|
The principle purpose of the Sachem
Swim Club is:
In addition, any student in the Sachem School District and /or any residing school district is eligible to become a member. Each student must be of amateur status in the sport of swimming. Also, each applicant must pass a minimum swimming test given by the coach to be eligible for membership in the Club, and have the approval of the Board of Directors.
WHY SWIM?
In addition to physical development, children can develop greater intellectual competence by participating in a guided program of physical activity. Learning and using swimming skills engages the thinking processes. As they learn new techniques, children must develop and plan movement sequences. They improve by exploring new ideas. They learn that greater progress results from using their creative talents. Self-expression can be just as much physical as intellectual. Finally their accomplishments in learning and using new skills contribute to a stronger self image. "Preparation for Life" by
Phil Hansel. Not everything we do in life is a pleasant experience. Not everything we do is beneficial. Not everything is productive. Not everything is a nurturing, loving experience. Life is full of negative, destructive experiences. Rejection, defeat and failure surround all of us. The trick is to be prepared to deal with this side of life and learn to overcome discouragement. I have always felt that the great value of swimming as a sport is that it prepares one for life. The total swimming experience is made up of people, attitudes, beliefs, work habits, fitness, health, winning and losing, and so much more. Swimming is a cross section of lifetime experiences. It can provide so many learning situations. A swimmer learns to deal with pressure and stress, sometimes self-imposed, sometimes applied by others. One learns to deal with success and failure. One learns teamwork and discipline. Swimming becomes a self achievement activity. There is only one person in the water in a given lane in any race. The responsibility for performance ultimately lies with the individual. How well the individual has prepared physically and mentally to a large degree will determine the performance level. Many swimming experiences can be of the disruptive, discouraging type. But at least a young swimmer learns that this is part of life, and the swimmer must learn to cope. By learning how to handle frustration and disappointment, the young swimmer gains confidence. The swimmer learns dedication and commitment. Through perseverance, a swimmer learns to overcome adversity. All of these experiences tend to develop an individual who is better able to handle life's hardships and face problems. As
coaches and parents, we tend to preach that hard work will lead to
victory. We preach that clean living and proper training such as diet,
sleep and regular attendance at workouts will lead to winning. Though
in the long run for a productive successful life, these are probably
truthful
A swimmer learns to set realistic goals. Once a goal is reached, then new goals must be established. A swimmer learns that effort becomes an individual crusade. If the ultimate goal is an Olympic gold medal, then with the proper talent, dedication, belief and support, all swimmers believe it can be done This is the positive achievement side of swimming that I like so much. Through experience in swimming, our young people learn attitudes and habits that will remain with them throughout the rest of their life. Most swimmers learn to be "can do" people. Generally, these positive attitudes, belief in self and solid work habits will produce a terrific adult. Our society and our world is enriched by these former swimmers as they become adults. Because of their training, they handle life with a smile. They contribute time and energy to others in every way imaginable. We can be proud of what swimming contributes to this world. Though "life is not fair," a swimmer knows how to deal with that and can achieve a balance. For the most part, former swimmers grow up to be ordinary people, but they always have that extra plus from the swimming experience. We are different and can be proud of it. It's a pity and truly "unfair" that thousands and thousands of young people are missing the swimming experience. We must open our programs to everyone. We must find ways to share our fantastic sport.
TEAM PHILOSOPHY The team philosophy is encompassed in the words COURAGE and PERSEVERANCE.
Sachem Swim Club believes that
COURAGE and PERSEVERANCE
developed by swimming will prepare the individual for the challenges
they PARENTS.....YOUR ATHLETE NEEDS YOU To have a successful program there must be understanding and cooperation among parents, swimmers, and coaches. The progress your youngster makes depends to a great extent on this triangular relationship. It is with this in mind that we ask you to consider this section as you join the Sachem Swim Club and reacquaint yourself with this section if you are a returning Sachem Swim Club parent. You have done a great deal to raise your child. You create the environment in which they are growing up. Your child is a product of your values, the structure you have provided, and the model you have been. Human nature, however, is such that a parent loses some of his/her ability to remain detached and objective in matters concerning his/her children's athletics. The following guidelines will help you keep your child's development in the proper perspective and help your child reach his/her full potential as an athlete. We want your swimmer to relate to his or her coach as soon as possible
concerning swimming matters. This relationship between coach and swimmer
produces best results. When parents interfere with opinions as to
how the swimmer should swim or train, it causes considerable, and
often times
insurmountable, confusion as to whom the swimmer should listen to.
