Parents' Welcome | Board of Directors | Fundraising | Committees | Parent Roles | Problem Resolution | Practice Rules | Swim Meets
Riverside Aquatic Club, Inc.
Parent
Handbook
Revised and printed August 2007
Riverside Aquatics Club, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation organized
under the statutes if the State of Indiana.
Vision
Statement
To
provide a positive and productive swimming experience for participants
at all skill levels. To allow participants to develop the competitive
spirit, strengthen pride and develop character through disciplined effort.
To help our swimmers develop physically, socially and emotionally in a
healthy, fun atmosphere.
Mission Statement
"To
enhance our athletes' lives now…..and for a lifetime."
This mission
statement for Riverside Aquatic Club is rooted in the following core values:
-Desire
to compete and excel
-Pride in our team and a job well done
-Respect for one another
-Commitment to excellence
We are very happy that your family is part of the Riverside Aquatic Club. Over the years countless families have contributed to and benefited from the experience of swimming for Riverside. As your Board of Directors, we are firmly committed to ensuring that your experience is a rewarding one. The fitness benefits for regular participants are obvious, but anyone who has been involved in swimming for a very long time can claim other benefits as well.
Swimmers are truly remarkable individuals. They are able to balance the demands of academics, practices and meets and still find time to be well-rounded individuals. They learn to set goals for themselves and then go about achieving them. Ultimate success is found, not in individual goals, but the changes wrought by involvement in the process. The lessons learned and the discoveries made in competitive swimming can be applied to many aspects of adult life.
Swimmers and coaches are by no means the only people necessary for the smooth operation of a swim club. Parents need to be factored into the equation as well. Without adequate family involvement the best conceived swim clubs are doomed to failure. If all of us do our part, we'll be successful, we'll have fun and the kids will benefit. As we enter an exciting new season, lets all be aware of the contributions we can make to the swim family here at Riverside Aquatic Club.
The Riverside Aquatic Club Board of Directors and Committee Heads
Officers:
Mike Taylor President & Membership Committee
Stacy Thom, VP & Competition Committee
Joe Bauer, Treasurer & Ways & Means Committee
Pat Carney, Secretary & Communications Committee
Members:
Terry Lancaster, Officials Committee
Carl Romines, Fundraising Committee
Kim Pinnick, Recognition & Special Events
Shelley Pinnick, Membership
Coaches
Joe Perkins, Senior Elite/Senior
Patti Midkiff, Senior Prep
Joe Fox, Blue
Kathy Collings, Gold 1
Ashley Manger, Gold 2, Silver
Erin Banet, Bronze 1 & 2
Teamwear: Kim Pinnick
Business Manager:
Kathy Collings
Indiana Swimming: www.inswimming.org
USA Swimming: www.usaswimming.org
Fundraising is a part of any swim team or youth sports organization. RAC has a budget of over $200,000 per year and only part of that is met by the training fees. Our fundraising efforts must fill the gap in order to provide equipment, insurance, awards, parties and events. RAC also tries to keep our fundraising efforts to a minimum, knowing families have other obligations. From time to time we will ask families to take part in fundraising efforts, particularly our hosted swim meets, which generate over $20,000 in income for the team. The fundraisers that you will be asked to participate in include:
1. We will host two meets this year. Each family is required to work at least two sessions at each meet. Children over the age of 12 can meet the family requirement. The dates of the meets are: November 16-18 and February 8-10. *****You may buy out of this obligation by paying a $200.00 Meet Worker Fee with your registration fees, otherwise….
Failure to meet this obligation will result in a fine of $50.00 per session not worked unless an alternative assignment can be arranged with the meet director.
2.
Challenge Swim (swim-a-thon) The challenge swim allows swimmers
to
try a longer event (distance) while raising funds for the team. This
event has
always been a fun activity with prizes and treats for the swimmers, as
well as the ability to earn swim gear. Our goal this year is to raise
$7,000. This should be an attainable goal. All swimmers are expected
to participate.
