Club Goals and Objectives click here
Program Structure and Requirements click here
Code of Conduct click here
Parental Responsibilities click here
Communication click here
Financial Information click here
Levels of Achievement click here
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this handbook is two-fold:
As you read this booklet, the coaching staff believes you will begin to understand the direction this competitive program attempts to accomplish with our parents and swimmers.
Now that you have been accepted as a member of North Shore Swim Club, you have made a substantial investment toward your athletes future with the first such investment being the time to read this manual in it's entirety.
If we can be of any further assistance, feel free to contact us:
The North Shore Swim Club is characterized by the adherence to certain goals and objectives. A highly specialized and certified coaching staff will strive to teach, train and motivate children of all ages to achieve their potential in competitive swimming and create an experience that will prove valuable to them throughout life. This direction and philosophy applies from the novice to the national level swimmer.
At each level of the program participants will learn the values of sportsmanship and teamwork. Swimming with NSSC provides physical, emotional and intellectual skills that will last a lifetime.
The NSSC program, places a major emphasis on basic skills, proficient techniques, conditioning and result oriented work habits with healthy competition stressed by the coaching staff.
PHILOSOPHY
To develop athletes who can achieve their personal best both in the pool and out of the pool while providing healthy, fun activities for all.
USA SWIMMING
North Shore Swim Club is a year round United States Swimming Program. USA Swimming is the governing body for competitive swimming in the United States, and is responsible for the development of information, and establishment of rules for competition. Their headquarters are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
As an umbrella organization, USA Swimming oversees the operation of each individual LSC (Local Swimming Committee) NSSC belongs to the "New England LSC". The New England LSC covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont.
NSSC PROFESSIONAL STAFF
The North Shore Swim Club staff consists of professionally trained coaches. NSSC Certified coaches possess training and experience in the physiology and psychology of adolescent development. Our coaching staff provides the assurances that the time your children spend in swimming will be quality time.
DAN WARNER, CLUB ADMINISTRATOR & CO-FOUNDER
NSSC Club Administrator, Former Head Coach Salem State College, Level 5 ASCA Certification and over 28 years of coaching experience. Dan was the 1990 New England "Age Group Coach of the Year" and has coached over 400 YMCA national qualifiers including 5 National Champions, 30 Junior National qualifiers, 4 Senior National qualifiers and 1 Olympic Trial Qualifier as well as many local USS and high school champions.
TONY PADVAISKAS, HEAD COACH & CO-FOUNDER
NSSC Head Coach, Level 4 ASCA Certification, 2 time defending High School State Champions with 14 years coaching experience. Tony is the Head Coach at St. John’s Prep, he has coached numerous YMCA and USS National Qualifiers, in addition to many High School State champions. Tony was the 2001 & 2005 Boston Globe Coach of the Year and has always helped swimmers achieve their maximum potential.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS
Training Sessions:
Training sessions are the most important aspect of competitive swimming. Participants are expected to show a degree of commitment, by participating in training sessions and meets equivalent to age and ability. It is expected that swimmers will progress through the levels of the program leading to increased practice sessions as they get older.
Training Schedule:
Workout calendars are provided a month in advance on line at http://www.northshoreswimclub.com The calendar indicates scheduled workouts, locations and other important club information. Always notify your swimmers coach when planning to change practice schedules.
Training Facilities:
The North Shore Swim Club utilizes the following facilities throughout the year:
Check the current training calendar for days, times and training groups at each NSSC facility location.
NSSC provides multiple practices per day. However on occasion, pools and practices are cancelled or closed, due to powers out of NSSC's control. When this occurs you may need to travel to another location during this time.
Other Athletic / Academic Activities
NSSC believes in developing strong all round student athletes.Communication and the creation of a plan is key to long term success in swimming. We ask only that swimmers speak to their coach prior to scheduling other commitements.
Practice & Attendance Policy
NSSC feels very strongly that practice attendance demonstrates support and commitment and is also absolutely vital to a swimmers success. For a swimmer who does not attend practice regularly it will undoubtedly affect the swimmers training plan, goals and meet performances. Each program level determines practice attendance.
