wewill

generallyfieldtworelayspergenderperagegroupateachmeetbuttheremaybeexceptionstothis.

AfterIhavetherosterofwhoisattendingacertainmeet,Iwillthenputtogethertherelays. The

computerspitsoutthefastest4freestylerinthedatabaseforthefreestylerelaysandthefastest

combinationofmedleyswimmersforthemedleyrelaysand,ingeneral,therelaysdonotchangefrom

hereonout. Therewillbetimes,however,whenthefastestcombinationofswimmerswillchangeprior

toorduringameetanditisthecoachsresponsibilitytoadjusttherelaystofieldthefastestrelay

combinationsavailabletorepresenttheteam.

Examplesof

such

circumstances

would

be

if

the

best

times

of

the

swimmers

change

after

the

entry

deadlineinanothermeetorifaneventisswumatameetpriortotherelayinquestion. Forexample,if

the100freeisbeforethe400freerelay,thecoachwilltakethetimesswuminthe100freeintoaccount

andadjusttherelaystogetthefastestgroupof4swimmersinthewater.

Theremaybetimes,whentheswimmersgetolderandmoreadvanced,thatswimmersbegintobe

morespecificintheireventsandwhentheygotochampionshipmeetstheymayonlyswimahandfulof

races. Theremaybetimeswhenaneventnotonaswimmerschampionshipprogramisarelayevent.

AnexamplewouldbeMichaelPhelps,whohasnotgenerallyhadthe100freeonhischampionship

program. However,Michael,atachampionshipmeet,isstilloneofourfastest4100freestylers,

regardless

of

whether

he

has

even

swam

that

event

this

season

or

not.

So

there

may

be

times

when

a

parentmightseeaminiMichael(a)fartherdownonthedepthchartforaspecificrelayeventbutthat

swimmerwillstillappearontherelay. Thisisbecausethecoachhasobservedthisswimmerinrelation

toothersinpracticeandinsimilareventsthroughtheseasonandcantelliftheswimmerisoneofthe

fastest4availablerelayswimmers. Ifyouhaveaquestionabouthowtherelayswerechosen,feelfree

toask. Ifanerrorhasbeenmadewewillcorrectthaterrorquickly,andifnoerrorhasbeenmadewe

willexplaintoyouhowtherelayswereformed.


24/44

24

SwimMeetEtiquetteforSwimmers

Whenyouarriveataswimmeet,youshouldbeinyourteamgearandhavetherestofyourteamgear

packedupandreadytogofortheday. Findyourcoaches,letthemknowyouarethere,andthenfind

theteamareaandparkyourstuffthere.Wealwayssitasateamatmeetsasthismakesiteasiertofind

you,foryoutofindyourteammates,andtoenjoyabitofteambonding. Youcangosayhitomomand

dadinthestandsofcoursebutprimarilyyoushouldbeondeckwithyourteam.

Youshouldarriveondeckabout1520minutesbeforewarmupstarts,makesureyouhavealready

eatensomethingandgetyoursuiton.Thengoseeyourparentsandcheckouttheheatsheettomake

sureyouknowwhateventsyouareswimmingthatdayandifyouaresomeonethatneedsthoseevents,

heatsandlaneswrittenonyourhand/arm/leg/whateverthendothisnow,Sharpiesworkbest.

Bereadybehindyourwarmuplanebythebeginningofwarmup,yourcoachwilltellyouwhattodo

andthat

will

involve

alonger

swim

to

loosen

up,

some

kick

and

drills

of

all

the

strokes

to

get

all

your

musclesinvolved,andthensomespeedworkonthestrokeyouwillbedoingthatday. Youwillthendo

acoupleofsprint25sofftheblocks,yourcoachwillstartyou. Afteryouarecleared,gobackoverand

getdry,havesomethingtodrink,andorganizeyourteamcheer. CHEERLOUD!!!

Beawareofwhateventiscurrentlyracingsothatyouallowenoughtimetopreparebeforeyourevent

isup. Sometimesthereisaclerkofcourseandyoucanlistenforwhateventsarebeingcalledtolineup

andsometimesyoujustneedtobeawareandgobehindtheblockwithenoughheatstosparethatyou

arereadytogo.

Whenitstimetogoupbehindtheblocksforyourrace,tellyourcoachyouareonyourwayandaskfor

adviceon

your

race.

Sometimes

you

will

need

to

focus

on

something

specific

like

streamlines

or

arace

strategyandsometimesyourcoachmaywantyoutojustgoforitandturnyourbrainoffandrace. This

willdependonwhatyourcoachthinksisbestforthatraceatthatpointinyourdevelopmentandthat

pointinyourseason. Yourjobistoexecuteasbestyoucan.

Whenyouarebehindtheblocks,checkwiththetimertoconfirmyourheatandlaneassignmentand

keeptrackofhowmanymoreheatsyouhavebeforeyouareup. Itsveryimportanttoknowwhatyou

aredoingandwhenyouaretobedoingit,manyswimmershavemissedracesbecausetheywerenot

awareofwhatheatthemeetwasonorwhattheyweresupposedtobeinandthatsabummerfor

everyoneifyoumissarace.

Afteryourrace,shakehandswithyourcompetitioninthelanesnexttoyouasitsimportantto

acknowledgeyourcompetitionforhelpingyoudoyourbestandtoshowrespectfortheireffortsinthe

spiritofhealthycompetition. Thengetout,andthankyourtimers(thisisalsoveryimportant!!!).

Sometimesyouaretostayinthewaterafteryourraceuntilthenextheatissentoff(thisiscalledFly

overstarts)andsometimesyouaretogetoutbeforetheygo. Itwillbeclearwhichonetheyaredoing

atthemeet,thevastmajorityofthetimetheywillbeusingflyoverstarts. IftheyareNOTusingfly


25/44

25

overstars,however,makessureyouwaitforeveryoneinyourracetofinishbeforeyougetoutofthe

water. Itshowsrespectforeveryoneseffortsandthatisaveryimportantthingtodo.

