Sierra Nevada Swimming Scholar-Athlete Senior Recognition Pilot Program

1. Pilot Program Overview 
          1.1 Statement of Purpose

The Scholar-Athlete Senior Recognition Program honors graduating high school seniors (one male and one female athlete) annually who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to competitive swimming within the Sierra Nevada Swimming LSC and who have also excelled academically.

1.2 Pilot Program Outline

As this will be a new program for SNS, we are requesting a 3 year pilot program to evaluate the reception of program and the ability of the Athlete Committee to raise funds to further its continuation.  

• 3 year pilot
• Equal financial commitment (50/50 or $500/$500) between Athlete Committee and SNS
• Review at the end of each year during the budgeting cycle (Spring timeframe) to ensure program is working and is well received.  
• No expansion is possible unless Athlete Committee has generated additional funds for the program.  
• There needs to be  continued commitment from the incumbent Athlete Committee to continue the program.
• The current Board of Directors has the right to discontinue the program if the Athlete Committee does not fulfill their obligations to the program.

2. Award Structure

           2.1      Number of Recipients

                     -    Two recipients annually (one male, one female).

             2.2      Funding Amount

• Each recipient will receive $500.
• Future Athlete Committee portions of the SNS budget will allocate $500 in funds to this program 
• Existing Athlete Committee WZAG Earnings Fund will also serve as $500 towards the award each year.

              2.3      Year Pilot Program

• A three-year financial commitment from SNS and the Athlete’s Committee.
• SNS will include in the Athlete’s budget $500 for the 26/27 and 27/28 seasons to fund half of the awards. 
• The Athlete Committee will use $500 from the Athlete Committee WZAG Earnings Fund to fund half of the award for the 25/26, 26/27, and 27/28 season.

3. Application Criteria

3.1 Membership & Registration within SNS  - Must be a currently registered SNS athlete.

• Must have been registered with SNS for at least two consecutive years.
• Both year-round (Premium or Outreach) and seasonal (NVAL) athletes are eligible, provided they meet minimum participation requirements.
• Verification of registration status will be conducted through the SNS Registrar.

                3.2      Scholar Athlete Requirement

• Must have achieved SNS Scholar-Athlete status at least twice (non-consecutive years permitted).
• If Scholar-Athlete status was not achieved prior to junior year, a fall transcript meeting the minimum GPA standard may be used.
• Scholar-Athlete status and verification will be reviewed by the SNS Operations Director.

                3.3      Competition Requirement

• Must have competed in at least six (6) LSC-sanctioned meets in the previous 18 months, evaluated as of the beginning of the applicant’s junior or senior year (aligned with application year).  The NVAL seasonal athletes they will have 24 months to complete the six (6) LSC-sanctioned meet requirement.
• Meets must be verified through official meet results available via the SNS Registrar or USA Swimming’s database.  If a qualifying meet is not in the SWIMS database, the applicant must include documentation of participation.

                3.4      Academic Requirement

• Must have achieved SNS Scholar-Athlete status at least twice (non-consecutive years permitted).
• If Scholar-Athlete status was not achieved prior to junior year, a fall transcript meeting the minimum GPA standard may be used.
• Scholar-Athlete status and verification will be reviewed by the SNS Operations Director.

                3.5      Graduation Requirement

• Applicants must be graduating high-school seniors within the current swim year (December through June).
• For example, for the 2025–2026 cycle, eligible graduation dates are December 2025 through June 2026.
• Early or mid-year graduates must provide proof of expected graduation date via school transcript or official letter.

4. Application Components

                4.1     Application Form (Jot form)

• Jotform created with connection to Google Sheets & Dropbox along with emails.  Treasurer will assist with making the form and granting access to Athlete Committee.
• Distributed via SNS email, SNS website, and SNS Instagram to all clubs. The form will collect:
• Name
• SNS Club Affiliation
• USA Swimming registration number
• Graduating Year
• List of Qualifying Meets outside of SWIMS database
• List of years on the SNS Scholar Athlete list (transcript only upon request from SNS)

              4.2     Personal Statement (150 words)

• Prompt: “What is the most important lesson you learned from swimming?” -    The prompt may be updated annually at the discretion of SNS.
• The prompt is not judged and may be used for marketing purposes 

5. Selection Process

• The SNS Athlete Committee will create a standardized size paper slip with each applicant’s name and team
• A separate bowl, bag, or hat will be filled with the female applicants and a random selection of the winner will be drawn.  The same will be done with the male applicants.

              5.1 Announcement of Winners

• The Athlete Committee will announce the winners on a date and time set forth with the announcement of the program
• This may be conducted live on a medium like Instagram Live
• The winners will be announced on SNS Social Media along with direct emails to the winners.  Winners will also be announced in the SNS Newsletter.
• The Athlete Committee will have announcement content written and reviewed by the SNS Operations Director at least 7 days prior to the winners being selected so that when winners are selected, their names, team, and prompt response are ready to be publicized.

              5.2     Documentation & Oversight

• The Athlete Committee will maintain a record of all selections, randomization procedures, and final decisions.
• Any disputes or clarifications regarding eligibility, selection, or verification will be adjudicated by the SNS Operations Director.

6. Proposed Timeline

                6.1  Announcement Date

• The Senior Recognition Program application will be released simultaneously with the SNS Scholar-Athlete Award application.

              6.2   Timeline

• Mid-January - Application opens and is distributed via SNS email to all clubs, posted on SNS Instagram, and added to SNS website as an announcement.
• Mid-February - Application closes. Late submissions will not be considered.
• March - SNS Registrar and SNS Operations Director verify applicant pool
• Mid-April - Recipient drawing - Recipient names and contact info passed to Treasurer
• By Mid-May - Treasurer collects mailing address or Zelle information from the recipients - Treasurer issues checks to recipient

   7.        Administration

               7.1   Disbursement Verification & Compliance

• Recognition funds will be issued directly to recipients or legal guardians via check or Zelle from Sierra Nevada Swimming.
• Once recipients are selected, the Senior Athlete Representative will submit a disbursement request to the SNS Treasurer, including each recipient’s full legal name, preferred mailing address, email address and phone number
• The SNS Treasurer will process payments and will maintain a record of all disbursements for audit and financial reporting purposes.
• Because each payment is under the IRS threshold, recipients will not receive a Form 1099.

              7.2     Appeals/exceptions/dispute for eligibility

• Any exceptions, appeals, or disputes related to eligibility will be reviewed and adjudicated by the Operations Director and reported to the General Chair.

              7.3     Program Summary & Evaluation

• The Athlete Committee will prepare an annual program report for the Board, detailing:
• Number of applicants and recipients
• Representation across clubs and gender
• Program expenses and budget utilization
• Compliance with eligibility and disbursement procedures