USA Meet Entry Procedure
Many of the more popular swim meets are filled shortly after the meet is "opened" NSSC swimmers have enjoyed participating in these meets as NSSC has a good record of entering their qualified swimmers on time. In order for this to continue:
Meet Attendance
NSSC competes in regularly scheduled USA meets sanctioned by United States Swimming during the Short Course and Long Course season and JCC dual meet league during the winter season. Swimmers are strongly encouraged to compete with competition being a barometer of improvement. The JCC dual meet league is a great way for swimmers to begin their competitive careers. All conflicts must be taken care of prior to the meet entry being finalized and is the responsibility of the parent to notify the club administrator in writing or by email.
During the Meet
- Swimmers are expected to arrive for warm-ups a minimum of 15 minutes prior to the start of warm-ups.
- swimmers will swim all events entered unless determined otherwise by the coaching staff.
- swimmers and coaches will sit in a designated area on deck.
- parents are encouraged to sit together in the spectator area, so as to provide the maximum group support
for the team. Your child will benefit from the support of the other parents and you will have the chance to
spend time with the parents of your child's teammates.- Swimmers will be expected to support their club by wearing only NSSC (attire & uniform) at meets.
Competition Policy
From time to time, depending on the swimmers performance, they may be asked to swim relays to support the efforts of the team especially at Championship meets. Your swimmer has an obligation to their teammates. In return, your swimmer will benefit from swimming in a Championship meet and knowing he/she is an important member of the club. Meet entries are sent in well in advance of the meet date. Families know well in advance when Championship meets are being held. Please take this time to make the necessary arrangements to have your swimmer(s) available for these meets.
Illness and Injury
Whenever possible, the coach should be informed of an illness or injury. Please notify in person, e-mail or phone, to make the coaching staff aware of the situation.
Receiving Awards in Public
Whenever there is a system of presenting awards at a meet, a club uniform is to be worn when accepting the award. The image the swimmer presents is a direct reflection of the team.
Upon acceptance to North Shore Swim Club, all members will be expected to conduct themselves appropriately. When conduct is in doubt by anyone associated with NSSC, it will be the discretion of the coaching staff to administer appropriate disciplinary action including dismissal from the program. The following list is a guide to behaviors expected to be adhered to by swimmers and parents. Actions not covered by the following code of conduct that are deemed detrimental to NSSC will be dealt with accordingly.
Any swimmer that is known to use alcohol, tobacco or drugs is subject to suspension or dismissal from the club.
Detrimental or negative attitude/behavior are subject to suspension or dismissal from the club.
Your Athlete Needs You
To have a successful program there must be understanding and cooperation among parents, coaches and swimmers. Progress depends to a great extent on this triangle relationship. You have done a great deal to raise your child. Your child is a product of your values, the structure you have provided and the model you have been. The following guidelines will help you keep your child's development in the proper perspective as your child reaches his/her full potential as an athlete.
The Coach is the Coach
We want your swimmer(s) to relate to his or her coach as soon as possible concerning swimming matters. This relationship between coach and swimmer produces the best results. When parents interfere with opinions, it causes considerable and oftentimes insurmountable, confusion to the swimmer. If you have a problem, concern, or complaint, please contact the coach after a practice or a meet. Email addresses for all coaches are on the web site as well as phone numbers where both Dan & Tony can be reached. Remember, you have chosen us because we are the professionals. Parents are welcome to view practices from the stands, but cannot interfere or interrupt. It is our belief that all questions should be asked in a private setting, away from the swimmer.
Best Kind of Swim Parent
The coaches job is to motivate and constructively criticize the swimmers performance. It is the parents job to supply love, recognition and encouragement necessary to make the child work harder in practice, which will give him/her the confidence to perform well in competition.
Junior/Age Group/Senior/Compass Programs
NSSC firmly believes in it's stated practice requirements. We monitor all swimmers to make sure they are not swimming excessively or sporadically which will create a balance and allow for future development.
Junior Program: (Ages 12 & under, 2-3 practices per week) is
designed for the development of the four competitive strokes and the
fundamentals of starts and turns.
Age Group Program: (Ages 11-15, 3-4 practices per week) is
designed for stroke improvement, increased proficiency of starts & turns and the
base of the swimmers aerobic conditioning.
Senior Program: (Ages 14-19, 5-6 practices per week) is designed for High School swimmers seeking stroke improvement, aerobic conditioning and the fundamentals of race strategies.
Compass Program: (Ages 15-19, 6-8 practices per week) is designed for the proficient swimmer who is training to achieve their maximum potential.
Technique before Speed
Not Every Time
Even the very best swimmers will have meets where they do not do their best time. These plateaus are a normal part of swimming. Please be supportive at these meets and realize that your child's improvement is not always measured in time alone.
