|
 Printable Version
Welcome
Thank you for your interest in our program. NWAC offers children of all ages and abilities a high-quality experience that stimulates their physical, mental, and emotional development. We are confident that our swimmers’ experience will be challenging and rewarding; equally important, the lessons learned will help them mature into capable adults and responsible citizens.
In reading this document and learning the language and conventions of our sport, you will probably have questions. Please do not hesitate to ask one of the coaches or a veteran parent. Also, there is a wealth of information on our website. In this process, please be patient and persistent. Just as it requires time and effort for swimmers to acquire the skills and fitness necessary to advance, a similar learning curve is necessary for new swim parents to become fully informed about competitive swimming.
Joining Procedure
Step 1: Come to the pool for a free two-week tryout (Vanderzicht Memorial Pool, 85 SE Jerome Street)
Entry-level swimmers must be able to swim the length of the pool (25m) in freestyle and backstroke.
Tryouts are offered at the following times:
1. Monday/Tuesday/Thursday 4:45-5:30 p.m.
2. Saturday 9-10 a.m.
Tryout swimmers will need the following clothing and equipment:
1. Comfortable swimming suit (it does not need to be a competitive suit)
2. Goggles if you have them (loaners may be available at the pool)
3. Athletic clothes and shoes for dryland exercises (for tryout swimmers who want to participate)
Step 2: Meet the coach for the tryout
When you arrive at the pool, please ask the cashier to speak with one of our coaches so that we can meet you and your swimmer and set up the tryout. This will consist of your child’s swimming freestyle and backstroke. If your swimmer is not ready, the coach will inform you of which skills/areas need to be improved. If your swimmer is ready, the coach will assign a practice group (95% of our tryout swimmers begin in our entry-level group, Bronze) and invite him or her to continue the free two-week trial period.
Step 3: Complete the registration process
For your swimmer to continue with the two-week tryout period, we will need a) a completed contact-information page/liability waiver (this document forms the basis for our team roster and communication list, so it is essential that you complete each line and write legibly), and b) a $60 check to “NWAC? to cover the cost of registering your swimmer with the state and national governing bodies.
If your swimmer continues beyond the two-week tryout period, we will cash your check and register him or her. We encourage swimmers who aren’t sure they want to join to come several times to increase their familiarity with the water, the setting, the protocol, and the people. Particularly for kids who have not been swimming recently or for those who are shy, the initial session can be intimidating enough that they don’t relax and perform at their best.
After the free tryout has concluded, the remainder of the first month will be prorated and billed at $12.00/week (Bronze level). Monthly email invoices for Swim Team dues are generated on the 25st of every month, with payment due by the 5th of the following month. Families can view their Swim Team account at any time by logging on to the team website.
Step 4: Continuation beyond the free tryout period
Once your swimmer has formally joined the team, the following will occur.
- He or she will be awarded a complementary NWAC meet cap.
- You will be entered into our email list for regular NWAC news.
- You will be provided a mailbox at the pool for receipt of hard copies of monthly calendar, meet information, and other communications.
- You will be entered on our TeamUnify accounts payable list (see section below on dues policy and expected expenses).
5. You will receive an email with your personal password to allow access to your private account on the team’s website.
Step 6: Practice, meets, advancement, parent involvement, Cake Day
Practice
Attendance is encouraged but not required. Coaches will offer advice regarding swimmers’ individual practice schedules, but the schedule is ultimately determined by the swimmers and their families depending upon their ambition and other commitments. We do encourage swimmers to come as often as they can because they will improve faster and enjoy their experience more. We also encourage them (or their parents in the case of younger swimmers) to communicate with coaches regarding their schedules. This helps us plan and stimulates commitment among the athletes.
Observation of practice is always available from the viewing area. We encourage interested parents to watch practice, but we ask that they remain in the pool viewing area. This reduces distractions and allows coaches and swimmers to concentrate fully on their practice activities.
Parents who need to communicate with coaches are encouraged to speak with the coach after practice or to arrange a meeting at another time. Immediately before and during practice, the coach will be busy preparing for or running practice. Our attention at these times needs to be on the athletes.
Similarly, parents who must communicate with their child during practice are asked to speak with the cashier, who will deliver the message to the coach. We ask that parents refrain from coming out on deck or dryland field during practice unless it is an emergency. Again, our purpose is to offer a high-quality educational and athletic experience with a minimum of disruptions
Meets
Meets, like practice attendance, are optional. Parents are responsible for providing or arranging for their swimmers’ transportation to meets. Any swimmer who is good enough to make the team is good enough to compete. Competition provides the following benefits:
1. extrinsic motivation from the chance to win ribbons, medals, and trophies
2. feedback regarding improvements made as well as those that still need attention
3. intrinsic motivation from the opportunity to improve one’s time, skills, and racing strategies
4. a chance to make and strengthen friendships with other Aquajets and kids from other teams
5. an opportunity for the coaches to get to know their swimmers in a different context.