Atthistime,youaretogostraighttothewarmdownpoolandswimthewarmdownyourcoachhas

toldyoutodo. Ifthismeanspassingyourcoachonthewaybyforahighfivethengreatbutingeneral,

ifyou

are

over

10

or

11

years

old

its

time

to

go

straight

to

the

warm

down

pool.

Little

kids

can

go

straighttotheircoachforfeedback;biggerkidsgototheircoachforfeedbackafterthewarmdown. Its

goodtohaveadrinkonthewaytothewarmdownpoolasithelpsinrecovery.

Manageyourfoodandwaterintakethroughoutthemeetsothatyouareneverfullbutyouarenever

hungryorthirsty,certainlyneverthirstyasbythetimeyouknowyouarethirtyyouarelongpast

dehydrated. Itisimportanttoeathealthysnackslikefruit,nuts,bagelswithcreamcheese,doitlikeyou

arepackingapicniclunchandthennibbleatitallday. Andrememberthatwateristhebestdrinkout

there,sportsdrinksaresecondarytogoodoldfashionedwater.

Remembertocheerforyourteammatesandfriendsjustlikeyouwouldwantthemcheeringforyou. I

wasat

acamp

one

time

and

we

had

people

do

as

many

jumping

jacks

as

possible

in

front

of

the

group.

Thenwehadthemdoitagainonlywehadeveryonecheerforthem. Everyonedidatleast10more

jumpingjackswhentheywerebeingcheeredfor. Itreallydoesmakeadifferencesohelpyour

teammatesoutandshowthemyoucarebycheeringyourheartoutforthem.

Alsorememberthatwearethereatthismeettoseehowwearedoinginourprogressandits

importanttoputprogressoverperfectioninthedevelopmentofanyskillweareworkingon. Progress

canbeseenasabesttimeoritcanbeseenasdoingsomethingbetterthanwedidlasttime. Itcanalso

beseenasbecomingmoreawareofwhereweneedtoimprove. Evenmakingmistakescanbeseenas

progressifwewerentevenawareofthembefore. Youneedtoknowwhereyouarebeforeyoufigure

outapath

to

go

where

you

want

to

go,

so

even

finding

yourself

on

the

map

can

be

seen

as

astep

in

the

rightdirection. Itsvaluabletoknowwhereyourstartingpointisandeverymeettellsyouwhereyou

areinyourprogress. Keepinmindthatwearenotdealingwithwhetherornotyoumetyourendgoals

asmuchasreassessingyourcurrentpositiononyourongoingpathandseeingwhatyouneedtodoto

movetowardsyourultimategoals.

Sometimesitisscarytoracebutthelessonwearelearningisthatnomatterwhoisgoingtoswiminthe

nextlaneover,youareincontrolofeverythingthatgoesoninyourownlaneandyouwillgive100%of

yourselftotheraceregardlessofhowitmayturnout. Youneverknowwhatsgoingtohappeninarace

andyoucannotcontroltheeffortsorsuccessofanotherswimmer,butyoucancontrolyourgenuine

effort

and

swim

with

pride

every

time

you

get

out

there

and

this

honors

you,

your

teammates

and

the

spiritofthesport.

Rememberthatnooneracedeterminesourmeritasaswimmerandwealwayshavetheopportunityto

reassessandstartfreshonourpath. Sometimesswimmersgetupsetaftertheyfeeltheydidnot

performastheywouldhavelikedandthisdoeshappen. Ifyouarefeelinglikeyoucantcontrola

negativereactionthenpleaseexcuseyourselfforsomequiettimeandthencomebackwhenyouare

readytobeapositiveinfluenceonyourteamandcanreengagewiththemeet. Yourfeelingswillnot


26/44

26

beheldagainstyouasweallknowwhatitsliketocomeupshortandfeelbadaboutit. Theskillweare

workingonhereisbeinggracefulandpoisedindefeat.WeallneedtohonethatskillasIcan

guaranteetherewillbeanopportunityforitsuseatsomepointinlife.

Whenyouaredoneswimming,gosaybyetoyourcoach,cleanupyourarea,andyourefreetogo. Asa

team,we

would

like

to

practice

leave

no

trace

swim

meet

camping

which

means

Idont

want

the

meethosttoknowtherewasateamsitinginthatareabecauseitlooksexactlythesamewhenyou

leaveasitdidwhenyousatdown. Ihaveheardmanycommentsovertheyearsfromthecleanupcrew

ofmeethostteams(thesearetheparentsofswimmersonthoseteams)andtheirnewperceptionsof

variousteamsbasedontheirabilitytosimplycleanupafterthemselves. Rememberthatweare

representingtheUniversityandweareheldtoahigherstandardthanthebadnewsbearmightbe.We

needtorespectourpositionandactaccordingly.

Mostofall,havesomefun,enjoyyourteammates,yourfriendsfromotherteams,andtheopportunities

youhavetogrowasaswimmer.


27/44

27

SwimMeetGuidelinesforParents

Parentsreallyhaveaneasyjobtodoatswimmeets. Youaretopackfood,towels,gear(includinglots

oftowelsandchangesofclothes),writethechildsevents,heatsandlanesonyourchildwithaSharpie

beforethemeetandthensitbackandbepositive. Nowisyourtimetoenjoyseeingyourchildgoout

ontheirownandtrynewthingswithinthepositivebubbleoftheteamandyoursupport.

Whenpackingforthemeet,itisagoodideatohaveeverythingreadythenightbeforesothatthe

morninggoesassmoothlyaspossible. Besuretopacktheteamsuit,anextrasuitjustincase,twocaps,

twopairsofgoggles,severaltowels,teamclothesforduringthemeet,dryclothesforafterthemeet

(maybekeepthosewithyouinthestands),andawaterbottle. Otherfunthingstopackmightbebooks,

games,cards,ablanketorsleepingbagandmaybeapillowdependingonthevenue. Somepoolshavea

crashareaoffthedecktocampout,somehaveverylittleroomtospreadoutsobringingcrashitems

likeasleepingbagandapillowwouldnotbewise.

