“Swimming Fast is Fun."[1] Swim Right, Swim Fast. Swim for Life.
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“Swimming Fast is Fun."[1] Swim Right, Swim Fast. Swim for Life.
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Parent Handbook 2006 Updated 5/25/06 Welcome to the Maui Dolphins Swim Club. We were founded in 1997 with the help
of Maui County at the opening of the Upcountry pool, and are the only Upcountry
swim club. We are a private, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote
swimming for life through the sport of age-group swimming. We strive to
provide a positive atmosphere in which to learn and develop the skills of
competitive swimming. Maui Dolphins Swim Club is registered with USA
Swimming, the national governing body for amateur swimming in the U.S.. All
members of the Maui Dolphins Swim Club, our coaches, and all officials at swim
meets are registered as members of USA Swimming. As members of USA Swimming, we
compete only with registered clubs. Membership Membership in the Maui Dolphins Swim Club is contingent on available space
and is open to individuals who meet all the following criteria:
History The Maui Dolphins Swim Club...
Organizational Structure of the Maui Dolphins
The coaching staff includes 5 coaches including ... . Each parent member of the Maui Dolphins is invited and strongly encouraged to attend monthly meetings of the board and participate in its work.
2006-2007 President: Lesley Carbajal Vice President : Susan Hernandez Secretary: Marcy Lynn Treasurer: Laura Gregg Officials coordinator: Legal counsel: Membership coordinator: Volunteer coordinator: Grievance coordinator: Social coordinator: Board member: About Our Coaches All Dolphin coaches must meet the high criteria set forth by USA
Swimming. Each coach is a Red Cross certified as a lifeguard and/or with First
Aid, CPR (or CPR for the professional rescuer) and Coaches Safety Training.
All the above requirements must be kept up to date for a swim coach to remain in
good standing with USA Swimming and the Maui Dolphins Swim Club.
2005-2006 Season USA Swimming recognizes two seasons within each calendar year. The season beginning around Labor Day and ending mid-March is referred to as the short course (SC or SCY) swim season. During the short course swim season, most practices and all meets are swum in a 25 yard pool. Hawaii State Championships normally occur in December just before the holidays. High School swimming occupies some of the older swimmers from November through February; and USA-S Western Zone Championships take place in March. There is also a long course (LC or LCM) swim season, which begins for the Dolphins in March and with Hawaiian LC State Championships normally occurring the 2nd weekend of June. During the long course season we train in both 50-meter & 25 yard pools, and all swim meets are in a 50m pool. In addition to the Hawaiian Swimming LSC (Local Swim Committee) for USA-S with the website http://www.hawaiiswim.org/, Maui Dolphins is also a member MAGSA - the Maui Age Group Swim Association. As members of MAGSA along with Lahaina Swim Club (Lahaina Pool - coach Tom Popdan), South Maui Sharks (at Kihei Aquatic Center - coach Janet Renner), Maui Swim Club (Kahului Pool - Coach Spencer Shiraishi), Maui Gold (Kokua Pool - coach Ray Orikasa) and Hawaii Swim Club (Sakamoto Pool - coach Reid Yamamoto), we work together to put on 6 swim meets in each season (see most recent schedules for LCM and SCY). We also work together to help host State Championships and help out with other Swim events when asked by Maui County (eg; Junior Pan-Pac Jan 2005 & Jan 2007, JSS Grandmasters swim event, USMS meets, etc.. Maui Dolphins are the host participants for the MAGSA meets using Meet Manager. The standard 6 meets are divided up into A, B, and C schedules so that every swimmer gets two chances at each event each season. Limiting the number of events is done so that the total time for the meet for all 12 and under swimmers is less than 4 hours (per USA-S regulations). Other islands may have more multi-day meets, or divide up the meets to be older and younger swimmers. MAGSA has decided to keep swimming families together as best we can and keep the swim events short and more enjoyable for the swimmers and parents. In addition to the 6 MAGSA meets, MAGSA has a "fun" meet in late February with short events for all swimmers, but with awards divided up for HI-A swimmers with times above and below (see Hawaiian Standard times on Hawaiian Swim page); and a "Pentathlon" (50y of each stroke with a 100IM at the end - add up the times for all swimmers for total overall place) in mid-August. These meets serve as good warm-ups for the LCM and SCY seasons, respectively. There are also some big invitational meets around the islands for those who qualify including the 3-day "Sakamoto Invitational", memorial day weekend every year. Fees USA Swimming charges $52/year for each swimmer to be registered. This provides, among other things, insurance for practices and swim meets and is REQUIRED to swim with Maui Dolphins in any practice. Maui Dolphins charges $40 per month for any swimmer, whether training for States or learning the competitive strokes to get ready to try his or her first swim meet. The 2nd and beyond swimmers in a family are $20 each per month. These fees are whether a swimmer swims once or every practice. Membership for all swimmers remains contingent upon timely payment of dues and USA Swimming membership fees.
