Team Handbook and Parent Information

 

Included in this document, please find:

• Mission Statement

• Vision Statement

• Meet Policies

• Meet Sign-up Procedures

• Training Groups

• Training Equipment

• Training Schedule

• Training Facilities

• Training Facilities Safety and Protocol

• Apparel and Swimsuits

• Practice Policies

• Illness and Injury Policies

• Inclement Weather

• Locker Room Policy

• Travel Policies

• Bullying Policy

• Electronic Communication Policy

• Photo Release Policy

• Camera Use Policy

• MAAPP

• Registration Information

• Volunteer Policy

• Code of Conduct

• 10 Commandments of a Swim Parent

 

Please note that Aces Aquatics is proud of its dedication to its mission statement.  All decisions made by its coaching staff are made with the following guiding words as their basis:

 

OUR MISSION
To holistically develop elite swimmers who enjoy the sport and live a balanced life; to provide attentive coaching that focuses on constructing good habits; to give feedback to each swimmer during every practice and meet.
 

All of our policies are made, as was our mission statement, with our swimmers' well-being in mind.

 

OUR VISION

Aces Aquatics will strive to follow its mission statement to develop elite swimmers with a balanced life.  We will work to expand and develop Aces Aquatics as a premier swim club within the New England Swimming community through Team Recognition and Team Excellence.  Aces Aquatics will also work closely with each swimmer to support them in their future goals and ambitions through the college recruitment process and beyond.  Aces Aquatics is also committed to providing a safe environment for all participants. To do so we have athlete protection policies and guidelines listed in our code of conduct. 

 

MEET POLICIES

1. At all meets, Aces’ swimmers are expected to report to the deck 15 minutes prior to posted meet warm-up times.

2. Aces’ swimmers should report to their coaches before and immediately after each race. This means before a visit to their parents and friends.

3. Only credentialed coaches, officials and swimmers are allowed on the pool deck during meets unless the parent has volunteered and checked in as a timer.  Non-athletes on deck are not insured by USA Swimming and are thus a liability to the host team and the facility. Swimmers usually have time throughout the meet to come up to the stands to see parents, but should sit with the other athletes in our team area.

4. Parents and swimmers are expected to behave accordingly at meets. No foul language or disruptive behavior will be tolerated.  In the event that behavior violates this or our team's mission statement, disciplinary actions including expulsion from the team may be taken after the coaching staff's review.

5. Swimmers are responsible for arriving on time to their event.  Coaches are responsible for watching swimmers perform during the meet and giving critical feedback.  

6. As per USA Swimming, all swimmers will enter the warm up pool feet first unless otherwise instructed by a coach.

7. Aces swimmers are not permitted to register/enter swim meets that Aces Aquatics has not scheduled to attend as a team.

 

MEET SIGN-UP PROCEDURES

The tentative meet schedule for each season will be posted on the website as soon as possible.  This schedule is tentative because on some occasions meets do fill up before the entry deadline.  Because of this, Coach Matt tries to get our entries into the host team’s early.  Roughly 4-6 weeks prior to a meet an email will be sent out asking swimmers to sign-up.  At that time, go to swimaces.com.  Under the “meets/events” tab you will click on “edit commitment” for each meet and you will declare “yes, I will attend” or “no, I will not attend”.  If you have multiple children you will need to do this for each child.  

• Please note that the registration deadline will be clearly stated, and we will not be able to accept late entries.  While sometimes there is an option for you and your swimmer to choose events for each meet, the coaches have the final say in the entries.

• All meet entries are non-refundable.  If a swimmer becomes ill, or has a conflict on the day of the meet and does not attend, the meet fees still stand.  Please be sure that you check your calendar and are committed to swim in the meets you sign up for.

 

TRAINING GROUPS

TRAINING EQUIPMENT

The following equipment is required for each swimmer from the beginning of the season.  Although swimmers are not expected to wear their team swimsuit or t-shirt to practices, while they are on the pool deck at a swim meet Aces’ swimmers are expected to have their Aces team swimsuit and t-shirt.

Pre-Comp: goggles, competitive swimsuit (red and/or black is fine), Aces swim cap, fins (TYR CrossBlade Training Swim Fin)

Comp 1: goggles, Aces team swimsuit, Aces swim cap, fins (TYR CrossBlade Training Swim Fin)

Comp 2: goggles, Aces team swimsuit, Aces swim cap, fins (TYR CrossBlade Training Swim Fin)

 

TRAINING SCHEDULE

A master calendar of our training schedule can be found on our website www.swimaces.com under the Calendar tab.  Each team has their own calendar labeled with their swimming group (pre-Comp, Comp 1, and Comp 2).  Any changes in the practice training schedule will be e-mailed to you and posted on all social media pages.

