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Table of Contents |
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Mission Statement |
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2 |
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3 |
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About swim competitions, practice and invitationals |
3 |
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Dual League Meets |
3 |
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3 |
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3 |
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4 |
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4 |
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4 |
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Setup & Clean Up |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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6 |
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Swimmers |
6 |
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Parents |
6 |
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7 |
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Terminology (cont.) |
8 |
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8 |
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9 |
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9 |
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9 |
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9 |
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President |
9 |
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Vice-President |
9 |
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Treasurer |
9 |
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Secretary |
10 |
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The Board of Trustees is Responsible for |
10 |
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Fundraiser |
10 |
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Purchasing Agent |
10 |
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Newsletter |
10 |
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Meet Setup /Clean-Up |
10 |
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Statistician |
10 |
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Officials & Timers |
10 |
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Public Relations Representative |
10 |
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USS Team Representative/Administrator |
10 |
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Deck Supervisor/Meet |
11 |
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Banquet |
11 |
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Concessions |
11 |
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Score Keepers |
11 |
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Web Master |
11 |
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12 |
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Article I – Name |
12 |
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Article II – Objectives |
12 |
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Article III – Government |
12 |
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Article IV – Duties of Officers |
12 |
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Article V – Dues |
12 |
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Article VI – Meetings |
12 |
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Article VII – Order of Business |
12 |
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Article VIII – Amendments |
12 |
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Article IX – Elections |
13 |
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Article XI – Assignment of Duties |
13 |
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14 |
i
Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
The purpose of the Viking
Aquatic Club is to develop swimming skills, strength and endurance, while
promoting a healthy competitive nature in our swimmers. These goals can only be
obtained by teamwork. This teamwork includes developing relationships between
coaches and swimmers, parents and coaches, and swimmers and parents. Our club
depends on a good communication system between all the participants, coaches,
swimmers and parents.
The club makes demands on parents, swimmer and the
coaching staff. The demands on the parents are very important. For the parents
there is a time commitment between practice and meets, a financial commitment,
as well as the commitments as a volunteer (i.e. working at meets, fund-raisers,
annual dinners, etc.).
For the athletes, the commitments can be very
demanding. Practice demands hard work and a commitment to improve. ESSL meets
are held for every swimmer. The athlete must take on responsibilities for
her/himself as well as the whole team.
The coaching staff feels that the demands made by the
club will help develop the athlete into a well-rounded young person. Following
are some ways we believe will help us achieve our goals:
1. Get to know the
coaches. They are always available after practice. Feel free to communicate any
problems or suggestions.
2. Understand that
competition can be a thrill that our athletes will enjoy. Although it means
hard work, it can be fun. It does not always mean winning. Improving in skills,
times and attitudes are equally important goals.
3. Understand the
courage required when an athlete competes. When a swimmer competes, they are
taking a risk. Therefore competition and risk taking require courage and
develop strength and character.
4. Remember that
coaches and parents cannot compete. When this occurs, the all-important
communication system can fall apart.
We believe the Viking
Aquatic Club can be advantageous for the coaching staff, the athletic
swimmer and the parents of the athletes.
Page
1 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
The Function of the board members will be:
1. To advise the
general team membership in matters pertaining to the goals and objectives of
the team and to establish a team handbook with the help of the coaching staff.
2. To provide
assistance and manpower to the coaching staff of all supportive activities.
3. To resolve
problems, discuss and implement suggestions brought to the Board by parents.
4. To work with the
coaching staff on any and all matters that are related to interpretation of
league rules and policies affecting the team.
5. To act as a liaison
between the parents and coaching staff when and if conflicts result between
swimmers and staff or parents and staff.
Requirements for VAC swimmers:
1. All Swimmers should
be able to swim 25 yards freestyle and tread water for 30 seconds.
2. All swimmers must
attend all dual and swim invitational swims meets, which pertain to the
appropriate age groups.
3. All swimmers will
remain on deck for the entire duration of the meet.
4. It is recommended
that all competitive and novice swimmers attend at least three (3) practices
each week.
5. Pool rules must be
followed; running on pool deck is prohibited, as is horseplay in the locker
rooms and showers. Repeated violations of the pool rules or other unacceptable
behavior can result in suspension or removal from the team.
