2014 Summer Team Parent Handbook

Table of Contents Contact information and Schedules Expectations and Policies Apparel and Equipment Practices (expectations, structure) Swim Meets (expectations, sign ups, structure) FAQ Year-Round team

Contact information and Schedules

Please feel free to contact the coaches at the information listed below.

Name Cell Phone Email Ariana Canalez (408)306-1815 [email protected]

Brandon Leung n/a [email protected]

Rhiana Ferguson n/a [email protected]

Kyle Ip n/a [email protected]

Nathan Leung n/a [email protected]

General Information

The program runs from May 27th – August 1st.

Practices are Monday through Friday at Sunnyvale Middle School. There is no practice on swim meet days (see meet schedule below).

Beginner 6:30-7:315 PM M/W/F or T/TH/F, Intermediate A 6:30-7:30 PM, Intermediate B 7:30-8:30 PM, Advanced 7:15 - 8:30 PM.

TENTATIVE Swim Meet Schedule Date Teams Location Time Valley Splash/SUNN @ Sunnyvale Middle Friday, June 13 TBA SUNN School Wednesday, June 18 SUNN/WEST/QSS @ QSS Gunderson High School TBA MSJA/SUNN/WEST @ Independence High Wednesday, June 25 TBA WEST School Friday, July 18-Sunday, July 7:30 SBSL Championships TBA 20 AM

For further meet information including typical start and finish times for swim meets, please see the Swim Meet section.

2 Expectations and Policies

SUNN strives to create a fun, healthy, and safe environment for its athletes. The following expectations and policies should be observed during all SUNN related events, including practices, swim meets, and social activities sponsored by the team.

Expectations 1. All athletes, parents/guardians, and staff members should be mindful that they are representing SUNN Swimming. Common courtesy, good sportsmanship, and respect should be shown towards team mates, competitors, and others present in the same facilities. 2. Practice makes perfect! Athletes are expected to attend practice regularly so as to build fitness and develop proper skills needed for competition. 3. Attend as many meets as possible. Racing is the best way for a swimmer to gauge his or her improvements and to regain motivation to train hard. 4. Specific Swimmer Behavior Expectations: o Be attentive and listening when a coach is talking. o Be respectful of coaches, teammates, equipment, and facilities. § This includes things such as acting politely to all coaches and teammates, keeping hands and feet to yourself, and following instructions given by coaches regarding equipment and facilities. o Always try your best. o Have fun!

Discipline Policies Failure to follow the rules above may result in the following discipline policies being enacted: 1. First incident of the day will result in being asked to sit out. 2. Second incident of the day will result in being asked to sit out for 5 minutes 3. Third incident of the day will result in the swimmer being asked to exit the pool, get dressed, and call their parents to come and pick them up after speaking with one of the coaches. 4. Disclaimer: Extreme cases such as violence, uncontrollable profane and disrespectful vocal outbursts may result in the first two steps being bypassed and the swimmer being excused from practice to call their parents to be picked up.

Miscellaneous Diving: Swimmers should not perform dives (or jump into the pool) unless instructed to do so by a coach or lifeguard. Diving into the shallow end of the pool and/or within close proximity of other swimmers is extremely dangerous. Swimmers who have not learned the proper procession of dives (sitting, kneeling, squatting, standing) should not attempt to use the starting blocks. SUNN Swim Team insurance does not cover the Sunnyvale Middle School recreational diving board. Swimmers should not hang on it, dive from it, or play on it. Unsafe weather: In the case of severe storms, thunder, and lightning, practice will be canceled. The pool area and locker rooms should be immediately evacuated.

3 Unsafe pool conditions: In the case of unsafe chemicals or contaminations including fecal matter, practice will be canceled and the pool should be immediately evacuated. To avoid fecal accidents, parents/guardians should encourage their swimmers to use the restroom prior to practice.

Failure to comply with expectations and policies may result in appropriate discipline, ranging from exclusion from an activity to removal from the team. If any misbehavior becomes significant, parents will be notified.