 

TRAINING FACILITIES
The following is a description of our practice and competition facilities to allow athletes and their families to plan their use:

We practice at Shawsheen Regional Technical Vocational High School and at UMASS Lowell.  These locations have a six lane, 25 yard pool.  The changing areas include a locker room and bathroom for both men and women that may be shared with others. As such, there may be people who are not associated with Aces Aquatics in the changing area around the time of practice.

Shawsheen Technical Vocational High School

100 Cook Street

Billerica, MA  01821

   

UMASS Lowell

Costello Athletic Center

275 Riverside Street

Lowell, MA 01854
 

TRAINING FACILITIES SAFETY AND PROTOCOL

Shawsheen Tech

• Swimmers may not be dropped off more than 15 minutes prior to the start of practice.  

• They must also be picked up no more than 15 minutes after the completion of practice.  

• If someone other than a parent will be driving the swimmer, a coach should be notified.

• Swimmers are permitted to use the showers inside the locker room.

• Swimmers are not permitted to enter the pool area if an Aces coach is not present on the pool deck.

• All evacuation procedures posted in the building will be followed by Aces swimmers during a fire alarm or other emergency situation.  They will be supervised by Aces coaches at all times.

 

UMASS Lowell Costello Center

• Swimmers may not be dropped off more than 15 minutes prior to the start of practice.  

• They must also be picked up no more than 15 minutes after the completion of practice.  

• If someone other than a parent will be driving the swimmer, a coach should be notified.

• Swimmers are permitted to use the showers inside the locker room.

• Swimmers are not permitted to enter the pool area if an Aces coach is not present on the pool deck.

• All evacuation procedures posted in the building will be followed by Aces swimmers during a fire alarm or other emergency situation.  They will be supervised by Aces coaches at all times.

• Swimmers are not permitted to use the gymnasium and/or other areas within the building unless they are with an Aces coach.

 

APPAREL AND SWIMSUITS

Apparel and Swimsuit orders will be open through our vendor on www.swimaces.com at the beginning of the Short Course Season (September) and again at the beginning of the Long Course Season (April) if a minimum of 12 people place orders. Please note this and order your swimsuit during the appropriate time.

 

PRACTICE POLICIES

Parents are not allowed on deck during practices.  This, again is a USA Swimming policy.  Our insurance is void if non-USA Swimming members are present on deck.  This is also in order to ensure that coaches are able to give their attention to swimmers for safety and feedback purposes.

There are stands available for parents to sit in at both of our practice facilities.  Parents/guardians are welcome (not required) to stay during practice, however we ask that you be a silent observer.  If you would like to speak with a coach, please schedule a time before or after practice so as not to take away from valuable practice time.

 

ILLNESS AND INJURY POLICY

If a swimmer is ill and does not attend school, or becomes ill after school, parents should not send them to practice where they will be in close contact with their teammates.  Depending upon the time, they should send an email or phone the coach for their child’s group to let them know that their child will miss practice.

If a swimmer is feeling pain from a possible injury, they need to inform their coach and discuss a plan of action for treatment and recovery.  A coach should be aware of how a swimmer if physically feeling.

 

BEHAVIOR POLICIES

Aces’ swimmers behaving inappropriately during practice may be disciplined as necessary.  Any behavior issues may result in disciplinary action not limited to, but including expulsion/suspension from meets/practices or membership on the team.  Participation in Aces Aquatics is a privilege, not a right.  Aces’ coaches reserve the right to make subjective disciplinary decisions. Please see the Code of Conduct and Violations of the Code of Conduct.

 

MONITORING FACILITIES
Coaches and staff make every effort to recognize when an athlete goes to the locker room or changing area during practice and competition and, if they do not return in a timely fashion, we will check on the athlete’s whereabouts.

 

Our coaches may enter the locker room from time to time to ensure that swimmers are behaving appropriately. We discourage parents from entering locker rooms and changing areas unless it is truly necessary. In those instances, it should only be a same?]sex parent. If this is necessary, parents should let the coach know about this in advance.

 

Parents are welcome to stay seated in the stands during practice.  Please note that the coaches need to focus on the Aces swimmers during practice.  If you would like to talk to a coach at length, please make a point to do it before or after practice times.

 

Locker Room Behavior

As the locker room is a non-supervised area, it is crucial that swimmers behave appropriately. Misbehaving in the locker room may lead to suspension from the locker room, or suspension/expulsion from the team.  No camera of any sort is allowed in the locker room.  If your phone is equipped with a camera it is not to be taken out and used while in the locker room.

 

INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURES

In case of snow or any inclement weather, conditions may vary and each family should be comfortable with the decision to travel to and from practice.  On the days the weather may be an issue parents and swimmers should be checking their email, social media, and swimaces.com for possible cancelations.  As soon a decision is made it will be posted.

