GILLS Parent Handbook   

                                                Revised: 04/06/2023            

 

Welcome!

Welcome parents to the Great Illinois Swimmers (GILLS) Summer Season! GILLS is an age group competitive swim club.  We are a member of USA Swimming (USAS) and sanctioned by Illinois Swimming Inc. (ISI). Our club is a non‐profit organization run by its Board of Directors and supported by its member families. The mission of our team is to provide every member an opportunity to improve swimming skills and achieve success at his or her level of ability, from novice to international competitor. We have coaches who are professional, educated, and experienced in competitive swimming.        

 

 

Pool Address

Andrew High School

9001 W. 171^st Street

Tinley Park, IL 60487             

              

Mailing Address        

GILLS

PO Box 54

Tinley Park, IL 60477            

              

Communication         

Most communication from GILLS is conducted via email. Please watch your email for information and updates. Check the website calendar also for updates and also follow our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram group where we frequently post updates and photos.          

                                www.gills-swim.org

Our website contains all information regarding GILLS.  After you have registered you will receive an email with login instructions for our website. Once you have logged in, you will be able to:             

• View the calendar for practice times           
• View your child’s swim times and compare them to standards (Regional, State, etc.)        
• Order your swimmer equipment and spirit wear   
• Commit your swimmer for meets    
• Sign up for volunteer positions throughout the season through the Job Sign Up tab on the events page    
• Read the GILLS FAQ’s          
• Find addresses for other pools where away meets are held    

 

                            Summer Registration Fees

*Please note, new and transfer swimmers will be evaluated by coaching staff on a day set by the club. At that time the coaches will make a decision as to what practice group they are placed in based on their ability.  The GILLS coaching staff reserves the right to turn away any swimmer they feel is not ready for a competitive swim team.            

COST BREAKDOWN:

• New swimmers & Returning GILLS (did not swim with team from September 2022 - March 2023)
  • $450.00 ($400.00 + $50.00 District 230 rental fees) 
  • $85.00 (USA Swimming requires all swimmers to complete the mandatory registration directly and pay this fee.) 
• ​Current swimmers (swam between September 2022 - March 2023)
  • ​$400
• Transfer swimmers
  • New Swimmers - ​$460.00 ($400.00 + $50.00 District 230 rental fee + $10.00 transfer fee)
  • High School Swimmers - $150.00 ($140.00 + $10.00 transfer fee)
  • $85.00 (only if not paid - USA Swimming requires all swimmers to complete the mandatory registration directly and pay this fee.) 
• ​New high school swimmers
  • $140.00
  • $85.00 (USA Swimming requires all swimmers to complete the mandatory registration directly and pay this fee.) 
  • ​High school swimmers are those swimmers enrolled in high school in the fall of 2023. 
• Current high school swimmers (swam between September 2022 - March 2023) 
  • $140.00 

 PLEASE NOTE:

• GILLS only accepts credit/debit cards upon registration. For those interested, a payment plan option will be available this summer.
• Volunteer Requirements - All competitive swimmers' families are required to volunteer for home swim meets/events. Families with high school swimmers do not need to meet the volunteer requirement.  

 

Concession Donation Fee             

Each family will be required to pay the Concession donation fee. The money collected for this is used to purchase all food and beverages to be sold at the concession stand throughout the season which helps support the club's operational costs.            

              

District 230 Fees      

All swimmers (excluding Dist 230 High School Swimmers) will be required to pay the District 230 Pool Rental Fee.      

              

Volunteer Requirements    

Parental involvement is essential for our club to function.  All pre-k thru 8^th grade swimmers’ families are required to volunteer for home swim meets and events. The number of volunteer requirements will be set by the club at the start of each season. If the meets/events obligation is not fulfilled your credit card will be charged $100.00.  At the end of the season if you have completed your volunteer requirements your account will be noted and you will not be charged the $100 fee.  While you may periodically check to see your volunteer credits, please be aware that they will not always show up immediately.  We do track them and you will be credited for any events worked before cards are charged.           

This season, each family is required to fulfill a minimum of 3 volunteer jobs. Volunteers will be needed to time at meets, help organize the swimmers, work the concession stand, clean up and locker room monitoring. Please note - While adult volunteers are allowed on deck to volunteer, siblings and other non-swimmers are not permitted on deck at any time!       

