Competition
Philosophy of Competition
In preparing for your swimmer’s meets, the following are some basic fundamental of competition that the SFAC coaches stress:
- Each swimmer should compete with him/herself. It is more beneficial to improve one’s time and/or technique than to win a ribbon or medal
- In addition to earning best times, the coaches praise for working on technique and/or race strategies. Please note that it is possible that a swimmer won’t improve his/her time when he/she tries something new (e.g. flip turns, technique, etc.). However, if a swimmer continues to try a new skill or technique, he/she will improve in the long run.
- The swimmers are taught to set realistic goals, and as they get older, they are taught to relate performance in practice to their goal times.
- The coaching staff encourages age-group swimmers to swim every event they are eligible for. This helps to promote versatility since swimmers are continuously switching best events as they grow, mature, and change body shapes and sizes.
- Sportsmanship is a MUST for everyone. We expect all swimmers, parents, and coaches to respect the officials, competitors, and the facilities we use. We also want swimmers to encourage and support their teammates.
- It is important that each swimmer has a copy of his/her times. Keeping these times in a logbook helps the swimmer to see the progress he/she has made throughout the season and also from year to year.
- SUCCESS = Improving one’s own, best self.
SFAC TRAVEL POLICY/CODE OF CONDUCT
1. Team managers and chaperones must be members of USA Swimming and have successfully passed a USA Swimming-administered criminal background check.
2. No swimmer shall attend a meet unless accompanied by a parent or a chaperone arranged for by the swimmer’s parents. Post-high school students 19 years of age or older must receive approval from the coaching staff in order to travel alone to an away swim meet.
3. No swimmer shall drive a car to, from, or during an away swim meet unless accompanied by a parent or chaperone. Post high school swimmers 19 years of age or older may drive themselves to a meet, but may not be accompanied by younger swimmers, including siblings. Post collegiate swimmers may carpool together.
4. When only one athlete and one coach travel to a competition, the athlete must have his/her parents’ (or legal guardian’s) written permission in advance to travel alone with the coach.
5. Athletes should not ride in a coach’s vehicle without another adult present who is the same gender as the athlete, unless prior parental permission is obtained.
6. To ensure the propriety of the athletes and to protect the staff, there will be no male athletes in female athlete’s rooms and no female athletes in male athlete’s rooms (unless the other athlete is a sibling or spouse of that particular athlete).
7. Regardless of gender, a coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement with an athlete (unless the coach is the parent, guardian, sibling, or spouse of that particular athlete).
8. Meet warm-up times, which are set by the staff and published in the team meet information and updates on the websites during the week of the meet, are to be strictly adhered to by all team members.
9. Team members must check with the coaches prior to leaving the meet. Should it become necessary for a swimmer to leave a meet early, his/her coach must be notified.
10. Swimmers are expected to meet with their coach before and after each of their events
11. In prelim and final meets, all swimmers who qualify to compete in the finals are expected to participate in the finals. All team members are strongly encouraged to return to the finals sessions to support the team and take advantage of the opportunity to learn from watching the finals. There may also be alternate and relay positions that open up that need to be filled.
12. All team members are expected to follow the team uniform policy found in the meet information on the website. Your personal appearance shall be neat and appropriate at all times.
13. Swimmers are expected to sit with the team and participate in all team activities and team meetings.
14. Swimmers are expected to remain with the team at all times during the trip. Swimmers are not to leave the competition venue, the hotel, a restaurant, or any other place at which the team has gathered without the permission/knowledge of the coach or chaperon.
15. The Head Coach of his/her designee shall make a written report of travel policy or code of conduct violations to the appropriate club (LSC) leadership and the parent or legal guardian of any affected minor athlete.
16. Team members and parents are expected to display proper respect and sportsmanship toward coaches, officials, meet administrators and fellow competitors.
17. As a matter of team pride and courtesy to the meet host, swimmers are expected to leave the SFAC team area in a neat and clean condition at the conclusion of each session of the meet.
18. All questions that swimmers or parents may have concerning meet results,an officiating call, or the conduct of a meet should be referred to the SFAC coaching staff only. Our coaches, in turn, will pursue the matter through the appropriate channels.
19. In accordance with the USA Swimming rules, parents are expected to remain in the spectator area and off the immediate competitive deck unless they are working the meet in an official capacity.
20. Club policies must be signed and agreed to by all athletes, parents, coaches and all other adults traveling with the club. A signature on this document constitutes an unconditional agreement to comply with this document.
21. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct as set for the in this document may result in disciplinary action. Such discipline may include, but may not be limited to:
A) Dismissal from the trip and immediate return home at the
athlete’s expense
B) Disqualification from one or more events, or all events of the
competition
C) Disqualification from future team travel meets
D) Financial penalties
E) Dismissal from the team
F) Proceedings for a LSC or USA Swimming Board of Review
Year Round Swimming
Short-Course and Long-Course
Every year is divided into two swimming seasons-short course and long course. Each swimmer at the Santa Fe Aquatic Club is registered with United States swimming and allowed to participate in both swimming seasons. The SFAC coaching staff encourages all swimmers to continue swimming through both seasons.
The short course season runs from late August through March. A series of championship meets for all ages and levels of swimmers is conducted from late February through March. These competitions are held in 25-yard pools.
The long course season runs from April through early August. These competitions are held in 50-meter pools. We strongly encourage our swimmers to swim during the long course season for their long-term development.
Practices are offered throughout the entire year-from the start of the short course (at the end of August or early September) until the end of the long course season (early August).
The coaches want every swimmer to take a one week break from swimming in March or April, which hopefully will coincide with their academic spring break. After the week break, the coaches encourage every swimmer to continue swimming until the long course season is over.
As your swimmer progresses in the sport, the best time to take vacation is during spring break and then after championship meet in the summer.