 

TEAM TRAVEL POLICIES

Section 1 - USA Swimming Required Policies

Club and LSC travel policies must include these policies. These items are Code of Conduct stipulations in the USA Swimming Rulebook.

a) Club travel policies must be signed and agreed to by all athletes, parents, coaches and other adults traveling with the club. (305.5.D)

b) Team managers and chaperones must be members of USA Swimming and have successfully passed a USA Swimming-administered criminal background check. (305.5.B)

c) Regardless of gender, a coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement with an athlete (unless the coach is the parent, guardian, sibling, or spouse of that particular athlete). (305.5.A)

d) When only one athlete and one coach travel to a competition, the athlete must have his/her parents’ (or legal guardian’s) written permission in advance to travel alone with the coach. (305.5C)3

 

Section 2 - Team Policies.

a) During team travel, when doing room checks, attending team meetings and/or other activities, two-deep leadership and open and observable environments should be maintained.

b) Athletes should not ride in a coach’s vehicle without another adult present who is the same gender as the athlete, unless prior parental permission is obtained.

c) During overnight team travel, if athletes are paired with other athletes they shall be of the same gender and should be a similar age. Where athletes are age 13 & Over, chaperones and/or team managers would ideally stay in nearby rooms. When athletes are age 12 & Under, chaperones and/or team managers may stay with athletes. Where chaperones/team managers are staying in a room with athletes, they should be the same gender as the athlete and written consent should be given by athlete’s parents (or legal guardian).

d) When only one athlete and one coach travel to a competition, at the competition the coach and athlete should attempt to establish a “buddy” club to associate with during the competition and when away from the venue.

e) To ensure the propriety of the athletes and to protect the staff, there will be no male athletes in female athlete’s rooms and no female athletes in male athlete’s rooms (unless the other athlete is a sibling or spouse of that particular athlete).

f) A copy of the Club Code of Conduct must be signed by the athlete and his/her parent or legal guardian.

g) Team or LSC officials should obtain a signed Liability Release and/or Indemnification Form for each athlete.

h) Team or LSC officials should carry a signed Medical Consent or Authorization to Treat Form for each athlete.

i) Curfews shall be established by the team or LSC staff each day of the trip.

j) Team members and staff traveling with the team will attend all team functions including meetings, practices, meals, meet sessions, etc. unless otherwise excused or instructed by the head coach or his/her designee.

k) The directions & decisions of coaches/chaperones are final.

l) Swimmers are expected to remain with the team at all times during the trip. Swimmers are not to leave the competition venue, the hotel, a restaurant, or any other place at which the team has gathered without the permission/knowledge of the coach or chaperone.

m) When visiting public places such as shopping malls, movie theatres, etc. swimmers will stay in groups of no less than three persons. 12 & Under athletes will be accompanied by a chaperone.

n) The Head Coach or his/her designee shall make a written report of travel policy or code of conduct violations to the appropriate club (LSC) leadership and the parent or legal guardian of any affected minor athlete.

 

Section 3 - Other Travel Policies if needed or applicable

 

Safety

a) Additional guidelines to be established as needed by the coaches

b) Supervised team room may be provided for relaxation and recreation

c) Respect the privacy of each other

d) Only use hotel rooms with interior entrances.

e) Must wear seat belts and remain seated in vehicles.

Behavior

f) Be quiet and respect the rights of teammates and others in hotel

g) Be prompt and on time

h) Limited cell phone usage by swimmers and coaches

j) Respect travel vehicles

l) Use appropriate behavior in public facilities.

m) Respect the two different curfews – in own rooms and lights out

n) Must stay in assigned hotel room

p) No room service without permission

q) Swimmers responsible for all incidental charges

r) Swimmers responsible for any damages or thievery at hotel

w) Parent(s) responsible for getting swimmer(s) to stated departure point

 

 

ANTI-BULLYING POLICIES OF ACES AQUATICS

PURPOSE   

Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at Aces Aquatics and will not be tolerated. Bullying is counterproductive to team spirit and can be devastating to a victim.  The Club is committed to providing a safe, caring and friendly environment for all of our members.  If bullying does occur, all athletes and parents should know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. Anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell a coach, board member or athlete/mentor.

 

Objectives of the Aces Aquatics Bullying Policy and Action Plan:

1. To make it clear that Aces will not tolerate bullying in any form.

2. To define bullying and give all board members, coaches, parents and swimmers a good understanding of what bullying is.

3. To make it known to all parents, swimmers and coaching staff that there is a policy and protocol should any bullying issues arise.