Additional volunteer opportunities include ribbons nights, timers for ISI meets, and helping at team events. Once the meet schedule is posted on the website you will be allowed to sign up through the Events tab under Job Sign Up.                    

Volunteer jobs requiring additional training are USA Swimming Officials, scoreboard operation, meet announcer, events planning, ribbons coordinator and other jobs determined necessary by the Board. Please contact a board member if you are interested in assisting in any of these positions.           

                           

Refunds          

GILLS offers a two-week trial period for NEW swimmers only (swimmers that have never been registered with any USA Swimming club before).  If your swimmer wishes to drop out of swimming you must notify the coaches and email the Board at [email protected].  GILLS will only refund the registration fee and the concession donation fee of new swimmers.  The USAS Registration Fee is non-refundable and credit card fees cannot be refunded as they are not collected by GILLS.  

              

Payments        

Registration fees and installment payments, are to be made during the online registration process via credit/debit cards only.  All other additional fees throughout the season (eg. ISI Swim meet fees, GILLS spirit wear etc.) will be charged to your credit card.  If your family signs up for these additional ISI Swim Meets all additional fees will be invoiced and your credit card will be charged.  

              

Financial Responsibilities              

Your registration fees cover pool fees, coach’s salaries, membership fees, meet administrative fees, pool equipment, as well as other operating expenses. The team may conduct a fundraiser each season to keep our fees at a minimum.  Fundraiser information will be announced if the Board determines that a fundraiser is in the best interests of the club at that time.  Participation is not mandatory but is highly encouraged.          

 

GILLS Team Sponsorship              

Advertising your business on the GILLS website is available (click on 'advertise here' on main page of website for more information)      

• $99/yr Plus Ad Plan                
• $499/yr Premier Ad Plan
• $999/yr Premier+ Ad Plan    

Please email Barbara Fritts at barbara@gills-swim.org if you are interested in fulfilling your fundraising commitment by purchasing an Ad Plan on the GILLS website.              

 

  

                                  Team Gear and Apparel

Practice           

Each swimmer will need a practice swimsuit (no two piece suits for girls), a swim cap, and at least one pair of goggles. All swimmers should bring a water bottle to practice in order to stay hydrated and a swim bag to carry their equipment.   Please see the list of equipment needed for each group.     

                                           Kickboard, Fins, Pull Buoy & Snorkel  

              

Meets   

Each swimmer will need: GILLS team suit, swim cap (mandatory for girls), two pairs of goggles (in case one pair breaks), 2 towels.               

                                                 PLEASE LABEL ALL OF YOUR CHILD’S THINGS!!

                                                 SUITS, GOGGLES, and CAPS get mixed up easily!!

Spirit Wear

Periodically, spirit wear will be available to purchase.  GILLS utilizes an outside vendor to create and sell spirit wear and therefore, no refunds can be offered for these purchases. 

              

                                           Swim Meets

 

Types of Meets:        

Intrasquad Meet-­‐ Swimmers from our own team compete against one another in a meet at Andrew. This meet helps new swimmers and their parents become familiar with the workings of a dual meet. There are no additional costs to swim in the Intrasquad Meet.              

Dual Meet – Swimmers from our team compete against swimmers from another team. Parents decide if their swimmer will attend and Coaches determine which swimmers compete in the specific events. These meets can be home (Andrew Pool) or away (opposing team’s pool). Swimmers are allowed to swim in a maximum of 2 individual events and 2 relays per meet. There are no additional costs to swim in Dual Meets.   

Conference Meet -­‐ GILLS is in the South Suburban Swim Conference.  At the end of the season, each division holds a championship meet. The team’s overall finish determines which division the team will compete in next season. Coaches determine which swimmers will compete based on best swim times during the season. Please expect to pay a spectators admission fee at this meet.  There are no entry fees for participating swimmers.        

ISI / Invitational Meet – During the season, GILLS will participate in large weekend meets hosted by swim clubs in Illinois and surrounding states. Parents can sign up their swimmer for specific events of their choice. Parents may want to discuss their child’s participation in these meets with the coaches. Additional fees are charged per event. Meet packets will be available for review in order to determine date, time, session, and event sign up. Please read the meet packet for information on location of meet, day/session times, costs, events, number of events allowed to swim, and other pertinent information. These meets will be listed under the Meets & Events tab on the website.                    

Regional/State/Championship Meets -- Swimmers can qualify to compete in Regional and State Championship meets. There are required times for participation in these meets. Time standards and explanations can be found on our website under the Time Standards tab.         

