HANDBOOK
The purpose of the Liberty Swim League is to teach and develop the art of swimming accompanied by good sportsmanship and fellowship to those participating.
The Liberty Swim League highlights the following:
- Competition with oneself. Winning ribbons, medals or trophies is not our main goal. The individual’s improvement is our primary objective.
- Sportsmanlike behavior. Swimmers are taught to always behave like a champion, regardless of a good or a bad swim. Respect for officials, congratulations to other competitors, encouragement to teammates, determined effort and mature attitudes are examples of behaviors praised and rewarded by the coaches
- Versatility. Swimmers are prepared and encouraged to compete in all swimming events and strokes, thereby encouraging the swimmer to explore their potential in the wide range of events offered in competitive swimming.
LIBERTY LEAGUE ORGANIZATION
| Volunteers | Teams in the Liberty League run solely by volunteers, without which the league could not survive.
Age group swimming is a great family experience where everyone is encouraged to get involved. |
| Private Sponsorship | Private sponsorship is also available. If you would like to be a sponsor of the Liberty League or any of its programs, or would like to sponsor a fundraising event or make a private donation to the league, please contact your swimmer’s coach or team parent representative |
| Eligibility | The competitor must be an amateur and have a membership at his/her respective club. No swimmer may compete for more than one team registered with the league (Townships who register both pools cannot interchange swimmers). All swimmers must have a pass to the pool they are swimming for. An official competitor may not be a coach or an assistant coach of the club. Violation of the eligibility rules will result in the forfeiture by the violating team of those meets involving the violation, and the suspension of the swimmer for the remainder of the season. |
| Board of Directors | Administrative functions are overseen by the Board of Directors. The Board consists of one parent representative and 2 coaches from each team. |
COACHING
The coaches’ job is to supervise the entire competitive swim program. Your team’s coaching staff is dedicated to providing a program for youngsters that will be challenging, motivating and fun. Therefore, the coaches must be in total control in matters affecting training. Coaches’ responsibilities are as follows:
*Placing youngsters in practice groups. This is based on the age and ability level of each individual.
*Providing instruction on stroke techniques and developing the training regimen. Each group’s practices are based on sound swimming principles and are geared to the specific goals of that group.
*Choosing swimmers’ meet events . The coaching staff decides which events a swimmer will compete in, based on the past performance of the swimmer and the needs of the team.
Practice Session The following guidelines will help parents keep their child’s development in the proper perspective and help them reach his/her full potential as an athlete.
A swimmer has a responsibility to the team, the coaches, his/her parents, and most importantly to themselves. Swimmers need to prepare themselves for a 100% effort each time they come to practice. Swimmer’s responsibilities are as follows:
1) Swimmers will be required to bring specified training accessories (i.e., goggles, swim caps, towel, etc.) to practice. It is the swimmer’s responsibility to make sure these items are properly adjusted and that spares are readily available.
2) Swimmers will be required to adhere to the Swimmer’s Code of Conduct as outlined below.
SWIM MEETS
Meet Schedule Each season’s meet schedule is distributed at the start of the season. Meets are typically every Wednesday night at 6:00 PM and every Saturday morning at 8:00 AM during the last week in June and during the entire month of July. B and A Championships are always the last Wed. and Sat. in July, so plan your vacations accordingly!
A & B Championships Swimmers sign up for Championships by picking their 2 best events. Swimmers must have been part of the scheduled line-up in at least 2 dual meets during the season to be eligible for Championships. The 12 fastest swimmers who sign up for each event from all of the teams in the Liberty Swim League swim in the A Championships for that event. All other swimmers for that event swim in the B Champs. If a swimmer was disqualified (DQ) for swimming a stroke “illegally”, then that time does not count toward the seedings and is considered a “No Time” (NT). It is possible for a swimmer to swim one event in A Champs and another in B Champs, depending on their best time relative to that of the other swimmers in the league. Swimmers. Any swimmer who reached the age of 19 by July 1 is not eligible to swim in either the A or B Championships, except as part of a relay team.
What Do I Do When I Get to a Swim Meet?
1) Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up begins. Swim meets usually last at least 3 hours so please be sure to volunteer – it helps the meet go by more quickly and is an essential part of being on the team.
2) Parents should remind their swimmer what events he/she is swimming. You might write this on your swimmer’s hand in ink after checking the “heat sheets”. Events in each age group (8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, unlimited) are backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle and freestyle relay.
3) Swimmers should join their coach and team members on the pool deck.
4) Parents are NOT permitted on the pool deck during swim meets unless they are volunteering.
5) At the end of each race, the swimmer should ask the lane timers for the stop watch time.
6) Good sportsmanship dictates polite behavior towards all officials, coaches and members of opposing teams.
7) All questions swimmers or parents may have concerning meet results, an officiating call or the conduct of a meet should be referred to your team parent rep. If appropriate, the parent rep will pursue the matter through the proper channels.
8) As a matter of pride, leave the team area in a neat and clean condition at the conclusion of the meet.
What Should I Bring to a Swim Meet?
1) Two pair of goggles are highly recommended. Sooner or later an older pair of goggles is bound to break and having a back-up pair definitely prevents much stress and aggravation.
2) One or two large towels helps keep the swimmers dry and offers something to sit on. Sweatshirts are good ideas for cool evening meets
3) Swimmers leaving the pool deck area should always notify one of the coaches before doing so. It is the responsibility of the parent and swimmer to have the swimmer at the team “ready area” in order to swim in their event.
Swimmer’s Code of Conduct
* Swimmers should never interfere with the progress of another swimmer during practice or otherwise.
* Abusive language and behavior or disrespectful acts toward teammates or members of other teams will not be tolerated.
* All swimmers are expected at all times to follow the verbal directions of the coaching staff. At no time will disrespectful attitudes be tolerated from any swimmer. When a coach signals that he/she is ready to explain a set or drill, a swimmer must stand up in the water and have eyes and ears open to accept directions.
*At all club functions, whether practice, meets, or social gatherings, we expect each swimmer to behave in such a way that their actions reflect positively on their team.
* Swimmers who compete in more than 1 summer league MUST swim unofficial for the Liberty Swim League and is not eligible for champs. This excludes diving competitively.
*** Non-compliance with the Swimmer’s Code of Conduct will result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate expulsion from the team by the Head Coach and/or Liberty Swim League Board of Directors.
Parents — THE COACH IS THE COACH. A parent’s job is to supply the love, recognition, and encouragement necessary to make your child work harder in practice, which in turn gives him/her the confidence to perform well in competition.
1) Parents are to make every effort to have their swimmer at practice on time.
2) Parents are permitted to observe practices and meets from the observation area. Please be considerate and keep conversations at a low volume level. Do not try to communicate with any swimmer from the observation area. This is not only distracting to the swimmer, but can also be distracting to the entire team as well. Parents are not permitted to crowd around the timers and/or starting blocks at meets, as this makes the actual running of the meet difficult.
3) Stay informed; check pool bulletin boards; your e-mail; and read any fliers that come home.
4) Please do not try to speak with the coaches during practice or during a meet unless it is absolutely urgent, since the coaches have to look after a large number of swimmers. Coaches are usually available after practice, at points during the day, or before a meet.
PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN BY THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK OF PRACTICE.
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I have read the Liberty Swim League Handbook and understand the standards that are expected of me.
Swimmer’s Name:___________________
Swimmer’s age on June1: ___________________
Swimmer’s Signature:___________________
Parent Signature:___________________
Phone # : ___________________ e-mail:______________________________________
Does the swimmer have any allergies or other medical conditions that the coaches need to know about for safety reasons at practices and meets?______________________________