HAVASU STINGRAYS SWIM TEAM

PARENT HANDBOOK 2023-2024

 

WELCOME

We are happy your family has decided to join the Havasu Stingrays Swim Team. Congratulations on taking the next steps for your child to become a competitive swimmer. We hope that you'll find this handbook helpful as a swim parent as you "get your feet wet" and that it will answer some questions about how our team works.

The 501(c)3 organization, known as the Havasu Stingrays Swim Team (HSST), was formed in 1990 on the belief that Swimming offers an exciting and valuable experience in a person's life. Through a dedicated group of volunteers and coaches, our program helps swimmers develop life-long friendships, strong character traits, and technical skills and realize their potential as competitive swimmers.

We look forward to getting to know your family as your child grows with HSST. See you at the pool!

PERSONNEL

As we say, it takes a village to run a non-profit organization and a swim meet! With the dedication of our coaching staff, Board of Directors, and volunteers, we could offer this great program to our community.

 

Coaching Staff

Nothing significantly impacts or influences your child's time in the water more than that of the coaching staff. HSST consists of a Head Coach and Assistant Coaches for practice groups as needed. All members of the coaching staff are registered and have current certifications with USA Swimming. You can learn more about our coaches on our website (under the team info Volunteer).

Board of Directors

A volunteer Board of Directors operates HSST. While the Head Coach carries much of the daily operations of the club—deck duties, supervision of staff, development and management of programs, and scheduling, to name a few—the Board of Directors is responsible to the membership to ensure that the team stays on its intended track and is financially viable. If you have any questions about the board, please email [email protected].

Volunteers

As a volunteer-run organization, HSST depends on all its members to assist with fundraising, swim meets (timing, officiating, admissions, concessions, etc.), social events, and more. We can only function if everyone does their fair share as required. Please review the HSST Family Participation Program for our website's volunteer service hour requirements (under the team info Volunteer).

COMMUNICATION

Communication is the key to success. HSST will do its best to keep you informed. There are several methods of communication to ensure that information can be passed on promptly while also maintaining the safety of our swimmers. The following resources are available to help answer any questions you may have:

Website

Meet schedules, practice schedules, schedule changes, policies, and general information about the team can be found on the website. Visit the team page here (https://www.teamunify.com/team/azhsaz/page/home).

 

Social Media

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see team photos, accomplishments, highlights, and more!

  • ●  Facebook: @HavasuStingrays

  • ●  Instagram: @HavasuStingrays

    Head Coach

    If you have any questions regarding practice, practice groups, swim meets, meet entries, swim times, coaching, or anything swim-related, you may contact the Head Coach at [email protected]. For the safety of our swimmers, the coach will not be available to answer any questions during practice. The team expects the coach to try to return all communications within 24-48 hours.

    Board of Directors

    Please get in touch with the appropriate board members below if you have any questions regarding volunteering, policies, fundraising, or other administrative matters. Please allow 24-48 hours for responses to your email or telephone messages.

  • ●  President, [email protected]

  • ●  Vice President, [email protected]

  • ●  Secretary, [email protected]

  • ●  Treasurer, [email protected]

  • ●  Fundraising/Events, [email protected]

  • ●  Meet Director, [email protected]om

  • ●  Membership Director, [email protected]om

  •  

     

    Remember, other swim parents are an excellent resource for newcomers!

    The Havasu Stingrays Swim Team provides swimmers, parents/guardians, coaches, and volunteers with systems to address and report grievances in a productive, systematic way. Please review this procedure and the Communication Policy on our website (under the About tab).

    Eligibility

    All participants 5-18 years of age who can swim (any stroke) 25 meters across to the pool's deep end unassisted are eligible to join the team. Before registering, all swimmers must try out to determine which practice group would be most appropriate for their ability.

 

Practice Groups

Advancement is based on the swimmer's ability to apply the necessary skill sets to progress to the next level by the Head coach. This is to ensure the safety of all swimmers. The coach decides which group your swimmer will be placed into. For a detailed description of each practice group, visit our website (under the Practice tab).

Practice Etiquette

To help each swimmer maximize their experience, we ask that each family follow these guidelines:
● Swimmers should plan to practice for the entirety of their group's time.
● Swimmers should arrive at least 5-10 minutes before their practice begins.
● Swimmers should be picked up 5-10 minutes aer practice ends and remain inside the Aquatic

Center until their parents/guardians arrive.

Equipment

Every swimmer needs essential equipment, such as a competitive swimsuit, goggles (without a nose covering), and a swim cap (latex or silicone). All swimmers should bring a water bottle or sports bottle to stay hydrated, extra goggles in case they break, and a towel to wrap up when practice is complete. Swimmers with long hair need to be pulled back before the start of practice.

Additional training equipment is used during practice to benefit every ability level. When used correctly, the equipment can help improve body position, isolate muscle groups, and alter the intensity of a set.

These benefits are only possible if the gear is used purposefully and correctly. To view the complete equipment list for each practice group, visit our website (see Practice tab). If you have questions about the equipment needed, please ask the coach.

Team Gear

The HSST team uniform consists of a team swimsuit and team cap. Team suits and equipment can be purchased online by visiting our website (under the Team Store tab). Team caps and shirts can be ordered through the Board of Directors. All swimmers should wear their team suits and caps when at meets. All friends and family of the swimmers are encouraged to wear their HSST shirts to show their support for the team.

SWIM MEETS

 

The Havasu Stingrays annual meet schedule is posted on our website (under the Team Calendar). Please check this calendar, as changes can and do occur throughout the season.