Apparel and Equipment

Swim Suits Popular swim suit brands for both genders include Speedo, Nike, Reebok, TYR, Dolphin, and Arena. An ideal suit minimizes drag and represents SUNN Swimming. Team suits are available to purchase (order form available online at SUNN.org.) Girls: Two piece, halter top, and tankini swim suits should not be worn for competition and are generally discouraged for practice. A snug-fitting suit with racer-back style straps in black, plain/navy blue, or yellow is ideal. Boys: Swim trunks, board shorts, and rash guards should not be worn for competition and are discouraged for practice. A snug-fitting suit jammer, square legged, or classic Speedo-cut suit in black, plain or navy blue, or yellow is ideal.

Caps Swim caps are available in latex, silicon, and fabric (lycra). There are caps with fun designs that might appeal to your swimmer. If you need a SUNN cap, please ask any coach.

Goggles Competitive swimmers should wear goggles that have an adjustable head strap. Some goggles come with interchangeable nose pieces, which can prevent problems such as leaking and falling off during dives. Brands such as Speedo, Nike, and TYR make goggles for children for competitive training and races.

Swim Store Recommendations

NorCal Swim Shop 5124 Stevens Creek Blvd San Jose, CA 95129 (408) 248-7946 www.swimshop.com

Sports Basement 1177 Kern Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94085 (408) 732-0300 www.sportsbasement.com

Sports Authority 125 East El Camino Real Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (408) 732-6400 www.sportsauthority.com

www.swimoutlet.com 1-800-691-4065

Practice What to bring Swimmers are expected to bring a towel, goggles, and a swim suit to every practice. Females should wear a swim cap to avoid loose hair. Please refer to the Apparel and Equipment page for swim suit, cap, and goggle recommendations.

Structure 1. Warm-up: Each practice begins light swimming to get blood circulating through the muscles. 2. Technique: A majority of the practice is devoted to swimming technique. Swimmers will work on drills, which are modified strokes that will enhance their understanding of how their bodies move through the water. 3. Skills: Depending on their skill levels, swimmers will learn skills such as flip-turns, dives, underwater dolphin kick, and breaststroke pull-downs. 4. Warm-down: The advanced and intermediate groups may occasionally have a warm-down, which is a short, easy swim following strenuous exercise, that allows the body to flush soreness-causing acid out of the muscle cells.

Swim Meets

What to Bring Swimmers are expected to bring at least two towels (one per event is recommended), a SUNN swim cap, goggles, sandals, sunscreen, and a swim suit. While a suit designated to competition is not necessary, a suit in the colors black, blue, or yellow should be worn to swim meets. Please see Apparel and Equipment section for suit recommendations. Swimmers should also wear either the SUNN Summer Team T-shirt, SUNN apparel (order form available online at SUNN.org), or any other blue or yellow clothing. Although snack bars are available at some meets, it is often more convenient to bring healthy foods (such as sandwiches, energy bars, and fruit) and plenty of liquids. Other useful items are mats or blankets to sit on, camping chairs, portable shade, books or newspaper, and hats.

Sign Up Procedures Dual Meets require that you use the online entry service Please note that you will need to sign into your SUNN.org account in order to enter dual meets 1. Select the "Attend the Meet" button in the Events section on the home page 2. Select your swimmer 3. Declare your swimmer as "yes, please sign up for this event" 4. Select the events your swimmer wants to swim at this meet 5. Select the "Save Changes" button and it will show that you are committed to this event.

For the SBSL Championships Meet, sign-ups must be done through ome.SwimConnection.com or by mail. For online entries… 1. Select the "Enter Meets" button on the home page 2. Select “Pacific Swimming” as the Swimming Association 3. Click on “SBSL Championships Meet” 4. Select the “Enter Meets Online” button 5. Click “Enter Swimmer” and give requested information 6. Enter times for desired events and save 7. Proceed to payment options and print receipt

Note: You will be asked to enter a USA Swim ID Number. As members of the SUNN swim team, each swimmer receives a number which follows a formula. The formula is as follows: Athlete's date of birth (mmddyy), the first three letters of legal first name, the first letter of middle name, and the first four letters of last name. If your athlete's first or last names don't have enough letters (or no middle name or middle initial), an * (asterisk) will be used to fill in the blanks. EX: Annie L. Smith was born on Jan. 1st, 2001. Her ID number would be 010101ANNLSMIT. If she had no middle name, it would be 010101ANN*SMIT. If her last name were Le, it would be 010101ANNLLE**

