| Medford Aqua Fins Swim Club Parent Handbook 2024 - 2025
Mission The objective of Medford Aqua Fins Swim Club is to promote the sport of competitive swimming in the surrounding Medford area as a healthful, fun form of recreation. Ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage, teamwork, and respect for authority shall be stressed to the youth of the Medford area.
Vision The vision of the Medford Aqua Fins Swim Club (MASC) is to offer, through a well-organized competitive swim program, the opportunity for all its members to develop their individual capabilities at all youth levels of USA Swimming. Members will develop a respect for the traditions of teamwork, friendship, life-long learning, and athletic ability to their fullest potential. MASC will provide an atmosphere where young people can develop confidence, personal responsibility, positive self-image, a healthy body, and an optimistic attitude while having fun. MASC will employ a highly trained and qualified coach and will strive to achieve excellence as defined by USA Swimming. The coaches, the swim board, and parents will work together to promote a quality swim team and achieve the goals of the entire MASC swim family.
Club History The Medford Aqua Fins Swim Club was established by parents of area families to provide competitive, team-oriented swim opportunities to all interested youth swimmers. MASC depends on parent volunteers and certified coaches and assistants. The Club will operate in accordance with “ CLUB BY-LAWS”.
How the Club Operates MASC Swim Board Our club is governed by a Board that is composed of parents, and elected by parents, for one-year terms. Elections are held in the spring at the annual board meeting. The Board sets policy, handles finances, and ensures that the club is being run in a manner consistent with the Mission Statement and By Laws of the Medford AquaFins Swim Team. Meetings are arranged according to the needs of the club and are scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance. Parents are welcome to attend these meetings and to run for positions on the board as they open. Copies of the MASC Bylaws are available upon request from any Board Member. 2024-2025 Board Members are: President: Oralee Dittrich Vice President: Amy Miicke Treasurer: Rachel Mildbrand Secretary: Beth Van der Berg Board Member: Carly Siverling Board Member: Meg Meseberg Coaching Staff We are fortunate to have a highly trained, enthusiastic, and motivated coach to work with your children. Who to contact should you have a question or concern: If at any time, you have a question or concern, we would like to address the issue as soon as possible. We ask that your first step be to contact Coach Janelle to discuss the issue. Please be sure to connect with her after practice, or via email or text. Please understand, though, that sometimes your swimmer will be called upon to swim an event or be a part of a relay, or in a relay position that is contrary to what you would have chosen for your swimmer. These decisions are made at the discretion of the coach in the best interests of the team, and we ask that you honor these decisions with grace. Janelle Hamland: (715) 560-1843 Email: [email protected] Parents Parents are an essential part of our organization! Our club would not exist without you! You are your swimmer’s best cheerleader and encourager. We also need you to get involved by volunteering and helping with fund-raising. Volunteering: As in any parent-run organization there are lots of jobs to be done, especially during a home swim meet! We require that at least one parent from each family work at least one session at each home meet. This is approximately a 4-hour commitment per meet. There are a variety of positions available, from timer on the deck, to concessions in the cafeteria. We make every effort to be sure that you are able to watch your swimmer compete by assigning one volunteer the job of ‘fill in’ to cover your position while you come on deck to cheer on your child. Sign up sheets for volunteer positions will be available via google sheets and emailed out. Please note:
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Every swim family is responsible for 1 shift per meet, even if your swimmer is not swimming in the meet.
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If you are unable to work for some reason you need to find a replacement—grandparents, older children (14+), aunts, uncles, or family friends.
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If you are unable to find someone to work for you, you need to let a Board member know. We will find someone to work that shift for you.
