All team members are required to wear an RC Durr team swimsuit at all swim meets. Team suits are ordered through Kastaways Swim Shop at a team discount. RC Durr swim caps are required, if a cap is worn, and are available starting at $5 from the coaches. Older swimmers must purchase swim fins and pull bouyz for practice. Spirit wear such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, warm-ups, etc. are made available by the Parents Club and are optional. Your name and telephone number should be written on all apparel.
Swimmers are expected to attend scheduled practices. The minimum is 75% for all four groups. Failure to attend practices may result in expulsion from the team or suspension from participation in a meet, and will be considered in team selection the following year.
Parents are not required to stay for practice. Parents are not permitted on the deck or in the pool area during practice. A viewing window is provided if you wish to watch. Please do not attempt to contact the coach or distract a swimmer during practice. Swimmers should be prompt for practice but should not be dropped off more than 15 minutes early. Swimmers should be picked up promptly after practice.
Lockers are provided for use during practice. We advise the use of a locker and lock or swimmers may bring swim bags into the pool area. Do not leave articles of clothing, gym bags, etc., lying around the locker room during practice. Use a locker. Swimmers are asked to shower and dress promptly and quietly. No horseplay or rowdy behavior will be tolerated by the coaches or the YMCA staff. Swimmers must respect Y property at all times and all equipment should be returned to the proper place after practice.
Inclement Weather Policy for Outdoor Practices
In the event of inclement weather, we will wait to see if storms pass. If it is only raining, we will still offer practice. If there is thunder and/or lightning in the area we will continue to wait. It may be storming at the Y but not at your homes, or vice versa. We are sorry about that and have no way of controlling the situation. Regardless of the weather, we will be at the pool in the event you wish to show up and hope for no lightning/thunder. In which case there will be practice. If you are uncertain or do not wish to play the “waiting game” with the weather it is fine to stay home.
Our coaches are responsible for the team members during practice and will invoke appropriate and fair disciplinary procedures when necessary. Horseplay, refusal to practice, rowdy behavior, offensive or disrespectful language and any other inappropriate actions may result in suspension, expulsion from the team,or exclusion from a meet. We encourage development of self-discipline and self-control and hope that parents will support our efforts to conduct an organized and serious practice.
The R.C. Durr Barracudas compete in two leagues: The Southwest Ohio Cluster YMCA League and The Kentucky YMCA Swim League. Our 13 and over swimmers also have the option of swimming USA League. There are 3 types of meets:
YMCA Invitationals are hosted by a league swim team and are held as a fundraiser. They include many teams and hundreds of swimmers.
Dual/Tri Meets are hosted by a league team and are designed to provide maximum opportunity to compete. They are held between two or three teams.
USA Invitationals are hosted by a USA club and are held as fundraiser. They are designed to broaden the level of competition for USAswimmers.
Swimmers are expected to swim in our Sprint Meet INVT; at least 2 KY meets each season; at least one meet each month; and the YMCA State Meet. Failure to participate in meets may result in removal from the team. USA Invitationals are optional but swimmers are encouraged to participate in these meets if possible. An event fee is charged to the swimmer for all invitational meets. This fee is usually $4.50 per event and is payable when you register for the meet. Travel, hotel accommodations, meals, etc. are not provided by the team and may be required for some meets. The coaches announce meet schedules for the season as soon as possible.
Championship Meet Requirements:
In order to qualify to swim in the “A” and/or “AA” meets a swimmer must have participated in at least three inter-association meets. To qualify to swim in the KY State Meet a swimmer must have participated in at least two KYCSL meets.
Before each Invitational, information about the meet will be posted in the team binder along with a deadline for each entry. Each swimmer is responsible for filling out a meet entry form to select events and then must submit the form along with payment of event fees. Checks are the preferred method of payment and should be payable to “R.C. Durr Swim Team”. Your entry forms and payment should be placed in an envelope and dropped into the box near the Front Desk marked Barracudas. Entry forms and checks must be turned in before the posted deadline. Early entry assures R.C. Durr ‘s participation in the meet.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU CHECK THE TEAM BINDER, YOUR EMAIL, THE WEBSITE, AND YOUR FAMILY FILE DAILY TO GET UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON DEADLINES, UPCOMING MEETS, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND ALL SWIM TEAM NEWS
Some meets require an overnight stay. The R.C. Durr Parent’s Club will hold a block of hotel rooms for R.C. Durr. The telephone number and deadline will be posted on the website and in the binder. In most cases, you must call the hotel to make your individual room reservation. Most swim meet venues do not permit swimmers to bring coolers containing drinks, snacks, etc. but plastic sport drink bottles are OK. Concessions are also available at most meets. Please do not allow your children to fill up on “junk” food or sodas prior to swimming. Glass containers may NEVER be brought into a swim venue.
Swim meets will be more enjoyable for you and your child if you bring a few “necessities”. A blanket or sleeping bag is recommended for rest between events. Portable chairs are helpful for parents. Warm, comfortable clothes and shoes are a must. Swimmers will be in hot pool areas and cold hallways. Encourage them to dress appropriately. Shoes or slip-on sandals will prevent accidents in the many wet, slippery areas enroute to the pool. Several towels are recommended. The team suit is required for all meets. If a swimmer chooses to wear a swim cap, it must be an RC Durr cap.