Structure • Arrival: Swimmers should arrive 15 minutes before warm-up begins and immediately notify the coaches that he or she has arrived. The coaches will be located on the pool deck near the end lane. The coaches will let you know if you are signed up for a relay. Sit with other SUNN swimmers. • Warm-up: Warm-up session lasts about an hour. The coaches will instruct the swimmers in some light swimming to prepare them for their races. Swimmers will also practice a dive or two in the designated diving lane. • Events, Heats, and Lanes: Swimmers are organized by speed into heat and lanes. Heat and lane assignments are usually posted on a wall and are listed in the coaches’ program. It is common for swimmers to write their events, heats, and lanes on the back of their hands.

6 Events: Each event is a race for a specific age and gender (ex: 8 and under boys). The odd events are always girls, and the even events are always boys. Heats: Within each event, the swimmers are divided into heats, or groups, of swimmers. The heats run from slowest (or “no time” entries) to fastest. Lanes: Each swimmer is assigned to a lane. There are usually anywhere from six to ten lanes per heat. • Race preparation: Two or three events before their race, the swimmer should go talk to their coach to discuss race strategies. The coach will instruct them to go warm up in the designated warm-up lanes. The swimmer should be behind the blocks about two to four heats before their race. • Race: During the race prior to theirs, their heat will be called to the blocks. There will be a series of whistle blasts and commands that start off each race. In the case of disqualification (DQ), the coach will receive a slip of paper explaining it. • Checking out: After racing, the swimmer should come to the coach to discuss any possible improvements and positive points of the race before warming down. • Warm-down: To alleviate any soreness and to bring the pulse rate down comfortably, the swimmer should swim double the amount they raced at an easy pace in the warm-down lanes. • Relays: Swimmers signed up for relays will be notified before or during the meet. Relays are at the end of the meet. Swimmers on a relay team should check in with their coach, warm up as a team, and walk to the blocks together.

Swim Meet FAQ What time do meets start? Dual meets usually begin at about 4:00 PM, with warm-ups beginning at 3:00 PM. The SBSL Championships meet begins at about 9:00AM, with warm-ups beginning at about 7:30AM.

How long do swim meets last? Dual meets usually last about three hours. SBSL Championships runs about six to eight hours per day.

How can I help my child prepare for his or her event? At most meets, parents are not allowed to wait behind the blocks, and in a few cases, they are not allowed to go onto the pool deck, since it gets crowded. However, it is helpful to encourage your swimmer to keep track of which event is currently in the water, remind them to bring their cap and goggles, and assist them with time management. Between races, make sure your swimmer is appropriately dressed for the weather, drinking plenty of fluids, and has eaten something small and healthy.

SUNN Swimming Year Round Team

At the end of the summer swim season, a parent and their swimmer may decide that they would like to join SUNN’s year round program. Below is a description of the steps to follow in order to join the appropriate year round practice group.

Step One: Review your child’s recommendation for group placement from the summer team coaches, and review the 2010-11 Parent and Swimmer Handbook (see team website) for information on the club's philosophy, practices, the club's dues structure, and the volunteer requirements.

Step Two: Contact SUNN Swimming’s Secretary, in order to declare interest in joining the year-round groups. The secretary must be informed that your child was evaluated as part of the Summer Team, and has thus already been assigned a recommendation for an appropriate group on the Year Round Team. The secretary will then register your swimmer in our system, making it possible for your swimmer to attend the first day of our season, usually beginning in the second week of September. The Secretary’s Email is : [email protected].

Step Three: Regularly check this website. This is where you will find updated information on practice (Weekly Reminders, see team website) and meets (Upcoming Events, see team website). You will also receive a password to access your account on the website where you can review your swimmer(s) results at meets or check your service points balance.

*For any other questions about this process, please feel free to contact the SUNN secretary, or Coach Ariana.