Fortheparents,youwouldneedtopackyourowntoolkitwhichshouldincludecash,apen/pencil,a

sharpie,ahighlighter(fortheheatsheet),andyourchildstimelogsheet. Poolareasaregenerallyon

thewarmsidesoeveninthewinteryouwillneedtodressforhumidconditions.Whenyouarriveatthe

meet,thefirstthingyoushoulddoisbuyyourselfaheatsheet. Thisisthefundamentalitemofswim

meetparentingaseverythingyoucouldeverwanttoknowisgenerallycontainedintheheatsheet.

Highlightyourchildsnameandindicateyourteammateslanessoyouknowwhentocheerandyouwill

bereadytogo.

Findorcreateateamparentarea. Theswimmersneedtosittogetherandsodotheparents. This

makes

it

easier

for

the

kids

to

find

you

or

a

suitable

alternative

to

you

and

its

good

to

get

to

know

the

parentsofthekidsyourchildspendssomuchtimewith. Yourchildwillcomefindyoutogettheir

events,heatsandlaneswrittenonthemandthiswillgiveyoutimetogooverthedaywithyour

swimmer. AgoodpremeetconversationmightgosomethinglikethisHiSally,didyoufindyourteam

area? Letslookupyoureventsandseewhatthedaylookslike Yourfirsteventisthe50free,it

lookslikeyourbesttimeisa38.01. Doyourememberwhenyouswamthat? Ohyeah,youreally

improvedonyourturnonthatone,whatisyourgoalfortheracetoday?Okgreat,thatshouldbefun,

youareinheat4lane2. Whatsnext? Andsoon. Whenyouaredone,givethemahugandsendthem

ontheirway. Itmaybetemptingtocoachyourchildduringthisconversationbutwhatyoureally

wanttodoiscreateawarenessforthemtoengageinthemeetthatday. Themoreintunetheyarewith

what

is

going

on

the

better

experience

they

will

have.

So

this

conversation

should

be

primarily

informational,meaningyouaretohelpthemunderstandwhatisgoingonandletthemknowthatyou

aretheretosupporttheirefforts. Thensendthembackdowntothepooldeckandoffwegointothe

meetexperience.

Theymaycomeseeyouafterthewarmupbutiftheyareinoneofthefirsteventstheymaynot. Your

childmaycomeupmanytimesduringthemeetornotatall,thatjustdependsonyourchilds

personalityandcomfortlevelwiththemeetexperience. Youmayneedtopackyourselfatowelinyour


28/44

28

toolkitaskidstendtowanttohaveacuddleandsitonyourlapwhentheycometovisitandthosewet

suitsonyourlapsareaswimmeetparentsoccupationhazard.

Duringthekidvisits,yourroleastheswimmeetparentwouldbeideallyjusttostaypositive,grounded,

andforwardlookingduringyourmeetconversations.Wedonotwantthemtothinktheirlittleswim

hasthe

power

to

rock

our

parental

worlds

because

that

puts

the

pressure

of

your

happiness

and

elation

onthem. Onthatnote,wealsodontwantthemtothinkthattheirswimhasthepowertoruinyourday

either. Theirswimsareimportantastheyhaveworkedhardtoprepareforthem,butonlyinthat

perspective,andtheyneedtoknowthatfromyoutheyhaveunconditionalsupport. Thecoacheswilldo

thecarrotbatingandsternexpectationstalksaswellasthetechniquetipsandremindersandgoal

awarenessconversations. Youneedtoprovidethelaptogotosotheycanprocessallthatoffthedeck

ifneedbe.

Themostimportantthingtoconveyasanathletesparentisthatyouarethere,youarehappytobe

there,andthatyouareenjoyingseeingyourchildengageintheprocessoflearningthepayoffsof

properwork,goalsettingandaccomplishment. OfcoursethisisYOURchildwearetalkingaboutsothis

adviceisonlybasedonwhatseemstohelpproduceswimmersthatcontinueinthesporthappilyandin

ahealthyway. Youknowyourchildbestandwerespectyourpositionastheleaderintheirgrowthand

development.

Themoremeetsyougotothemoreyouwillunderstandtheflowanddynamicsofswimmeets. Feel

freetoaskthemoreexperiencedparentsabouthowthingsgoandtheywillprobablybeveryhelpfulas

wewereallnewswimparentsatonetimeandweallneedtoridethecoattailsofthosebeforeus. This

isagreattimetogrowasaswimparentsoIencourageyoutoparticipateinmeetsonaregularbasis.

Youwillfindmoretoenjoythefartherdowntherabbitholeyougoandweareheretohelpyouonthe

way.


29/44

29

NewSwimmer/ParentMeetHelp

Ifyouarenewtoswimmeets,pleasereadtheswimmerandparentguidelinesformeets. Thefollowing

isamoredetailedbreakdownofwhatgoesonataswimmeettohelpyougetacquaintedwiththe

sportsasquicklyandaseasilyaspossible.

EventInformationSheet:

Shortlybeforethemeet,anemailwillbesentoutcontainingthemeetinformationandacallforentries.

Pleaselookoverthemeetinformationtoseewherethemeetisbeingheld,whateventsareonwhat

day,whattimethemeetstarts,whatsessioneachagegroupisswimminginandthewarmuptimesfor

eachsession,theminimumormaximumentrytimesforeachevent,howmuchtheeventfeesare,what

awardswillbegiven,etc.

Whenyoureceivethisemail,youwillneedtoemailyourintentionstothecoach. Pleasereplywiththe

eventsyourchildwouldliketoswimorjustsaythatyouwanttoswimcertaindaysandthecoachwill

choosetheeventsforthosedays. IfyouareNOTavailabletoswimonrelays,pleaseletusknowatthis

time,otherwiseyourchildwillbeconsideredforrelaysatthemeet.

