WESTERN TIDEWATER SWIM ASSOCIATION (WTSA)
BYLAWS AND RULES
(May 11, 2015)
General
1. Emphasis must be placed on the fact that to have fair competition all meets must be conducted strictly according to the rules.
2. The following are prohibited in the pool area during a swim meet: profanity, vulgarity, disruptions, tobacco products, alcohol, and all illegal substances. Anyone exhibiting improper behavior during a swim meet will be asked by the Referee to leave the premises for the remainder of the meet. The meet will not continue until that person or persons have left the grounds.
3. The minimum number of team members for entry consideration and maintenance of membership in the Western Tidewater Swim League is 24 members. A six-lane, 25-meter pool with a minimum depth of 4 feet in all lanes is required for entrance into the league. The following founding teams are exempt from this requirement: Churchland Swim Club, Marlin Swim Club, Nansemond Swim Club, Elizabeth Manor Swim Club, and Smithfield Swim Club.
Definition of a Bona Fide Swimmer
1. The swimmer or his/her family shall be regular members in good standing of the League pool to be represented. Regular means in compliance with the normal dues-paying conditions of the members of the League pool to be represented.
2. Honorary or special status membership may NOT be used to establish eligibility.
3. Pool employees may participate on a League team only if they satisfy the above.
4. All pool members are eligible to swim regardless of their participation on other swim teams throughout the year.
Team Roster Requirements and Eligibility
1. A team roster listing all team members with first and last names (or name to be used consistently on lane slips/heat sheets and roster for the season) and ages of each participant must be submitted by each team’s League Representative to the Board of Directors no later than the date of the first scheduled meet of the season. Each roster must verify that the swimmer is a bona fide member of that pool and that the birth certificate has been checked against the birth date listed on the team roster. No changes may be made to the submitted roster after July 1. This roster will be used to determine eligibility of athletes to swim in a meet; if they are not listed on the roster, they will not be allowed to swim in the subsequent meet.
2. It is the responsibility of the League Representative to verify a swimmer’s age. A valid verification may only be made by the League Representative upon seeing the swimmer’s birth certificate and ensuring it matches the date of birth listed on the team roster. Responsibility for the team roster and eligibility of all swimmers shall be that of the League Representative or his/her designated alternate (coach excluded), who must be a bona fide member of the League pool he/she represents.
3. A swimmer’s age group shall be determined by his/her age as of June 1st. Those swimmers who were born on June 1st shall be considered at the older age for the purpose of determining age group.
4. Each swimmer must be a bona fide member of the League pool on whose roster their name appears.
5. After the season has begun, no swimmer may change from one team to another unless he/she changes pool membership.
6. Swimmers not included on the team roster will not be eligible to participate in meets.
Sportsmanship Policy
1. In order to participate in the WTSA league, all coaches, swimmers, and parents are required to read, sign, and abide by the WTSA Sportsmanship Guidelines. The guidelines and rating criteria are available on the website for printing and distribution.
2. League representatives are responsible for ensuring that their coaches, swimmers, and parents sign the Sportsmanship Guidelines by the date of the first scheduled meet of the season. Parents and swimmers can sign a ―I have read the WTSA Sportsmanship Guidelines and…. printed on their team application in lieu of the actual sportsmanship form as long as a copy of the full document is provided or available.
3. The WTSA strongly recommends that league representatives and coaches review the sportsmanship guidelines with parents and swimmers at the start of each season.
4. League representatives will evaluate sportsmanship and assign scores to individual teams based on their conduct throughout the season.
5. A league representative may not evaluate the sportsmanship of his/her own team.
6. League representatives should submit sportsmanship evaluations to the Board of Directors prior to the All Star planning meeting.
7. Upon review of the evaluations, the Board of Directors will determine the winner of the Annual WTSA Sportsmanship Award. The Sportsmanship Award will be presented annually at the All Star Meet. The winner will receive an ongoing banner and individual trophy.
8. Any official removed from officiating during a meet for sportsmanship reasons should not be placed in any official position for remaining meets.
Eligibility Decisions
1. The Board of Directors shall rule on the eligibility of all swimmers and shall render all decisions promptly in writing to the League Representative(s) involved. No BOD member may vote on a decision involving a team to which he/she is affiliated.
2. The Board of Directors shall review and approve the rosters as submitted by each team, and shall periodically check all rosters against meet results throughout the summer season.
3. A swimmer determined to be ineligible shall not be allowed to further represent his/her team. The scores of all previous meets of that season in which the ineligible swimmer participated shall be recomputed as if the swimmer had been disqualified from every event, including relays. Teams’ standings and awards shall also be changed accordingly.