Club Communication and Notification The main means of communication is the club web site: www.mauidolphins.org. It is also imperative that parents check for announcements at the pool when checking in their swimmers (eg; look for holiday notices, swim sign ups for meets, etc.). Most importantly ... please make sure your contact phone, an emergency contact phone, and your email address is up to date at the desk! If the pool is closed we can contact you and save a trip. Also if your child is sick, this gives us a person to contact ASAP. With your email, we can notify you of upcoming events, swim sign-up deadlines and more. Equipment Racing Suit. This is a tight fitting suit (usually lycra) for competitions. They minimize drag on the water. Although a swimmer is not disqualified for wearing board shorts, they are slower, sink, bind on the legs and are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. For boys, Jammers (tight but covering the same area as board shorts from waist to thigh) or "tank" suit commonly called a Speedo. For women, a tightly fitting one-piece suit with a high neck is best. Workout Suit. These suits are similar to racing suits but don't need to be as tight (or expensive as some of the near-frictionless materials) and should be both more durable and comfortable for an extended workout. Women: One-piece high-necked suit is still recommended. Bikini's and low neck suits may be in fashion, increase tanning (and sun exposure) and look good at the beach, BUT they have more drag, fall off or down on push offs and dives. Men: jammer or tank suit. There are many companies that make workout and racing suits. You can find Speedo, Tyr and Nike locally at Sports Authority. You can also find suits on-line from these companies and others. Goggles: Required workout equipment. Be sure the goggles you buy are comfortable, water tight, and will stay on w/o leaking on push-offs and dives. Many brands are available at Sports Authority and Long's drugs. TRY THEM ON. Goggles strongly effect how a swimmer holds their head while swimming (and whether the look where they're going). Fins (for flippers): Our beginning group uses swim fins to strenghten kick for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, also to give enough power to beginner swimming legs to learn better body position doing various drills that require a strong kick. The Maui Dolphins Swim Club encourages an official team suit and a swim cap (in the process of standardizing a new suit) at all USA Swimming meets. In future, suits will be ordered probably once/year. It is recommended that the team suit be worn only for competition to avoid natural deterioration from exposure to sun and pool water. Wearing the team uniform at meets helps create a team atmosphere and enables coaches and spectators to observe and cheer our Dolphins. Lost and Found You are strongly encouraged to label all your swimmer’s equipment. Labeled equipment found at practice can easily be returned to the swimmer. Unlabeled equipment floats around the pool deck and pool office and generally disappears. Swimmers should keep all swim bags and personal belongings on the pool deck and not leave anything in the locker rooms during their practice session. The locker rooms may be used simultaneously by others. The club is not responsible for lost items. The Parent’s Role As the parent of a competitive swimmer, your main responsibility is to provide a caring environment for your swimmer. This support will encourage your swimmer to feel good about his or her interest in competitive age-group swimming. Show your support by ensuring your swimmer’s attendance at practices and swim meets. Parents are not participants on their child’s team (unless
they're also registered and doing the workout) but
contribute to the success experienced by the swimmer and his or her team.