Adayortwoafteryousendyourmeetpreferencesin,youwillreceiveanotheremailthatwillinclude

listof

events

your

child

will

swim.

Please

check

to

make

sure

the

events

match

what

you

asked

for,

and

sendinanychangesyouwanttomakeatthistime. Aftertheentrydate,nochangeswillbemade.

Nowthatyouhaveyourchildseventprogram,youcanbereadyforthemeetday. Itisagoodideato

printoutthemeetinformationand,especiallyfortheyoungerchildren,marktheeventsandevent

numbersontheirhandbeforehand. Thenyoumerelyhavetofillintheheatandlanenumbersfromthe

heatsheetonthedayoftherace.

Daybeforeanddayofthemeet:

Packyourbackpackandcoolerorlunchbox.

Reviewthemeetinformation. Thispacketwillgiveyoudetailsofthemeetsite.


30/44

30

Markonyourchildsarmorleg,sothattheycanreadwithease. Listtheevent,theeventnumber,then

leaveaspacefortheheatnumberandlanenumber.

Haveawellbalancedmealandgetplentyofrest.

Whattopackessentials(SeeParentMeetGuidelinesformoredetails):

Atleast2towels.

Atleast2pairsofgoggles

Atleast2IFlycaps.

IFlyswimsuit.

Awarmrobeorsleepingbag.

Healthysnacksandawaterbottle(keepinmindnoglassofanykindisallowedonanypooldeck).

DayoftheRace:

Gettothemeetinplentyoftimetoparkandfindyourwaytothepoolarea. Itisstronglysuggestedyou

getaprogram,whichwillcontaintheheatsheets. Inaddition,itmayalsotellyouapproximatetimeof

eachevent. Itiseasiertowriteeventinformationonyourchildwhentheyarestilldry,soits

recommendedthisbedonebeforewarmup. Onceonthepooldecklookforthecoaches,parent

volunteers,orotherswimmerstohelpdeterminewheretheteamwillsitduringthemeet.Atthispoint

itisagoodideatopointoutwherethescoreboardislocatedandwhetherornottheeventnumberwill

bedisplayedonit. Ifnot,itwillbeveryimportantfortheswimmerstolistencarefullytotheeventsas

theyarecalled. Additionally,itisstronglyencouragedthattheswimmersstaywiththeteamduringthe

meet.

Itiscustomaryforswimmers,especiallyyoungerones,tohavetheirevents,lanes,andheatnumbers

writtenontheirlegorarms. Itsimportantthattheeventsadisplayedinamannerallowingthe

swimmertofollowtheirevents. Thisservesasareminderofwhattheywillbeswimming. Itwillalso

helpthecoacheswhentheseswimmerscomeupandask,WhateventamIswimming? ASharpieis

thebesttoolforthisandcomesoffwiththeuseofnailpolishremover.


31/44

31

SwimmingTerms: Thefollowingisabriefsummaryofthetermsyouwillrunintoasyourchild

participatesinthesportofswimming.

PsychSheet:

Thisisarankingofalltheswimmersaccordingtotheirtimes,byevents,forthemeet.ThePsychsheetis

ausefultoolinsettingindividualgoalsforthemeet.

Programs(aka:HeatSheets):

Programsaresoldatthemeetsandarehighlyrecommended. Theprogramhasalloftheswimmers

listedbytheireventnumber,heatnumberandlanenumber. Additionally,itwillshowtheswimmers

fastesttimeforanygivenevent.

Raceheat:

Thisishowmanytimesaspecificeventwillbeswumbasedonthenumberofswimmersswimminga

givenevent.

The

heats

are

arranged

from

slowest,

or

no

time

(NT),

to

the

fastest

time.

TheRacingCourse:

Therearethreecoursesweracein. ShortCourse(SCY)referstothemostcommon25yardcourseyou

findinmosthighschools. Wegenerallycompeteinthiscourseinthefallandwinter. ShortCourse

Meters(SCM)istheleastcommonracingcoursebutyouwillfindameetortwoheldinthiscourse

duringtheyear. Thecourseis25meterslong. ThenthereisLongCoursewhichisthe50meterpoolwe

competeinduringthesummer,or,fortheeliteswimmers,alsoduringtheyear. Thisisthekindofpool

theOlympicsandothermajorinternationalcompetitionsareheldin.Internationaleliteswimmingbases

itsfoundationinLongCourseswimming.

Freestyle:

Technically,aswimmerinafreestyleeventmayactuallyswimanystroketheywish,butthefastestis

thecrawlstrokeandwegenerallyjustrefertothatasfreestyle.

Backstroke:

Thisistheonlystokethatstartsinthewaterand,exceptfortheflipturn,youmuststayonyourbackat

alltimes. However,ifyouarenotdoingabackstrokeflipturn,thenyoustillhavetostayonyourbackas

youtouchthewallandpushoff.

Butterfly: Butterflyusesthedolphinkickwithadoublearmrecovery,thisisatwohandtouch(touch

the

wall

with

both

hands)

stroke

and

the

feet

must

stay

together,

no

flutter

kick.

Both

arms

must

recoveroverthewateratthesametime.

Breaststroke: Thisisthestrokethatusesthefrogkickandtheonlystrokewithanunderwater

recovery. Thisisalsoatwohandtouchstroke,thefeetmustbeflexedonthekick,andthearmsmay

notgodownpastthechest.


32/44

32

IndividualMedleyorIM:ThiseventinvolvesallfourofthestrokesintheorderofButterfly,

Backstroke,Breaststrokeandthenfreestyle.