There are various levels of competition, starting with our own intrasquad meets as well as summer dual meets with nearby teams such as Anacortes and Bellingham. This level of competition is ideal for those new to competitive swimming. Parents are responsible for providing their swimmers’ transportation.
Meet entries are done online through the following procedure:
- Select one of the following three options for starting the procedure:
(1) On the home page, scroll down to the bottom-right box, “Upcoming Events"; click on “Attend this Event".
(2) On the “Meets & Events" page, click on “Attend this Event" under the event you want to enter.
(3) Wait to receive an email link that will take you directly to the meet-entry webpage.
- Click the member name you want to enter.
- Select the drop-down to enter the athlete "Yes, please sign [swimmer] up for this event."
- Include any athlete availability restrictions in the “notes? box; if your swimmer cannot be present for certain sessions or for periods of certain sessions, please specify those sessions or those periods in the box. This prevents our entering your swimmer in sessions/events for which he/she cannot be present and allows us to plan for relays.
- Request events (optional) if there are certain events your athlete particularly wants to swim. For meets that do not offer event selection, use the “notes? box to request events. If there is a compelling reason for entering the athlete in the event requested, please include that in the “notes? box so that coaches can weigh that against other event-selection criteria when they determine the final event line-up. (Your requesting events that fall on only one particular day does not suffice as an indicator of athlete availability because the coaches cannot infer whether those requests were made because of the intrinsic nature of the events or because of the sessions in which they are scheduled. Our default mode is to enter the athlete in all sessions for which he or she qualifies and will be available. Please list availability restrictions in the “notes" box if you prefer only specific sessions or periods of specific sessions.)
- Click “submit" at the bottom of the page.
- Families with more than one swimmer must complete the above steps for each athlete.
- Look for the initial meet entries, which will be emailed for your perusal. Notify Neil of discrepancies immediately. Final meet entries will be emailed within a few days.
- Once the entries have been sent to the meet host, you will be billed for your entry in the meet (individual and relay events) regardless of whether your swimmer participates. (The only exception to this is if we have made a mistake in the entry. Entry mistakes, yours or ours, can be prevented by your careful screening of the initial meet entries.) The meet-entry charges will appear on your next monthly email invoice and will be due by the 5th of the following month along with your swim team dues.
Instructional Goals/Advancement
At the entry level of competitive swimming, skill enhancement is paramount. Thus, our primary instructional goal is to equip swimmers with the efficient strokes and turns necessary for long-term improvement. In performing these skills and drills conscientiously and with good effort, swimmers will also greatly improve their physical capacity. Coaches’ criteria for practice group advancement will be skills and fitness as well as effort, emotional maturity, and space availability.
Parent Involvement
NWAC is coached by professional coaches employed by the NWPRD, but its success is in significant part attributable to outstanding parent involvement, both on formal and informal levels. There are many structured parent volunteer positions such as Treasurer, Meet Director, Registrar, Ambassador, Social Chair, Webmaster, Team Store, Cake Day Supervisor, Team Photographer, and Meet Officials. Parents interested in volunteering for a formal position are encouraged to contact the coach. As well, there are opportunities for parents to assist on a less formal level such as helping to time at meets, pitching in on social events, or carpooling swimmers.
With respect to parents’ involvement with their own kids’ swimming, we suggest that parents allow the swimmer to lead and the parents follow. This means that parents love their children unconditionally and support their efforts at whatever level they want to pursue the sport. This also means that parents hold their kids accountable to the commitments they have made. It does not mean, however, that parents push their kids to be champions. Swimmers must find their own level of aspiration. Pushing by parents inevitably backfires, leaving disillusioned swimmers and disappointed parents.
Cake Day
One of our regular events is a monthly Cake Day, which involves parent volunteers’ (usually those parents whose child is celebrating a birthday in that particular month) baking cupcakes for the swimmers to be eaten after practice, usually on the last Monday of each month. If your swimmer has a birthday in the current month, Patty Morris, Cake Day supervisor, requests that you contact her with your child’s name and birth date if he or she will be present at that month’s Cake Day. Patty will personalize a large cupcake for each swimmer with a birthday in the current month. She can be reached at 929-3332 (cell) or pmorrisdrm@comcast.net.
