TEAM COMMUNICATION
TEAM WEBSITE
The FAST team website is the centerpiece of our team communication plan. We encourage all families to visit the site frequently (if not daily) in order to stay informed on all of the latest news and information pertaining to the team. Please take the time to surf the site in order to familiarize yourself with the different sections and what they include.
The Meets & Events page of the website is of utmost importance. This is where all swim meet related information will be posted throughout the year. It will include meet signup instructions and deadlines, meet schedules/results, meet information documents, meet lineups, maps to the pools, and an archive of past meet results.
SOCIAL MEDIA
FAST uses social media in various ways to communicate to it's members. Please review FAST's social media guidelines and become familiar with the ways these tools will be utilized.
In September 2017, FAST incorporated into it's guidelines the Federal Trade Commission's Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The primary goal of COPPA is to place parents in control over what information is collected from their young children online. The Rule was designed to protect children under age 13 while accounting for the dynamic nature of the Internet.
Email is used to communicate with the membership on a regular basis. Each website membership account has an email address attached to it that is used for login and communication purposes. Please make sure that you keep your current email address up-to-date within our system. We use our website to send out group emails to the membership or in some cases to particular groups within the membership (practice groups, parents, etc...).
A few examples of information we send via email would be: meet information changes, meet entry deadline reminders, emergency practice cancelations, and notifications about team events.
PRACTICE CHANGES/CANCELATIONS
Scheduled Practice Changes/Cancelations
FAST rents pool space from the Lindbergh School District and the St. Louis County Parks & Recreation throughout the year. We are one of many groups that utilize the facilities and our practice schedule will be altered from time to time as a result. It is each member's responsibility to stay informed of these changes once they are posted online.
Unscheduled or Emergency Practice Changes/Cancelations
In the event of an unscheduled or emergency practice cancelation, FAST will send out an email to the membership, and the groups that utilize Twitter will send a tweet.
Weather Related Cancelations
Each group in the FAST group structure has a primary coach who is a certified lifeguard. Primary coaches have full authority to cancel practice due to inclement weather. Their judgment is final and should be respected by all members. FAST will rarely cancel a practice before the start time of that practice for weather related reasons. Winter weather is a good example of when an early cancelation might take place and that information will be emailed to the membership once a decision is made.
TEAM DIRECTORY
Each family selected whether they wanted to be listed in the Parent Directory at registration. For those who opted in, each member's name, email, phone number, roster group will be listed in the Members menu on the website. The primary purpose for this directory is to allow parents an easy way to connect with other parents about possible carpools for swim meets and/or practices. You may opt out at any time by changing the Member Search field to NO within your account information.
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CHILD'S COACH
Each group has a Primary Coach that you should consider your contact for all swimming related questions regarding your child. The primary coaches oversee any assistant coaches working with the group and are responsible for all training plans, meet entries, and group placement decisions for the swimmers in the group. Primary coaches and their emails are listed in the coaches section of the website and report directly to the head coach on all matters related to the group.
Practice time is not the appropriate time to ask questions or discuss your child with their coach. If the coach is not available after practice time, an appointment can be scheduled by email.
ISSUES/CONCERNS WITH THE COACHING STAFF
If you ever have any issues or concerns regarding the FAST coaching staff, please address the matter using the following steps (in order) until the matter is resolved.
- Speak with your child's primary coach directly. You should not speak with the coach about an issue during the practice session. Each coach will be happy to speak with you after the practice session. If circumstances do not allow for a meeting after practice time, an appointment will be scheduled.
- Contact the Head Coach in person or by email regarding the matter. He will listen to your issue/concern and then schedule a time to connect with you after speaking to the Primary coach about the matter. A parent/coach meeting may be necessary to resolve the matter.
- If the resolution of the matter is still not acceptable to you, you may contact the FAST Board of Directors in writing (letter or email). The President of the Board of Directors will contact you with any further instructions at that point.