MedleyRelay: thiseventalsofeaturesallfourstrokes,butbyfourdifferentswimmersandinadifferent

order. Itstartswiththebackstrokeastheymuststartinthewater.Whenthebackstrokertouches,the

breastrokerdives

in,

when

the

breastsroker

touches

the

butterflyer

dives

in

and

finally

when

the

butterflyertouches,thefreestylerdivesinandtheirfinishisthefinishoftherace.

FreestyleRelay: Thisrelayalsoinvolves4swimmersbuttheywillalldofreestyleandstartfromthe

blocks. Eachswimmerwillswimthesamedistanceequalingonequarterofthetotalrelayevent.

Starts: Swimmerswillneedtobebehindtheblocksasthepreviousheatisfinishing. Youwillheara

seriesofshortwhistlesatthistime. Whenthepreviousheatisfinished,therewillbealongwhistlethat

alertstheswimmerstogetontheblocksandreadytogo. Youmusthaveonefootatthefrontofthe

blocksatthistimeanditmuststaytherethroughthestart. Youwillthenheartakeyourmark. Atthis

time,assumeyourracereadyposition. Forlittlekidsitmaybejusttheirstreamline,butforthebigger

kids,they

grab

the

block

with

their

hands

and

crouch

to

anticipate

the

beep.

There

can

be

no

more

movementuntilthebeepatwhichtheracehasofficiallybegunandtheclockstarts. Ifthereisforward

movementortwitchingbeforethebeeptheswimmerwillbedisqualifiedforafalsestart.

TimeStandards: Asswimmersmovefromnovicetocompetitivetoeliteswimmers,thereareaseriesof

timestandardsthatbothhelpyouseeyourimprovementand,whenachieved,allowyoutocompeteat

higherandhigherlevelsofcompetition.

B: ThefirststandardtoachieveistheBtimeandthistellsyouthatyouareonyourwayin

competitiveswimming.

BB:The

BB

time

puts

you

in

acompetitive

place

at

the

local

level

and

is

sometimes

used

for

the

qualifyingtimefortheIowaStateChampionships.

Q: ThetimeusedtoqualifyyouforStateiscalledtheQtime. ThistimeisneverslowerthanaBB

timebutcanoftenbefaster. SomemeetsinIowaaredesignatedQmeetsmeaningyoucanonly

swimaneventinthatmeetifyouhaveNOTachievedtheQtimeinthatevent. Thiswaythese

swimmerscanhaveaseparateplacetoracethatisabitlessintenseandtheyhaveachancetoracefor

awinwithouttheswimmerswhohavealreadymovedontothenextlevel.

A: TheAtimewillputyouinthemiddleoftheStatequalifiershereinIowaandletyouknowthat

you

are

now

making

the

transition

to

not

just

qualify

for

State

but

compete

for

scoring

points

at

that

meet.

AA: Ingeneral,aAAtimewillputyouinthetoptierofswimmersintheStateandgiveyouashotat

makingtheAllStarteamheldinJanuaryeveryyear. Onthisteam,thetop5availableswimmersineach


33/44

33

agegroupineacheventareselectedtotraveltoLawrence,KansastorepresentIowaagainstother

Midwesternstates.

AAA: AAAAtimequalifiesyouforahigherlevelofAllStarteamcalledZones. Thismeetisheldin

AugusteveryyearandbringstogetherthebestswimmersfromtheMidwest. AAAAtimewillmean

youare

one

of

the

top

swimmers

in

the

State

and

highly

competitive

around

the

Midwest.

AAAA: AAAAAtimemeansyouarenowamongthetop10%oftheswimmersinthenationinyour

agegroupinthatevent. ThosethatachieveAAAAtimesareamongthetoptiernationallyandare

nowaimingatbeingnationallyranked.

NationalRanking: USAswimmingkeepstrackofthetopswimmersateachageineachevent. Tosee

thelist,gohere:

http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1482&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en

Andtypeinyourcriteria. Thiswilltellyouwherethetopisatanylevelyouwant,andthisiswherethe

eliteFlyers

find

themselves.


34/44

34

IowaFlyersHostedMeets

Therewillbetimeswhenwegotootherpoolsformeetsandtherewillbetimeswhenwewillhostthe

meetourselves. Someofthesemeetsaresimplytoofferanopportunitytocompetewithouttravelling

ortoofferaquickandfunmeetforthemoredevelopmentalkids,butsometimesthesemeetsaremajor

productionsandattractthebestswimmersintheMidwestandsometimesinthenation.

IfwearehostingasmallDual(twoteams)orTri(threeteams),thenverylittleisrequiredintermsof

volunteersupport. Ingeneralwewilljustneedsafetymarshalsand16timers(2timersperlane)along

with thehelpofournumerousandcompetentmeetqualifiedparentsincludingtheofficialscrew

(withoutthemitwouldnotbealegalmeet)andthemeetmanagementcrewwhorunthetimingsystem

andthecomputerstokeeptrackoftheresultsofthemeet.

IfyouarenewtotheteamthenvolunteeringasatimeroraMarshall(keepthedecksafeandenforce

warmup

rules)

and

this

will

allow

you

to

gain

more

experience

in

meet

volunteering.

You

will

see

many

familiarfacesofficiatingorrunningthemeetandthosefolkshavebeendoingswimmeetsforyears.

Theyarethefoundationofourparentvolunteersupportcrew. Periodicallyyouwillhearabout

opportunitiestoacquiretheseskillsandbetrainedtobecomeanofficialorworkthedeskatthemeet

andwewelcomeanyonewhoisinterested.

IfwearehostingamajormeetliketheArmbrusterInvitationalheldinlateMay,oranyUSASwimming

sponsoredmeetliketheSpeedoChampionsSeriesmeetorJuniororSeniorNationals,wewillaskthat

everyfamilyparticipateinsupportingthiseffort. Hostingmajormeetsprovidesamajorsourceof

incomefortheteamandallowsustohireandretainthebestcoachesinthefieldaswellaspurchase

equipment

for

the

team

and

fund

our

efforts

to

be

a

premier

USA

Swimming

team.