Parents serve as role models, and children often emulate their attitudes. Strive
to be a positive role model. Most important, show good sportsmanship at all
times toward coaches, officials, opponents, and teammates. Volunteering All parents registering with the Maui Dolphins Swim Club are required to participate in volunteer support services. There are many options. A survey is distributed to all families to secure preferences. In each swim season (LCM & SCY), in addition to providing timing services to MAGSA, Maui Dolphins provide refreshments for timers and officials ... as well as for the Pentathlon. We also support one ocean swim with services (for fund raising). And ALL MAGSA meets require timers in proportion to the number of swimmers on each team. USA Swimming meets and need every family’s involvement for success. We also ask that you participate in fund-raising as it occurs. It is the volunteer efforts of individual parents that allow for the existence of the club. Grievances and Complaints As in any large organization involving significant numbers of parents and their children, the Dolphins cannot always be all things to all people. Although conflicts in our club are few, they occasionally arise, and we have a protocol for dealing with them. If you have a complaint about administration of the club, coaching, finances, other swimmers’ behavior, other parents’ behavior, or other related matters, please contact any member of the board of directors and or the head coach. Your concern will be addressed by the board of directors. Safety and Behavior The board of directors and coaches want all Dolphin activities (practices and social activities) to be safe for swimmers, coaches, families, and spectators. To this end, we ask that all members follow the rules of the facility being used, listen to coaches, and follow directions. Practice is not a time for fooling around. Swimming can be one of the safest sports available to youth. Yet, just one incident can turn it into a dangerous or deadly activity. Swimmers must act responsibly for their own safety and for the safety of others. Disruptive behavior and not following coaches instructions and practices are detrimental to the swimmer and the team. Coaches receive the support of the board of directors in benching swimmers during practice. If swimmers are benched for the evening, they are not allowed to leave practice early. They must participate in any cleanup of equipment their group is responsible for, and except with prior notice for special circumstances, they must stay until their group is dismissed. The Maui Dolphins board of directors reserves the right to terminate the membership of any individual whose behavior places the Maui Dolphins Swim Club in an unfavorable light or jeopardizes our participation in any pool use or sporting event. All Maui Dolphins swimmers are expected to demonstrate good sportsmanship and act as appropriate ambassadors for the club. They should act as role models for other swimmers when wearing the Maui Dolphins logo. Locker Rooms Dolphin coaches are not in charge of supervising swimmers once they have entered the locker rooms. Individual families must be responsible for their own swimmer in the changing areas. Locker rooms should be used with expedience and left in the same state in which they were found. Any swimmer caught defacing property at any Dolphin-related activity will be subject to disciplinary action by the board in consultation with the coach(s). Accidents or Injuries In the event of an accident or injury, no matter how minor, please contact the parent at the front desk, and possibly the coach. Immediately fill out an accident report. Forms are in a folder at the front desk. All accidents are subsequently reported to USA Swimming. When a report is filed, you will receive a form from USA Swimming discussing USA Swimming secondary medical coverage. If you have concerns about safety in the swim club, please contact the Head Coach and/or board member. Practices Generally, Maui Dolphins holds all practices at the Upcountry Aquatic Center (aka Pukalani Pool), 55 Pukalani St., Makawao, HI 96768 across from Pukalani Terrace and next to the Tavares Community Center. Practices are divided into 4 groups during practice: Silver Dolphins (Coaches Andrea Ciro and Jim Tang), Spinner Dolphins (coach Malcolm), Flippers (coaches Dave Rostetter and Michelle Fish) and our beginner Doggie Paddlers (coach Jim O'Brien). Malcolm Cooper is the head coach. Any substitute coaches while someone is sick or on vacation are USA-S certified. The head coach works with all the coaches to determine specific practice groups. Swimmers are placed according to what is appropriate for their ability. The head coach makes this determination. Parents should not expect that their swimmer will be placed in the group of the family’s choosing for other reasons, such as car pool purposes, established friendships, preference for time and days of a practice group, or parents’ opinion regarding the swimmer’s ability. Swimmers who show steady improvement will be moved as necessary to another group. These moves can occur at any time in the season to accommodate the individual swimmer. An assistant coach, with the approval of the head coach, may do this. Attendance The club sets no requirement regarding a minimum number of practices, although coaches may suggest a practice guideline for individual swimmers. Our head coach recommends the following:
The following commentary on practices is a modification to Delmar Dolfins coach Doug Gross in a "coaches corner" he published May 26, 2006 regarding Delmar Dolfins in the Adirondack District in Upstate New York: Most top level AGE GROUP programs across the country can provide up to 11
practice sessions/week and expect their senior team to make all or most of them.
