Pine Richland Aquatics

2010-2011 Family Manual Dear PRA Parents,

Welcome to Pine Richland Aquatics! We hope your swimmer enjoys the many benefits of swimming and the companionship of belonging to a swim club. This manual outlines your roles and responsibilities as a parent of a swimmer on Pine Richland Aquatics. The success of our organization is largely dependent on the contribution of the time, effort, and financial support of you, our PRA parents. Please take the time to read the manual and feel free to contact any board member with questions, comments or recommendations.

Sincerely,

Pine Richland Aquatics Board of Directors 1.0 Communication Procedures

1.1 Monthly schedules, listing of swim meets and other pertinent information is available on our web site. Please visit it regularly for updates. The web site is praswim.org. In addition, each swimmer will have a swim folder located in the stands in the pool area. Please check it on a regular basis. The majority of communication is done by email. If you are not receiving emails please contact a coach or board member as soon as possible.

1.2 Throughout the year the Board of Directors and Coaches will hold meetings designed to communicate with parents. Also, on the website there is a button called “Coaches” where you can send an email to any and all board members and coaches. In addition parents can address the board at the beginning of the monthly board meeting, or at one of the semi-annual club/parent meetings where typically the financial budget of PRA is reviewed, elections for vacant Board positions occur, and other club-wide business is discussed. Please feel free to contact any board member at the following home telephone numbers or e-mail addresses:

Board Member E-Mail Phone Number Rich Sanzi, President [email protected] 724-812-0234 Gretchen Ahrendt, 1st VP [email protected] 724-935-2192 Laurel Anderson, 2nd VP [email protected] 724-444-0478 Dan Tobin, Secretary [email protected] 724-449-7228 Josh Carmazzi, Treasurer [email protected] 724-443-2128

1.3 Each coach is accessible to parents; however please do not take up practice time for lengthy conferences with coaches. Parents are not permitted on the pool deck during practice or when a meet is in progress. Practice time is designated for coaches to invest their time, expertise, and attention to the swimmers. Parents are strongly encouraged to speak with coaches at times other than practice times. To arrange a time to have a conference with a coach, please contact them as follows:

Coach Phone Number/Email Pete Barry [email protected] 724-776-4492 Georgiann Barry [email protected] 412-877- 9867 Jeff Armstrong [email protected] 814-282-3035 T. J. Barry [email protected] 724-473-1028 Shannon Kabala [email protected] 412-613-0189 1.4 Grievance Procedures Occasionally an issue arises relating to team administration or an individual swimmer, coach, board member, or parent that is not easily resolved through usual communication procedures as previously outlined in sections 1.1 and 1.2. In these unusual circumstances, two board members and a coaching representative will meet with the individual presenting the unresolved issue/grievance in an effort to provide resolution. It is fully expected that with cooperation, good communication, and a spirit of fairness that all grievances/issues can be effectively resolved within the structure of Pine Richland Aquatics.

2.0 Organizational Responsibilities

2.1 Assisting at Swim Meets PRA plans to host two swim meets during the 2010-2011 short course season: a Mini/Distance/BB Meet on November 13th and 14th and the Last Splash Meet on March 19th and 20th. In addition we generally host at least one or two meets during long course season which have yet to be determined. All families are required to participate by working 50% of the sessions at any PRA hosted USA meet regardless of whether your child swims at the meet or not (requirements for the co-hosted meet with Deer Lakes are yet to be determined). A single session is generally ½ day on Saturday or Sunday for a total of 4 available sessions per 2 day meet or 2 available sessions per one day meet. Regardless of the duration that a meet session runs, those volunteering for the session will be expected to work their job through the duration of the session unless otherwise directed by the PRA Meet Director.

There are various jobs/duties associated with meets as designated by the PRA Meet Director. Training for these jobs/duties is provided. The training is generally very simple and occurs the day of the meet just before a session begins. These meets are announced at or near the time of registration to enable all parents to mark their calendars for participation. If an irresolvable conflict exists causing a family to be unable to participate, the family should notify the Meet Director immediately to discuss alternative volunteer opportunities. Signing up for various jobs and duties is done via the PRA website; the website will have these duties posted several weeks in advance of the meet. Signups are handled on a first-come, first-served basis so signup early! Since it is a requirement that every PRA family participates in PRA hosted swim meets, one family’s failure to assist places a greater burden on other families. Therefore, as stated in section 4.6 of the bylaws a $50 fee per session will be assessed on a family for not working, not finding a suitable replacement, or not finding a suitable alternative volunteer opportunity from the Meet Director. This fee will be charged to the Member family’s account and will appear in their next monthly bill. 2.2 Concession Donations for Home Swim Meets Each family will be required to donate either $15 in cash (to be used for the purchase of food items) or to purchase items costing approximately $15 for the concession stand operated during all home swim meets. A large portion of our club’s income is generated from concession sales. Parent purchase of concession items helps the club make a larger profit from these sales. This donation will be required for each of our home meets.