4. The League Representative may make an appeal of an eligibility decision to the Board of Directors within seven (7) days of the date of the decision letter.
5. The Board of Directors shall render the final decision on all questions concerning eligibility.
Board of Directors (BOD)
1. Each pool within the WTSA shall determine its own board representative. Selection and removal of the board member is at each individual pool's discretion, and shall be handled accordingly as each individual pool desires.
2. It is recommended that each board member shall serve on the BOD for a minimum of two (2) years. It is also encouraged (but not required) that each team elects a new board member at least every five (5) years to promote the sharing of new perspectives and ideas for the continual development of the league.
3. Pools that are not represented by a board member will not be allowed to participate in the league.
4. League representatives, coaches, and /or any paid personnel of a pool shall not serve on the BOD.
5. Board members must be at least 19 years of age.
6. Board members must attend at least 50% of the scheduled meetings. If unable to attend, a league representative or other substitute is encouraged to attend; however, they may not participate in voting procedures.
7. Officers of the BOD shall include a president, treasurer, and secretary to be nominated and elected on an annual basis at the first meeting following the Championship meet.
8. It is recommended that members of the BOD do not serve in the following positions during swim meets: Referee, Admin Referee, Chief Judge, Stroke and Turn Judge, or Starter. This recommendation is recommended to avoid any potential conflicts of interest, especially in the case that a protest arises during the course of the swim meet during the season.
Volunteer Training Requirements:
1. Training clinics will be held at the beginning of each season. The Board of Directors will determine when and where the clinics will be held.
2. The following positions should follow the below training requirements:
a. Referee: Annual WTSA Referee training AND annual WTSA Stroke/Turn training (exception if current USA certification as Deck Referee).
b. Starter – Annual WTSA Starter training every year (exception if current USA certification as Deck Referee).
c. Chief Judge – Annual WTSA Stroke/Turn training (same exceptions as stroke/turn official).
d. League Representative – Annual WTSA Coaches training, Annual WTSA Stroke and Turn training.
e. Coaches- Annual WTSA Coaches training.
f. Stroke and Turn Officials – Annual WTSA Stroke and Turn training with exceptions:
i. All current USA certified officials may be summer Stroke and Turn officials without recertifying through summer WTSA training once documentation is provided to the WTSA that certification is current.
ii. All current USA certified Deck Referees may be summer
Referees and Starters without recertifying through summer WTSA training once documentation is provided to the WTSA that certification is current.
g. Scorekeeper – WTSA scorekeeper training first year and as needed.
h.Timer– no training required. Refer to WTSA website for timer information.
i. Runner – no training required.
j. Swimmer Assistant– no training required.
4. All positions should follow the directions for Meet Planning and Organizing (see website).
5. Although not officially required, The WTSA highly encourages all USA officials to attend the WTSA training, especially if training occurred but deck experience did not occur or was insufficient.
6. To ensure the quality and consistency of officiating, the WTSA strongly recommends less experienced officials participate in the WTSA shadowing program.
a. Shadowing means that at the first meet serving as a new official, the new official stands with an experienced official as the experienced official explains his/her calls, or reasons for not making a call.
b. At the new official’s second meet, the new official stands with an experienced official, but the new official makes his/her own calls while explaining them out loud to the experienced official.
c. The experienced official may not call or suggest calls to the new official. The role of the experienced official at the second meet is one of support and teaching.
d. If agreed to by the Coach, shadowing and deck training may also be accomplished during team practices and/or during an intra-squad meet.