These programs produce senior-level TEAMS. Even on the island, Lahaina and
HSC offer 2-hour workouts and 8 or more workouts per week. Maui Dolphins
offers 5 with an extra Saturday morning workout available during the Masters
practice for those interested. This is one one reason the most MDSC seems
to be able to do is a couple of States level swimmers every year. Age-Group Swimming USA Swimming Age Group programs and rules govern participation in competition. The USA Swimming program provides fair and open competition for USA Swimming members age 18 and under. Its purpose is to encourage maximum participation, provide an educational experience, enhance physical and mental conditioning, and develop a rich base of swimming talent. Participants compete in different age groups depending on their age on the first day of the meet. The Dolphins belong to the Hawaiian Swimming LSC. Typically, meet competition falls in the following age groups: 8 and under (Short Course only); 10 and under or 9/10; 11/12; 13/14; 15/16 and 17/18. 13-18 usually swim seeded together during meets, but are scored separately. Swimmers always compete with their own sex. Graduating up to the next age level of competition is referred to as “aging up.” Your age at a swim meet is determined by your age on the first day of the meet. Logbook Most swimmers keep track of their accomplishments in a swimmer’s logbook. These are an invaluable tool for swimmers to understand how fast they swim, how far they swim, to challenge themselves in personal workouts bests (last week I did 10x100's on 1:30 ... this week I'm going to try for 10 on 1:25), track their own progress. Parents find keeping one of these to be an invaluable tool to help sign up for meets. These books are also available from many places on line (Keifer, USA-Swimming, etc.). A logbook allows swimmers to keep track of each individual timed swim they participate in. There is room for the date, the venue, the stroke, the distance, the time, and your comments. When times are kept in this chronological fashion, they serve as a real incentive to improve one’s personal best time and give a sense of achievement and accomplishment. When swimmers enter a swim meet, they will be able to look up their best time in their logbook and enter it on the meet entry form. Time Standards Knowledge of USA Swimming time standards helps swimmers and their families chart progress and realize personal goals. They also provide swimmers with an opportunity to find out how they measure up against other USA Swimming age-group swimmers. They are available from USA Swimming's website and Hawaiian Swimming's time standard website. Officials All USA Swimming meets have swim officials on deck. These are the people you
see wearing white shirts and blue or white shorts. There is a referee
responsible for the whole meet including safety, a starter, at least 2 stroke &
turn judges (walking up and down the sides of the pool watching the swimmers).
There are also officials behind the scenes - the Clerk of Course sets up the
meets, takes "scratches" before a meet, prints the heat sheets, prints/sends out
results to clubs and Hawaiian Swimming; and two computer operators running the
electronic timing and (from our club) running the computer. They are all volunteers,
trained by and registered with USA Swimming. Most of them are parents just like
you. If you are interested, the procedure for becoming an official is simple:
Training clinics are usually held when the MAGSA official's chair works them. For more information about becoming an official, please contact coach Malcolm or Timing Judge Laura Gregg. This is a great way to watch, be part of AND understand your child's sport. Swimming the Strokes There are specific standards set forth by USA Swimming for all strokes, starts, and turns. For details, refer to the publication “USA Swimming Rules.” Rules are modified from time to time, and coaches will keep swimmers informed. In freestyle, the competitor may swim any stroke he or she wishes. The stroke most often seen in freestyle events is the front crawl stroke. The alternate overhand motion of the arms and alternating up-and-down flutter kick characterize this stroke. The forward start is used. Any type of turn is acceptable, but when turning, some part of the swimmer’s body must touch the wall. The swimmer finishes when some part of the body touches the solid wall or timing pad at the end of the pool. A common reason for disqualification is failure to touch the wall when turning. In backstroke, the swimmer swims on the back using an alternating motion of the arms and a flutter kick. Some part of the swimmer’s body must touch the end of the pool on turns. The swimmer is not permitted to turn over onto the front during the race except when performing the backstroke front flip turn. The coach will teach this turn to your swimmer when he or she is ready. The coach will let the swimmer know when he or she is ready to use the turn in competition. The finishing of the backstroke occurs when some part of the swimmer touches the solid wall or timing pad at the end of the pool. A common reason for disqualification is failure to remain on the back. In butterfly, the swimmer performs a simultaneous overhand stroke of
the arms while doing an undulating dolphin kick with the legs. In the kick, the
swimmer must move the legs together and In breaststroke, the swimmer is required to move both arms underwater simultaneously in the same horizontal plane. The kick is similar to the action of a frog. No flutter, scissors, or dolphin kick is permitted except during the first underwater pullout which allows a single downward dolphin kick. On the pullout after the start and on each turn, the swimmer’s hands are not allowed to pull past the hip line. On the turn and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously with the shoulders in line with the surface of the water. In the individual medley (aka IM), the swimmer swims one, two, or four laps of each of the four strokes in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. In an IM, freestyle is any stroke NOT already swum. Meets By its very name, the purpose of competitive swimming is to compete and that means attending swim meets! Individuals seeking membership in the Maui Dolphins Swim Club should understand that we are a competitive team, not just a recreational team. Swimmers should be willing to accept the responsibility of membership and participate in meets when your coach believes your ready to participate. For many new swimmers, taking the first step and going to their first competitive meet is a big undertaking. Our coaches understand this and are happy to share information about each meet and what meets may be good for beginners. Our goal is to make the swimmer successful so that the swimmer not only enjoys the meet, but feels pride and accomplishment so they want to do it again. When you are notified of meets (by email or by checking the front desk), and if your child is (children are) available, please sign them up on the sign-up sheet (be sure to include the child's legal name for their first meet, including their middle initial and birthdate - also include a contact number for meet day in case there are changes) or contact the head coach directly. Signups are due by MONDAY BEFORE the meet. There are appropriate and inappropriate meets (and events) for all swimmers. Your coach can help you and your child decide. Sometimes the coach may sign a swimmer up for an event they may be nervous about - scratches are possible on meet-day, but this should be taken as a sign of confidence in your child's performance based on their workouts.