2.3 Other Volunteer Opportunities That Include a Registration Discount Volunteering to assist with other team functions/roles is vital to the team’s success. Opportunities for board positions and various committees will arise throughout the year. If a parent is interested in volunteering, he/she should contact any board member. Parents are eligible to receive a 10% registration fee discount during the Short Course season (September – March) for all swimmers in their family if they are a current member of the Board of Directors or an active, in-good-standing AMS official. A committee chairperson is eligible for a 5% discount of the most expensive swimmer in their family during the Short Course season. This is applied to their account after their responsibility has been completed in a satisfactory manner. If the chair is shared by more than one person, the discount is split accordingly. A family is limited to a maximum of a 10% discount for all family swimmers per Short Course season.

3.0 Team Code for Practice and Meets

3.1 General Team Rules 1) Use of disrespectful comments, negative comments, or vulgar language is prohibited at any time and at any place. 2) Communicate with the coaches and teammates with respect. Do not address a coach using their first names only. Please address them with the title of “Coach” in front of their name (example: Coach Pete). 3) The mishandling, stealing, or destruction of another person’s property will not be tolerated. 4) Please keep quiet while teammates, coaches, or speakers are talking. 5) Stay by the pool area before, during, or after any practices and swim meets. Wandering around the building is not allowed. 6) Skipping practice and hiding in the building will not be tolerated. 7) Skipping out of set is not acceptable during practice. Do not stop unless the exercise is over or the coach is talking to you. 8) Exit practices through the locker rooms not across the deck. This includes crossing behind the diving boards from the gallery to the balcony or visa versa. 9) Use of a cell phone/texting is not permitted in the locker rooms 10) No fighting or horse playing, keep your hands to yourself. 11) Do not damage any equipment. 12) Use of illegal drugs and or alcohol is prohibited. 3.2 Practice Guidelines 1) We stretch 15 minutes before the start of each practice. You are to be on deck and ready to participate with team stretching. 2) Late arrivals are sometimes unforeseen. It is important that you are on deck and stretching with the team. Continuously being late is frowned upon, unless conditions are cleared by the coach. Arriving late unsettles the flow of a practice. 3) Overnight use of the little lockers is acceptable. You must provide your own lock. 4) You must provide your own suit, goggles, and towels. PRA supplies a seasonal t-shirt. Practice and/or meet caps are available at a price of $12 for silicone and $4 for latex from a Board member or a coach. You may wear non- PRA caps so long as they are solid in color and do not have any other team logo or team names on them. Other optional equipment includes fins, kickboards, pull buoys and paddles. These can be purchased from local vendors or are often available at swim meets. Speak to your age group coach for applicability and assistance. 5) Early dismissals from practice are acceptable, but the swimmer must notify a coach at the start of practice. Swimmers under the age of 13 must either present a signed note from their parent or have their parent talk to the coach before practice begins if they are leaving early. 6) All non swimmers are to stay off deck during a practice. Parents may approach the office between 4:45pm and 5:15pm or after 7:15pm Monday through Friday and 9:40am-10:00amon Saturday. Please do not interrupt a coach in the middle of practice. 7) Please do not disturb a practice session. This includes coaching, signaling and shouting to your children from the stands. This type of behavior distracts both the swimmers and coaches. 8) Parents and swimmers are urged to check the web page weekly for changes in practices, monthly calendars, and meet entry due dates: www.praswim.org 9) The Summer Long Course practice schedule will change once school is out. While not guaranteed, it is generally held weekday mornings at the same time as Saturday morning practices.