3. Kroger
Gift Cards. RAC participates in the Kroger Gift Card Program, and
this is a no-brainer if you already shop at Kroger or Jay-C. It works
just like prepaid calling cards. Get your card from RAC, put an amount
on your card at Kroger either in the checkstand ($100 or less) or at customer
service ($100 or more), and pay for your groceries with the card. RAC
gets 4% of total posted amounts. This is a great way for the team to pay
for new stop watches and
other equipment. Our goal is to bring in $2000 for the team in this way.
4. Sponsorships.
We are actively seeking businesses to sponsor our team or an individual
swim meet. This is a great way to get exposure for your company. We offer
different levels of sponsorship and can provide you with information and
sponsorship packets. We will also sell ads to businesses for the heat
sheets sold at meets. If you think your company or someone's that you
know would be a potential sponsor, please contact Mike Taylor, Carl Romines
or Kathy Collings.
Volunteer Committees & Positions
Two primary ingredients in a great swim team are motivated, enthusiastic swimmers and committed, supportive parents. The sport of swimming relies on its highly committed corps of volunteers from the local dual meet all the way to the Olympic Trials. RAC takes great pride in its reputation for both our swimmers' excellence in the water and our parents' excellence in organizing and operating meets and team activities.
There are many active ways that parents can be involved with their children's swimming that are vital to the team. Besides working at the swim meets as timers, stroke-and-turn judges, in concessions or running the computer and doing ribbons we have a need for volunteers on the following committees which are coordinated by a Board Member
Group Managers:
(2 per group, part of membership committee) Helps organize additional
social events outside swimming. Also helps the coach with papers to be
distributed and helps maintain the box. Also takes pictures of group for
end-of-year video and provides info on group for newsletters. Helps with
a telephone tree as needed. Please talk to your child's coach.
Communication:
Contacts the newspapers with meet results and special interest stories
about swimmers. Gets info to schools about swimmers. Helps gather
information for our newsletter. Team photographer takes pics during the
year for use on website and in year-end video. Contact Pat
Carney.
Special Events: Parents who help coordinate and put on our special events such as the Halloween party and banquet. Contact Kim Pinnick.
Fundraising: This committee plans annual calendar of fundraising
events such as Challenge Swim, ads for meet heat sheets and banquet book,
seeks sponsorships and runs silent auction at banquet for scholarship
fund. Contact Carl Romines.
Competition: The committee plans and hosts our swim meets. The
Meet Director and Volunteer Coordinator will coordinate all parent workers.
The Officials Coordinator will secure stroke-and-turn officials and starters.
Other key volunteers are Concessions Managers, timing system operators
and computer operators. Contact Stacey Thom.
Officials: Parents who have trained as Stroke-and-Turn Officials who
will officiate at swim meets both home and away. The team has a great
need for volunteers in this area. Contact Terry Lancaster.
Your Role as Parents
Remember that
your child is the swimmer. Children need to establish their own goals and
make their own progress towards them. Be careful not to impose your own
standards and goals on your child.
Do not overburden your child with winning or achieving best times at every meet. The most important part of your child's swimming experience is that he learn about himself while enjoying the sport. This healthy environment encourages learning and fun which will develop a positive self-image within your child.
The best way to help a child achieve his goals and reduce the natural fear of failure is through positive reinforcement. No one likes to make a mistake. If your child does make one, remember that he is still learning. Encourage his efforts and point out the things he did well. As long as he gave his best effort, you should make him feel like a winner.
Rules for
Parents
Leave the coaching to the coaches. Do not pressure or
offer swimming advice. Understand that all coaching decisions are just
that. Coaches are not perfect, but will try to do what they feel is fair
and right. If you have a coaching concern, please feel free to arrange a
meeting and work it out together. This approach encourages a positive,
problem-solving relationship for swimmers, parents and coaches. (see
Problem Resolution Procedures)
Stay informed. Check the swim box
frequently and read any informational bulletins. This is the swimmer and
parent's responsibility. We encourage our swim families to participate in
swim-related activities.