 

Sign up for meets online:

Login to your GILLS account. View meets under the MEETS & EVENTS tab.  Select Attend/Decline to commit your swimmer(s). Swimmers are encouraged to swim in dual meets.  Registration for dual swim meets is free of charge.  If you do not Attend/Decline by the registration deadline your swimmer will be unable to participate in the meet. For dual meets, you need only commit or decline and the coaches will choose the events for your swimmer.  For ISI meets, you may select the events and a coach will approve them before submitting the entries to the host team.  You will be responsible to pay the entry fees for the ISI events that you select because once GILLS entries are sent, we have to pay for the events whether or not your swimmer actually attends the meet.  Please note the session for each event as there are many times when a swimmer could potentially swim in more than one session.  While it is permitted for swimmers to participate in multiple sessions, you will need to decide if it is appropriate for your child.        

 

Cannot Make a Swim Meet            

In the event your swimmer is sick or cannot make the swim meet do one of the following things:     

1. If the online registration window is open please login to your account on change your swimmers status to decline.  No fees will be charged if you decline during the registration window. 
2. If the registration window is closed email or text Aimée Schatz [email protected] 630-643-1305 and/or Mike Lynch [email protected] 708-220-9718         

              

LATE for Swim Meet: If you are running late for a swim meet text Coach Mike 708-220-9718.  Please do not email in this instance as he will not be checking email while on deck but will see a text come through and be better able to handle the situation in a timely manner.      

If swimmers do not arrive to the swim meets on time they will be scratched and will not be able to participate.  If they are scheduled to swim in a relay and they do not notify the coach that they are late or unable to attend, the other swimmers in the relay will not be able to swim either.  This is why it is crucial that you text Coach Mike that you are running late so that your swimmer (and teammates) are not scratched from their events.  Once scratched, they cannot be re-entered for that meet.    

              

Swim Meet Ribbons            

Swimmers will receive ribbons for dual meets for 1st-6th place unless they are DQed. If in the event a swimmer is DQed, no ribbon is given. Relay ribbons are given for 1st-4th place with the exception of a DQ. If any member of your relay team gets DQed, no one in that relay gets a ribbon. These will be available about 2 weeks after each meet; and can be picked up in the swimmer’s “mailbox” or the swim office. Each swimmer will have a folder with their name where their ribbon(s) will be placed. Invitational Meet ribbons may or may not be handed out at the discretion of the host team.                 

              

USA Swimming and Illinois Swimming, Inc. Membership    

All GILLS swimmers are required to register with USA Swimming (USAS) and Illinois Swimming, Inc (ISI). This is covered by your $85 USAS/ISI registration and insurance fee. The USAS and ISI memberships are valid for one year renewing in September each year.          

              

As a USAS member, your swimmer’s achieved times are tracked on the USAS website. You can create an account on the website to view their times. This is the official database that tracks all swimmers times and are the times used to determine qualification for championship meets. For information, go to https://www.usaswimming.org.  Each swimmer will need their own Deck Pass account but you can use the same email address to create multiple accounts.

 

Sanctioned Meets are meets that are approved through Illinois Swimming, Inc. (or other Local Swim Committees). These include dual meets, ISI meets, and championship meets.   

                               General Policies and Procedures

 

Arrival and Dismissal          

All swimmers are to enter the pool through the main entrance (the South doors) and exit the pool at the S-9 pool door.  Swimmers are expected to be on deck, ready to swim by the time stated on the calendar.           

Parents for safety reasons, children should not be unattended in any other areas inside or outside of the school. Please make sure your child enters the pool area and leaves the pool area in your care.  The coaches are not responsible for the child when he or she leaves the pool area except as required by the below COVID protocols.               

Parents are expected to be on time when dropping off and picking up their child.  Swimmers should arrive and depart within 10 minutes of their practice time.  For later practice, you must pick up your children by 9:15pm at the latest.  Our coaches and board members want to go home too!

If you need to take your swimmer home before the end of their practice, you MUST tell the coach responsible for that group or a Board member that you are leaving.  This is a safety concern as we need to account for each swimmer and if we do not know you took your swimmer home, we will assume they are missing.  If you are not inside the building, please email or text this information in advance or ask your swimmer to advise their coach at the beginning or practice.          