Description of Duties
Referee –Conforms to USA Rules
1. Is the designated leader for the swim meet.
2. Is from the home team.
3. Is responsible for effective functioning of a swim meet.
4. Exercises full authority over all officials and may overrule any other meet official.
5. Is knowledgeable about all meet procedures and rules and their applications.
6. Signals Starter that officials are in place and the meet may begin.
7. Is responsible for reviewing and accepting or rejecting all disqualification slips.
8. If officials’ opinions differ, is responsible for final ruling.
9. Is authorized to interrupt meet at any time to maintain proper competitive conditions.
10. Along with one Stroke and Turn Judge, judges relay takeoffs from the normal starting area.
11. Conducts coaches meeting prior to the start of the meet.
12. Combines events as appropriate and notifies officials, timers, and coaches.
Starter—Conforms to USA Rules
1. Is from the home team.
2. Is responsible for ensuring a fair start for all swimmers.
3. Will announce event and heat prior to the start of each event.
3. Records the unofficial finish on a heat sheet to be given to the scorekeepers.
4. Is responsible for initiating false starts to Referee.
5. Announces all changes to original heat sheet in advance of the event.
6. Can judge relay take-offs.
Chief Judge—Conforms to USA Rules
1. Is from the visiting team.
2. Under the direction of the Referee, acts as advisor for the Stroke and Turn Judges.
3. Can be combined with another Stroke and Turn Judge position if necessary.
4. Confirms what an official saw and what rule he/she applied to make a call.
5. Positions him/herself at turn end of the pool.
6. Along with one Stroke and Turn Judge, judges relay takeoffs from the turn end of the pool.
Timers
1. The home team provides 2 timers for lanes 2 and 4 and one timer for lanes 1,3,5,and 6.
2. The visiting team provides 2 timers for lanes 1, 3 and 5 and one timer for lanes 2,4,and 6.
3. All attempts should be made if possible, to provide 3 timers in lanes 1 and 6 to assist the scorekeepers in recording times.
4. Any timer can be designated to write down the 3 times for the lane and is to circle the middle time.
5. Head timer (or back-up timer) is from home team and is responsible for operating two extra watches as backups for the lane timers.
Scorekeepers
1. Times should be entered into the computer comparing to place; override place in the computer when it conflicts.
2. Verify scoring place and disqualifications with the Referee’s heat sheet.
3. In the event of any questions regarding place, time, or disqualification for any event, notify the Referee and wait for resolution.
4. Once the meet has begun, only the Referee and the team’s scorekeeper shall have access to the score.
5. At the end of the meet, print ribbon labels for both teams.
6. At the end of the meet, divide up the timer sheets and finish sheets for respective teams.
7. Print two copies of the final results and have the Referee sign both copies and provide a copy to each team’s League Representation for record maintenance.
8. Are responsible for copying the meet results onto the Visiting Team’s flash drive.
Coaches
1. Are responsible for remaining in designated areas for his/her team to ensure that swim team members do not crowd the course and disrupt the officiating.
2. Are responsible for entering meet entries onto a flash drive with minimal errors to prevent an improper merge that could delay the start of a swim meet. It is recommended that coaches communicate in advance of the meet and combine events\heats when possible.
3. Are responsible for the conduct of their respective teams.
4. Home team coach is responsible for sending meet results to President of the WTSA Board of Directors for placement on the website.
League Representatives
1. Know and understand the League eligibility requirements.
2. Develop a current team roster and ensure the correct age of each swimmer.
3. Are responsible for ensuring all coaches, swimmers, and parents sign Sportsmanship Guidelines.
4. Observe own team’s officials at all meets and note weaknesses; prepared to provide training and a replacement on the spot.
5. Appeal decisions on eligibility to the Board of Directors within seven (7) days of the decision letter if necessary.
6. If participating in the meet as an official, select an alternate qualified representative.
7. Are responsible for dealing with disorderly conduct by parents or other spectators.
8. Raise any protest during the meet within the necessary time frame.
9. Raise any written protest after the meet using the appropriate format within the necessary time frame.
Runners
1. Responsible for taking completed DQ slips from Stroke and Turn Officials to Referee.
2. Shuttles other information or supplies as needed.
Swimmer Assistants
1. Responsible for organizing their team’s swimmers and lining them up in lanes prior to each event.
2. Provide swimmers in the starting area on both ends of the pool with reminders of their event number, when they are up to swim, and what stroke(s) they will be swimming.
3. Each team should have their own swimmer’s assistant in both sides’ lineup areas. Swimmer’s assistants should not be responsible for providing information to another team’s swimmers- it may lead to errors.
4. If parents or others not designated as timers or officials are interfering with lineup, or are obstructing or otherwise distracting timers from acquiring accurate times, will ask parent to leave the starting area.
Swim Meets – General
1. Meets must be held as scheduled unless postponed for weather or schedule change is mutually agreed upon between League Representatives.
2. Meet times will be 6:00 P.M. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays. Coaches of both the home and visiting team MUST contact each other at least 24 hours prior to the meet (8am on Saturday and 5pm on weekdays) to discuss exhibition heat needs. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary measures from the WTSA Board (1st offense- Warning; 2nd offense- suspension from a meet; 3rd Offense- suspension from 3 meets; 4th offense- Removal from WTSA as a coach).
3. The home team shall allow visitors use of the pool for warm-ups for at least 15 minutes prior to the meet.
4. WTSA follows the USA Swimming stroke guidelines and disqualification rules as listed under USA Swimming Technical Rules for Stroke/Turn Disqualifications. When identical WTSA and USA rules conflict, the WTSA supersedes the USA rule in this league.
5. The home team will swim lanes 1, 3 and 5, the visitor’s team in lanes 2, 4, and 6.
6. Three timers are needed per lane for ALL lanes. A swimmer’s official time is determined by the middle of the three times recorded. If only 2 times are valid, the times are averaged, and the aggregate/averaged time is used.