Forest Park Swim Team Bylaws

Article I – Purpose

The Forest Park Swim Team (FPST) is an extension of the Forest Park Swimming Association located at 1766 Mendocino Drive in Concord, CA. The primary goal of FPST as a recreational swim team is for all swimmers to have fun. In addition to this goal, the coaches and swim team board will work to foster participation, develop good sportsmanship, team spirit, a good self-image, and above all, to help all swimmers improve both their skills and their times throughout the season in a friendly recreational swimming environment. FPST will also promote a sense of community that will endure beyond the swim season.

Article II – Membership

Swimmer’s parents must be members in good standing of the Forest Park Swimming Association (FPSA), or Associate members (swimmers that pay a pool use fee for the exclusive purpose of participating on the Swim Team only).

Swimmer’s parents must be members in good standing of the FPST.
Swimmers must conform to the current LMYA (County Meet) ruling in regard to swimmer eligibility.
The Board will have the authority to suspend or revoke team membership for cause.
The coach(es) shall have the discretion to determine if a swimmer has sufficient skills to join the FPST.

Members are in good standing if:

They do not have any outstanding financial obligations to the team, unless part of an approved payment plan.
They and their swimmers (7 & up only) have signed the Code of Conduct.
They and their swimmers are not currently suspended from attending team events and have not had their membership revoked.
If members of FPSA, they are also members in good standing with FPSA.

Article III – Officers

The FPST board of directors will consist of up to 14 positions. Suggested positions may include:

Swim Team President
Swim Team Vice President (also serves on FPSA board as a voting member & Snack Shack Coordinator)
Treasurer
Secretary
Membership
League Representatives (2 if in a league)
Parent Worker Coordinator
Fundraising Coordinator
Incentives and Awards Coordinator
Hospitality and Spirit Coordinator
Merchandise Coordinator
Meet Director (desk)
Webmaster

Guidelines outlining board member job duties are listed here and included in the Parent Handbook. These duties are maintained by the Secretary and updated and amended from time to time with the approval of the board.

The term of office is for one year from October 1 to September 30.

Board members must be members in good standing to participate on the Board.

The Swim Team President will have the authority to name a replacement for any board member who cannot fulfill or complete his or her term of office.

Each position, with the exception of League Representative, may be filled by a single member, a family, or two members sharing the position. Each position will have one vote at swim team board meetings.

Board members will not have swim meet job assignments as long as they are actively fulfilling their duties on the board. Board members must be accessible in the event a position is not filled at a swim meet. Board members are required to work invitationals if their swimmer(s) is participating in the event.

President – Administrator of the team, responsible for its operation and the point person for all team activities. Duties include, but are not limited to, presiding over team board meetings, managing the coaching staff, communicating with members, conflict resolution, and overseeing all meets and social activities.

Vice President/FPSC board liaison – Attend both swim club and swim team board meetings and act as a liaison between the two boards. Duties include, but are not limited to, assuming the duties of the President in their absence, manage and run the snack shack for all swim team home meets and events including menu and food preparation, shopping, and supply inventory.

Secretary – Record keeper for all official business of the team. Duties include, but are not limited to, keeping a permanent digital record of team documents, preparing and distributing the minutes to team board meetings, and preparing and distributing the Parent Handbook annually.

Treasurer – Account for all financial activities of the team. Duties include, but are not limited to, maintaining the team bank account(s), depositing receipts, paying disbursements, preparing the annual budget, implementing financial controls, accounting for all activities using proper bookkeeping practices, and preparing financial reports as needed.

Membership – (this position may be assumed jointly by the President and Treasurer) Solicit new members and track membership status and dues for all members. Duties include, but are not limited to, answering questions for prospective members, attending community events to solicit new members, and assisting the Treasurer with the collection of dues.

League Reps – Coordinate involvement and participation in any league the team participates in. Duties include, but are not limited to, attending league board meetings, reporting league business back to the swim team board, communicating and enforcing league rules, and assisting in the organization or running of any league events.

Parent Worker Coordinator – Determine, fill and manage all team volunteer job responsibilities. Duties include, but are not limited to, determining jobs requirements each year, communicating with families about job requirements (including invitational meets), checking in volunteers at meets and finding substitutes as needed, keeping an accurate record of jobs worked, and updating the website or job management platform regularly.

Fundraising – Coordinate, manage, and oversee fundraising activities for the team. Duties include, but are not limited to, identifying fundraising activities each year to meet the budgeted needs of the team, communicating fundraising goals, expectations, and events with members, and organizing and overseeing fundraising events.

Incentives / Awards – Oversee and manage all team incentives and awards. Duties include, but are not limited to, ordering and distributing meet ribbons and end-of-season trophies, managing the Swimmer of the Week program and swimmer times boards/binders, and assisting with the end of year awards ceremony.

Hospitality / Spirit – Plan and oversee all social activities of the team. Duties include, but are not limited to, providing a calendar of events to members, determining a theme for each season, planning activities for new members, overseeing the Big/Little Buddy program, planning Spirit Week activities for League Championship and/or City Meets, and organizing events during the off season for members.

