Bluff City Swim Team Handbook
Mission Statement
The Mission of the Bluff City Swim Team is to promote, develop and encourage participation,
responsibility, respect of others, sportsmanship, self-confidence, physical development and
improvement of each individual (of all ages and abilities), in the pursuit of excellence in all
aspects of swimming, through instruction, training and example.
Team Objectives
The Bluff City Swim Team is a recreational swim team offering instruction, training, and
competition to young people. The Bluefin program is available to help develop successful people,
as well as successful swimmers. To meet these goals, the following team objectives have been
determined:
1.
To provide physical fitness, proper conditioning, and a development of positive
self-image through organized and motivating practice sessions.
2.
To provide an environment for self-improvement and goal achievement through
hard work, dedication and self-discipline.
3.
To promote the ideals of integrity, good sportsmanship and team loyalty through
competition for swimmers of all ages and levels of proficiency.
To develop a family oriented swim team.
Table of Contents
Mission Statement……………………………………………………………………
Team Objective……………………………………………………………………….
Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………..…
Meet/Practice Schedules………….…………………………………………………
Communication……………………………………………………………………….
Equipment You Will Need…………………………….……………………………
What to Bring to a Meet……......…………………………………………………..
Meet Procedures…………………………………………………………………….
Thursday Meet Time Line…………………………………………………………
Work Requirements of Parents…………………………………………………...
Types of Meets ……………………………………………………………………….
Inclement Weather Policy………………………………………………………….
Coaching Philosophy…………………………………………………………………
Swimmers’ Code of Ethics………………………………………………………….
Discipline Policy…………….………………………………………………………..
Parents’ Responsibilities……………………………………………………………
Parents’ Code of Ethics………………………………………………………………..
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Bluefins Meet Schedule
Refer to the website for the Bluefins meet schedule.
Practice Schedule
Refer to the schedule as posted on the website. Remember that children under the age of 16
must be checked by an adult. There will be a check in station at the pool gate, and a drop off
zone in the parking lot at that location. You must have a current YMCA membership to participate
with the Bluefins.
Bluff City Bluefins Communication
There are a number of avenues the team uses to communicate with the swimmers and families.
We will do our best to keep everyone informed of the most up to date information. Please make
sure we have accurate contact information. We will utilize the following methods of
communication:
Email: This will be our primary method of communication. Please check the email address listed
on your registration form often. The Bluefins email address is [email protected].
CallingPost: The coach will occasionally send out an automated phone message to alert you of
last minute information. This call will be sent to your primary phone number listed on your
registration form.
FaceBook: Sign up to be a fan of our FaceBook page! Search for “Bluff City Bluefins Summer
Swim Team”. This will be a fun way to share information and photos.
Wesite: www.bluffcitybluefins.com
Equipment You Will Need
Practice suit – This suit is a suit worn during practice sessions. They are generally made of
nylon, Lycra or stretch nylon. These suits are usually loose fitting and many swimmers train with
several suits on for the purpose of drag. It is strongly recommended that your team suit is not
worn to practice. You want to keep it in excellent condition for the meets.
Competition/ team suit – A team-racing suit is recommended for competition. This suit is usually
1 – 2 sizes smaller than a practice suit to reduce resistance. The material is usually Lycra.
Parents will be able to order the team suit through the Gear Store on the website. A link will take
you directly to our team suit.
Cap – A latex cap or Lycra swim cap used during a meet or practice to cut down on resistance
and to protect swimmer’s hair from the effects of chlorine. Must be worn by anyone with hair that
covers his or her eyes. Team caps are provided by the team and are to be worn during meets.
Silicone caps are available for an additional charge. No USS or collegiate caps allowed during
meets, swimmers wearing these caps will be disqualified from the meet. Caps are provided by the
team.
Goggles – Lenses worn by swimmers during practice and meets to enhance vision and protect
their eyes from the effects of chemicals in the water.
Athletic Apparel – Swimmers should wear athletic apparel during dry land exercises. Swimmers
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should always have athletic shoes (no sandals, flip flops) for dry land training.
Towel – Swimmers usually prefer a thick, large towel. A minimum of two towels is recommended
for meets and practices.
What to Bring to a Meet
All swimmers should be able to pack their own gear for a swim meet.
The following is a checklist of items to bring:
Swim suit …..2-3 towels…..sandals for the deck…..