 

Locker Room Policy 

Parents are not to use the facilities in the locker rooms.  Public bathrooms for parents are located in the hallways east of the pool.  We discourage parents from entering locker rooms and changing areas unless it is truly necessary. In those instances, it should only be a same sex parent. If this is necessary, parents should let the coach or Board member know about this in advance. USA Swimming has very specific rules about locker room safety and it is important that we comply fully with those rules for the safety of our swimmers.  Please see the Minor Athlete Abuse Protection Policy available on our website which was included in the registration process.  Cell phones and other mobile devices with recording capabilities, including voice recording, still cameras and video cameras increase the risk for different forms of misconduct in locker rooms and changing areas. The USA Swimming Athlete Protection Policies prohibit the use of such devices in the locker room or other changing area:              

305.3 Use of audio or visual recording devices, including a cell phone camera, is not allowed in changing areas, rest rooms or locker rooms.     

Pool Deck

Parents are not allowed to be on deck at any time unless they are volunteering at a swim meet and their position requires them to be on deck.  This is a safety requirement set forth by Illinois Swimming and USA Swimming and we must comply with this requirement at all times whether at practices, meets or other team events.  This includes sitting on the bleachers near the locker rooms, the entire back pool area and the area behind the diving boards and blocks.  Parents may watch practices or events from the stands. 

 

Contagious or Infectious Diseases or Illness

If your swimmer is sick, keep them home!  It is better for their healing and the health of the rest of the team to not send a sick or contagious swimmer to practice.  Please be considerate of teammates and coaches and keep your swimmer home until they are well.  We want our athletes healthy and fit.  Proper health care, good hygiene and preventing the spread of germs is every member's responsibility. 

              

 

 

                   GILLS SWIMMER CODE OF CONDUCT

             

Swimmers are what makes GILLS so great. To establish a team with high standards, our athletes must excel not only in the water but in life. GILLS seeks to establish guidelines in order for the organization to run successfully and to assist in setting boundaries for each swimmer. It is the responsibility of the parent(s) and athletes to understand and abide by the code, and of the coaches to fairly enforce the Swimmer Code of Conduct.  Also, as privileged guests of Andrew High School, we must conduct ourselves appropriately or risk losing this privilege.              

              

1. Swimmers are expected to behave and treat all coaches and other swimmers with respect during practice and swim meets.   A swimmer that is disruptive to other swimmers may be dismissed from practice or the swim meet.
2. Swimmers are encouraged to participate in all practices. They will only see as much progress as they are willing to work toward.              
3. Swimmers are expected to arrive at practice and meets on time with all of their necessary equipment.  They will be expected to stay for the duration of the practice/meet unless the coach has been given prior notification.           
4. Swimmers are required to clean up after themselves at both practices and meets including the pool deck and locker room areas. After practices and meets swimmers should be able to gather their belongings and leave on time. 
5. Swimmers should report any improper behaviors in the lockers rooms to the coaching staff or a board member. 
6. Swimmers must notify the coaching staff in advance if they cannot attend a swim meet. Failure to notify the coaching staff of your child’s absence may disqualify them from the next swim meet.
7. Swimmers must notify the coaching staff if they will be late for a swim meet or if they need to leave early from a swim meet. Failure to notify a coach may disqualify them from the next meet. If a swimmer arrives late for a meet, it will be at the discretion of the Coach and officials whether the swimmer will compete.
8. Swimmers are required to remain in the team’s assigned area during meets. Older team members are expected to be good examples for the younger swimmers. 
9. Swimmers must conduct themselves appropriately while in the locker rooms.
10. There is a strict policy of NO CELL PHONE USE in locker rooms.  Additionally, any vandalism, bullying or other inappropriate behavior may result is dismissal from the team.
11. Swimmers must attend a mandatory swimmers meeting each season-date to be determined.

              

The following is a list of behaviors that will NOT be tolerated and maybe subject to immediate termination or disciplinary action(s):                  

1. Theft, disrespect, destruction, or degradation of people, places and or object;
2. Bullying (See Bullying action Plan);
3. Abusive language;
4. Drug use other than those prescribed by one’s physician;
5. Physical contact with another swimmer, coach or parent with the intent of harm or abuse;
6. Alcohol or tobacco use;
7. Sexual misconduct and or harassment;
8. Damage to Andrew High School Facility or any other facility, or equipment; and 
9. Bringing any type of weapon to swim practice, meets, etc. A weapon is defined as a gun, knife, etc.