Unlike

most

other

swimteams,wedonotrequireyoutovolunteerorpenalizeyoufinanciallyfornothelping,however,we

doexpectfullparticipationasamemberoftheIFLYteam.

Beforeanyofthesemeetsyouwillreceiveanemailexplainingwhatmeetwewillbehostingandwhat

weneedinordertopullitoffcompetently. Thevolunteercoordinatorwillhelpexplainthevariousroles

tochoosefromandyoucansignupforanythingyouwant. Examplesofmajormeetopportunities

wouldbetiming,officiating,sellingprograms,doorsecurity,marshaling,clerkofcourse,awards

coordinator,providingfoodforvolunteerhospitality(yes,wefeedyou!),administeringthevolunteer

hospitalitythroughouttheday,announcing,runningthemeetcomputer,andvariousothersupport

positions.

Thebestpartabouthostingmeetsasateamistheopportunityforyoutogettoknowotherparentsin

yourchildsgroupandontheteamasawholeandtogrowinyourinvolvementandknowledgeofthe

sportyourchildisenjoying.Wegenerallyhaveagoodtimetogetherandbecomeabetterteam,bothas

swimmersandparents,becauseoftheseopportunities.


35/44

35

SwimOfficials

Ouryoungathletesworkveryhardtoexcelattheirsport.Tohelpthemdothisrequireswelltrainedand

dedicatedswimofficialsondeckduringswimmeetstoensurethecompetitionissafe,fairandequitable

foralltheswimmers. AllIowaSwimmingswimofficialsarevolunteerparents. Certifiedofficialsare

requiredtobeondeckforallsanctionedswimmeets,soswimclubsneedparentstovolunteerto

becomeofficialsinordertoholdswimmeets.

Dependingontheindividualscertificationlevel,anofficialworksinoneofthefollowing3positions

duringameet:

StrokeandTurnJudge,whoobservesthesimmersinthewaterandmakesacallwhenastrokeandturnrelatedinfractionoccurs.

Starter,whoactivatesthestartingsignalaftersayingtakeyourmarkandstartstheraces. Referee,whooverseestheentirepooldeck,hasfullauthorityoverallofficials,enforcesall

applicablerules,

and

decides

all

questions

relating

to

the

actual

conduct

of

the

meet.

Typicallyaparentcanbecertifiedafterthefollowsteps:1)participateaninitialofficialclinic,2)passthe

simpleonline,openbooktest,3)passtherequiredUSASwimmingbackgroundcheck,and4)apprentice

toexperiencedofficialsfor46sessionsatsanctionedmeets.Oncecertified,itsgoodfortwocalendar

years.Recertificationprocessonlytakeslessthan20minutesonceeverytwoyears.Officialsannual

nonathleteregistrationwithIowaSwimmingandUSASwimmingwillbehandledandfeespaidbyIFLY.

Swimofficialsenjoyadditionalbenefits,suchas:

Theywilllearnmoreaboutcompetitiveswimming(sotheywillbeabletohavetechnicaldiscussion

with

their

swimmers

at

home)

Theygettobewheretheactionisduringaswimmeet Theyhaveopportunitiestoworkwithagreatgroupofpeerofficialsacrossthestateandthe

country

Itsoneofthebestwaytoshowtheirswimmersthattheysupporttheirsport Theywillhaveaccesstothehospitalityroomwhentheyworkasanofficialduringameet.

Withthestartofthearthomepool,morehighlevelmeetswillbehostedbyourclub.IFLYathleteswill

benefitthemostfromthosemeetsatourhomepool.IFLYisayoungclubandlackssufficientnumberof

officialsatalllevelstorunameetwithgooddeckcoverage.Pleaseconsidervolunteeringtobecomea

swimofficial. Youwillbehappyyoudid.


36/44

36

RegistrationandBillingPolicies

InordertoregisterfortheIowaFlyers,youmustgotheIowaFlyerswebsite

(http://recserv.uiowa.edu/Apps/YouthPrograms/IowaFlyers.aspx)andgoundertheRegistrationtaband

printoutthethreeforms:

IowaFlyersSwimClubRegistrationForm

IowaFlyersSwimClubWaiver

USASwimming

FilloutthethreeformsandattachacheckmadeouttoIowaSwimmingInc.forthe$60USASwimming

fees. Putthese4itemsinanenvelopewithIowaFlyersRegistrationFormsenclosedandturnitinto

thefrontdeskoftheCRWC(nexttotheturnstiles). Thennexttimeyoushowupforpracticeyouneed

toget

your

ID

card.

Your

information

will

be

in

the

system,

just

tell

them

who

you

are

and

that

you

are

theretopickupyourcardandtheywilllookyouup,takeyourpictureandyouwillbegivenyourIDcard.

Youwillneedtobringthiscardinordertoenterthebuildingforpractice.

Wewillsendyouabillonthe10thonthemonththatwillincludeanyunpaidchargesaswellasforthe

duesforthecurrentmonth. Swimmeetfees,dues,clinics,orotherIFLYrelatedchargeswillbeonyour

bill. Paymentinfullistobereceivedbythe20thofthemonth. Therewillbea$10latefeeappliedto

thosewhodonotpaybytheendofthemonth. Participantswithunpaidbillsofoveramonthwillhave

theircardsfrozenuntilpaymentisreceived.

Ifyourchildwillnotbeswimmingduringacertainmonth,youneedtosendusanemailbeforethe1stof

thatmonthtoletusknow. Ifwedonothearthatyourchildwillnotbeparticipatingthenwewill

assumetheyarestillattendingandtheywillstillhavetheirplaceintheprogramreserved. Wemustcap

eachgroupbasedonlanespaceandavailabilityandtheremaybeswimmersonthewaitinglistreadyto

fillyourchildsspotsoitisimportantthatweofferthatpositioninatimelymanner.