Be patient with your swimmer's progress.
Every athlete progresses in a different manner. Keep in mind that
improvement, long term, is the ultimate goal for a happy successful
career. Be supportive through the inevitable ups and downs of victory and
defeat. Encourage swimmers to take their swimming-related problems to the
coach.
The deck attitude of parents should be positive and
sportsmanlike. While swimming is an individual sport, the swimmer cannot
succeed without the support of the team and their training partners. Do
not undermine the team or pit one swimmer against
another.
Parents are welcome to attend practice, but are to
remain in the lobby or on the bleachers. Please do not interfere with
the coach or interrupt practice. The coaches' attention at practice must
be on the swimmers. Questions should be asked after practice or a meeting
or telephone time can be set up.
The Value of Training
The duration of an
athletic contest is only a few minutes, while the training for it may take
many weeks of arduous work and continuous exercise of self-effort. The
real value of sport is not the actual game played in the limelight of
applause, but the hours of dogged determination and self-discipline
carried out alone, imposed and supervised by an exacting conscience. The
applause soon dies away, the prize is left behind, but the character you
build is yours forever.
Riverside Aquatics Club strives to provide a fun and friendly environment to promote the sport of swimming to children and families. As with any group, it is natural to have questions or issues that arise from time to time. Most issues can be resolved informally between the family and coach. This is the preferred approach in resolving any issue.
The following steps are provided in the event that further action is needed to resolve an issue.
Step 1 - Informal meeting with you, your child's coach and the RAC head coach.
Step 2 - If the issue remains unresolved after following step 1, then a formal meeting will be set with the Head Coach and a RAC board member. (The selected member will have a child in the same swim group, or next closes swim group.) The RAC board member will then present a written summary of the issue and outcome of the meeting at the next official RAC board meeting.
Step 3 - If the problem remains unresolved and requires further review, then a written description of the issue is to be submitted to the RAC Board by the parent/guardian. This description should clearly and specifically describe the issue to be resolved, why the outcomes of steps 1 and 2 have not been satisfactory and a suggested solution to resolve the issue. It is the responsibility of the parent to deliver this description in writing to the RAC Board Chairperson. The Chairperson will then provide copies of the description to the board members for discussion and call a special board meeting. The special board meeting will be held to discuss the issue and attempt to resolve the problem. A quorum of board members must be present to have a binding decision on the outcome. The outcome may be delayed if further information is needed.
It is
important to keep the lines of communication open. Anytime you have a
question, suggestion or concern, please contact the Coaches or any of the
Board Members.
*** The Riverside Aquatic Club, Inc. Board of Directors, has established Bylaws and Policies. These bylaws and policies are in writing and are available to any coach or parent upon request.
Practice Rules
**We are
guests in the pool. Abuse of school property or loud and boisterous
behavior in the locker rooms will not be tolerated.
1. Don't eat
immediately before practice.
2. Arrive at practice 10 minutes early
and be ready to get in the water when your practice time begins.
3.
Go to the restroom before practice begins.
4. Swimmers arriving for
practice should sit on the bleachers and wait for
instructions. Do not fool around in the hallways. Do not enter the pool
until directed by the coach.
5. Make sure you have
all equipment as determined by the coach of your group.
6. Wear a hat in the cold weather.
7. Bring a sports drink or bottled water to place at end of lane if your practice lasts over one hour.
8. Be courteous and supportive of your lane mates and team members. Any swimmer who disrupts another swimmer's workout will be asked to sit out for the rest of the practice.
9. Help the coach with lane lines and equipment before and after practice.
10. Never
leave the practice area without telling the coach unless you are
with
your parents or the person taking you home.
11. Because of insurance and liability, we are no longer allowed to use the diving boards at any of our practices. No swimmer is allowed to be on a diving board at any time for any reason during practice.