Competition and the Winner is.....
The North Shore Swim Club staff does not see the first place person as the only winner. We look to see who behaves like a winner. There are certain characteristics of a winner, and every swimmer no matter where they place, has the opportunity to emulate those characteristics. A swimmer who exhibits concentration, listening skills, good sportsmanship and goal setting is a winner. Swimmers quickly forget medals, records and other material benefits. They will, however, remember the development of interpersonal skills, time management, listening skills, goal setting and their enhanced self-image. These are the things that make the swimmer a more successful person with a better chance of living a life closer to their peak potential, and contributing to the world in which they live.
NSSC Web Site http://www.northshoreswimclub.com
North Shore Swim Club utilizes the internet to conduct team communication. The team web site http://www.northshoreswimclub.com is the main source of information between the coaching staff, parents and swimmers. Practice schedules, swim meet information and important notices are posted on the web site. Make sure you and your swimmer(s) check the web site on a "Daily Basis", for new information. It is the parents responsibility to know current information. Coaches e-mail addresses are available on the web site.
Phone Information
The club business office is located at (978)852-3985 with voice mail available. The coaching staff requests that each swimmer or parent notify the coach ahead of time if they will not be attending practice either through direct communication or the office by leaving a message.
Cancellations & Club E-mail
The club has an e-mail group that exists to enhance group communication. Cancellations and changed practice times will be announced by e-mail. E-mails will be posted by 1:00 pm, whenever possible, to allow time for arrangements to be made.
Parents Meetings
Attendance at all parents meetings is required. These meetings are a vehicle for communicating the plans of the season, the direction and goals of the swimmers, and the constant re-evaluation of the direction and needs of the program.
Working With the Coach
Try to keep in mind that you and the coach have the best interests of your child at heart.Keep in mind that you and the coach must balance your perspective of what is best for your child with the needs of the club. In the long run the benefits of membership in the group compensates for the occasional short term inconvenience. An example of this would be a swimmer attending Championship meets in order to swim relays.
Always discuss any matter involving your child with your child's coach first. If a parent uses anyone other than the coach for information regarding coaching, training, performance, or program policies this can be disruptive for the swimmer. Remember the coaches are the only ones that can give you a complete and accurate answer.
Club Fee:
The club fee is set on a yearly and session basis and is broken down by training groups. The club fee is found on the registration form as well as on the web site. The club fee will be pro rated for swimmers joining NSSC after the start of the appropriate session, or for current swimmers who are promoted to a new training level. There will not be a prorated fee for swimmers who interrupt their training during the season. This includes other commitments, sports etc.
Forms of Payment:
NSSC accepts cash, checks and credit credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover)
Late Fee:
Characteristic of any business, NSSC expects all NSSC families pay their swimmer(s) dues on schedule, just as you do with your credit cards, mortgage or utility payments. If fees are not current, swimmers will not be allowed to practice or be entered in meets. Other payment plans can be worked out, but must be to the satisfaction of the club management. Any payment that is overdue, will result in a $30.00 per month late fee charged per swimmer to each family account. This will apply to club fees and family escrow account overdue fees.
Terminating Participation:
It is the responsibility of the participants to notify the club management of their intention to terminate their involvement with the NSSC program in writing. Failure to notify the club management may cause a member to be billed for entries in meets or for the next session of the program. In the event of this occurring, the participants are responsible for all of the fees related to that situation. When terminating involvement with NSSC all overdue and current account balances are to be immediately paid in full. All families will be responsible for all payments due to the club as stated on the signed registration form. There will be NO refunds regarding tuition registration.
Credit Card Escrow
Accounts:
Will be billed on a monthly basis to assure a positive $100.00 balance
per child via credit card.
Notice of Escrow Account Renewal:
Escrow accounts will renew automatically on a month-to–month basis with the
escrow account being charged to a positive $100.00 balance.
Session Payment Plan Option:
Session payments renew automatically and must be paid via credit card. Credit
cards will be charged 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the next session. Credit
cards must be on file with NSSC.
Family Account
At the beginning of each season you will receive a meet calendar for the entire season. Each finalized meet entry will be billed to your account which must always have a positive $100.00 balance per swimmer. Typically you can expect to be charged $4.00 - $5.00 per event depending on the meet entered. In most meets, swimmers can swim three to five events per day. Monthly you will receive a statement listing your entry account balance and team dues balance. Relays are not billed to the participants but are covered by the club. If you have any questions regarding your financial statement, please contact the team office at (978)852-3985.