The head coach may schedule additional coaches or
assistants at his/her discretion.
These guidelines are intended to insure minimum coverage.
When practice is scheduled for all groups, at least
three coaches will be present. The
Mini-VACs will always have a dedicated coach as will the novice group.
Competitive swimmers: The club will maintain a maximum
athlete to supervision ratio of 30 to 1.
The coach can schedule volunteer members to assist on deck at his/her
direction depending on the supervision ratio. A lifeguard may be scheduled depending
on the availability of coaches.
Additional parent information as it relates to
staffing:
1)
Parents are responsible for their children should they leave the pool
deck.
2)
Parents must adhere to the clubs rules titled “Parent
Commitment” so the coaches are not distracted. Click Here for more information
3)
Our coaches are USA Swim certified which require the following
certifications.
a. CPR
b. First Aid
c. Safety Training for
Swim Coaches
For more details on this
topic Click Here
Page
2 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
About
swim competitions, practice and invitationals
Dual
League Meets
The Viking Aquatic Club competes within the Empire
State Swim League (ESSL). As a league team, we will be competing during the
course of the season in six (6) meets against other league teams. These are
called dual meets. One team swimming against another.
All VAC swimmers are required to attend all six league
meets. Typically these meets will be held on Saturdays or Sundays, either at our
pool or at the home pool of the team we are competing against. These
“away” meets are usually close and not more than a 45-minute drive.
Dual meets usually last about 4 to 4 ½ hours.
There are 62 events covering various distances and all strokes. Each swimmer
will be placed in no more than four (4) events. Swimmers who achieve 1st,
2nd, 3rd place win points for the team. Sometimes
children may swim “exhibition.” This means that the swimmer is not
swimming for points, but for the experience in that event. Competition
“between teammates” is discouraged. Swimmers will receive ribbons
if they place 1st-6th place in their event, but the
ribbons are distributed some time after the meet takes place. The point is that
the children belong to a team. Weak and strong swimmers alike are encouraged to
view themselves as important contributors to the team.
Coaches make all the decisions about what events each
swimmer will swim. The decisions are based on how the swimmer can best
contribute to the team effort and what the swimmers individual needs may be.
Swim practice in
tentatively scheduled Monday through Friday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Practice follows the
Valley Central school schedule. Any changes in times or days will be posted. It
is recommended that all swimmers arrive 15 minutes before the start of
practice. This time is needed for changing into swimsuits, etc. Warm-ups begin
at 5:30 p.m. It is necessary that all swimmers have a proper warm-up. It
prepares the body for strenuous activity and helps prevent injury. Swimmers
arriving late not only miss this necessary warm-up, but also disrupt practice
that has already started.
If for unavoidable reasons a swimmer cannot attend a
meet, please inform the coaches well in advance. This is important because the
placement of other swimmers into events may very well be influenced by whether
or not your child attends. For example, if your child is assigned to swim in a
four (4)-person relay at the end of the meet but does not show up, the other
three (3) swimmers cannot swim.
Coaches spend much time planning a swim meet. This is
usually done days before the scheduled meet. Even minor last minute
changes can cause great disruption during the meet. Please inform the coaching
staff if your child cannot attend a meet or must leave a meet early.
Please be sure your child remains on deck during the
meet. Meets can be confusing and there are parent volunteers who work hard to
make sure that swimmers don’t miss their events. This is a difficult
task; events run quickly and cannot be changed or delayed. Events will not be
stopped in order to look for swimmers wandering in the spectator area or locker
rooms. If the swimmers are encouraged to feel part of a team, they will soon
learn to enjoy staying on deck to watch and cheer their teammates on.
Parents are responsible for providing transportation
to all meets.
A perfect attendance award will be presented at the
conclusion of the season to each swimmer who participates in all ESSL meets.
Page
3 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
Each swimmer will have a mail folder, which will be
located in the coaches’ office. Notices, ribbons and other information
will be placed in them from time to time. Please have your child check his/her
mail folder at each practice.
VAC often posts information on the bulletin board by
the locker room entrance. Boards are also located in the spectator area. Check
these on a regular basis.
It is required that all personal items such as
goggles, swimsuits, towels, sweat suits, etc., be marked with your
child’s name. A lost and found is located in the coaches’ office.