Swim cap……….goggles……sweats….
games/books/cards
1. You should arrive at the meet one hour prior to the starting time of the meet.
2. You should wear a Bluefins Swim Team suit, and /or T-shirt, sweats.
3. You are expected to know when it is your turn to warm up. The coach will direct warm-up.
4. You are responsible for getting to the proper location within time for your race.
5. When not swimming your races, you should be resting in the team area, talking to the
coach, or cheering on your teammates.
6. Swimmers are encouraged to stay for the entire meet. Upon completion of the meet, The
Bluefin Swimmers are to leave their team area clean!
Meet Procedures:
Meet Entries
Entries for all dual meets will be posted at the pool before the meet. Meet entries will also be
emailed. It is important to check to see what you are swimming. You MUST declare for the meet
online at the website. If you do not declare, you will not be entered in the meet. You may select
your events online as well. Notify the coach at [email protected] as soon as you are aware
that your swimmer will miss a meet
Cancellation of Swim Meets
Sometimes due to inclement weather swim meets are cancelled. See policy on Page 11.
Swimmer Illness
If you believe your child may have to miss a meet due to illness, contact the coach prior to the
meet. You will then be able to discuss the degree of illness with the coach to determine whether
or not your child will be utilized in the relays. After Wednesday afternoon, the line up is difficult
to change. If your child is entered in a relay and does not show up due to illness, the relay
may forfeit.
Before the Meet Starts
1.) Find the coach and seating.
a.)
Swimmers should find their coach and check in. Be ready to warm up
when the appropriate age group is called. Swimmers should stay with
their age group teammates and coach – this prevents missing important
instructions or worse, an event!
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b.)
Parents should find other Bluefin families. We try to sit in the same
section for team spirit and unity.
2.) Swimmers: Warm up with the coach.
3.) Swimmers: Find out which events you are swimming on that day. Either the coach or
parents should write swimmer’s name on their back and events on their arm or leg.
Proper marking example below:
Thursday Meet Time Line:
12:00pm: Wednesday: Print out your child’s events and a heat sheet and bring to the meet.
4:00pm: Set up crew arrives to set-up tents, chairs, awards, starter, and concessions, sound.
5:00pm: Warm ups begin
5:45pm: League reps position place judges, sideline judges, & timers.
5:45pm: Warm-ups end
6:00pm: Meets begins
10:00pm: Meet ends, unless specified earlier by a City Ordinance
Work Requirements of Parents
This is a parent driven operation- it requires the help of each family to run a successful meet.
Plan to work each meet your child will be swimming in (especially home meets). You may sign up
for work shifts on the website. Click the “job signup” button associated with each meet to see
which jobs still need to be filled. We divide the meet in half so that your work requirement for
each meet is limited up to 44 events, but no more than 2 hours.
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Job Descriptions:
1. Starter: This person is responsible for signaling the start of each race by the provided
method. Each home meet we need 2 people.
2. Announcer: This person will announce when each heat needs to be on deck and
which heat is currently swimming. He will announce the score 2 times during the meet.
Each home meet we need 2 people.
3. Scorer: The person responsible for maintaining the scoring of the meet with a
representative from the opposing team. At the end of the meet he will hand the results to
the league representative. Each meet we need 4 people.
4. Awards: Sits at a table to distribute the place ribbons to the children after collecting
the place cards from them. Every child in every heat receives a ribbon. Each home meet
we need 2 people.
5. Place Judge: 3 from each team stand at the end of the lanes and determine the order
of finish of the race. They give out the place cards to the children. Each meet we need 6
people.
6. Sideline Judges: A person from the visiting team makes the final call in the event of a
close finish or a dispute among place judges. This person sits on the side of the pool.
Each away meet we need 2 people.
7. Runners: The runner takes the DQ sheet from the stroke and turn judges to the
scorers table. They also take the place cards from the scorer table back to the place
judges. Each home meet we need 2 people.
8. Clerk of Course: This is the person responsible for ensuring the swimmers are
directed to their assigned lanes before each heat. Each home meet we need 4 people.
9. Hospitality: These people distribute ice water to the starter/announcer, the scorers,
awards people, stroke and turn judges, runners, clerk of course, timers and league
representatives. They offer water to these people after events 10, 30, 50 &70. Each
home meet we need 4 people.
10. Timers: 3 people from each team time their own swimmers. As a courtesy, if a
swimmer from the opposing team is in your lane due to combined events, please record
their time and report it to timer on the swimmers team. Each meet we need 6 people.