Competition

Competitive meets are opportunities to elevate personal and team potential. Competition causes a swimmer's mental focus to become sharper, causes their spirit to soar to elevated levels, and causes their body to surpass normal expectations. Swim meets also allow the coaches to know each athlete better, to learn what best motivates them, how they respond to praise and constructive criticism, and how they handle success and disappointment.

These observations teach coaches how to better coach, mentor, and teach your child. The Stingrays' competitive swimmers are trained and encouraged to compete in all swimming events, distances, and strokes. This promotes versatility and encourages swimmers to explore their potential in a wide range of events offered in competitive Swimming.

Meet Entry Process

The Head coach, with the input of the parents, is responsible for selecting which events would be most appropriate for the swimmer. Prior to each meet, there will be a deadline to turn in your swimmers' events to the Meet Director. These deadlines will be visible on our website (under the Team Calendar).

Meet Expectations

Always remember that the swimmers, parents, coaches, and volunteers are representatives of HSST. For ALL meets, HSST will provide appropriate coaching and supervision for your swimmers scheduled to swim in that session, and only while on the pool deck.

There are several meets every year that HSST attends that require swimmers and their families to travel outside city limits. Families are required to provide their own transportation, lodging, and supervision for their swimmers at all times. This includes any times the swimmer is off the pool deck actively competing (locker rooms, hotel, etc.)

At away meets, we are guests of the home team and should always be respectful. Additionally, visiting teams may need to provide timers. If you have no timing experience, try it — you will be trained before the start of the meet — it's an easy and fun way to be in the middle of the action!

 

All swimmers must wear the team suit (or appropriate race suit) and team cap at meets, and all HSST members are asked to sit in the designated team area at away meets. This promotes pride and enhances team spirit.

Swimmers not scheduled to swim are considered spectators and should not be on the pool deck. They should proceed to the spectator viewing area to watch the meet with their family or designated guardian.

All swimmers entered into a meet must participate in the warm-up before their events. Swimmers should arrive at the pool 10-15 minutes before their warm-up time.

At most meets, there are concessions so swimmers and parents can purchase food and drinks. There are sometimes equipment sales, so if equipment (goggles or suits) malfunctions, it can be replaced. However, we always recommend that swimmers bring extra caps, goggles, and suits to meets in case these things are not available for sale on-site, as well as plenty of snacks and drinks to rehydrate.

FINANCIAL OBLIGATION

Registration

Registrations (Athlete and Non-Athlete) will now be done by the individual family (or member) directly with USA Swimming. The most crucial aspect to be aware of is that USA Swimming will collect the annual fee for USA/AZ Swimming memberships, and HSST will collect the annual team fee and monthly membership dues. This will be done by electronic payment only. For questions contact [email protected]

Annual USA/AZ Swimming Fee

This covers registration and insurance costs from the national organization and is paid annually, and is non-refundable. These fees are processed through USA Swimming.

Annual HSST Team Fee:

The Annual HSST Team Fee will be prorated for all new swimmers joining after June 1 of that fiscal year . This covers the administrative costs for the team and is non-refundable. This payment is processed on the team website through the registration portal.

 

Membership Dues

The membership dues correspond to the resources required to support the team, mainly pool time and coaching, and are a flat monthly rate regardless of how many days your child swam. Monthly dues will be paid by the 5th day of each month and will only be accepted electronically via credit card or automatic bank withdrawal.

If not paid by the 5th day of the month, a late fee will be applied for each swimmer and will be due with payment. If payment is received within 30 days of the due date, the swimmer can participate in the program once paid in full. Membership dues are generally non-refundable. Refunds will not be given to swimmers who do not swim their full training schedule. However, partial refunds are considered on a case-by-case basis by the HSST Board of Directors for a good cause (ex: your child suffers an injury and cannot swim for a period of time). For more pricing information, visit our website (under the Our Team tab).

Meet Entry Fees

Meet entry fees vary by type of meet but generally run about $30-$90 per meet (and a meet surcharge $25.00 will be added for away meets). Monthly dues must be current for the swimmer to enter the meet. Meet entry fee's per event are non refundable. The fees will be added to your account under My Account / $ My Invoice. The team website will post all meet packets, forms, and deadline information. They will also be sent via email.

Rejoining the Team

Swimmers not registered for the current season but previously swam for HSST are considered "returning swimmers." Returning swimmers are welcomed back to the team if their designated group has not reached capacity, the swimmer's prior/current account balance is paid in full, and the Head coach approves their return. If a swimmer's USA Swimming registration has lapsed, they must re-register and pay any additional registration fees before participating in the program.

Discontinuing Swimming

Any swimmer/family wishing to place their account on hold during the season may do so with a two-week notice by notifying the Head Coach and  Membership so billing can be updated. A hold fee of $50 will be applied every month until the swimmer resumes practices. ANY outstanding balance will be due before the swimmer can participate in the program. If you find it necessary to discontinue swimming with HSST, you must immediately communicate that information with your child's coach and notify the club Membership Director at [email protected]. HSST requires notice to be given two weeks before the last day of the month of the discontinuation. There will generally not be any refunds for months before this notice, regardless of the swimmer's attendance

 

POLICIES SAFE SPORT

The first step to creating an empowered team environment is through education. USA Swimming, Arizona Swimming, and HSST are committed to raising awareness about the prevention of abuse in the sport. All members must take the Safe Sport training and review the related policies listed on our website (see the Safe Sport tab) to ensure the safety of all members.

HSST Bylaws & Policies

You can find copies of the HSSTʼs bylaws, code of conduct, service hours policy, communincationpolicy, and other helpful information on our website (see the team info tab)

Whistleblowers Protection Policy

The Havasu Stingrays Swim Team (HSST) forbids any form of retaliation against individuals for providing truthful information to a law enforcement official relating to actual or potentially unlawful conduct.

Created & Approved 2023