Heights Tigersharks Team Member Expectations

 

Effort:

All team members, regardless of age or skill level, are expected to give their best effort in every practice and meet. This includes striving to be a great athlete and teammate.

Attitude/Behavior:

All team members, regardless of age or skill level, are expected to have a team-first mentality combined with a drive for personal success. The coaches will challenge the swimmers every day in practice and at meets, and the swimmers are expected to embrace the challenges and push themselves out of their comfort zones, both for personal gains and for the benefit of the team.

Disrespectful or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Coaches may remove a swimmer from practice at any time, at which point that practice will not be counted toward the swimmer’s attendance. Coaches may hold a swimmer out of competition or remove a swimmer from the team entirely. These decisions are made by the coaches and are final. Adherence to team policies, program standards, and coaches’ instructions is required at all times.

Practices:

Each team member must achieve attendance and participation requirements, as set by coaches, to be able to participate in meets and to remain in good standing with the team. Please see the practice schedule and training group outline for details.

Meets:

Team members are expected to attend and to participate, as assigned by the coaches, in every meet. Please let the coaches know of any conflicts as soon as possible.

Not every swimmer will compete in his or her preferred events at every meet. Sometimes the team will need them to swim an event they don’t like. Sometimes the coaches will want to challenge them with a new event. Swimmers must accept the lineup as decided by the coaches and compete with their best effort.

Parent/Family Expectations

Attitude and Behavior:

Parents, guardians, and families must be supportive of the swimmers, the coaches, and the team. This includes offering positivity and encouragement to all team members and team families, volunteering for meets and team events, participating in fundraising efforts, and allowing their swimmers to be challenged by the coaches. Adherence to team policies, program standards, and coaches’ instructions is required at all times.

Families may stay for practices, but are restricted as follows:

High school pool - families must remain in the spectator seating area and may not be any place a coach feels could in any way interfere with practice. As required by USA Swimming, nobody other than team members, coaches, and team staff are permitted on the deck aside from the spectator seating and entry area.

Cumberland Pool - families may not be at either end of the lap lanes or in any place a coach feels could in any way interfere with practice.

Regardless of the facility, this is always at the discretion of the coaches.

 

Disrespectful or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. If a parent engages in such behavior, their swimmer(s) may be removed from the team, as determined by the coaches. Registration fees will not be refunded if a family is removed from the team.

If a parent has a question or concern, they are asked to email the coaches or speak with them outside of practice or meet times. Coaches will consider questions and concerns, but will not discuss meet event selection, training plans, or other challenges made to their coaching decisions. Coaches may be willing to make exceptions to some team polices on a case-by-case basis, but will consider them only if approached appropriately by a swimmer or parent. Policy and coaching decisions are made by the coaches, with the best interests of the team in mind, and are final.

Volunteering & Fundraising:

Being a member of a swim team requires an intense commitment from swimmers, coaches, and especially from parents and families. The success of the program hinges on the time and energy given by everyone involved.

All families are expected to:

• pay team booster fees
• volunteer for team events
• assist with team fundraising
• take on any tasks or responsibilities assigned by coaches and staff

Different levels of input will be asked of Summer Team and USA Club Team member families.

Families that do not participate in these duties and have not made arrangements with team leadership risk having their swimmer(s) held out of meets or removed from the team.

COVID Protocols and Limitations:

Heights Tigersharks will follow USA Swimming, CDC, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, CH-UH School District, City of Cleveland Heights, and any visited facility guidelines for Covid protocols.

Any team member experiencing illness or symptoms, or with contact or concerns of contact with someone experiencing or demonstrating symptoms, must report it to the coaches and remain away from the team as determined by the coaches.

Limits on spectators and/or participants at meets and at practices may be implemented at any time.

Protocols may be added or amended at any time by the coaches. Adherence to all protocols is required under the Team Member and Parent/Family Expectations.

Practice Schedules

Subject to change! Team members are responsible for following schedule updates!

Please review the training groups outline for group designations and practice expectations. Coaches will assign groups. Practice times and groupings may be changed at any time throughout the season. Coaches may determine a minimum practice attendance requirement on a team or individual basis.

Meet Schedules

Summer Team:

Home meets are held at the Heights High School pool. Away meets are at SSL teams’ pools. Meets are Saturday mornings with the exception of Friday, June 28 at South Euclid-Lyndhurst, and the SSL Championships on Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28. Swimmers must compete in three meets by July 20 to be eligible for Championships.

• Saturday, June 15
• Saturday, June 22
• Friday, June 28
• Saturday, July 6
• Saturday, July 13
• Saturday, July 20
• Saturday, July 27 (Championships)
• Sunday, July 28 (Championships)

Club Team:

USA Swimming sanctioned meets held at local, regional, or national venues. Each swimmer will qualify for and be asked or expected to attend different meets, on an individual or relay-specific basis. Coaches will provide information in advance of each meet and will work with swimmers and families to help make informed decisions prior to registering for any meet. Not all swimmers will be expected to participate in USA meets.

 

Agreements

 

All Heights Tigersharks registrants, participants, and their families, agree to adhere to team policies and expectations.

All Heights Tigersharks Summer Team registrants, participants, and their families, agree to adhere to Suburban Swim League policies and expectations.

All Heights Tigersharks Club Team registrants, participants, and their families, agree to adhere to USA Swimming policies and expectations.

All policies and expectations are subject to change at the discretion of the head coach.

Team membership and/or participation can be restricted, prohibited, or modified at any time, at the discretion of the head coach.