Fund Raising MASC is a family based organization and as such we need to raise all of the funds needed to pay for pool time, coaching staff, our membership dues for the Central Wisconsin Swim Conference, Officials and materials needed for meets. We are also helping with upgrades to our MASH swimming pool which will support competitive swim in Medford. Each year we will do at least one fund-raiser during the year. We require every family to participate in at least 1 fundraiser. Swimmers Each Medford Aqua Fins Swimmer is an important part of our team! Swimmers are encouraged to set personal goals and work hard to achieve them. As a Medford Aqua Fins, swimmers should understand that their actions reflect upon the entire club. All swimmers are expected to act responsibly and maintain appropriate behavior at all times. These standards are clearly defined in the MASC Code of Conduct, which we require Medford Aqua Fins Swimmers to sign and abide by. Coaches have the responsibility to remind swimmers of appropriate conduct and to impose penalties for violation of the MASC Code of Conduct as described in the Code of Conduct. Swim Club Levels Levels are designed to give swimmers attainable goals during the swim season, while still having fun. Swimmers may ‘test’ and move up at any point during the season. The coach oversees all placement levels. BRONZE This is intended for inexperienced swimmers who have an interest in competitive swimming and are at least 6 years old. They should be comfortable in the water, and be able to jump feet first into deep water, recover and return to the wall unassisted. Bronze Team The focus is to build endurance and water safety with the goal of meeting silver level skills. We encourage our Bronze team to participate in our Home Swim Meet in January (if they are able to swim 25 yards at that time). SILVER Silver swimmers are those who are able to swim 50 yards freestyle with their face in the water, without stopping. They are not intimidated by deep water and can jump off the blocks. Silver swimmers can focus attention for 60 minutes and are encouraged to practice 3 hours a week. The focus for Silver swimmers is to meet Gold levels skills. Silver Swimmers are able to attend all team meets, as well as the Divisional and Conference Championships. The Goal of Silver swimmers is to swim all 4 strokes legally in a meet. GOLD Gold swimmers are those who can perform all 4 competitive strokes legally, can dive from the blocks and dolphin kick in the streamline position, as well as perform a legal flip turn. They can swim a practice 200 yard freestyle without stopping and swim a 50 yard freestyle in under 1 minute. Gold swimmers are encouraged to practice 6-8 hours a week and to attend all team meets, as well as the Divisional and Conference Championships. The goal of Gold Swimmers is to compete at the Conference Championships and beyond. Practice Attendance The encouraged practice hours are determined by the level of each swimmer. We do, however, ask that all swimmers arrive on time and prepared with their equipment for the day including caps for anyone with hair that reaches their eyes, goggles that do not leak, appropriate swimsuits, water bottles and whatever other training tools that will be used for the day as outlined by the coach. Daily Practice Guidelines
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The Locker Room will be kept clean. Remember you represent our team. Pool and Locker room usage is a privilege, not a right. No horseplay or foul language will be tolerated in the locker rooms and will be taken seriously. 1st offense you will be spoken to, and your parent will be notified, 2nd offense you will lose locker room privileges for 1 week, 3rd offense you will have to be supervised by a parent for the rest of the season.
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You will experience some aches and pains at some point during the season. You need to know the difference between being tired and being injured. If you are tired, swim through it. If you are injured, you need to tell a coach immediately. One thing that will help is adequate water consumption! PLEASE do not go all day at school without drinking and then expect to swim for an hour or two on whatever small amount you drink at practice; that usually won’t cut it. You need to hydrate BEFORE and DURING an intense workout. We ask the younger swimmers to bring water bottles and follow this practice as well so they can begin to form good habits.
Swim Meets MASC is a member of the Central Wisconsin Swim Conference. We compete against other swim clubs from across central and northern Wisconsin. Silver and Gold level swimmers are encouraged to participate in every meet. A meet sign up sheet will be available online on our website. Coach Janelle will not be able to include your swimmer in a meet if she has not received the entries. Parents are responsible for transportation to the swim meets which are held on Saturdays (some Sundays). This year’s schedule is as follows: 2024-2025 Winter Season Schedule . Meets in Blue are CWSC Regular Meets December 7, 2024 Tomahawk December 14, 2024 Antigo December 21, 2024 Merrill January 4, 2025 HOME January 11, 2025 Merrill January 18, 2025 Lakeland January 25, 2025 Ladysmith February 1-2, 2025 Medford- Divisionals February 8-9, 2025 Tomahawk- Conference Swim Meet Guidelines Swimmers will dress as a team for meets. Bring and use your team cap. If you need a replacement cap they are available for purchase. Swimmers need to be present and participate in our warm up times. If, due to sickness, you are unable to attend a meet you signed up for, PLEASE contact the coach so that we know to pull you from a relay and find a substitute. There are 3 others counting on swimming that event. You are representing yourself and your team when you are at a meet. Please conduct yourself in a way that you give no one cause for question. Cheer on your teammates, even those you don’t know very well. Invite a newbie to join your group, ask someone who is sitting alone to sit with you, make a new friend. Respect the others sitting in the gym and pool, your coaches, your parents, each other. Respect yourself and the time you’ve put in by doing your absolute best each time you step on the block. Come and see your coach after your event. This is a great time to learn what you did well and what you could have done differently. Know the time you just swam and if it was the best time. Be prepared to do well!