The Dolphins participate in the following types of meets:
Intraclub meets are practice meets that acquaint new and old swimmers with the competitive process. They reinforce the skills necessary for meets and do not involve any non-Dolphin swimmers. Intraclub meets are held several times throughout the season to assist swimmers at all levels to prepare for USA Swimming competition. They are meets at which Dolphin swimmers attempt to improve themselves or try events they have never swum before. Intraclub meets help our youngest and newest swimmers learn more in preparation for USA Swimming meets. They also provide an opportunity for our seasoned, more capable swimmers to mentor the newer swimmers. The intraclub meets are an excellent opportunity to nurture the abilities of all our swimmers. Dual meets take place between two clubs. Currently, there are no Dual meets occurring on Maui. An invitational meet is for any swimmer, unless cutoff times are listed in advance. Swimmers are placed in heats according to their seed times, swimming slowest to fastest. The swimmers with the fastest six or eight times, without regard to heat assignments, win awards. At a championship meet, events are first swum as preliminary heats for ages 11 and up. Heats are mixed, with the fastest swimmers in the same heats as the slower swimmers. The fastest six or eight from preliminaries will swim in a finals heat later in the day. Often, the next six or eight after those will swim in a consolation finals heat. Younger swimmers participate as in an invitational meet. USA Swimming Registration Number Each swimmer is assigned a personal USA Swimming registration number. This number is used to identify swimmers when they sign up for meets. The ID number is easy to remember. It is composed of:
About Entering USA Swimming Meets The current MAGSA schedule is ... click here. Coaches, not parents, sign swimmers up for relays. Relays consist of four swimmers of the same sex and age group. The coach will determine the swimmers for each relay. When swimmers are chosen for relays, they need to plan to stay for the event. Swimmers who do not stay for relays may be excluded from subsequent team relays. It is very difficult for the other swimmers when one leg of their relay departs from the meet, leaving them unable to participate. Relays are usually same sex and same age-group swimmers. They are offered in distances of 100 (8&under short course only) & 200 yards or meters. USA Swimming teams will offer both freestyle relays and medley relays, in which each swimmer is assigned a stroke as his or her leg of the relay. Relays can be very exciting for both the swimmers and the spectators and make swimming more of a playful team sport. Zones USA Swimming divides areas of the country into small units for organizational purposes. The Maui Dolphins Swim Club is a member of a Local Swimming Committee (LSC) known as Hawaiian Swimming. The Hawaiian swimming district is part of the "Western" zone. To be eligible for zones, it is necessary to qualify for the team by meeting all the minimum time standards which are quite difficult. Hawaiian Swimming helps reimburse part of the travel costs for those who qualify. Signing Up for a Swim Meet1. Place your child's name (legal name with Middle Initial), birthdate, an email address, and a contact number on the sign-up sheet at the pool. If a swimmer has preferred events, please put that on the request. The coach will consider (but may alter) these requests. Going to a Swim Meet
Writing on a Swimmer’s Hand By writing information in waterproof ink on the back of the swimmer’s hand, the swimmer can watch and listen for his or her events to be seeded and remember what the events are. This also allows the swimmer to check whether he or she is in the correct heat and lane. The information on the hand represents the swimmer’s individual events at the meet the swimmer is attending. Make up your own shorthand; for example, "4/3/5 100fr" might mean 100-yard freestyle: event #4, heat #3, lane #5. Stuff to Bring to the Meet Experienced Dolphins recommend bringing the following:
OPTIONAL
Some of these items may seem unnecessary, but when you arrive at your first meet, you will soon understand the value of each and be glad you brought them |
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malcolmwhy@yahoo.com with
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