4. To make how to report bullying clear and understandable.   

5. To spread the word that Aces Aquatics takes bullying seriously and that all swimmers and parents can be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.

 

WHAT IS BULLYING?

The USA Swimming Code of Conduct prohibits bullying. Generally, bullying is the use of aggression, whether intentional or not, which hurts another person.  Bullying results in pain and distress.    

The USA Swimming Code of Conduct defines bullying  in 304.3.7.  Bullying is the severe or repeated use by one or more USA Swimming members of oral, written, electronic or other technological expression, image, sound, data or intelligence of any nature (regardless of theSource: www.stopbullying.gov – a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services method of transmission), or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at any other member that to a reasonably objective person has the effect of:

i. causing physical or emotional harm to the other member or damage to the other member’s property;   

ii. placing the other member in reasonable fear of harm to himself/herself or of damage to his/her property;   

iii. creating a hostile environment for the other member at any USA Swimming activity;   

iv. infringing on the rights of the other member at any USA Swimming activity; or   

v. materially and substantially disrupting the training process or the orderly operation of any USA Swimming activity (which for the purposes of this section shall include, without limitation, practices, workouts and other events).

 

REPORTING PROCEDURE

An athlete who feels that he or she has been bullied is asked to do one or more of the following things:    

• Talk to your parents  

• Talk to an Aces Coach, Board Member, or other designated individual

• Write a letter or email to the Aces Head Coach, Board Member, or other designated individual  

• Make a report to the USA Swimming Safe Sport staff. To deal with a Safe Sport concern,contact USA Swimming at (719) 866-4578 Contact the U.S. Center for Safe Sport to make a report. Call (720) 524-5640 or use the online reporting form or find more information at http://www.uscenterforsafesport.org/

There is no express time limit for initiating a complaint under this procedure, but every effort should be made to bring the complaint to the attention of the appropriate club leadership as soon as possible to make sure that memories are fresh and behavior can be accurately recalled and the bullying behavior can be stopped as soon as possible.   

 

HOW WE HANDLE BULLYING

If bullying is occurring during team?]related activities, we STOP BULLYING ON THE SPOT using the following steps:

1. Intervene immediately. It is ok to get another adult to help.

2. Separate the kids involved.

3. Make sure everyone is safe.

4. Meet any immediate medical or mental health needs.

5. Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved, including bystanders.

6. Model respectful behavior when you intervene.

 

If bullying is occurring at Aces Aquatics or it is reported to be occurring at our club, we address the bullying by FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED and SUPPORTING THE KIDS INVOLVED using the following approach:  

 

FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED

1. First, we get the facts.    

a. Keep all the involved children separate.  

b. Get the story from several sources, both adults and kids.

c. Listen without blaming.

d. Don’t call the act “bullying” while you are trying to understand what happened.

e. It may be difficult to get the whole story, especially if multiple athletes are involved or the bullying involves social bullying or cyber bullying. Collect all available information.

 

2. Then, we determine if it's bullying.

There are many behaviors that look like bullying but require different approaches. It is important to determine whether the situation is bullying or something else.    

a. Review the USA Swimming definition of bullying;

b. To determine if the behavior is bullying or something else, consider the following questions:  What is the history between the kids involved?    Have there been past conflicts?  Is there a power imbalance? Remember that a power imbalance is not limited to physical strength. It is sometimes not easily recognized. If the targeted child feels like there is a power imbalance, there probably is.  Has this happened before? Is the child worried it will happen again?

c. Remember that it may not matter “who started it.” Some kids who are bullied may be seen as annoying or provoking, but this does not excuse the bullying behavior.

d. Once you have determined if the situation is bullying, support all of the kids involved.   

 

3. Support the kids who are being bullied

a. Listen and focus on the child. Learn what’s been going on and show you want to help. Assure the child that bullying is not their fault.

b. Work together to resolve the situation and protect the bullied child. The child, parents, and fellow team members and coaches may all have valuable input. It may help to:

i. Ask the child being bullied what can be done to make him or her feel safe. Remember that changes to routine should be minimized. He or she is not at fault and should not be singled out. For example, consider rearranging lane assignments for everyone. If bigger moves are necessary, such as switching practice groups, the child who is bullied should not be forced to change.

ii. Develop a game plan. Maintain open communication between the Club and parents. Discuss the steps that will be taken and how bullying will be addressed going forward.   

c. Be persistent. Bullying may not end overnight. Commit to making it stop and consistently support the bullied child.