Therewillbenoproratingmonthlydues.Whenaswimmerparticipatesformorethanoneweekina

month,theswimmerwillbebilledforthefullmonth.


37/44

37

Uniforms/Attire/Equipment

IFLYisaUniversitysponsoredteamthatpracticesattheuniversitysfacilitiesandrepresentsthe

universitybothoncampusandwhenwetraveltoswimmeets. Therefore,weneedtomakesureweare

properlyuniformedbothatpracticeandatswimmeets. SplashMultisporttakescareofourteamstore

needsandasaSPEEDOsponsoredteam,ourgearisprimarilySpeedobrand. Ifyoudonothaveanyof

thegearbelow,gototheteamwebsiteandclickontheTeamStoreicontoorderyourgear,theywill

deliverittoyourhouseandyouwillpaythemdirectly.

Whatyouneedforpractice:

EveryonewhowearsacapatpracticemustwearanIFLYcap. (Ifyouhaveshorthairanddonotwishtowearacapatpracticeyoudonothaveto,butifyouwearacap,itneedstobeanIFLY

cap.)You

also

need

to

make

sure

you

are

stocked

up

for

times

when

one

breaks

or

gets

left

behind.

AllFreshmanswimmersneedfins. AllSophomoreswimmersneedfins,asnorkelandameshbag. AllJuniorandSeniorswimmersneedfins,asnorkel,ameshbag,andpaddles. AllSeniorSectionalandSeniorStateboysneedanIFLYdragsuit.

Anoteonpracticegear: YouMUSTlabelyourmeshbagandthe gearyoucarryinit. Bringyourbagof

geartopractice,keeptrackofitwhenyouarethere,andthentakeitwithyouwhenyougo. Youare

responsibleforhavingyourequipmentreadytogoeverydayatpractice.

Whatyouneedformeets:

AllmeetswimmersneedtowearanIFLYcap. Ifyouchoosetowearadomecap,itneedstobeayellowone. IfyouwanttohaveyournameonyourcapyouneedtocontactSplashMultisport,

theirinformationisonourteamwebsiteundertheteamstoreicon.

AllmeetswimmerswillneedanIFLYTshirt AllswimmersrepresentingIFLYattheStateChampionshipmeetwillneeddresssweats AllswimmersrepresentingIFLYatmeetsoutsideoftheStatewillneeddresssweatsandIFLY

backpacks

Optionalitemswouldbehoodies,towels,hats,etc.,butwhateveryouwearneedstobeIFLYsogearuphoweveryouwish.

HowtogetyourIFLYUniformsandtraininggear:


38/44

38

Ourteamstoreisonourwebsite,justclicktheteamstoreiconandthatwilltakeyoutotheSplash

Multisportsite. Fromthissiteyoucanorderallyourtrainingequipmentaswellasallyourapparel.We

areaSPEEDOsponsoredteamandthisallowsustogetoursuits,warmupsandbagsatadiscountas

wellashelpingusoutfitourNationalteamwiththehighertechsuitstheyneedtocompeteatthatlevel.

Ourendoftheagreement,otherthanswimmingfastintheirgear,isthatwedonotbuyorwear

productsmade

from

another

competing

manufacturer.

We

can

only

have

non

SPEEDO

gear

if

they

do

notmakeasimilarproduct. Pleaseletpresentgiversoutsidethefamilyknowthisinordertoavoidan

awkwardacceptanceofabrandnewexpensiveswimmingbackpackmadebyanonSPEEDO

manufacturerasthistypeofthinghashappenedbefore.

Foryourconvenience,teamcapsareavailableattheequipmentdeskattheCRWC. Itsalwaysagood

ideatokeepteamcapsaroundastheyareknowntobreakordisappearatthemostinopportunetimes.

Also,anoteonshippingcosts: Ifyouwishtoavoidshippingcosts,askAmyatSplashtodeliveryour

orderatthenextmeet. Thisonlyworksifwearenottalkingabouttrainingequipmentyourcoachwill

beexpectingyourswimmertohaveatpractice. Thatneedstobetakencareofpriortothebeginningof

theseasonandreplacedimmediatelyiftheequipmentgoesmissing.


39/44

39

Problemswiththecoach

Themostdestructivefactoronanyteamispoorparent/coachcommunication. Ifyouhaveanissuethat

involvesthecoachorsomethingtheyhavedirectcontrolover,youneedtodiscussthisissuewiththe

coach. Thefollowingaresomeguidelinesforthebestwaytoraiseanissuewiththecoach:

Trytorememberthatyouandthecoachbothhavethebestinterestofyourchildatheart. Ifyoutrustthatthecoachsgoalsmatchyourgoals,eventhoughhis/herapproachmaybe

different,youaremorelikelytoenjoyagoodrapportandaconstructivedialogue.

Keepinmindthatthecoachmustbalanceyourperspectiveofwhatisbestforyourchildwiththeneedsoftheteamortraininggroup. Onoccasion,anindividualchildsinterestmayneedto

besubordinatetotheinterestsofthegroup,butinthelongrunthebenefitsofmembershipin

thegroupcompensatefortheshortterminconvenience.

Alwaysdiscusstheissuewiththecoachmostdirectlyinvolvedinpotentiallysolvingtheissue,oftenthechildsgroupcoach.

If

another

parent

uses

you

as

a

sounding

board

for

complaints

about

the

coachs

performance

or

policies,listenempatheticallyandthenencouragetheotherparenttospeakdirectlytothe

coach.

Whenyoudecideyouneedtodiscussanissue,asktoscheduleanappointmenttimetotalkandletthe

coachknowwhatthetalkingpointsareonyouragenda. Makesureyouhavethoughtabouttheissue

wellenoughtoarticulatetheissueandifyouneedtoasksomequestionstogetsomemoreinformation

onthetopicthenitisgoodtohavethosewrittendownaswell.