Event Surcharge
For each event in which a swimmer is entered a $2.00 per event surcharge is
added to the cost of the event and will appear on your financial statement. The
purpose of this surcharge is to keep the club fees down by having the swimmers
that swim the most, help in paying a portion of the clubs expenses for that meet.
Dual Meet Surcharge
For each individual dual meet event in which a
swimmer is entered a $2.00 per event surcharge to a maximum of $6.00 is added to
the cost of the event and will appear on your financial statement. The purpose
of this surcharge is to keep the club fees down by having the swimmers that swim
the most, help in paying a portion of the clubs expenses for that meet.
This fee will not be
charged for relay participation swims
Club Clothing
Club colors are forest green, navy blue and white. Required club items are designated on the clothing form. Many other optional club items are available and can be ordered with the club clothing order form.
Insurance
It is required of all NSSC swimmers that they have a current USA swimming membership or non-competitive insurance. The membership not only supports swimming throughout the country, it provides very important accident and medical insurance for each swimmer. Each swimmer is covered at any organized practice of NSSC and every competition sanctioned by USA swimming. The membership registration cost is $60.00 per swimmer and is collected at the time of registration or $5.00 per session.
Training Equipment
Swimmers should have their required equipment with them at every practice.
Please mark all equipment with permanent marker with it's owners name.
Juniors
- fins
Age Groupers - fins & buoy
Senior/Compass - fins, buoy and paddles, training snorkel, stretch cords
Fund Raising
One North Shore Swim Club parent per family is required to help in all NSSC hosted meets that your child participates in. These meets are the only fundraising responsibilities put upon each family for the entire year. Parents will be responsible for as many sessions as your child is participating in, per meet. Failure to satisfy the Fund Raising requirements will result in a $200.00 assessment per session not worked.
Swim Seasons
The swim year is divided into 2 seasons. The winter, or short course season (SCY) is named for the "short " 25 yard pools used for competitions. The SCY season runs from September to mid March. The spring and summer season (LCM) is named for the long 50 meter pools used for some competitions as well as the championships. The long course (LCM) season runs from April - August.
Within each age group there are different nationally recognized levels of achievement based on times. United States Swimming publishes the time requirements each year. All qualifying times can be found on the NSSC web site.
Types/Levels of Meets
1. Dual meets & JCC League - NSSC will compete with one other team. These meets help promote team unity but tend to restrict the swimmers to a limited number of events.
2. Club travel meets - are meets where the club travels by van, bus or air plane to Invitational type meets held mostly in the Eastern USA. These meets are planned periodically throughout the year and Championship season. NSSC travels to Team Travel Meets as a team. At club travel meets all swimmers are under the direct supervision of the NSSC administration or NSSC designated parent chaperones. Swimmers must meet commitment and behavioral standards to qualify for these meets. Any behavior deemed inappropriate by NSSC administration will result in the swimmer(s) being dismissed from the meet and sent home at the swimmer's family expense with appropriate discipline to be dealt with upon return. Parents are responsible for the cost involved with transportation, food and lodging for team travel meets. Parents must sign the appropriate releases and have met all financial obligations pertaining to the meet in advance. All of these responsibilities must be met before any swimmer will be allowed to attend a travel meet.
3. Away Meets- meets where families travel with their swimmer(s) to meets in New England. They do not involve air travel, but they usually require an overnight hotel stay. Hotel rooms are reserved for NSSC families at a discounted rate. Families are not, however, required to stay at the "team" hotel. Parents or guardians are responsible for the transportation, lodging, nutrition and supervision for their swimmer(s) at all Away Meets. Proper behavior is expected at all swim meets. Any NSSC swimmer(s) who exhibit inappropriate behavior during an Away Meet will be asked to leave the meet at their own expense with appropriate discipline to be dealt with upon return.
4. Championship meets - at the end of each season championship meets are sanctioned by New England Swimming and carry specific time standards to participate in these meets. These meets can be away or travel meets.
5. USA Sectional & Junior Nationals - Two of the highest levels of achievement NSSC swimmers strive for is participation in the meets. Qualifying times are established by USA Swimming.
6. USS National Championships - Other than the Olympic trials that are held every four years, this is the highest level of competition. USA Swimming also establishes the time standards for this meet.
Thank you for taking the time to read this manual. Please direct any questions to Dan or Tony.