 

4. Address bullying behavior

a. Make sure the child knows what the problem behavior is. Young people who bully must learn their behavior is wrong and harms others.

b. Show kids that bullying is taken seriously. Calmly tell the child that bullying will not be tolerated. Model respectful behavior when addressing the problem.

c. Work with the child to understand some of the reasons he or she bullied. For example:

i. Sometimes children bully to fit in or just to make fun of someone is a little different from them.  In other words, there may be some insecurity involved.

ii. Other times kids act out because something else—issues at home, abuse, stress—is going on in their lives. They also may have been bullied. These kids may be in need of additional support.   

d. Involve the kid who bullied in making amends or repairing the situation. The goal is to help them see how their actions affect others. For example, the child can:

i. Write a letter apologizing to the athlete who was bullied.

ii. Do a good deed for the person who was bullied, for the Club, or for others in your community. iii. Clean up, repair, or pay for any property they damaged.

e. Avoid strategies that don’t work or have negative consequences:

i. Zero tolerance or “three strikes, you’re out” strategies don’t work. Suspending or removing from the team swimmers who bully does not reduce bullying behavior. Swimmers may be less likely to report and address bullying if suspension or getting kicked off the team is the consequence.

ii. Conflict resolution and peer mediation don’t work for bullying. Bullying is not a conflict between people of equal power who share equal blame. Facing those who have bullied may further upset kids who have been bullied.

f. Follow?]up. After the bullying issue is resolved, continue finding ways to help the child who bullied to understand how what they do affects other people. For example, praise acts of kindness or talk about what it means to be a good teammate.  

 

5. Support bystanders who witness bullying.  

Every day, kids witness bullying. They want to help, but don’t know how. Fortunately, there are a few simple, safe ways that athletes can help stop bullying when they see it happening.   

a. Be a friend to the person being bullied;

b. Tell a trusted adult – your parent, coach, or club board member;

c. Help the kid being bullied get away from the situation.  Create a distraction, focus the attention on something else, or offer a way for the target to get out of the situation.  “Let’s go, practice is about to start.”   

d. Set a good example by not bullying others.  

e. Don’t give the bully an audience.  Bullies are encouraged by the attention they get from bystanders.  If you do nothing else, just walk away.  

 

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION POLICY

PURPOSE

Aces Aquatics (the “Club”) recognizes the prevalence of electronic communication and social media in today’s world. Many of our swimmers use these means as their primary method of communication. While the Club acknowledges the value of these methods of communication, the Club also realizes that there are associated risks that must be considered when adults use these methods to communicate with minors.  

 

GENERAL CONTENT

All communications between a coach or other adult and an athlete must be professional in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team activities. The content and intent of all electronic communications must adhere to the USA Swimming Code of Conduct regarding Athlete Protection.

 

For example, as with any communication with an athlete, electronic communication should not contain or relate to any of the following:

·         drugs or alcohol use;

·          sexually oriented conversation; sexually explicit language; sexual activity

·         the adult’s personal life , social activities, relationship or family issues, or personal problems;    

          and inappropriate or sexually explicit pictures

·          Note: Any communication concerning an athlete's personal life, social activities, relationship or

           family issues or personal problems must be transparent, accessible and professional.

 

Whether one is an athlete, coach, board member or parent, the guiding principle to always use in communication is to ask: “Is this communication something that someone else would find appropriate or acceptable in a face-to-face meeting?” or “Is this something you would be comfortable saying out loud to the intended recipient of your communication in front of the intended recipient’s parents, the coaching staff, the board, or other athletes?”

 

With respect to electronic communications, a simple test that can be used in most cases is whether the electronic communication with swimmers is Transparent, Accessible and Professional.

 

Transparent:  All electronic communication between coaches and athletes should be transparent.  Your communication should not only be clear and direct, but also free of hidden meanings, innuendo and expectations.

 

Accessible:  All electronic communication between coaches and athletes should be considered a matter of record and part of the Club’s records.  Whenever possible, include another coach or parent in the communication so that there is no question regarding accessibility.

 

Professional:  All electronic communication between a coach and an athlete should be conducted professionally as a representative of the Club.  This includes word choices, tone, grammar, and subject matter that model the standards and integrity of a staff member.

 

If your communication meets all three of the T.A.P. criteria, then it is likely your method of communication with athletes will be appropriate.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Coaches may have personal Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (or other social media site) pages, but they are not permitted to have any athlete or member of the Club join their personal page as a “friend.” A coach should not accept any “friend” request from an athlete. In addition, the coach should remind the athlete that this is not permitted.  Coaches and athletes are not permitted to “private message” or “instant message” each other through social media. Coaches are encouraged to set their personal pages to “private” to prevent athletes from accessing the coach’s personal information.

 

Aces Aquatics has an official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account that athletes and their parents may follow for swimming information, updates, motivational quotes and photos, as well as reminders on various team-related matters.  Aces Aquatics may follow athletes that are following Aces, however there will be no interaction between the two (likes, comments, personal messages, etc).  Social Media is strictly used by Aces Aquatics to communicate in a professional and informative manner at all times.

