Maine South Swimming and Diving Team Rules

As a member of the Maine South Girls’ Swimming and Diving Team, you will be expected to behave by the guidelines written below. These guidelines can be amended and appended by the coaches during the course of the swim season. However, most of them fall within the realm of common sense. Despite the fact that many of them should be common sense, it is necessary to enumerate them below so as to avoid any confusion about team policies and procedures. As athletes competing on the swim team, and parents of the said athletes, please be sure to read all of the information listed below very carefully!!

As a Maine South Swimmer or Diver you have made a commitment to a team. In honoring that commitment, you must attend allpractices and work to the best of your ability at these practices. You are to attend all swimming meets your level requires, and are also encouraged to attend others. You are to support your teammates through your hard work, your honest effort, your development of a stronger character, your mentoring of younger team members and your peers, and your commitment to better yourself as a person, as a teammate, and as a student of MaineSouthHigh School. By joining the swim team here at Maine South you are becoming part of a legacy of athletes who have grown stronger, better, and wiser as a result of their experience here. It is our expectation that you will continue this legacy in the same manner. It is not all just about winning a race, but rather making the racer a winner!!!

Try-Out/Cuts Criteria

Like other interscholastic sports, swimming will be a sport that cuts can/will be made. However, in the Maine South Girls Swimming program, Freshman girls will not be cut unless they physically do not know how to swim. Listed below are the expectations that must be met for athletes trying out for the Junior Varsity and Varsity swim teams:

  1. All individuals trying out for the JV team must be able to swim 500 yards, non-stop, in a time at or below 10 minutes.
  1. All individuals trying out for the Varsity team must be able to swim 500 yards, non-stop, in a time at or below 8 minutes and 30 seconds.
  1. All individuals trying out for the JV and Varsity teams must be able to complete a Varsity level practice without stopping during any of the practice sets. NOTE: All JV and Varsity swimmers will practice together and do either the same or similar workouts on a daily basis.
  1. In addition to the above listed criteria, there will also be a time trial during the first week of the season to more accurately determine the make-up of the personnel of the JV and Varsity teams.
  1. Altogether, on the JV and Varsity levels there will usually not be anymore than 32 individuals kept on the teams (approximately 16 per level). While this number will probably not be exceeded, the Head Coach reserves the right to keep fewer than a total of 32 team members.

Attendance

Like any other interscholastic sport, your attendance is required for all practices. However, there are some exceptions that are made for tardiness and/or absence from practice. The guidelines for these situations are as follows:

  1. If you are late for academic reasons, you must bring a pass from your teacher.
  1. If you have schedule conflict with another activity, it must be cleared with your coach prior to your absence. In addition, the practice time missed must be made up before you will be allowed to participate in any meets. Two hours of practicemissed = two hours of practice to be made up. For example, if you miss one afternoon practice, which will normally run between 2 and 2.5 hours, then you would need to make that practice up by coming to practice two extra mornings during the week.
  1. If you are sick, please call/email the coach so that the absence will be excused. If an absence for an illness is not reported to the coach in a timely manner the absence will not be excused and consequently the practice will need to be made up before the athlete can participate in any meets.
  1. If the absence is on the day of a swim meet, it is essential that you let us know as soon as possible.
  1. If your family has a conflict with the times of practices or meets, please have your parents call or write a note to the coach explaining the reasons for your absence. This includes holiday vacation periods. NOTE:Most holidays and/or long weekends are not an excuse to miss practice or meets. If you take a vacation with your family and miss a practice or a meet, that time missed must be made up before you participate in any meets.
  1. You are allowed one unexcused absence (cut) from practice – this will result in a one meet suspension for the athlete. On the second unexcused absence, you will be removed from the team. Joining a team is a commitment. If you have many interruptions, or other commitments, that interfere with attending practice and meets, then you probably should not be swimming.
  1. You must attend all swim meets on the level in which you are swimming unless excused by the coach. If you miss 3 or more swim meets you will not be eligible to earn a Varsity or JV letter.
  1. Tardiness to practice is inexcusable, unless for reasons stated above.
  1. If school is cancelled, there will be no early practice, BUT practice may commence whenever the school can be accessed by students and staff. News with regards to practice will be disseminated through the phone tree and on the school web site. If school is cancelled for the day and it is the day of a meet, the meet for that day will also be cancelled unless otherwise specified by the Athletic Director. If the meet is cancelled it will be rescheduled for a later date.