              

GILLS observes a “3 strike” rule. Any swimmer who violates the Code of Conduct policy 3 times will be dismissed from the GILLS Swim Team. The coaches and board members of the GILLS Swim Team reserve the right to dismiss any swimmer at any time if the swimmer’s actions are serious in nature.  There will be NO REFUNDS to any swimmer dismissed from the GILLS Swim Team for cause.   

              

 

                  GILLS PARENT CODE OF CONDUCT

              

The following Code of Conduct is for parents and spectators to abide by at every practice, meet, and/or team function.            

              

Parents will abide by the following:            

              

1. Will maintain self-control at all times and will understand my role of being part of the GILLS Team.             
2. Will show support for not only my child, but for all GILLS swimmers and the team itself, and will demonstrate good sportsmanship.          
3. Will not coach or instruct the team or any athlete at a practice or meet (from the stands or any other area).           
4. Will not interfere with coaches on the pool deck.         
5. Will not criticize, name-call, discredit or use abusive language or gestures directed towards the GILLS organization, coaches, officials, the board, and/or any participating athlete or fellow parent.         
6. During competitions, questions or concerns regarding decisions made by meet officials will be directed to a member of our coaching staff, NOT the official. (This should be done at a pre-planned time with coaching staff, not during meet)         
7. Will email or phone the coach for a parent/coach meeting if coaches are unavailable to speak before or after practices.               
8. Will assist my swimmer(s) to understand the importance of following the GILLS Swimmer Code of Conduct.

                           

                                  GILLS BULLYING POLICY

              

USA Swimming clubs are required to have an action plan to address bullying. Great

Illinois Swimmers (GILLS): Action plan to address bullying        

              

PURPOSE: Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at GILLS and will not be tolerated.

Bullying is counterproductive to team spirit and can be devastating to a victim. The

GILLS Swim Club is committed to providing a safe, caring and friendly environment for all of our members. If bullying does occur, all athletes and parents should know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. Anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell a coach, board member or athlete/mentor.    

              

Objectives of the Club’s Bullying Policy and Action Plan:               

1. To make it clear that the Club will not tolerate bullying in any form.              
2. To define bullying and give all board members, coaches, parents and swimmers a good understanding of what bullying is.           
3. To make it known to all parents, swimmers and coaching staff that there is a policy and protocol should any bullying issues arise.         
4. To inform parents and swimmers how to report bullying.
5. To spread the word that GILLS takes bullying seriously and that all swimmers and parents can be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.          

              

WHAT IS BULLYING? The USA Swimming Code of Conduct prohibits bullying.

Generally, bullying is the use of aggression, whether intentional or not, which hurts another person. Bullying results in pain and distress.           

The USA Swimming Code of Conduct defines bullying in 304.3.7.                    

Bullying is the severe or repeated use by one or more USA Swimming members of oral, written, electronic or other technological expression, image, sound, data or intelligence of any nature (regardless of the method of transmission), or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at any other member that to a reasonably objective person has the effect of:                       

1. causing physical or emotional harm to the other member or damage to the other member’s property;          
2. placing the other member in reasonable fear of harm to himself/herself or of damage to his/her property;          
3. creating a hostile environment for the other member at any USA Swimming activity; IV. infringing on the rights of the other member at any USA Swimming activity; or v. materially and substantially disrupting the training process or the orderly operation of any USA Swimming activity (which for the purposes of this section shall include, without limitation, practices, workouts and other events of a member club or LSC).               

              

REPORTING PROCEDURE: An athlete who feels that he or she has been bullied is asked to do one or more of the following things:       

• Talk to your parents;              
• Talk to a Club Coach, Board Member, or other designated individual;             
• Write a letter or email to the Club Coach, Board Member, or other designated individual;                            

There is no express time limit for initiating a complaint under this procedure, but every effort should be made to bring the complaint to the attention of the appropriate club leadership as soon as possible to make sure that memories are fresh and behavior can be accurately recalled and the bullying behavior can be stopped as soon as possible.      

              

  

 

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION POLICY

USA Swimming clubs are now required to implement an electronic communication policy. The policy must be reviewed with and agreed to by all athletes, parents, coaches and other adults affiliated with the club.                       

PURPOSE        

GILLS recognizes the prevalence of electronic communication and social media in today’s world. Many of our swimmers use these means as their primary method of communication. While GILLS acknowledges the value of these methods of communication, we also realize that there are associated risks that must be considered when adults use these methods to communicate with minors.              