11. Set-Up/ Clean-up: For home meets the team must set up and clean up lanes,
starter/announcer positions, awards table, scorer tables, lane waiting areas, concessions,
etc. The more volunteers we have the quicker it goes. Each home meet we need 8
people.
12. Bull Pen: These are parents from the 6 & U, 7&8, 9&10 swimmers that are
responsible for getting these swimmers to the clerk of course waiting area before their
events. Each meet we need 12 people.
13. Concessions: These people are responsible for selling food and drink items during
the swim meet. Each home meet we need 12 people.
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Types of Meets
Dual Meets
Our team competes in the Memphis Summer Swim League, during the summer months,
along with 12 other teams from surrounding areas. Dual meets are held on Thursday night during
the season. A dual meet generally lasts 4 hours. A dual meet begins with a warm up time,
usually 45-60 minutes prior to the start of the meet. A swimmer must participate in at least 2 dual
meet to qualify for swimming in the city championship. A swimmer generally swims 3 events.
However, in certain instances they may only swim 2. You may select the events you wish to swim
on the website. Click on the “attend this event” button associated with each meet. Away meet
directions will be given out well in advance. Maps will be liked on the website.
League Championship Meet – City Meet
The city meet is the culminating event of the season. All MSSL teams compete in this meet. This
year’s city meet will be held at St. George’s (Collierville) on Saturday July 23. This is an all day
event- usually younger swimmers compete in the morning and older swimmers in the afternoon,
but age groups may be split due to size and time constraints. Extra practices may also be
schedule prior to the city meet- these times will be communicated well in advance.
Bluff City Bluefins Swim Team Inclement Weather Policy
*Practice: During times of inclement weather, the coaches will still conduct dry land exercises.
Practice could be cancelled by the Coach due to reasons other than just the weather. Every
attempt will be made to communicate such a change.
*Home meets could be cancelled by the board and coach due to weather concerns.
Weather could be more severe in the traveling teams’ area. Determination on a meet has to be
made at 4:30 p.m. to give people enough notice due to traveling. If you are unsure about a home
meet, you may call the YMCA at 682-8025 for information.
*Away meets are called on or off by the home team, we will make every attempt to contact you
through the calling post to keep you up to date.
Coaching Philosophy of the Bluff City Bluefins
The Bluff City Swim Team believes that swimming should be available to everyone in the Bluefin
community age 19 years and younger who can swim 25 meters unaided. Swimming is
competitive, challenging, fun and an opportunity to learn. Safety will be stressed at all times.
The coaching staff wants the team members to excel. Team members will be expected to attend
daily practices and all meets. In return, the coaching staff will be expected to provide a positive,
competitive, supportive environment for all swimmers and their families.
The coaching staff will teach and/or develop the four competitive stroke techniques (freestyle,
butterfly, backstroke, and breast stroke), starts, turns, finishes, proper swimming equipment
usage, and water safety. Practices will be structured to provide a thorough physical workout in
order to develop swimming speed and endurance.
This swim club relies heavily on parent support. It is not possible to provide a good experience
for the swimmers without the cooperation and work of all swim team parents. Parents are
expected to conduct swim meets and carry out support functions to effectively operate the team.
Finally, parents and families are expected to support the coaching staff and to aid the swim team
by making their swimmers aware of the responsibilities associated with being on the swim team.
Parents will also be expected to support and enforce these responsibilities should the swimmers
not be able to do so.
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Swimmers’ Code of Ethics
I hereby pledge to be positive about my Bluff City Swim Team experience and accept
responsibility for my participation by following this Swimmers Code of Ethics pledge:
I will encourage good sportsmanship from fellow swimmers, coaches and officials, and parents at
every swim meet and practice by demonstrating good sportsmanship.
I will attend every practice and swim meet that I can and will notify the coaches if I cannot.
I will be prepared for practices: suit, goggles, cap, water bottle, and proper attire for dry land
training.
I will do my very best to listen, work hard and learn from my coaches.
I will treat my coaches, other swimmers, officials, parents and fans with respect and I will expect
to be treated accordingly.
I will respect swim equipment, pool area, locker rooms and I will stay within these areas while I’m
at the East Memphis YMCA and while swimming at away meets.
I deserve to have fun during my Bluff City Swim Team experience and will alert parents or
coaches if it stops being fun!
I will encourage my parents to be involved with The Bluff City Swim Team because it’s important
to me.
