Parent Expectations & Items to Know
- This is summer swim league, not club swim; we all want the kids to improve and the team to win. However, the primary goal is to develop a love of swimming and to have fun. If you are looking for your child to be a swimming athlete, please consider also joining a club swim program like Lighthouse.
- We depend on all the parents to help with swim meets. We literally cannot have swim meets if parents don’t volunteer so all the jobs that are needed get done. There is a list of swim meet volunteer positions on our website, and you can also ask a board member or an experienced parent if you want to know more about a particular position. Each swimmer family is required to have a volunteer (usually a parent) at each swim meet they attend.
- Summer swim team is run by volunteers. The board members, the coaches, and others all have other jobs or school outside of the summer swim team. This means that there will be times when someone runs late, leaves early, or otherwise is doing something to meet their obligations outside of swim team. It is also why we have three coaches.
- Coaching a large group of high energy kids takes work. The best thing that parents can do to help this is to not interfere with the coaching in the middle of practice (let the coaches coach). If you have a question about how or why something is being done, please address it to a board member or the head coach at the end of the practice session. Any concerns about conduct should be addressed to a board member or the head coach (Kate), not the other coaches and certainly not the junior coaches.
- The swim team utilizes junior coaches to help with teaching the younger kids. Usually, Coaches are on the deck and junior coaches are in the water. Junior coaches are typically teenage volunteers who are trying to help and are also learning how to help. Please be patient with them. If you have a concern about a junior coach please bring it to the board or the head coach.
- Practices will be divided into age groups, but occasionally a swimmer may be moved to another group depending on their skill level and individual circumstances. Parents are expected to be at practices for swimmers 8 and under.
- Swim practice is not a daycare, so please don’t leave younger children unattended or expect coaches or swimmers to watch them while they are working or practicing.
- Our swimmers come in all shapes and sizes which means even though we have and use standard suits designed for racing how they fit will vary by individual. The swim team is not a place to call out a youth about how their swim suit is fitting, we try to maintain body positive attitudes for all the participants.
- Practice is encouraged, but no particular minimum is required. Your child’s ability to improve is directly tied to how often they come to practice.
- Any issues with another child (not yours) should be addressed through the board (contact info is on the website). This is a rarity since we have a really good team with lots of great parents willing to help each other, but if something comes up, please let us know.
- We are lucky to have very nice facilities please help us keep them clean (including the restrooms) so we stay on good terms with the city and continue to use them in the future.
- In order to get an end of season award (e.g. trophy or medal), the swimmer must participate in at least one swim meet against another team (they must swim in at least 2 meets to qualify for the champ meet and high school scholarship).
- Please help your swimmer come prepared to practice: goggles, water bottle, towel, sun screen already applied, hair tie, swim cap, etc.
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