3.3 Meet Guidelines 1) Meet entries are due in on or before the deadline posted by PRA. No late entries can be accepted. This is due to the first come first serve deadlines set forth in the meet invitations by the host teams. 2) If eligible, all PRA swimmers will automatically be entered into PRA home swim meets. 3) The coaches select meet events for the swimmers. They do not accept parent picks. They will, however, consider occasional requests for certain meets and events with the understanding that they may or may not be honored. Ultimately, it is the coach’s decision: the goal is to have well rounded swimmers who are able to swim every event and stroke possible. 4) Entries are posted on the PRA website. It is the parent’s responsibility to check the page to make sure their swimmer is entered in the meets you selected and on the correct days. If an error occurs (i.e.: incorrectly entered into a meet that you said you could not attend, or on the incorrect day), please notify the coach immediately. There is only a very small window of opportunity to correct an error once it occurs. Once events are finalized, PRA is charged a “splash fee” (i.e.: $5.00 per event) for every entry whether your swimmer actually swims in the meet or not and this charge will be therefore passed on to your account. 5) It is encouraged that parents not drop their swimmer off for a swim meet. While parents cannot generally be on deck, often things arise that require parental input (swimming in a relay for instance or unforeseen cancellation or delay of a meet). If a parent cannot stay, please have another team family serve as a go to for your child when this type of guidance is needed. 6) All non swimmers are to stay off the pools decks at all swim meets. The only people covered by the USA Insurance Policy are the Host Team Workers, Registered Officials (working that session), Registered Coaches, and Registered Swimmers. In the event of an accident you are putting AMS and PRA in jeopardy. 7) Please have the swimmers at the meets at least 15 minutes before their warm up session starts. Meets are not any different than a practice. A 15 minute group stretch is expected before we get in for a warm up. Please find the team resting area and then report to the deck for stretching. 8) All swimmers should always please check in with the coach before and after each race, then you can go see Mom and Dad. 9) It is required that you sit with the team while on the pool deck. 10) Relays at meets will be comprised of the four fastest swimmers available that day or session, no exceptions. PLEASE NOTE: If you tell the coach on deck that you can participate in a relay and then leave before the relay event, your account will be charged the entire cost of the relay. 11) Team apparel is required at all meets (caps, tee shirts). Clothing advertising other teams or organizations other than PRA, USA Swimming, or Allegheny Mountain Swimming is not permitted. 12) Use of a black suit or a race suit is required for all meets. Suits advertising another organization, with prints, or logos on them will not be permitted at any swim meet. Team caps displaying the PRA call letters must be worn at all swim meets. 13) All PRA team rules and USA Swimming Code of Conduct are in effect when we are at or hosting a swim meet.

3.4 Code of Conduct As part of the registration process parents (and swimmers) are required to sign a Code of Conduct Pledge to participate in Pine Richland Aquatics. A copy of the Swimmer’s and Parent’s Code of Conduct is attached 4.0 Financial Responsibility

4.1 Swim Team Fee The following is the current 2010 – 2011 Short Course swim team registration fees for individual swimmers, broken down by group:

Group Fee 8 & Under Group $300 Middle Groups $425 Coach Pete’s Group $550 High School State Group $300

Long Course Fees will be determined by the Board of Directors at a later date based on the financial success of the club.

The swim team registration fees for the short course season are due and payable at the time of registration. In addition, there is a $65.00 USA Fee (valid until December 31, 2010 at which time USA could impose a price increase). Payments made at the time of registration can be made via credit card, electronic check, cash or check. Make checks payable to “Pine Richland Aquatics, Inc.” Payments made after the initial registration dates can only be made via credit card or electronic check. There is a two-week trial period for “new” swimmers to PRA which begins on the first day of practice for the season. During this two-week period, you can withdraw and receive a refund of the registration fees that were paid, less a $50.00 administrative fee. THERE ARE NO REFUNDS IF YOUR CHILD DECIDES TO LEAVE THE PROGRAM DURING THE SEASON OUTSIDE OF THE TWO-WEEK TRIAL PERIOD. IN ADDITION, THE USA FEE IS NON-REFUNDABLE AND CANNOT BE PRO-RATED.

If a swimmer experiences a season-ending injury or other circumstance that causes a permanent and/or premature departure from the team, the board can be petitioned to consider offering a pro-rated credit towards the registration fees of the subsequent swim season or a partial refund. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

It is expected that registration fees will be paid in full at the time of registration. Families with more than one registering swimmer have the option of paying the registration amount in three installments: This option requires the execution of an installment agreement. It also requires that payment be made via credit card or electronic check. At the time of registration, 1/3 of the registration fee is due along with a $25/swimmer finance charge and all USA Swimming fees. The second installment (1/3rd) will be due November 1st and the third (1/3) installment will be due December 1st. If a swimmer is moved to a different practice group during the season, the family will be billed a revised amount and either a credit will be applied to the family account or a bill will be issued, payable immediately.

4.2 Fundraising In an effort to keep registration fees as low as possible, the fundraising chair/committee will schedule various fundraisers throughout the Short Course and Long Course seasons. Participation in these events is mandatory. The funds raised go to support the budget set by the Board of Directors. Pine-Richland Aquatics, Inc. is a 501 (3) (c) organization. This means that donations made to the club are tax deductible. Please consider making or soliciting a donation on behalf of our club. Tax receipts, when requested, are issued by our Treasurer. Please contact the club Treasurer for a receipt.

4.3 Meet Entry Fees When a swimmer participates in a competitive swim meet there are entry fees based on the number of events in which the swimmer is competing. These are commonly known as “splash fees” and currently cost $5.00/event and $5.25/distance event. Parents will receive notification from the coaches regarding which meets their swimmer(s) qualify. Once a swimmer has been properly signed up and entered in a meet, PRA is charged, and therefore, the swimmers account is charged. These amounts are non-refundable regardless of whether or not the swimmer actually swims in the meet or not – NO EXCEPTIONS. This is regardless of the reason for the no show or scratch.