Academic Performance

  1. According to the IHSA, you must be passing four (4) solid (core) courses to participate. If you are not passing four core courses, you will be ineligible to participate in the activity until your status is remedied. The ineligible week commences on Saturday and ends the following Friday before a reassessment is made. If you are having problems seek help immediately from your teacher, the COACH Program, your teammates, or your coach. Don’t allow yourself to fall too far behind.
  2. If you need to leave practice early/arrive later due to an academic reason, bring a note from your teacher or the COACH tutor.
  1. Make sure to keep up with your schoolwork and homework. Please notify your coach if you are beginning to have difficulties.
  1. If you are continuously in academic trouble, it might be best to take a leave of absence or stop swimming for the season until you have your academic situation stabilized.

Equipment

  1. You should always have your suit, goggles, a cap, and a water bottle for practice. In addition, bring any other items you believe are necessary, e.g. a bag for equipment, a towel, etc. We cannot guarantee the supply of school towels on any given day. If school towels are used please deposit them in the appropriate hampers. DO NOT leave them on the floor. If you obtain a team towel, please put your name or initials on the tag in permanent marker to help prevent loss of the towel.
  1. Please have your team suit for all meets. All athletes must wear the appropriate team uniform in order to compete. If you do not have your team suit you will not be able to participate in the meet. If you lose your suit, let the coaches know immediately so you can purchase a replacement suit.
  1. Obtain a few pairs of goggles for practices and meets. Ideally, you should have at least one pair of goggles for practice and one pair for meets. The coaches are not responsible for replacing lost goggles. It is a good idea to put you name or initials in permanent marker on the inside strap of the goggles.
  1. Bring on deck any medications that are prescribed and/or necessary to have nearby (e.g., asthma medications). Inform the coach/teammates as to where these items will be in case of emergency.
  1. All athletes must have a water bottle to drink from during practice. They should not share with a teammate. Hydration is very important for athletes if they are to perform to the maximum of their potential. In addition, the use of water bottles will hopefully prevent illness from being spread throughout the team.
  1. If you use a team locker, please lock it whenever you are not around it – during practice, meets, etc. If you have something very valuable, you may want to bring it out on deck. However, this should only occur on rare occasions since you should keep all valuable safely at home.
  1. If issued sweats, pants, equipment, or team warm-ups please take care of them. Any loss or damage of the item will be charged to you. We thank the generosity of many local groups who have donated for this cause as well as your teammates from years past.
  1. All distributed equipment it to be returned at the end of the season. Assessments for equipment not returned will be levied against the individual who did not return the equipment.
  1. The coaches and maintenance staff are not responsible for any of your property or equipment left behind in the pool deck, locker rooms, etc.

Behavioral Expectations

It is expected that every Maine South swimmer should:

  1. Exercise the philosophy espoused by the school’s Hawk Pride Code.
  2. Be a supportive teammate.
  3. Compete with effort, intensity, character, integrity, and sportsmanship.
  4. Represent Maine South in a manner that reflects a positive attitude and demeanor.
  5. Never demean or denigrate an opponent, opposing team, and/or opposing school or its fans for any reason whatsoever.

For the most part, the following should be unnecessary to reinforce as we expect (and have not been very disappointed) that our swimmers/divers have acted admirably both at home and on the road. But, since there are always some who push the limits, here we go . . .

Any violation of the following during the season will result in the immediate removal from the team (even if the athlete has been officially disciplined by the school for a 24/7 code violation). The time missed due to the suspension will have a detrimental effect on the training of the athlete and is unfair to the rest of the team. The following refer to use either on or off school premises.