After Joining
Dues policy and expected expenses for 2008-09
There are only two mandatory fees for NWAC participation: the monthly dues (varies by practice group) and the annual registration with the state and national governing bodies ($60). All checks should be made out to “NWAC" and deposited in one of the payment box adjacent to the NWAC mailboxes at the pool. There are also optional fees for meet expenses, attire and equipment, and other swim team events. All of these are outlined below.
Monthly dues (also allow the swimmer free admission to the pool at non-swim-team times)
Practice group In-district/Out-of-District Annual (5% off), paid in September
Senior $95/$101 $993/$1055
Junior $77/$83 $805/$867
Gold $65/$71 $679/$742
Silver $55/$60 $575/$647
Bronze $48/$52 $502/$543
Notes about dues:
1. Monthly email invoices for Swim Team dues and any other charges during that month are generated on the 25th of every month, with payment due by the 5th of the following month.
2. Payments are to be submitted to the Swim Team Dues Box by the 5th of the month. Please pay with a check made out to “NWAC" If you must pay with cash, place it in a sealed envelope with your name on the outside. Those choosing to pay by credit card may do so at the front desk. If you will be having trouble paying on time, please contact NWAC Treasurer, Tina Judd islandjudds@comcast.net. We will do our best to accommodate those of you with unforeseen circumstances, but we need to hear from you.
3. Unless previous arrangements have been made for late payments, the following additional fees will be assessed on accounts not paid by the 5th: $10 late fee for payments received between the 6th and 15th; additional $10 late fee for payments received after the 15th. Accounts not paid by the 20th may result in loss of practice privileges.
4. Discounts
a) Families with multiple swimmers pay 100% of the most advanced swimmer’s dues, 90% of the next most advanced swimmer’s dues, 80% of the next most advanced swimmer’s dues, and so on.
b) NWPRD employees receive a 30% discount during months they are actively employed.
c) Family discounts and employee discounts are not additive. Families will be allowed to take whichever discount is to their financial advantage.
d) Those paying for a whole year in September receive a 5% discount and will not be subject to any additional fees if dues are increased or their swimmer moves to a higher practice group. For those on this plan, there are no refunds for any reason, including but not limited to injury, relocation, or loss of interest.
5. Swimmers who participate continuously from September through July will not make an August payment. Nor will new swimmers who participate continuously from their start date. Others who wish to participate in August will pay the full dues for the month.
6. Other than the joining month for first-time NWAC families, dues will not be prorated for any reason including but not limited to injury, illness, loss of interest, scheduling conflicts, vacations, or scheduled swim team breaks
7. Families choosing not to participate in a given month are asked to email Coach Neil (headcoach@oakharborpool.com) and Swim Team Treasurer Tina Judd islandjudds@comcast.net by the 20th of the preceding month. This allows us to keep our attendance rosters accurate, adjust our monthly accounts, and avoid billing those who will not be participating.
8. Financial assistance (scholarships or work compensation) is available for swimmers with financial hardships. Please communicate with Coach Neil regarding these opportunities. We strive to include all interested swimmers regardless of financial need.
9. Questions and communications regarding dues and family accounts should be directed to the NWAC Treasurer, Tina Judd islandjudds@comcast.net
Annual registration/insurance fee
$60.00 per swimmer, due December 1 (September 1 for swimmers registered seasonally the previous year)
* Includes PNS and USA Swimming registration
* Sanctions swimmer to compete and provides medical insurance in case of injury during NWAC events
Meet fees
Meet fees are additional with individual events costing $20-$35 per meet and relays $2-$3/relay/swimmer. Meet fees will be billed along with monthly fees.
Team caps, suits, and other attire
Swimmers joining the team will receive a free NWAC meet cap. These distinctive canary yellow and navy blue caps are required at meets. Swimmers can purchase additional meet caps from the cashier for $3.50 or from the coaches at meets for $4.00. Silicone NWAC caps are also available from the cashier for $8.
Team suits are navy with gold piping and, like team caps, are required at meets. We order team suits annually in October, but any suit in navy blue or navy blue with yellow piping will suffice. You can also order a team suit directly from our vendor at anytime; consult our website for ordering information. Suits are $15-$25 for boys and $25.95 for girls.
We also offer the opportunity to purchase other NWAC attire such as t-shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, and sweat pants. Typically, orders are placed in September and January. These purchases are optional.
Contact Information
Head Coach: Neil Romney
Assistant Coach: Annie Conto
Facility:
John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool
85 SE Jerome Street
Oak Harbor, WA 98277
360-675-7665
Email: headcoach@oakharborpool.com
|