If you have a problem, concern, or complaint, please contact the coach. Best kind of parent: The coach's job is to motivate and constructively criticize the swimmer's performance. It is the parent's job to supply the love, recognition, and encouragement necessary to make the child work harder in practice, which in turn gives him/her the confidence to perform well in competition. Ten and under: are the most inconsistent swimmers and this can be frustrating for parents, coaches, and the swimmer alike! Parents and coaches must be patient and permit these youngsters to learn to love the sport. When a young swimmer first joins Sachem, there may be a brief period in which he/she appears to slow down. This is a result of the added concentration on stroke technique, but this will soon lead to much faster swims for the individual. Not every time: Even the very best swimmer will have meets where they do not do their best times. These "plateaus" are a normal part of swimming. Over the course of a season times should improve. Please be supportive of these "poor" meets. The older swimmers may have only two or three meets a year for which they will be rested and tapered. PROBLEMS WITH THE COACH? One of the traditional swim team communication gaps is that some parents seem to feel more comfortable in discussing their disagreements over coaching philosophy with other parents rather than taking them directly to the coach. Not only is the problem never resolved that way, but in fact this approach often results in new problems being created. Listed below are some guidelines for a parent raising some difficult issues with a coach: 1. Try to keep foremost in your mind that you and the
coach have the best interests of your child at heart. If you trust
that the coach's goals match yours, even though his/her approach may
be different, you are more likely to enjoy good rapport and a constructive
dialogue. 2. Keep in mind that the coach must balance your perspective
of what is best for your child with the needs of the team or a training
group that can range 3. If your child swims for an assistant coach, always discuss the matter first with that coach, following the same guidelines and preconceptions noted above. If the assistant coach cannot satisfactorily resolve your concern, then ask that the head age group coach or head coach join the dialogue as a third party. 4. If another parent uses you as a sounding board for complaints about
the coach's performance or policies, listen empathetically, but encourage
the other parent to speak directly to the coach. He/she is the only
one who can resolve the problem. COMMUNICATION or CTBB: Check the Bulletin Boards! A
Bulletin Board at the high school pool will provide meet information
in detail and entry summaries for upcoming meets. It is the swimmer or
parents responsibility to double check each
When contacting the coaches, please be considerate. The best way to speak with the coaches is to schedule a meeting. They also make themselves available for 10 minutes after practice to answer questions, provide information, etc.. Sending a note to the coach with your swimmer is a good way to get information to them.
COMPETITION The Sachem Swim Club engages in a multi-level competition program with United States Swimming that, like our training program, attempts to provide challenging, yet success oriented competitive situations for swimmers of all ages and abilities. The following policies outline our philosophy: 1. We emphasize competition with oneself. Winning ribbons,
medals, or trophies is not our main goal. Even if the swimmer finishes
first, but has swum
poorly in comparison to his/her own past performances, he/she is encouraged
to do better. The individual's improvement is our primary objective.
2. Sportsmanlike behavior is of equal importance of improved performance. All the coaches teach swimmers how to behave like a champion when the swimmer has both a "good" and 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 Sachem Swim Club coaching staff. 3. A swimmer is praised for improving his/her stroke or time. It is the coach's job to offer constructive criticism of a swimmer's performance. It is the parent's responsibility to provide love and encouragement that bolster the swimmer's confidence along the way. 4. Swimmers are taught to set realistic, yet challenging, goals for meets and to relate those goals to practice to direct their training efforts. 5. Swimmers are prepared and encouraged to compete in all swimming events, distances, and strokes. This policy promotes versatility and encourages the swimmer to explore his/her potential in the wide range of events offered in competitive swimming. Oftentimes, a swimmers "best" stroke changes as they mature and his/her body goes through physical changes. Before the Meet Starts 1. Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time begins. This time will be listed on the meet information sheets. 2. Upon arrival, find a place to put your swimmer's blankets and swim bags. The team usually sits in one place together, so look for some familiar faces. 3. Your swimmer now gets his/her cap and goggles and reports to the pool and/or coach for check-in and warm-up instructions. It is very important for all swimmers to warm-up with the team. Swimmer's bodies are just like cars on a cold day he/she needs to get the engine going and warmed up before he/she can go all out. 4. Once "checked in", the coach will write each event number on your swimmer's hand in ink. This helps him/her remember what events he/she is swimming and what event number to listen for. 5. After warm-up, your swimmer will go back to the area where his/her towels are and sit there until the next event is called. This is a good time to make sure he/she goes to the bathroom if necessary, gets a drink, or just gets settled in. 6. The meet will usually start about 10-15 minutes after warm-ups are over. 7. According to USS rules (because of insurance purposes), parents are not allowed on deck unless they are serving in an official capacity. Similarly, all questions concerning meet results, an officiating call, or the conduct of a meet, should be referred to the coaching staff. They, in turn, will pursue the matter through the proper channels. 