I will read The Bluff City Swim Team Handbook and become an informed member of The Bluefins
Swim Team
I will remember that being a member of The Bluff City Swim Team is an opportunity to learn and
have fun.
Bluff City Bluefin Swim Team Discipline Policy
This policy is in place to insure the safety of all team athletes, coaches, volunteers and
family members, as well as providing a good learning environment for swimmers.
Swimmers:
Swimmers that are disruptive during practice will be asked to sit out on the deck for a period
of time before being allowed back into the pool. The swimmer needs to remain on the deck and
out of the water.
If a swimmer continues to disrupt practice their parents will be called to pick them up.
If a swimmer continually disrupts practice they will be removed from practice until the
swimmers parent meets with the coach and a parent board member.
If a swimmer threatens or physically abuses another swimmer they may be removed from
practice for a period of time. Depending upon the severity of the threat or abuse, the swimmer
may be discharged from the team and will not be allowed to be involved with any team activities.
If a swimmer leaves the pool area during practice, without permission from a coach, the
swimmer may be discharged from the team and will not be allowed to be involved with any team
activities.
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If a swimmer leaves the pool area without an adult or without permission during an away meet,
depending upon the severity of the swimmer’s actions, the swimmer may be discharged from the
team and will not be allowed to be involved with any team activities.
Parents’ Responsibilities
Good parental support is the foundation for a successful swim program. Parents are needed in
many areas for the team to function efficiently.
Parents of Bluefin swimmers are required to take an active role in helping the swim team. This
includes helping at meets, and social activities. Everyone has something to offer.
Keep yourself informed by checking your email often- this will be our primary method of
communication!
Work as many meets as possible. It takes the whole parent group to put on a successful meet.
When attending away meets, your help is still a necessity. With all of us helping, the work
should be evenly distributed amongst us. We want our swimmers to be proud of the job their
parents do. You should be prepared to work each meet in which your swimmer is entered.
If you have a special skill and are willing to volunteer that skill to the team, please let us know.
Extra help is always welcome!!
Parents’ Code of Ethics
I hereby pledge to provide positive support, care and encouragement for my child while
participating on The Bluff City Bluefins Swim Team by following this Parents’ Code of Ethics:
I will encourage good sportsmanship by demonstrating positive support for ALL swimmers,
coaches, and officials at every swim meet, practice, or other swim team sponsored event.
I will place the emotional and physical well being of my child ahead of my personal desire to win.
I will insist that my child swim in a safe and healthy environment.
I will support the coaches and officials working with my child in order to encourage a positive and
enjoyable experience for all.
I will remember that the swim meets are for the youth and should be a positive family experience.
I will do my best to make swimming fun for my child.
I will ask my child to treat other swimmers, coaches, parents and officials with respect.
I promise to help my child enjoy the swim team experience by doing whatever I can, such as
being respectful fans, assisting at swim meets and swim team sponsored events.
I will read The Bluefins Swim Team Handbook and become an informed and supportive fan of
The Bluff City Swim Team
Guidelines for Supporting Your Swimmer
Be positive. Help your child look beyond today and toward his or her goals.
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Be patient. Swimmers develop at different paces, but all swimmers need time. No matter how
your child seems to be doing in comparison to other swimmers, don’t push. When he or she is
ready, the big improvement will come.
Please make sure that your swimmer arrives to all workouts, and meets on time. If your child is
late, he or she will not benefit from a proper warm-up and / or perhaps not receive an important
message from the coaches.
Please make sure to pick up your swimmer on time. (No later than 15 minutes after practice
ends)
Please keep swimmers’ siblings with you during practices. (It is very disruptive and distracting
during practices. It’s actually preferred if beginner parents do not hang out during practices)
Although swimming has a strong individual element, your child is, most of all, part of a team. We
encourage families to stay until the meet is over to show team spirit and pride (and help clean
up!).
The single most important thing, which you can do for your child, is to help him develop a strong
sense of sportsmanship and a positive self-image.
Do not try to talk to the coach during practices- this detracts from his/her ability to instruct the
swimmers! Email, call or catch them before or after practice.
Parents and family members should not interfere with officials, coaches and meet workers during
a meet. Any issue or complaint should be brought to the league representative to be dealt with.
Alcohol is not permitted on the grounds of the YMCA. Other clubs, however, do serve alcohol.
Please exhibit appropriate restraint.
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