Have your child check it for missing items. VAC will not be responsible for any
lost items.
Please inform the coach of any change in your
child’s medical status that occurs during the season.
Without the assistance of the parents, this swim club
cannot exist. Your assistance is required to ensure a successful season. The
areas where help is needed are as follows:
Setup
& Clean Up
For dual meets and
Page
4 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
There are usually two (2) ribbon writers per team at
each dual meet.
The concession stand is one
of the most important areas where help is needed. Concessions are a major
fund-raiser for the team. Help is needed to sell food, drinks, etc. This
usually requires at least three (3) to four (4) parents.
There are usually nine (9)
timers for each meet. For dual meets, one timer from our team works with one
timer from the opposing team for each lane. No experience is needed,
instructions are given on how to operate the stopwatch before each meet. If you
want to see the action up close, this is the best seat in the house.
During our invitational and
dual meets supervisors are needed. Large invitationals may require the swimmers
to be staged in the gym and not on the deck. These swimmers must be supervised
during the time they are not swimming. During dual meets, the swimmers are
staged on the pool deck. Parents are needed to act as meet marshals. These
meet marshals supervise the deck, provide assistance to the younger
swimmers and assist the swim officials when they are needed. This requires at
least two (2) parents.
Two (2) persons per team are required to bring the
meet cards and time sheets from each lane to the score table after each event.
This may be done by responsible teenagers or by parents who are looking for
some aerobic activity.
Certified Swim Officials
are needed in order to have a legal and fair swim meet. Each team is
required to have at least two (2) certified officials. This is an ESSL
requirement. Officials are also needed for
Page
5 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
Swimmers:
1. All swimmers must
have a team swimsuit. Team suits and caps are mandatory. No
swimmer will participate at meets unless they are wearing the team suit. If
you have a special circumstance, you must speak with the coach prior to the meet.
2. Two (2) towels
3. Two (2) pairs of
swim goggles (straps have a habit of breaking during swim meets)
4. Water bottle
5. Footwear is
mandatory outside of the pool deck (flip flops, swim shoes, etc.).
6. A book, deck of cards
or small game for the swimmer to read or play between events. (something small
and quiet that can be shared is a good choice)
7. Sweat suits or
sweatshirts to keep warm. (children get cold between events)
8. If the meet is an
invitational, a sleeping bag or a large towel to sit on would be a good idea.
Parents:
Although is winter outside,
it is summer inside the facility. Air temperature is required to be four
(4) degrees higher than water temperature. So… dress cool! Temperature
inside the facility will be a balmy 82 degrees! (Turtleneck shirts and sweaters
are not recommended.)
If you are not working the meet, a book or newspaper
is handy for in between events.
Video pictures can be taken
during the event. The only limit is on flash photography. Flash camera may
not be used during the start of an event, since it resembles the start
flash used to begin the race.
Yelling and cheering for the swimmers is permitted and
encouraged, except at the start of the race. Swim meets are exciting and fun for
both swimmer and parent.
So let’s all
have a great time!
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6 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
Some terminology you may need to know:
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ESSL: |
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USS: |
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LSC |
Local Swim Committee of USS swimming. VAC is a
member of the Metropolitan Swimming Inc. LSC |
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Dual Meet: |
When only two (2) teams compete against each other. |
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Invitational Meet: |
When teams are invited to participate in a meet. |
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USS invitationals: |
Hosting USS meets will be another major
fund-raiser for our team. Even if your child doesn’t
participate in a USS meet, you will be required to work at these meets. |
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JOs |
Junior Olympics. An age group championship meet
conducted by the LSC. Must be USS registered. |
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Short Course: |
A 25-yard or meter pool. Valley Central is a short
course pool. |
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Long Course: |
A 50-meter pool. |
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Stroke: |
There are 4 competitive strokes: Butterfly (Fly),
Backstroke (Back), Breastroke (Breast) and Freestyle (Free) |
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Medley: |
A swimming event using all four (4) of the
competitive strokes. |
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Relay: |
A swimming event in which four (4) swimmers
participate as a team – each swimming an equal distance of the race. |
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Seeding: |
Swimmers are put in order of their times to swim an
event. The events are seeded from the slowest times being the first heat, to
the fastest times in the last heat. |
Page
7 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
Terminology
(cont.)