12. Practice schedules may change due to HS meets or pool breakdowns. Check your folder in the group box on a regular basis for information you may need on schedule changes or the meets.
13. No practice on days when the schools are closed for holidays or bad weather. We will have practice over Christmas break, to be announced.
14. Make sure you pick up all your gear, water bottles and anything else laying on the deck. Do not leave junk in the locker rooms. Be respectful of the facilities that we get to use.
Swim Meet Information
Riverside Aquatic Club is a competitive
swim organization. All swimmers are encouraged to attend as many meets as
possible. Participation in a meet allows the swimmer and the coach to
assess the effectiveness of training. Once a swimmer has progressed out of
the developmental levels (gold and silver) they will be expected to attend
most meets. The team usually attends one or two meets per month. Swim
meets are usually held on Saturdays and Sundays (some include Friday
evening events). Away swim meet information is attached. It includes
dates, times, hotel information and driving directions.
As soon as
the Club receives information about an upcoming meet, copies of that
information will be placed in the swim box. Swimmers sign up for the
events they wish to enter. Coaches will review entries and may ask swimmer
to swim additional events. You may want to see which swimmers are planning
to attend and work out carpools. Coaches will enter all relay teams. If a
swimmer misses the entry deadline, it will be the parents' responsibility
to contact the business manager to attempt a late entry. Often entry fees
are doubled for late or deck entries. Remember, payment must accompany
all meet entries. The coach will inform developmental swimmers as to
which events he/she is ready to enter.
At a swim meet, swimmers
compete with youngsters of their same age, gender and similar ability. Age
groups are usually designated as 8 & under, 10 & under, 11-12,
13-14, and Senior. The swimmer's birth date on the first day of the meet
determines the swimmers age for that meet. Some meets will limit entries
to more advanced swimmers, but most meets will be open to everyone.
Color Meets are intersquad mini-meets with just a few events to
introduce kids to racing in a non-threatening environment and to work on
times. No charge for Color Meets.
Swim Meet
Preparation
1. Get a good night sleep the night before a swim meet.
This is not the night for a sleepover.
2. The best
meal for the night before is a healthy, high carbohydrate meal. Stay away
from carbonated beverages, fatty foods and hard to digest foods. Sugar
will slow you down. Be sure to drink plenty of water before and during the
meet.
3. Bring a towel for each event. It is important to dry off
between events and to stay warm. Wear a sweatshirt and sweat pants between
events. Muscles stay loose and work better if you don't get chilled
between events.
4. Bring a blanket to spread on the floor of
"camping" area. You may want to bring a video game, book, cards, or other
items to amuse yourself between events.
5. Please wear a RAC cap if
you have one, even the boys. It helps the coaches and parents to locate
our swimmers. Caps are always available from the coaches.
6. Cheer
for teammates during their swims. Give each other support.
7. Clean
team area before leaving.
8. Don't get upset with a
disqualification (DQ) or the Stroke-and-Turn judge. There are rules in
swimming, just like any other sport, and a DQ just tells the swimmer to
work on getting the stroke or kick correct. Remember, the Stroke-and-Turn
judge calls what he/she sees, but always tries to give the benefit of the
doubt to the swimmer. If a parent is concerned about a call, he/she should
speak to the team coach.
Swim Meet
Procedures
1. Arrive 10-15 minutes before warm-ups begin. Warm-ups
are mandatory and give the swimmer time to warm up their muscles as well
as hear the coaches' instructions and get comfortable with the
pool.
2. Have your swimmer sign in. Signing in consists of circling their name
on a sheet of paper posted by the host team. Failure to sign in will result
in your child being "scratched" out of the meet. Sign-in sheets come down
during warm-ups.
3. Buy the heat sheet. Heat sheets usually cost around $5.00 and will
provide all event information. They are also a fundraiser for the host
team.
4. While your child swims warm-ups, you will have time to situate your
things in the camping area. Bleacher area is for viewing-please do not
bring food, coolers, large bags, etc. … into the bleacher area. Those
should be kept in the camping area.