Swimmers are required to swim all events for which they registered unless explicit directions otherwise are received from a coach. We understand that situations sometimes arise where your child cannot attend a scheduled meet or may miss an event because of illness or other emergency. If you must scratch a single event or miss the meet, please notify the coach as soon as possible. If your child is ill the morning of a meet, please call your Age Group Parent ASAP and he or she will notify the coaches. Swimming only one day at a two-day meet is permitted, but discouraged.
Swim meets are conducted by volunteers. It is necessary for one parent from each family to plan to work one shift at each meet. Parents are encouraged to become certified as either Level I or Level II officials. The Parent’s Club provides opportunities for convenient certification. For parents who are not certified there are many other jobs that need to be filled such as working concessions, writing ribbons, etc.
Our coaches are professional, highly qualified swim coaches. Please allow them to coach your child. Parental coaching can cause confusion and harm to the swimmer. Please assure that your child talks to the coach immediately after every swim. We will offer specific instructions for improvement and practice. We can also offer encouragement to overcome any negative feelings about a performance. One of the coaches is available at every meet to do this throughout the meet. It is important for the coach to speak to the swimmer right away after the conclusion of the swim.
You can help to motivate your child by offering encouragement and praise. Emphasize achieving personal best times rather than placement. If your child achieves a best time, praise and congratulate them on a job well done. If they do not achieve their best time, offer encouragement for their next swim. If your child is disqualified, assure them that it happens to many and that it is a learning experience. Being DQ’d can be a traumatic experience for swimmers. Comfort them and encourage them to talk with the coach.
It is important that your child knows that win or lose, scared or heroic, you appreciate their effort. Do not offer extra rewards for good performance. We want our swimmers to learn the thrill of competition and the personal rewards in achieving their best times. Do not compare the skill, courage, or attitude of your child with other swimmers for the purpose of criticism. Swimmers quickly realize their relative skill level. Congratulate not only your child, but also his/her teammates. Encourage your child to cheer for teammates and to rejoice in their accomplishments.
The primary means of communication for the team are the team binder, located at the front desk or next to the team mailboxes, regular emails from the coach and/or board members, the web site and Age Group Parents. The binder and the website, along with emails, will provide all information about meets, special notices, meetings, etc. All parents should make sure they read all forms of communication to keep updated on upcoming events.
Each swimmer has a file folder. They are stored in a milk crate at the end of the hall on top of the filing cabinet during practice times. Check the folder weekly for newsletters, meet directions/hotel information, special notices and ribbons.
Please call your Age Group Parent ASAP on the morning of a meet if your swimmer is sick and will not attend. They will relay the information to our coaches. Age Group Parents will also contact you for emergencies and are a great resource for information about your Age Group.
You are encouraged to make appointments to meet with a coach at any time during the season. We do request that you do not engage the coaches in conversation during practice time unless they initiate it. Executive Committee members can be contacted for questions about the R.C. Durr Barracudas Parents Organization.
All R.C. Durr Swim Team parents are automatically members of the R.C. Durr Parents Club. There are no dues or fees for this membership. Our Parents Club allows our coaches to focus their efforts on coaching rather than the paperwork and organizational matters that are necessary in any organization. As members, you are required to work a minimum of three (3) meets in addition to the required Sprint Meet. Your time that you commit to our team will ensure our swim program is a success. Failure to work the required meets will result in a fine of $150.00 issued by the Executive Board, which is to be paid in full before the state meet.
The RC Durr Parents Club operates under the leadership of a volunteer Executive Board that includes the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Fund-Raising Director, and Age Group Parent Coordinators, along with our Head Coach Chris Konerman and the YMCA Executive Director. There are sub-committees of this board who accomplish all the organizational projects for the team. These committees include: The Administrative Committee, the Meet Committee, the Social Committee, and parent volunteers who handle accomodations, publicity, spiritwear, team suits, the roster, meeting minutes, the team banquet, team photos, and much more.
Clerk of Course: a pre-staging area for swimmers before their event.
Cut: a time standard to qualify for a level of ability.
Deck Entry: a late entry on the day of the meet.
DQ: disqualification for infraction of a rule, stroke, turn, etc.
Dual Meet: a swim meet between only two teams
Event: A race identified by group, stroke, and distance.
Heat: the subset of an event, necessitated by limited number of lanes.
Heat Sheet: the meet lineup listing events, heats, and lane assignments for each swimmer.
Invitational: an open swim meet with a flat fee or fee per event.
Long Course: a 50-meter racecourse, the international standard.
Negative Split: finishing lap times are faster than beginning lap times.
Pacing: budgeting of energy during a long distance event.
Prelims/Finals: qualifying events before final events.
Proof of Times: certification that a swimmer has achieved qualifying cuts for a given meet.
Short Course: a racecourse of 25 yards or 25 meters
Split: elapsed time for a portion of a race, applicable to relays.
Stroke Drill: a practice stroke to overemphasize an action in a stroke.
Swim Off: a tie-breaking race to determine the finalist between swimmers who have achieved the same time in a qualifier.
USA Meet: authorized and sanctioned by the USA Swimming.
Warm-up: practice performed prior to start of a race to acclimate the swimmer to water temperature and pool conditions.