 

TEXTING

Subject to the general guidelines mentioned above, texting is allowed between coaches and athletes during the hours from 7am until 9pm.  Texting only shall be used for the purpose of communicating information directly related to team activities.

 

EMAIL

Athletes and coaches may use email to communicate between the hours of 7am and 9pm. When communicating with an athlete through email, a parent, another coach, or a board member must also be copied.

Email communication between parents and coaches is vital.  The email address you provide to us needs to be current and you need to check it often.  Important group emails are sent out on a regular basis to communicate events and news about Aces Aquatics.

 

REQUEST TO DISCONTINUE ALL ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

The parents or guardians of an athlete may request in writing that their child not be contacted by coaches through any form of electronic communication.

 

PHOTO RELEASE POLICY

Aces Aquatics would like to use photos of swim team members taken during swim practice, competitions, and social events in team publications including but not limited to the team website, team Facebook page, team Instagram account, and the team Twitter account.  By signing your child up as a member of the Aces Aquatics Swim Team you are agreeing that photos of your child can be used  in the above publications.  At any time a parent or guardian of an athlete may request in writing that photographs of their child not be used in publication.  Unless a parent or guardian opts out of this policy in writing, photographs of all swimmers may appear on all of our social media accounts and website.

 

CAMERA/VIDEO USE POLICY

Under no circumstances will a camera be allowed in the locker rooms.  If your cell phone has a camera device, it may never be used in the locker room.  Taking photos in a locker room is strictly prohibited.  Photos will be confiscated or deleted.  No photos containing nudity or inappropriate expressions will be sent, forwarded, or posted by any Aces Aquatics member.  USA Swimming policies on camera use will be enforced at all practices and meets.

 

Parents are never allowed on the deck to video their swimmers at practices, due to insurance issues with USA Swimming.  Parents are allowed to video their swimmers at swim meets from specific locations and with the approval of the meet director.  If you would like to review the video with your coach, please set a specific time before or after practice.

 

 

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

USA Swimming

USA Swimming is the national governing body for swimming. USA Swimming is a 300,000 member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events, and education.  Membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers.  USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition, including the Olympic Games.  USA Swimming follows Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success.

 

Every Aces Aquatics swimmer must be registered with USA Swimming.  A registration form will be provided to you by Aces at the start of the season, or when a swimmer joins the team.  The membership not only supports swimmers throughout the country, it provides very important accident and medical insurance for each swimmer.  Each swimmer is covered at any organized practice of Aces and every competition sanctioned by USA Swimming.  The cost of USA Swimming is $69 per year.

 

New England Swimming

New England Swimming is the Local Swimming Committee (LSC) which acts on behalf of USA Swimming.  It is the governing body for over 9000 athletes and nearly 115 swim teams in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont (Connecticut and Maine have their own LSC).  New England Swimming sanctions local meets, allowing them to be run under USA Swimming rules.  This organization also oversees the training of officials and determines the Time Standards for local meets.  On the New England Swimming website you will find: Time Standards, Top 10 Swimmers for the season, New England Swimming records, and other useful information and links.

 

Time Standards

Time standards are set by either USA Swimming or by New England Swimming.  They are also referred to as “cut times”. They are minimum times required to swim in specific meets. Time standards are always arranged by age and gender for Age Group swimmers. They are published in yards for the Short Course season (SCY) and meters for the Long Course season (LCM).  They may be found on the New England Swimming website.  New England Swimming updates the following Time standards each year:

• Regionals

• Age Group

• Seniors

• Zones

• Super Sectionals

The USA Swimming website publishes time standards for the Junior Nationals, Nationals, and Olympic Trials.

 

Forms and Birth Certificates

It is the responsibility of the parent and/or guardian to be sure all forms are completed and up to date during the season.  Children will not be allowed to practice or compete without appropriate forms being accurate and complete.  USA Swimming mandates that all swimmers provide a birth certificate with their initial registration to their club.  Please copy, scan, and email you child’s birth certificate to [email protected]

 

Club Tuition

The club tuition is set on a yearly and session basis and is broken down by training groups.  The club tuition is found on swimaces.com and on the electronic registration. All club fees are non-refundable and Aces does not give refunds when the pools are unavailable.   

 

Payment Plan Options

Aces Aquatics accepts, cash, checks, credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, and Discover), and ACH direct bank account payments. We prefer ACH so as to eliminate credit cards fees and make for timely payments. Automatic payments can be set up on swimaces.com

 

Late Fees

Characteristic of any business, Aces Aquatics expects all families to pay their swimmers dues on schedule, just as you would with credit cards, mortgages, or utility payments.  If fees are not current, swimmers will not be allowed to participate or be entered in meets.  Payment plans can be worked out, however communication and approval with the team management is required. If dues have not been paid by the 21st of the month, a $10 late charge will automatically be invoiced.