What to Bring to A Swim Meet
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Team Swim Cap and goggles (bring extras in case one gets lost/broken)
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Towels (at least 2 so you have a dry one later in the day)
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Warm sweatshirt and pants (they will get wet during the day)
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Flip-flops or Crocs
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Blanket or something to lay all of your ‘stuff’ on as your ‘home base’ in our assigned area in the gym or pool deck
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Dry clothes to change into after the meet
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Water bottle, lunch, and snacks or money for those items at concessions
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A sharpie pen – most swimmers like to write their events on their arm
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A highlighter marker – most parents like to highlight their swimmer’s events in the heat sheet
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Money for a heat sheet – these cost between $3-$5
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Books, games, ipod, etc. to have something to do during the down time between your events
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Lawn chairs to use in our team area in the gym
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A GREAT ATTITUDE and Team Spirit
MASC Goals “Winning is NOT what is most important. What’s most important is who you are and How you are in the process of the competition!”
Who we are: An athlete with integrity, a team player, a hard worker. Someone who lets their actions speak for themselves. A work in progress, always learning and improving. How you are: Focused, Patient, Collaborative, Positive, Enduring, Motivated, Confident, Giving your absolute all until the very end. These are the traits of a Winner and a Champion!” Dr. Alan Goldberg—Peak Performance for Athletes, Coaches and Parents Tech Suits for MASC/NLAC Competition USA Swimming has banned all tech suits for those ages 12 and under effective 9-1-2020. The main rationale for the basis has been economic: tech suits are a pretty sizable investment, especially for growing age groupers who may not stay the same suit size for long. In addition the tech suits are designed to only be worn a few times before they lose their effectiveness. Definition of a tech suit -Suits with bonded seams, kinetic tape or mesh seams, or woven material – woven material is not stretchy at all. Tech suits work in 2 ways: Compression – The bonded seams/woven material allow for a very tight fit. By holding the muscle tight it allows muscles to fatigue at a slower rate by keeping the lactic acid from pooling. Water resistance – The technical suits are made of material that resists water and therefore makes the swimmer more streamline in the water and produces less drag. Governing bodies in USA swimming and the investigative team feel that these effects are not strong enough for most young swimmers to outweigh the cost. Young swimmers typically do not have enough muscle mass to be helped by the compression and/or are purchasing suits that are too large and not effective. The focus should be more on technique and personal improvement than a suit in our young swimmers. Below is a list of Banned Suits and Approved Suits – Please note YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED to buy a suit on the approved list. It is just a list of high quality suits that should not be banned in the future if you are interested in a higher quality suit. If you are unsure of what kind of suit to purchase for your swimmer please feel free to contact coach, she can help with suggestions, pros and cons of suit types and sizing. ****************************************************************************** TECH SUIT RESTRICTED LIST Updated as of 2/23/17 BLUE SEVENTY, NERO JAKED:J12 WATER ZERO, LIMITED EDITION J11 STEEL, J11 WATER ZERO, JKATANA, JKEEL, JRUSH SPEEDO: LZR X, LZR ELITE, LZR ELITE 2 TYR TRACER SERIES, AVICTOR, AVICTOR PRELUDE, AP12 COMPRESSION NIKE SWIM, NG ARENA POWERSKIN OPEN BACK, ALL ARENA CARBON SERIES (AIR, PRO, ETC) DOLPHIN TITANIUM AQUASPHERE MP EXPRESSO FINIS VAPOR HUUB FINA TECHNICAL A3 LEGEND or VICI COMPETITION SUITS APPROVED TO WEAR (classic hip cut or kneeskin) SPEEDO: AQUABLADE (male & female), POWER PLUS (female), FASTSKIN 2/FSII (male & female), LZR PRO (male & female) ARENA: POWERSKIN ST (male & female), POWERSKIN XP TYR: FUSION 2, THRESHER DOLPHIN: GRAPHLITE SERIES, LTF PRO SERIES, PLATINUM 2PRO A3 NOVA |