  1. You are not to use any tobacco products.
  2. You are not to consume any alcoholic beverages.
  3. You are not to use any drugs, other than those that are properly prescribed to you.
  4. You are not to use any non-prescribed steroid substances.
  5. You are not to be involved with any violation of the law in regards to any felony, theft, school vandalism, etc.
  6. You are not to vandalize, behave inappropriately, or remove any item of a school at which our team visits to compete or from a visiting team who comes to MaineSouthHigh School. No swimmer is allowed to wear the apparel of any other high school on the deck at the Maine South pool.

Swim Meet Expectation

Home Meets

  1. Pre-Meet:
  2. Be on deck at the assigned time for stretching and warm-up. Remove all watches, jewelry, earrings, rings, etc. and store them safely until the end of the meet. With the exception of some items, NO jewelry is to be worn. You could face disqualification from the meet if you are discovered wearing jewelry by the officials and this could have a negative impact on the team.
  1. Assist with the set-up of the meet in any way possible.

--Lane lines need to be placed into the pool and chairs set up for the timers.

--Touch-pads need to be carefully placed into the pool.

--The backstroke poles with flags need to be set up.

--The recall rope for false starts needs to be installed.

--The lifeguard stand needs to be put in the corner and the lane line spool placed into the closet.

--Ice needs to be brought from the trainer’s room.

--The deck should be cleared of any clutter.

--Assist in the set-up of the timing system, if necessary.

--Music and be played but lyrics must be school appropriate and it should not be played too loudly.

  1. Warm-up as instructed. Enter the pool safely (do not dive into the pool in either the shallow or deep and). There should be no practice starts until after the warm-up is completed.
  1. Keep warm and stay in the pool area. You are not allowed to sit in the stands with your friends or family before or during the meet. If you need to speak with your parents about something, that is okay, but be brief and when you are finished return to the pool deck to be with your teammates.
  1. Be sure to check what event(s) you are swimming.
  1. During the announcements and National Anthem, be quiet, stand in a straight line and maintain a respectful silence.
  1. During the Meet
  2. Be ready for your event and move towards the starting blocks prior to your event.
  1. Do not block the starter or referee. Do not hang around the scoring table and move back to the benches after your race. Check for splits or to see how you swam if the coach is not busy with another teammate – wait your turn.
  1. Cheer on your teammates as they swim on all levels
  1. Check with your coach briefly after your race. If you go into the stands to check with your parents, make sure you are dry, and stay briefly. This is not a time to sit with your friends. Return to the deck quickly to support your team.
  1. If there are any serious injuries, report it to the coach right away. Ice will usually be located at the shallow end of the pool.
  1. Inform your coach if you leave the deck at any time, even if it is just to use the washroom. There could be last minute roster changes that will require your presence.
  1. Do not throw your goggles (in the pool, out of the pool, at the wall, etc.) or act as if you are disappointed with your time or performance. That can be inferred as poor sportsmanship by the officials and you could be disqualified for the rest of the meet or have sanctions placed upon the rest of the team.
  1. Do not leave the pool deck after your last event unless it is cleared with your coach.
  1. After the Meet
  2. Shake hands with the opposing team.
  1. Wait for the coach to speak with the team before being dismissed. Listen for important announcements.
  1. Gather your belongings and discard your trash in the garbage can.
  1. Help take down the equipment set up for the meet, if necessary.

Away Meets

  1. Make sure to be ready for departure at the specified time. Dress appropriately for the trip.
  1. Bring a lock for away locker rooms.
  1. On the bus, be quiet for attendance roll call and any other announcements.
  1. Behave while on the bus. No music is allowed on the ride to an away meet. Music will be allowed on the ride home at the discretion of the coaches.
  1. Keep any negative comments about the opposing school, team, community, etc. to yourself. Each community has its share of deficiencies or difficulties, be sure to respect what others have no matter the circumstances.
  1. Follow the aforementioned meet guidelines.
  1. Upon departing from the meet, make sure you have all of your belongings from the deck, visiting team locker room, and when we return to Maine South from the bus. Please clean the deck area, the locker room, and/or bus of any trash you may have left behind.