 

Terminating Participation

It is the responsibility of Aces participants to communicate and notify the club management of their intention to terminate their involvement with Aces in writing, and to close out their account.  Failure to notify the club management may cause a member to be billed inappropriately.  

 

VOLUNTEER POLICY

Parents are crucial to the success of this team.  Our founding year of Aces proved to be a positive, supportive, and close knit community of parental involvement that truly supported the swimmers in their growth and development not only in the water, but also in regards to their confidence and teamwork.  As our team has grown over the years, we have strived to keep that same feel on the pool deck and in the stands.  We encourage veteran parents to please welcome in the new parents and swimmers with support and insight.  We encourage you to work together, communicate with each other, and lend a hand to those young swim parents that are experiencing the world of competitive team swimming for the first time.

 

Volunteering is now a required aspect of this team.  The operations of Aces Aquatics swim meets, events, and various team functions cannot happen without the support of parents. TeamUnify, or www.swimaces.com, allows us to keep track of volunteers hours. We are asking that each family volunteer 4 hours of your time during the season.  There are many opportunities to volunteer, from team social events to timing at swim meets, to working at a concession stand.  At the end of the season if you have not fulfilled your required volunteer hours, a fine of $150 will be applied to your balance.  Please know that we do not want your money, we want your help in volunteering.

 

When Aces Aquatics attends a meet hosted by another club,  Comp 1 and Comp 2 families  will act as backup timers. The host team determines the amount of timers they need from Aces based on the number of swimmers we have entered in the meet, therefore the more swimmers we have the more volunteer timers required.  Aces can be fined by the host team for not providing the appropriate number of timers per session. On www.swimaces.com under the job sign-up tab for each meet there will be slots for volunteers to sign-up as timers. When you do volunteer at a meet, please be sure before leaving that Coach Matt know that you have fulfilled your job so as to get credit for your hours.

• Pre-Comp swimmers are often very young and in need of their parent’s supervision during a meet.  We would like to accommodate these situations as much as possible, so we request that the older Comp 1 and Comp 2 parents sign-up for timing.  However, please note that some meets/sessions are held for just 8 and Under swimmers, and at these sessions, pre-comp parents will need to step in and be volunteer timers.

 

When Aces Aquatics hosts our own meets, volunteering is crucial. We are hoping to host our first meet in the 2017-2018 short course season. It will definitely be a learning experience, and I am sure adjustments will need to be made as we go. We will continue to hold intrasquad meets to use as practice meets for those volunteers running the Meet Manager computer programs and electronic timing pads.  Eventually we would love to host 2+ meets per year, however it will take some time for Aces to work up to that goal, and it will require MANY volunteers.  The following describes some of the options that will be made available for volunteers:

• Timers and swim officials

• Concession stand operations for Officials and Coaches

• Concession stand operations for the General Public

• Meet manager computer programmers

• Ticket Takers and Heat Sheet sales

 

Competitive experiences (swim meets)  are an integral part in the development of successful swimmers, and Aces strives to provide its swimmers with positive competitive experiences. Swim meets are also very beneficial to our club because the income earned supplements our coaching salaries, equipment, timing system maintenance, and high operating expenses such as pool rental fees.

 

Aces Volunteer Board:  Two to three parents, in conjunction with Matt Mulrooney, will meet each month for one hour to review events and happenings, provide feedback, and lend support. They are critical in the communication between parents and coaches, and they are instrumental in the operation of the club. They coordinate, organize, and provide input for things such as apparel, Team swimsuits, social events, end of the year banquet,  www.swimaces.com  information/structure, meet selection and registration, etc.  These positions will require more than the 4 hours of volunteering required by each family, therefore they are compensated with 1 month of free tuition for one swimmer.

 

CODE OF CONDUCT

General Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct is for Aces Aquatics Swimmers and Members participating in Aces Aquatics Programs throughout the entire swim year.  The purpose of this code is to promote the best possible individual, team, and program responsibility which supports the development of first class citizens at all times.

1. All participating members will abide by this Code of Conduct.

2. All participants and their parents have a responsibility to do their best to ensure that this Code of Conduct is adhered to.

3. Aces Aquatics swimmers will display proper respect and sportsmanship towards coaches, officials, administrators, competitors, teammates, and the public to include both their person and their property at all times.

4. Disrespectful, indiscreet, or destructive behavior will not be tolerated.  Illegal or inappropriate behavior that will reflect negatively on Aces Aquatics or that will be detrimental to performance objectives will not be tolerated.  It is the responsibility of each individual swimmer to make every effort to behave appropriately and to avoid guilt by association with such activities at any time throughout the year.