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Heat: |
Each swimmer swims against six (6) to eight (8)
swimmers with similar times. At Invitational Meets, the fastest swimmer of
each heat is given a “heat ribbon.” Winning your heat does not
necessarily man you place in the top three (3) for that event. |
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The Block: |
The platform at the deep end of the pool used for
diving. While it is recommended, it is not required that the swimmer enter
the pool via the block. |
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Exhibition: |
While all swimmers will swim, they may not
all swim for team points. Those that don’t will be swimming exhibition
to better their own times, or to swim an event that they normally don’t
swim. |
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Judges: |
There are several judges at each swim meet. There
are usually two (2) Starter Judges, who start the event and make sure the
starts off the block are legal; there are Stroke and Turn Judges who make
sure the strokes and turns are done “legally”; and the Finish
Judge who has the final say in the event of a tie. |
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“DQ”: |
The dreaded “DQ” means disqualified. The
swimmer could be disqualified for a variety of reasons. The official who
makes the call will tell the swimmer and his/her coach of the infraction. DQs
are common with young swimmers especially during breaststroke and butterfly
events. |
Occasionally, our club will agree to scrimmage against another
team. These are non-league meets, intended to be fun for the swimmers, to give
them experience and to give the coaches the opportunity to observe their
swimmers in competitive situations. These are dual meets, which run just like
league meets except that the results are not included in the league record.
Attendance at scrimmages in not mandatory, but is strongly
encouraged. Especially at the beginning of the season when the coaches are
still getting to know the children’s strengths and need to establish
times for various events. Scrimmages can be very helpful in addition to being
fun! Try to participate if at all possible.
Again, if your child will not be participating in a scrimmage,
please facilitate planning by notifying the coaches of the upcoming absence
before the meet. If you don’t, you’ll be penalizing other children
who are attending the meet.
Page
8 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
Various swim clubs host invitational meets during the swimming
season. They invite a number of clubs to send their swimmers to the meet. They
provide the opportunity to compete against a broad range of swimmers at the
same time.
At the end of the season in March, some of our swimmers will
qualify to participate in the league championship. The selection is made by the
league and is based solely on whether or not the child has met a predetermined
cut off time. A swimmer may qualify to swim in a single event or in multiple
events.
Our club’s emphasis is on the development of each swimmer,
on maintaining and improving self-esteem and morale, and encouraging the child
to enjoy his/herself while learning a healthy sport. The championship can be
great fun and a good motivation, but it should not be regarded as the only
measure of individual success.
United States Swimming (USS) is developed for age group swimming.
Swimmers choose their own events and pay $4.00 for each event. In addition,
there is an annual fee of approximately $52.00 per year for each swimmer. This
registration fee is included in your team registration. There are meets
throughout the season. For more information, contact the coaching staff and/or
USS Representative.
All board positions are year-round. Terms are May 1st through
April 30th. Regular attendance at the monthly meeting is required.
If three (3) consecutive meetings are missed, you forfeit your voting rights on
the board. Any number more than ½ (half) of the voting members shall
constitute a quorum at all meetings.
Holds monthly meetings with the Board of Directors as well as
special meetings when needed. Should any officer position not be filled, these
duties will be the responsibility of the chairperson. The chairperson is also
the team representative in the ESSL
Will work closely with the Chairperson and take over the duties of
the Chairperson in the event of his/her absence. The co-chairperson will also
arrange for facility use, yearly insurance and post a monthly calendar of club
events.
Is responsible for maintaining team accounts and give account
balances at the beginning, mid-point and end of season. The treasurer will also
arrange for the year-end audit of books.
Page 9 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
Is
responsible for taking and keeping minutes at all meeting and correspondence
concerning club activities.
It
responsible for planning and implementing programs to help raise funds for the
team.
Is
responsible for procuring all items necessary for operation of the team.
Is
responsible for publishing bimonthly newsletter for all team members. Information
for the newsletter shall be generated from the coaching staff.
Is
responsible for all equipment and needs for each home meet. Pool setup must be done
prior to warm-ups and meet ESSL and U.S.S. standards. The pool area and locker
rooms must be cleared at the end of each meet.
Is
responsible for keeping a record for all swimmers. The statistician shall
maintain a record of all members of the team, all team scores, times and places
of swimmers at all meets and post for coaches and swimmers. The statistician
shall also notify ESSL of above information.
