Parents Code of Conduct
As a parent in the GTSA program, your primary responsibility is to encourage and support your child’s participation in the program. In general, parents are expected to read team emails, show interest and provide support by ensuring their child’s attendance at practices, by attending and volunteering to help at swim meets, and by participating in club activities.
In accepting to be a part of the Greater Tampa Swim Association Team, parents of swimmers participating in the program agree to adhere to the following code of conduct:
1) Be a Good Role Model: Parents serve as role models and their children invariably emulate their attitudes and behavior. Be aware of this and strive to be positive role models. Most importantly, show respect and good sportsmanship at all times toward other swimmers, coaches, officials, and opponents. Swimmers will need to be respectful and be courteous when using the pool or facilities (showers, bathroom, etc.). Remember that you are teaching your child at all times.
2) Be Enthusiastic and Supportive: The best way to help your child achieve goals and reduce the natural fear of failure is through positive reinforcement. No one likes to make a mistake. If your child does make one, remember that this is a learning experience. You and your child should learn to treat success and failure as learning experiences and not life changing situations. Encourage your child's efforts and point out the positive things. Your role is to provide love and support regardless of outcome.
3) Remember that Your Child is the Swimmer: Children need to establish their own goals and make their own progress towards those goals on their own time schedule. Be careful not to impose your standards and goals. Do not over burden your child with achieving best times, making time standards, or winning. Keep your swimmer’s development in the proper perspective.
4) Let the Coach Coach: Parents will not interfere with coaches during practice. Parents are expected to refrain from making stroke corrections, judging performance or trying to coach their swimmer in any way. The coach has been hired to teach technique, design the training program, and evaluate your swimmer's performance. When parents interfere with opinions as to how the swimmer should swim, it causes considerable confusion as to who the swimmer should listen to and respect. If you have questions about the GTSA program and/or if you can offer insight on your child that will enable the coach to be more effective, please confer with the coach by e-mailing and setting up an appointment to discuss any issues you have with the coach, team, or my swimmer.
5) Be a Positive and Constructive Communicator: If questions, concerns, or problems arise, we readily encourage and want parents to contact our coaches. Parents often feel more comfortable discussing concerns or disagreements with other parents rather than taking them directly to the coach. Not only is the problem never resolved that way, this approach often results in new problems being created. If the coach cannot satisfactorily answer a question or resolve a concern, you should then take your concern directly to the Aquatics Director, Todd Hoffmeier. By following this procedure, we insure that the people best able to answer your questions or solve problems are the first individuals contacted.
6) Swim Meet Protocol: Parents will get their child to the swim meet warm up times, at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. Any questions that parents may have concerning meet results, an officiating call, the conduct of a meet, and/or the meet facility should be referred to the GTSA coaching staff only. Our coaches, in turn, will pursue the question or matter through appropriate channels. Parents will not interfere with coaches at swim meets.
In accordance with USA Swimming rules, parents are expected to remain in the spectator area and off the immediate competitive deck unless they are working the meet in an official capacity.
7) Support the Team: Volunteering is an essential part of the GTSA program. The team is dependent on parent volunteers to successfully fulfill the goals and objectives of the club for many activities. These activities address the major functions of hosting swim meets, fundraising, and administrative support. A requirement of membership is that all families volunteer to work at mini-meets, team hosted meets/events.
8) GTSA hosted Meet Participation Commitment: To ensure a full range of competitive opportunities for team members, and to supplement operating revenues, the GTSA Team hosts 1-3 official swim meets per year. An adult member of each GTSA family is expected to participate to work at these meets to ensure adequate coverage of the required meet support functions. Other volunteer functions (such as Board Member, Fundraising Chair, Volunteer Coordinator, etc.), not directly related to swim meet support, DO NOT count towards the Meet Participation Commitment.
9) Respect Coaches, Officials, Volunteers & Swimmers: Respect is an important part of GTSA and we hold this to the highest level. Parents will not criticize, name-call, use abusive language or gestures directed toward coaches, officials, volunteers, and/or any participating swimmer will not be tolerated. Parents will also respect the integrity of the officials.
10) Team Assignments: The assignment of the swimmer to a practice team is the decision of the coaching staff. Dues and fundraising amounts change accordingly if the swimmer is transferred to a different practice team by the coaching staff. The difference for the two practice levels shall be prorated for the remainder of the swim year.
11) Family in Good Standing: Pursuant to GTSA Bylaws, families in good standing … (a) are current on all dues, meet fees, and team registration fees, (b) are current on the family fundraising obligation, (c) have met the volunteer commitment and/or are current on volunteer assessment fees, and abide by all other stated obligations, and (d) have read the Parent and Swimmer Code of Conduct pages. If a family is not in good standing during a season, their swimmers will not be permitted to enter the water until the family has satisfied the stated requirements.
12) Dues Payment Schedule: Greater Tampa Swim Association (GTSA) offers monthly or quarterly payments for dues and monthly billing for meet fees or any other items. Swimmers who join late will be pro-rated on their dues based on the number of weeks/ months for the current session.
13) Late Payment Fee: If the monthly dues payment is not received by the 15th of the month, a late fee of $10 per month will be assessed to the family’s dues account. An invoice will be emailed to you on the 1st of each month for the current amount due amount due per family.
14) USA Membership: Membership with the Greater Tampa Swim Association automatically enrolls your swimmer as a member of USA Swimming. New swimmers will need to have birth certificates on file before they can register with USA Swimming. USA Swimming occasionally makes its membership list available to its marketing partners. Please notify USA Swimming’s Member Services Dept. at 719/866-4578 if you do not wish to receive these mailings.
15) Release of Liability: Parent hereby releases Greater Tampa Swim Association (GTSA), its employees, officers, directors and volunteers and any facility used by GTSA from any liability arising out of any injury to the Swimmer(s) which may occur while the Swimmer(s) is/are participating in the GTSA swim program, including, but not limited to, practices, meets, travel trips, and other team activities, or while the Swimmer(s) is/are using facilities leased or used by GTSA.
I have read the GTSA Parent and Athlete Code of Conduct - click here for Athlete
I also agree if I fail to abide to these team rules and expectations will be subject to disciplinary action that could include, but not limited to the following:
- Verbal warning by Aquatic Director, Head Coach, and/or a member of the GTSA leadership
- Written Warning
- Parental practice and/or meet suspension with written documentation of incident
- Parental suspension
Revised June 26, 2019