5. Smoking is unacceptable at any time during the year.

6. The use of drugs, other than those prescribed by a physician, is unacceptable at any time throughout the year.

7. The underage use of alcoholic beverages is unacceptable at any time throughout the year.

8. Curfews at team travel events will be obeyed at all times.

9. Male and female swimmers may not be in each other’s rooms on any team trip for any reason.

10. All participants in a team meet or on a team trip will attend all teams meetings, functions, and gatherings (will it be social or a swim practice) unless otherwise excused by the Aces Head Coach, Matt Mulrooney.

11. All swimmers will participate in all coach designated championships qualifying meets as a member of the Age Group Swimmers. Participation in championship meets is crucial to the developmental success of Aces, and the swimmers attendance is expected.

 

Violation of the Code of Conduct

At the discretion of the head coach any one or all of the following penalties may be applied.

1. Swimmer may be scratched from a meet.

2. Swimmer may be sent home immediately from practice or a meet at his own expense and if there is an extra expense it will be the responsibility of the swimmer.

3. Swimmer may be suspended from the team until the swimmer and parents have had a conference with the Head coach, Matt Mulrooney, and appropriate disciplinary action has been implemented.

4. Swimmer may be dismissed from the team.

 

I hereby agree to abide by the Code of Conduct as set forth by Aces Aquatics.  I acknowledge that if I violate any of the Codes i shall face disciplinary actions set forth by Aces Aquatics.

 

Signature of Swimmer:__________________________________________________

 

Date:_________________________________________________________________

 

Signature of Parent/Guardian:____________________________________________

 

Date:_________________________________________________________________

10 COMMANDMENTS OF SWIM PARENTS

 

1. Thou shall not impose they ambitions on thy child.  Every swimmer develops at their own rate, and it is important to remember this.  Your swimmer should only focus on being the best that he or she can be.  Please encourage this and only this.

2. Thou shall be supportive no matter what.  Your child should not worry about how his or her parents are going to react to his or her races, whether they be good or bad.  Swimming should be fun for your child and something they willingly want to participate in.  The number one reason swimmers discontinue swimming is because it is no longer fun and it has become more of a job.

3. Thou shall not coach thy child.  It is the job of the coaching staff to coach your child, not yours.  Remember you are paying for professional coaching, from certified and trained individuals that have a lot of swimming experience and knowledge.  When you coach on the side you are undermining the coaching staff and hurting the relationship between the swimmer and his or her coach.  This can also cause confusion for the swimmer about who to listen to in regards to technique and race strategy. If you have a problem or concern about what or how your child is being instructed, please set up an appointment to meet with the Head Coach, Matt Mulrooney.

4. Thou shall only have positive things to say at a competition.  This cannot be stressed enough.  Remember to encourage and not criticize your swimmer, any team members, competitors, officials, or members of the coaching staff.  Please remember how contagious negativity is and how quickly your swimmer will pick up on your negative attitude.  

5. Thou shall acknowledge thy child’s fears.  Sometimes a swimmer is nervous about swimming an event for the first time, or feels as though he or she is under a lot of pressure to be successful.  This is okay and perfectly normal.  Remind your swimmer that they are ready to swim this race and the coach would not have signed them up for this race if they believed otherwise.  Also remind them that they are loved no matter what!

6. Thou shall not criticize the officials.  Officials are individuals that volunteer their time to help make our sport as fair as possible.  Most of these individuals are parents.  Please remember that they are volunteers, doing the best they can.  This is a position that is always looking for more volunteers too, so if you want to improve it then volunteer too!

7. Thy shall honor thy child’s coaches.  The relationship between a swimmer and his or her coach is important to the success of that swimmer within this sport.  Please do not criticize your child’s coach in front of him, her, or any other swimmer or team member.  Doing so will negatively impact your child’s success.  Please bring all concerns you may have directly to the coaching staff.

8. Thou shall be loyal and support of thy team.  Swimming is not an individual sport, it involves a lot of support and teamwork to improve each time your swimmer dives into that pool.  Support the other swimmers and encourage your child to support them also.  There is nothing better than cheering teammates all along the pool deck!

9. Thy child shall have goals besides winning. Improvement should be your child’s first goal, not solely winning or beating particular swimmers.

10. Thy shall not expect thy child to become an Olympian. There are only just over 50 spots on the Olympic Team every 4 years.  The chances of your child becoming an Olympian are .002% and it is important to remember that early success does not guarantee anything.  There is so much more to swimming than the Olympics.  Swimming helps to build self-discipline, self-esteem, time management skills, fitness, and life-long friendships.  These are things your swimmer can have forever!