Registration Packet - Practice
PARENTS ON DECK
We welcome parents on deck to observe practice from time to time, but from a distance. Parents are asked to sit on the west side of the pool near the building. Please refrain from approaching a coach during practice. We would enjoy speaking with you AFTER practice is over.
We also ask that you avoid your own ‘coaching’ of the swimmers, as it can become very confusing for swimmers to have two ‘coaches’ (parent and coach). The results are almost always better when parents restrict their input to support and encouragement, and allow the coaches to provide the technical direction.
PRACTICE
We do not have a required number of practices that the swimmers must attend during the week or month for the age group swimmers. Senior swimmers are expected to attend 80% of practice sessions a month including any dry land activities. However, we do want swimmers to keep a good attendance record, especially if they plan on improving. Improvement in swimming is directly related to your attendance and effort.
We do understand that kids and parents have busy schedules. Please let us know if there are certain days that your child may be regularly missing during the week. There is a practice schedule poster on the bulletin board outside of the coach’s office. The schedule is subject to change at any time, although we do our best to keep it the same. The times may change from season to season, so it is the responsibility of the swimmer to check the bulletin board for changes to the schedule daily.
Please be sure your swimmer(s) is/are on time for practice. If they are arriving late or will be getting out early, we will need a parent to come out on deck or a parent phone call confirming this. A written note is not acceptable. Swimmers are expected to be ready to swim and behind their lanes at the designated start time. Changing and other preparations need to be done before practice starts.
The locker rooms are available for the swimmers to change quickly before practice. Please remind your swimmers that the locker room is not the property of the swim team and all personal items must be inside a locker or on the deck of the pool, no exceptions. The country club provides towels for its members, not for MVAC. Please bring your own towels to practice, member and non-member alike.
Swimmers are expected to fully participate in practice. If there is excessive sitting out, the swimmer will be given the option of continuing to swim or getting out. Parents will be contacted if the swimmer gets out for this reason. MVAC’s workouts are not as long as some other teams. We rely on intensity during practice. Sitting out during practice is counter to that philosophy.
No swimmer shall interfere with the progress of other swimmers either in or out of the pool. They will be dealt with outside of practice.
CONDUCT
Inappropriate language and behavior will not be tolerated during practice or at any other time by a member of MVAC. Abusive language is unnecessary, offensive and does not belong at the pool, on deck, in the locker room or at meets. A swimmer will be asked to leave if this type of language is heard by one of the coaches or swimmers. If this type of language is persistent, we will have to consider the swimmer’s status on the team.
Respect is required and expected for other swimmers, coaches and the facility. No exceptions.