Merchandise – Organize and oversee all merchandise and apparel for the team. Duties include, but are not limited to, determining the team suit design, ordering and distributing team suits, coaches gear, caps, and other apparel as needed, and maintaining the team logo.

Meet Director – Manage and oversee home and away meet activities. Duties include, but are not limited to, scheduling all meets and invitationals, overseeing the timing desk and technology at home meets, determining jobs needed for smooth operation of home meets, keeping a digital record of times for swimmers, and maintaining equipment.

Webmaster – Manage and update team website(s) and email accounts. Duties include, but are not limited to, updating the Teamunify website with team events, documents, and swimmer records history, maintaining webhosting and ownership of @forestparkflyers.com domain, maintaining an apparel site for the sale of team merchandise, and managing admins and members of any team sites.

Article IV – Board Meetings

Meetings will be help monthly or as needed and board members are required to attend in order to receive job credit. If a board member is going to be absent from the meeting, they are required to inform the Swim Team President. Board members are allowed to miss a total of 2 meetings unless there is a special circumstance, in which the President can excuse the absence. Missing more than 2 meetings or missing a meeting without informing the President, will be grounds for being dismissed from one’s board position.

A quorum consists of 7 board positions. It takes 7 voters of those present to decide on a matter. If 7 representatives of the determined positions are not present, then the matter will be postponed until the next meeting.

Any member in good standing of the FPST may attend the board meetings. Members should contact the Swim Team President at least 3 days prior to the meeting to be included in the agenda.

Article V – Elections

All board positions are volunteer positions and elections are not required if no positions are contested. All open positions will be communicated to the team during the month of July. Nominations for new board positions occur during the month of August. Members can self-nominate, or second party nominate a member. All nominees will be contacted prior to the vote if a vote is necessary.

In the event of a contest for a board position, a general meeting of members will be held for a vote.

New board members will take office at the October meeting.

Article VI – Finances

The financial records of the FPST are combined with those of the Forest Park Swimming Association and are maintained on a calendar year basis.

The Treasurer shall submit year-end financial statements after the completion of the swim season for the board’s review.

The Treasurer should submit a team budget at the January meeting, or as scheduled by the board for the board’s review and approval.

Dues and fundraising obligations required by the budget each year shall be paid in accordance to schedules established by the board. The annual period for fundraising is set by the board and does not necessarily follow a calendar year.

The board has the authority to suspend or revoke team memberships for financial non-performance.

Article VII – Coaching Staff Selection Committee

A Coaching Staff Selection Committee should be assembled in October or November of each year after the new board begins its term of office. The committee should be active all year.

The Coaching Staff Selection Committee chairperson should be a member of the FPST board. The other members of the committee are not required to be board members, but it is preferable if a majority of members are also board members.

The committee’s duties include recruiting, interviewing, and making recommendations to the board to hire/fire/retain candidates. Duties also include, providing job descriptions to coaches, communicating the incentive program to coaches, monitoring the coaching staff’s performance and reviewing weekly timecards for coaches.

Article VIII – Parent Evaluation/Suggestions/Grievances

Parent Evaluations may be handled via meetings or surveys. Results raised at meetings or results of surveys will be reviewed at the next scheduled board meeting. The board will determine any necessary actions.

Any suggestions and/or grievances of members concerning the activities of the FPST must be filed in writing with a Swim Team Board Member for consideration by the board.

Under no circumstances should parents of members take grievances to the coaching staff.

Article IX – Awards

There will be an annual awards ceremony in August or September or as scheduled by the Board and the Head Coach.

Awards will be presented to swimmers as determined by the coaches. The number of awards and their descriptions are detailed in the Parent Handbook and on the team website. If additional awards or special awards are deemed necessary for a given season, then this must be approved by the board as it has financial impact to the budget.

Team Records: The best time for an event posted by a qualified member of the FPST at a regularly scheduled dual meet, championship meet or invitational meet at a comparable pool shall be recognized as a team record.

Pool records: The best time for an event posted by a qualified entrant at a regularly scheduled home meet or invitational held at Forest Park pool.

Team and Pool records will be maintained by the Meet Director or Team Records parent power position.

Article X – Swim Meets

League meets will be conducted in accordance with the current league’s rules.

All dual meets and any home meets will be conducted in accordance with the current leagues or LMYA’s standing rules, unless other arrangements are made with the opposing team.

The meet schedule shall be developed by the Meet Director, with the assistance of the Head Coach if needed, and approved by the FPST board and the FPSA board in case of any conflicts.

Article XI – Coaches

A coach recommended and hired by the Board has the responsibility for the organization, training and other day to day functions of the Swim Team under the supervision of the Swim Team President and the Board.

Any number of assistant coaches will be recommended by the Coaching Staff Selection Committee each year and approved by the Board.

Article XII – Pandemic Waiver & Code of Conduct

All families must have a current signed waiver stating the team & pool are not liable if anyone in their family comes in contact with an infected covid individual or becomes infected due to exposure. Every family must also have a current Code of Conduct on file in order for their swimmer to attend any and all team sanctioned events.

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