5. Listen for your child's events to be called. Take
your child to the clerk of course or have them report to the coach if
there is no clerk of course. Your swimmer will be assigned a heat and
lane. Remember-parents are not allowed on deck.
6. After each
event, swimmers are expected to report immediately to a coach for a review
of their swim.
7. Always check with your coach before leaving for
the day. Your child may be entered into a relay at the last
minute.
8. Official times and results are usually posted within 30
minutes of the race. These are the times parents should record into the
swimmer's logbook. Logbooks are usually available for sale at the
meets.
9. Coaches pick up ribbons and awards at the end of the swim
meet. They are placed into swim boxes within a couple of days.
*If you need
help with any of the above information, or have questions, please contact
any Board Member of the Club.
Awards
The following awards for both Long Course and Short Course Season will
be given to swimmers at the Annual Spring Banquet. (Usually held in early
April).
1. Individual Awards will be presented to all swimmers.
2. Divisional, Age-Group State and Senior State awards are given to all
who participate in these meets. The award will reflect the highest level
meet in which they compete.
3. Zone
Award plaques are awarded to those swimmers who achieve a zone cut.
4. Team Record Holder Certificates are given to any individual breaking
a team record in short-course yards, short-course meters and long-course
meters.
5. State Record Holder plaques are presented to any swimmer breaking an
Indiana State Record.
6. Golden Goggle Award - Awarded to a swimmer who demonstrates leadership,
sportsmanship, enthusiasm and effort.
Directions to Swim Meets and Hotel Information
Hotel blocks
will not be reserved this swim season. Hotels are listed for your
convenience only.
Donner Meet -Columbus North High School - I 65 N to exit 68 (Columbus). Bear right onto Hwy 46E and travel approx. 2.5 miles into downtown Columbus. Turn left onto Washington St. Travel 1 mile and turn right on 25th St. Go to first stop light and take a left. School is on the right. Park in back lot.
Hotels - Courtyard Marriott (812) 342-8888; Holiday Inn (812) 372-1541; Ramada Inn (812) 376-3051; Hampton Inn (at next exit in Edinburgh by outlet malls) (812) 526-5100
PACE Meet - Jeffersonville High School - I 265 W to Hwy 62 S to Jeff. Turn left at Allison lane. School is on the right. Pool is located in the back parking lot.
Jasper Meet - Jasper High School - I 64 W to US 231 (Dale) exit 57. Turn right onto US 231 and travel North about 14 miles. Go left as road Y's onto SR 56/W6th Street. Turn right onto St. Charles St. Go two blocks and school is on right. Park in back.
Hotel - Holidome (812) 482-5555, Hampton Inn
Divisionals - Jasper High School - I 64 W to US 231 (Dale) exit 57. Turn right onto US 231 and travel North about 14 miles. Go left as road Y's onto SR 56/W6th Street. Turn right onto St. Charles St. Go two blocks and school is on right. Park in back.
Hotel - Holidome (812) 482-5555, Hampton Inn
Senior State
- Brownsburg High, 1000 S. Odell St., Brownsburg, IN 46112
65 North towards Indy, take 465w/I74W. Merge onto Crawfordsville Road
(exit 16A) and take right (US-136). Follow for 6.5 miles and turn left
onto S. Horniday Rd.n Then take right onto Sycamore ST. Then take right
onto S. Odell St.
Age Group
State - IUPUI Natatorium - I65 N to I 70 West. Take
West Street
exit (2nd exit on 70). Turn right (it is a one-way) and follow past
Hoosier Dome and Victory Field. Turn left on Michigan, left on University,
left on New York. Take first right and right again into the parking
garage.
Hotel -
Courtyard by Marriott (317) 885-9799
For information about RAC, contact: Kathy Collings, kcollings1@rivresideaquaticclub.com
Copyright 2007 Riverside Aquatic Club