Participation in relays also has a splash fee. Each member of the relay will be charged 1/4th of the cost of the relay (typical relay cost is $5.00 so each swimmer will be charged $1.25). PLEASE NOTE: If you tell the coach on deck that you can participate in a relay and then leave before the relay event, your account will be charged the entire cost of the relay.

Families can view their account balance at any time on the website. IT IS MANDATORY THAT EACH FAMILY SET UP THE AUTO PAY FUNCTION ON THE WEBSITE WITH EITHER A CREDIT CARD OR CHECKING ACCOUNT FOR ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER (EFT). On the 21st of each month, the then current balance of your account will be e-mailed to you. Then, on the 1st of the following month, your entire account balance as of the 1st of the month (not as of the 21st of the prior month) will be charged to your credit card or electronically deducted from your checking account via EFT. Please remember to keep your credit card and checking account information updated on the website. In the event that it is not kept current and PRA is assessed any fees (overdraft, collection fees, etc.) these fees will be passed along to your account. In addition, accounts that are not kept current will be subjected to a $25 late fee and swimmers with accounts past due will not be entered in upcoming meets until the accounts are caught up.

Fees for elite meets (such as Zones, Sectionals, Nationals, etc.) must be paid in full prior to the team check being sent in for these events. Swimmers attending these meets will receive a special invoice which will require immediate payment.

Any travel meet funding received by PRA, Inc. from AMS will be applied to the swimmers account. Any outstanding credit balances caused by these meet funding reimbursements will be carried forwarded from season to season to offset future registration fees, meet fees, USA fees, travel assessments, etc. They will only be refunded upon written request upon the permanent departure of the swimmer from PRA (i.e.: graduation or moving from the Pittsburgh area).

When attending an out of town meet, swimmers and coach(es) may choose to share a rental car. Upon doing so, the car rental expense will be divided equally between PRA and the number of families sharing the car (i.e. 2 families sharing the car and the expense is divided into 3 parts, 1/3 PRA, 1/3 family #1 and 1/3 family #2). The final amount will be billed to your account upon completion of the trip and will be payable immediately.

Any disputes on account charges, balances, etc. need to be made in writing to the Treasurer within 30 days of invoicing.

A Parent contract is included with the registration documents and must be signed by all families.

5.0 Suggested Do’s for Parents  Do volunteer for PRA.  Do leave the coaching to the coaches.  Do encourage and support your child through the ups and downs of swimming.  Do be patient with your swimmer’s progress. Every swimmer progresses at a different rate and time improvements do not occur at every meet. Your patience will have a positive influence on your swimmer.  Do talk to coaches and/or board members if you have a concern or question. Get questions answered, concerns resolved, then move on. Don’t hold grudges…it weakens the organization and the team, ultimately harming our children.  Do keep informed: - Check the PRA website (www.praswim.org) - Check your PRA family folder at least weekly. - Check the pool area for sign-up sheets. - Review the PRA monthly calendar on the website. - Read the PRA Parent Manual. - Do enter your swimmer(s) on time for all swim meets and meet all deadlines. 6.0 Important Dates during the season:

September 7-8 - New Swimmer Registration October 13th – Team Suit fitting at the Pool with Knabes Swim Shop October TBD - Parent Information Night - mandatory November 13th & 14th – Mini/Distance/BB Meet November TBD - Team Photo Night November TBD - Project Bundle-Up swim relay December/January TBD - Winter Ice Skating Party – North Park Skating Rink March 19th and 20th – Last Splash Swim Meet March/April TBD - Entire Membership Meeting After reading, please sign and return this page to the Board

I acknowledge that I have received and read the PRA Parent Handbook, 2010-2011 and agree to abide by the policies described therein.

Swimmer(s) name: ______

Parent or Legal Guardian signature: ______

Print Parent or Legal Guardian name: ______

Date: ______Pine Richland Aquatics

Swimmer’s Code of Conduct

I pledge to treat my teammates, competition, coaches, and myself with respect. I will be committed to doing my best in practice and in meets, and remember to have fun. I will follow the team rules set by the coaches.

Print Name

Signature Date

Parent’s Code of Conduct

I pledge to treat the coaches, fellow swim parents, and swimmers with respect. I understand that my conduct at practice, meets and various organization meetings should at all times be appropriate and in accordance with the grievance procedures, governance, and rules established by the Board of Directors. I will fulfill my team responsibilities as a PRA swim parent as established by the Board of Directors, remembering that the team exists for our children.

Print Name Print Name Date

Signature Signature

Failure to abide by the code can result in disciplinary sanctions up to and including suspension from practice, meets, and/or the team.