 

GENERAL CONTENT           

All communications between a coach or other adult and an athlete must be professional in nature and for the purpose of communicating information about team activities. The content and intent of all electronic communications must adhere to the USA Swimming Code of Conduct regarding Athlete Protection.        

For example, as with any communication with an athlete, electronic communication should not contain or relate to any of the following:       

• drugs or alcohol use;             
• sexually oriented conversation; sexually explicit language; sexual activity      
• the adult’s personal life, social activities, relationship or family issues, or personal problems; and       
• inappropriate or sexually explicit pictures               
• Note: Any communication concerning an athlete's personal life, social activities, relationship or family issues or personal problems must be transparent, accessible and professional.                

Whether one is an athlete, coach, board member or parent, the guiding principle to always use in communication is to ask: “Is this communication something that someone else would find appropriate or acceptable in a face to face meeting?” or “Is this something you would be comfortable saying out loud to the intended recipient of your communication in front of the intended recipient’s parents, the coaching staff, the board, or other athletes?”        

With respect to electronic communications, a simple test that can be used in most cases is whether the electronic communication with swimmers is Transparent, Accessible and Professional.           

Transparent: All electronic communication between coaches and athletes should be transparent. Your communication should not only be clear and direct, but also free of hidden meanings, innuendo and expectations.        

Accessible: All electronic communication between coaches and athletes should be considered a matter of record and part of the Club’s records. Whenever possible, include another coach or parent in the communication so that there is no question regarding accessibility.      

Professional: All electronic communication between a coach and an athlete should be conducted professionally as a representative of GILLS. This includes word choices, tone, grammar, and subject matter that model the standards and integrity of a staff member.          

If your communication meets all three of the T.A.P. criteria, then it is likely your method of communication with athletes will be appropriate.          

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, BLOGS, AND SIMILAR SITES           

Coaches may have personal Facebook (or other social media site) pages, but they are not permitted to have any athlete member of the Club join their personal page as a “friend” unless there was a previous relationship between that coach and athlete (such as family members). A coach should not accept any “friend” request from an athlete. In addition, the coach should remind the athlete that this is not permitted. Coaches and athletes are not permitted to “private message” each other through Facebook, chat or other IM method.  GILLS has an official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram page that athletes and their parents can “like" and "follow" for information and updates on team related matters.

TEXTING          

Subject to the general guidelines mentioned above, texting is allowed between coaches and athletes during the hours from 7am until 9pm. Texting only shall be used for the purpose of communicating information directly related to team activities.    

EMAIL               

Athletes and coaches may use email to communicate between the hours of 7am and 9pm. When communicating with an athlete through email, a parent, another coach, or a board member must also be copied.        

REQUEST TO DISCONTINUE ALL ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS      

The parents or guardians of an athlete may request in writing that their child not be contacted by coaches through any form of electronic communication.           

              

                                      TEAM TRAVEL POLICY

GILLS adopts the model travel policy provided to assist USA Swimming member clubs in developing their own policies.      

 

                             GILLS PHOTOGRAPHY POLICY

PURPOSE

There has been much talk about whether it is safe to have images taken of children participating in sports. While the great majority of images are appropriate and are taken in good faith, it is a fact that images can be misused and children can be put at risk if common-sense procedures are not observed.

 Policy

1. The publishing of a photograph of swimmer under 18 either on a notice board or in a published article or video recording (including video streaming) of swimming competitions, team feed or Facebook should only be done with parents’ consent. If you do not wish to have your child’s picture posted to any of the above mentioned, please notify Aimée Schatz [email protected]
2. A parent or guardian has a right of refuse to have children photographed. The exercise of this right of refusal cannot be used as grounds for refusing entry into a swimming competition.

All photographs must observe generally accepted standards of decency in particular:

• Action shots should be a celebration of the sporting activity and not a sexualized image in a sporting context.
• Action shots should not be taken or retained where the photograph reveals a torn or displaced swim suit.
• Photographs should not be taken from behind swimming blocks at the start of a race or exhibit a child climbing out of the swimming pool.
• Photographs should not be taken in locker-rooms or bathrooms.

 

 

 

              

*GILLS Board of Directors has the authority and reserves the right to update or modify this handbook at any point. Notification will be made if updates or modifications occur.