40/44

40

YourRoleasaParent

ThesportofSwimmingteachesselfdiscipline,goodsportsmanship,timemanagementskills,positive

risktaking,andmanyotherlifeskillsapplicabletootherareasoutsideofthesport. Parentscan

contributetothisexperiencebystayingpositiveandsupportive,andallowingtheprocesstounfold. As

parents,you

can

increase

the

likelihood

of

asuccessful,

long

term

swimming

experience

by

following

the

thesegeneralguidelines:

Provideastablesupportsystemthatmeetstheneedsofyourchildincludingpracticeattendance,nutrition,curiosityandcommitment.

Modelgoodsportsmanship,demonstrateateamattitude, andenjoyingtheprocessfullyengagedparticipation

Showrespecttoyourchild,theirteammates,theircompetition,theircoaches,andthosethatsupporthisorherexperienceincludingofficialsandmeetsupportvolunteers.

Alwaysfindtheachievementinanyexperienceandpraisetheprocessgoalsovertheoutcomeresults.

Remember

we

are

simply

repeating

a

process

of

goal

setting,

effort

towards

that

affect

andachievementagainandagainnomatterwhatlevelwearegoingthroughthatprocesson.

Allowthechildtoexploretheirowncuriosityinthesportsotheycansettheirowngoalsandenjoytheprocessofworkingtowardsthem. Itsimportantfortheadultstoshowthemwhatis

outthereandthenallowthechildtochoosewhattheywanttomovetowards. Thisistheir

journey.

Honorthecoachsroleinthesportbyallowingthetechnicalguidanceandtrainingplantocomefromthecoachtotheswimmer. Thisisnottosaythatcoachandparentcommunicationisnot

valuableandimportantasweallsupporttheswimmersexperience.Weencourageyourinsight

andascoachesourroleistosupportyouinraisingyourchildthroughthisactivity. Butwedo

askthat

you

defer

the

technical

and

team

expertise

to

the

coaching

staff

so

we

can

create

a

positiveandcohesiveteamenvironmentthatimplementsthephilosophyoftheprogramyou

havechosentoparticipatein.

Allowtheconstructivecriticismtocomefromthecoachesandtheunconditionalsupporttocomefromyou. Toomuchinputfromtoomanypeopleorpeoplethatarenotonthesame

pageoftheprogramcanconfuseachildandbecomeasourceofstressthatpreventsthechild

fromenjoyingtheprocessenoughtowanttocontinueinit. Parentscansitbackandjustlove

ontheirchildren,thecoacheswilldotheheavyliftingofcritiquingandtechnicalinstructionand

everythingelseacoachsroleentails.

Thefollowingaremorespecificthingsyoucandotohelpsupportyourchildsexperienceinthesport:

Getyourswimmertopracticeontime(withenoughtimesothatthey canbeintheir suitsandondeckforthestartofpractice)

Activelysupportyourchildsteambyvolunteeringathomemeetsandcheeringatawaymeets


41/44

41

Haveyourchildarriveatthemeetsontimeandcheckinwiththecoachesbeforeyouleavejustincaseyourchildisonanyrelays

Rememberthatyou,notjustyourchild,isrepresentingIFLYandtheUniversitywhenweareatmeets,pleaseshowrespect,apositiveattitude,andconsideration

Neverapproachorarguewithofficials,itisthecoachsjobtohandlethissituationinthewayheor

she

sees

appropriate

Helpyourswimmerknowtheirtimesandwheretheycurrentlystandandthenallowthemtosettheirowngoals. Staywiththemastheylearntomapouthowtheyaregoingtogoabout

attainingthosegoalsbutletthemdothethinking,theywillgetbettereverytimetheydoit.

Avoidparticipatinginnegativeconversationsaboutswimmers,coaches,officials,parents,facilitiesoranythingreally. Ifyouhaveaproblem,addressitwiththepersonorissueyouhave

aproblemwith.

Rememberthatswimmerscananddooftengetbesttimes,butgenerallynoteverytimetheyswim,itsaprocessandwearelearningaswego. Celebratethevictoriesandlearnfromthe

defeats.


42/44

42

20112012PracticeScheduleChanges

Saturday,September17th Fieldhouseclosed,allSaturdaygroupsattheCRWC(homefootballgame)

Saturday,September24th Fieldhouseclosed,allSaturdaygroupsattheCRWC(homefootballgame)

Saturday,October

1st

State

groups

only,

at

the

FH

(water

polo

tournament)

Saturday,October8thStategroupsonly,attheFH(IowaIntrasquadmeet)

Saturday,October15th Fieldhouseclosed,allSaturdaygroupsattheCRWC(homefootballgame)

Sunday,October22nd Fieldhouseclosed,allSaturdaygroupsattheCRWC(homefootballgame)

SaturdayOctober29thStategroupsonly,attheFHIowavs.MichiganState)

Friday,November4th AllWatchIowavs.Minnesota,5pm,CRWC

Saturday,November

5th

Fieldhouse

closed,

all

Saturday

groups

at

the

CRWC

(home

football

game)

Saturday,November12th Fieldhouseclosed,allSaturdaygroupsattheCRWC(homefootballgame)

Friday,November18th AllwatchIowavs.PurdueandOhioState,5pm,CRWC

FridaySunday,December2nd4th FridayTBA,SaturdayStategroupsonly,attheFH,SundayFH

(HawkeyeInvitational)

Saturday,January14thStategroupsonly,attheFH(Iowavs.Illinois)

Friday,February3rdNoCRWCpractices(Iowavs.WesternIllinois)

WednesdayThursday,February15th16thStategroupsonly,attheFH(WomensBigTens)

FridaySaturday,February17th18thNonStateswimmersonly,attheFH(WomensBigTens)

WednesdayThursday,February22nd23rdSeniorStateonly,attheFH(MensBigTens)

FridaySaturday,February24th25thNonSeniorStateswimmersonly,attheFH(MensBigTens)


43/44

43


44/44

the iowa flyers swim club handbook

Documents