Each family is asked to agree to our Team Policies at the time they register their swimmer(s). If you have questions, please Contact Us.
Suspending monthly training fees by putting a swimmer "on hold"
Social Media & Electronic Communication policies
Swim meets are an important part of how VAN coaches teach the principles of goal-setting, commitment and sportsmanship. As such we host meets and we travel to meets. Meet fee income from events we host pays for costs associated with all competitive opportunities. Families sign up for jobs and hours are tracked in the "Job Signup" module of the VAN website for each event. Vandal Aquatic Club is a coach-owned club, so no fundraising or leadership duties fall on family members.
Service Hours are set and tracked during each period: September-December and January-April
Family obligations each period are based on the highest level of swimmer on the family account.
Families joining VAN will not be responsible for service hours from a previous period.
Fees for hours not met will be billed at the end of each cycle at a rate of $20/hr.
Families may ask to have previous service hour fees credited back by working extra hours in a subsequent period, but extra hours worked do not roll forward.
Monthly group fees are invoiced and billed through to the credit card on the VAN account on the first of each month. If a swimmer participates in practices or meets during the month, the monthly fee is due in full.
Fees must be paid with credit or debit cards on file on family accounts. Expired credit cards must be updated within 1 week and past due amounts paid within 1 week.
If a swimmer needs to suspend his/her VAN membership, use the "Contact Us" link to inform coaches and billing admin of the change prior to the 1st of the month. There will be an administrative fee of $20 put a swimmer "on hold." This will also hold a swimmer's spot in a training group. Spots will be released to other members after three (3) months.
Please use the "Contact Us" link to let VAN know when a swimmer returns to practices, ideally before the beginning of the month.
Credit cards billed in error will be reversed. If a family fails to "Contact Us" about suspending a member on an account prior to the first of the month, the amount will be credited to the VAN account (not to the credit card) to be offset in a future month toward amounts due.
Service Hours Fee: Accounts will be charged $20 per hour not completed at the end of each service hour cycle. Families may ask to have previous service hour fees credited back by working extra hours in a subsequent period, but extra hours worked do not roll forward.
All athletes must be current members of USA Swimming. Families must register their own swimmers on the USA Swimming platform and pay those fees directly to the national organization.
Coaches and officials must be current non-athlete members of USA Swimming.
All swimmers registered with VAN are "members" and their membership can be in "Active," "Suspended," or "Cancelled" status. "Suspended" members do not generate monthly fees. Each family has a VAN account on TeamUnify/SportsEngine (VAN's online club management service). The account can be "Active" while the member is "Suspended" and pending invoices for non-recurring items (gear, meet fees, etc.) will still bill through to the credit card on the account.
Expectations
Athletes are expected to learn and exhibit good sportsmanship during practices and meets with teammates, competitors, coaches, officials and volunteers.
Families are expected
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to support all athletes, coaches and volunteers with positive behavior
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to regularly contribute service hours to the success of VAN-hosted swim meets, intrasquad challenges and other community service events to promote the club.
PURPOSE
While the great majority of images of swimmers are appropriate and are taken in good faith, it is a fact that images can be misused and children can be put at risk if common‐sense procedures are not observed.
Vandal Aquatic Club may wish to take photographs (individual and in groups) of swimmers under the age of 18 that may include your child during their membership in the club. All photos are to be taken and published in line with club policy.
All photographs must observe generally accepted standards of decency in particular:
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Action shots should be a celebration of the sporting activity and not a sexualized image in a sporting context.
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Action shots should not be taken or retained where the photograph reveals a torn or displaced swimsuit.
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Photographs should not be taken from behind swimming blocks at the start of a race or exhibit a child climbing out of the swimming pool.
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Photographs shall never be taken in locker‐rooms or bathrooms regardless of the subject of the photo.
Photographs or video recordings (including video streaming) of swimmers under 18 for the purposes of promoting the swimmer’s accomplishments and the club’s part in that accomplishment are agreed to with the swimmer’s membership in the club.
A parent or guardian has the right of refusal to have their children photographed and/or to have names attached to photos. The exercise of this right of refusal will not be used as grounds for refusing entry into a swimming competition. The form allowing parents to indicate refusal of consent follows below.
In some cases the host club of swim meets and other competitions will make arrangements to have an official photographer present. Parents/guardians with swimmers attending need to read through the meet information to determine this. If photos are to be published anywhere, parents should decide if they wish to sign up their child for photos and, if desired, contact the photographer to withhold their consent for publication (i.e. preliminary image selection on the photographer’s website).
Social Media and Electronic Communication Policies
Vandal Aquatic Club follows the policies recommended by USA Swimming for Best Practices regarding Social Media and Electronic Communication.