Is
responsible for seeing that at every meet, the team has at least nine (9)
timers and two (2) Officials. The Officials must act as referee, starter,
stroke and turn judge and finish judge. At all times she/he will adhere to the
ESSL RULES. This is an exciting position where no prior experience is
necessary. If you would like to see the action up close, this is the place to
be. Timers are stationed on the pool deck and therefore sneakers or Aqua Socks
are recommended. At dual meets each team is required to provide a timer for
each lane and one (1) additional backup timer. (Nine timers from our club are
needed for each meet, home or away.)
Is
responsible for all public relations concerning the club. Places all articles,
ads, etc. in the local media.
Must
be a registered member of USS. Attends USS meetings and acts as a liaison
between club and USS. Advises Board on all meeting. Maintains required USS
membership roster and times. Makes available to all member of the USS, all
information and
meet invitationals received by the club. Administrator acts as Meet Director of
USS meets sponsored by VAC. Duties are outlined in USS Rules and Regulations
and LSC Rules and Regulations.
Page 10 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
Is
responsible for supplying supervision on deck, waiting area and locker rooms
during meets and invitationals. Also to assist swimming officials as needed.
Is
responsible for planning all social events and awards banquet.
Is
responsible for planning and buying for the concession stand at all home meets.
Score
keeping is done of the deck of the pool and requires four (4) people to do the
job efficiently. One person does the actual score keeping; another person receives
the judges’ slips and competitors’ cards. The cards are checked
against the judges’ slips for order of finish. In case where there are no
touch pads (or the touch pads malfunction) times are computed by averaging the
timekeepers’ stopwatch times. This part of the job is usually done with
someone from the other team. Another person writes the ribbons for any member
from our team that places within the first three (3) places. A fourth person
generally helps with the ribbon writing and keep8ng record of any exhibition
swimmers. The people in charge of score keeping work at home and away meets.
The
actual scorekeeper begins entering names on their score sheet about ½
hour before the meet begins and generally finishes about ten (20) minutes after
the meet is over. The scorekeeper enters the names, times and places for the
first three (3) finishers of both teams on every event and keeps a running
score as the meet progresses.
Is
responsible for maintaining the VAC website. The website contains important
information and updates regarding meet and practice schedules, team records,
pictures, events and team news.
Page 11 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
This
name of this organization shall be: Viking Aquatic Club.
The
objective of the Viking Aquatic Club is to encourage in our youth, greater
awareness of physical health, good sportsmanship and team spirit through
competitive swimming.
The
government of the club shall be made up of the Board of Directors and the
Boards of Trustees. The business of the club shall be managed and directed by
the Boards. The Directors and Trustees of the Club shall be elected on an
annual basis at the Awards Banquet. An officer or trustee must be a parent or
guardian of a swimmer on the team, who swims during the ESSL season.
Outline
on the previous pages.
The
dues of the club shall be fixed by the Boards of Directors and the Board of
Trustees after a thorough financial review.
Regular
monthly meetings will be conducted, day and time to be determined. All parents
are invited to attend all meetings and are encouraged to do so.
1. Reading of Minutes.
2. Treasure’s Report
3. Reports of Officers a& Trustees
4. Old Business
5. New Business
6. Open Forum
7. Adjournment
The
by-laws shall be reviewed on an annual basis. They may be amended by the
governing body at any time. The change must pass by a vote of 2/3 or the total
governing body.
Page 12 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
The
election of the Board of Director and the Board of Trustees will be held at the
Awards Banquet. One written ballot will be handed out to each parent/guardian
of a swimmer.
It
will be the responsibility of the Officers and Trustees to assign duties to
Parent Members. These duties are outlined on the previous pages.
Page 13 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook
Olympics
US
Olympic Trials
National
Championships
US
Open
Speedo
Championships
USS
Sectional Meet (Long and Short Course)
USS
Zone Championship Meet (Long & Short course)
USS
Senior Metropolitan Championship Meet
USS
Zone Qualifier Meet
USS
Junior Olympics
USS
Silver Championships
ESSL
Championships
USS
Age Group Championships
USS
Invitational Meets
ESSL
Invitational Meets
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14 Viking Aquatic Club Handbook