8. Heat Sheets. A heat sheet is usually available for sale in the lobby or concession area of the pool. Heat sheets generally sell for one to two dollars per day. It lists all swimmers in each event in order of "seed time". When the team entry is sent in, each swimmer and his/her previous best time in that event is listed. If the swimmer is swimming an event for the first time, he/she will be entered as a "no-time" or "NT". A "no-time" swimmer will most likely swim in one of the first heats of the event. When the Meet Starts 1. It is important for any swimmer to know what event numbers he/she is swimming (again, why they should have the numbers on their hand). He/she may swim right away after warm-up or they may have to wait awhile. 2. A swimmer's event number will be called, usually over the loudspeaker, and he/she will be asked to report to their lane behind the blocks. Swimmers should report with his/her cap and goggle. Generally, girls events are odd numbered and boys events are even numbered. Example: "Event #26, 10 & Under Boys, 50 freestyle, report to your lane." 3. The swimmers will check in with the timers. This will verify that they are in the correct event and lane. You can expect at least 4-8 heats of each event. 4. The swimmer swims their race. 5. After each swim:
6. Things you, as a parent, can do after each swim:
7. When a swimmer has completed all of his/her events he/she and their parents get to go home. Make sure, however, you, as a parent, check with the coach before leaving to make sure your swimmer is not included on a relay. It is not fair to other swimmers who may have stayed to swim on a relay where your swimmer is expected to be a member and he/she is not there. (The coaches speak from experience on this issue.) What Happens If Your Child has a Disappointing Swim If your child has a poor race and comes out of it feeling bad, talk
about the good things. The first thing you say is, "Hey, that
is not like you. You're
usually a top swimmer." Then you c If your child comes up to you and says, "That was a bad race, don't tell me it wasn't," there is nothing wrong with a swimmer negatively evaluating a race. The important thing is for the child not to dwell on it. You should move the swimmer on to something good. "All right, you have had a bad race. How do you think you can do better next time?" Immediately start talking about the positive things. What To Take To The Meet 1. Most important: Sachem Swim Club suit, cap, and goggles if your swimmer uses them. 2. Baby or talcum powder--To "dust" the inside of swim cap. This helps preserve the cap and makes it easier to put on. 3. Towels-Realize your swimmer will be there awhile, so pack at least two. 4. Something to sit on. Example: sleeping bag, old blanket, or anything that will be comfortable to sit on. The swimmers will be spending a lot of time on it. For outdoor meets a camp chair is a good idea so the towels and or blankets do not muddy. 5. Sweat suits: bring one. Each swimmer may want to bring two because they can get wet and soggy. 6. T-shirts: Two or three. Same reason as above. 7. Games: travel games, coloring books, books, anything to pass the time. 8. Food: Each swimmer is usually allowed to bring a small cooler. It is better to bring snacks. They usually have snack bars at the meet, but the lines are long and most of the time they only sell junk food. Suggestions for items to bring: Drinks: Hi-C, Fruit juice, Gatorade, Powerade Snacks: Granola bars, Fun fruits, yogurt, cereal, Jell-O cubes, sandwiches. Heavy snacks should be avoided so the swimmer does not cramp up. Once you have attended one or two meets this will all become very routine. Please do not hesitate to ask any other Sachem Swim Club parent for help or information! These meets are a lot of fun for the swimmers! He/she
gets to visit with his/her friends, play games, and meet kids from
other teams. He/she also gets to "race" and see how much
he/she has improved from all the hard work he/she has put in at practice.
Special Parent's Note The pool area is usually very warm. Therefore, you need to make sure you dress appropriately. Nothing is worse than being hot at a swim meet. It takes the time pass very slowly!
I. Starts The swimmers are not allowed a false start. If they jump the start and the starter thinks they are trying to get an advantage (whether intentional or not-it does not matter), they will be taken out of the race. This is not like the Olympics where they are allowed two false starts. II. Turns and finishes
|
The
complex movements of all parts of the body, enhancing harmonious
muscle function, grace, and fluidity of movement. 
concepts that don't always work in short term
situations. We have all been in situations where a bigger, more gifted person with poor work habits is the victor in race after race. Or
we've known others who never seem to study, yet get good grades. We've
known business people who never seem to lift a finger, yet for one
reason or another, they close deal after deal. These things just are
not fair. Yet this is one of the valuable lessons that swimmers learn:
"Life is not fair." We don't all start out in life with the same
physical, mental, emotional and financial resources. In that respect,
"Life is not fair." A swimmer must learn what is fair for one is not
necessarily fair for another. A swimmer learns we are all different
and each individual controls his or her own destiny. A swimmer learns
to emphasize given talents and skills. A swimmer learns to improve on
a regular basis. By not setting limits and restrictions, this
improvement will surely lead to success. A swimmer learns if he or she
does their best, then there are no failures. 
COURAGE is the willingness to accept risk
and endure failure. Courage does not exist unless there is a situation
that presents the opportunity for success. We encourage our athletes
to embrace these opportunities and not fear the outcome.
PERSEVERANCE
is the backbone of success in any endeavor in life. One cannot succeed
at the highest levels without enduring some set-backs. These difficult
times can create a lack of faith, low self-esteem, and an obvious
drop in enthusiasm. Perseverance is the quality that transcends these
difficult times. It allows the individual to find the true strength
of their character.
meet
entry after it is posted. Mistakes sometimes happen in meet entries,
however, it is much easier to fix them one month prior to a meet than
on the actual day of competition.
an go on and talk about the
good things the child did. You never talk about the negative things.