Welcome to the Franklin Township Swim Club (FTSC)
www.ftswimming.org
This handbook is intended to outline procedures and guidelines for our new members as well as existing members.
FTSC is sanctioned by USA Swimming, the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States. You may visit their website at www.usaswimming.org for valuable parent and swimmer information. This is also where you can set up your “My USA Swimming” page which will list all meet results, times, and club information.
All clubs in the state of Indiana are locally governed under Indiana Swimming, Inc., www.inswimming.org . This is the best place to find detailed meet information and swimming news for our state. It is highly recommended that all parents visit this site and return often for updates.
All FTSC swimmers are required to register and become members of USA Swimming. As a USA Swimming member, you’ll represent FTSC and be eligible to participate in competition swim meets.
FTSC’s Board of Directors and coaching staff are dedicated to providing a strong swim program in which all members can excel.
FTSC also requires parental involvement in several available capacities.
Lifeguards, Officials, Timers, Coaches, and mentors to families new to our club are crucial to our success and growth as a swim club. Information on Lifeguard or Official training programs can be obtained by speaking with our head coach, or a member of the board.
Mission Statement
Franklin Township Swim Club is designed to provide a forum to allow swimmers to improve and enhance their swimming ability. Franklin Township Swim Club provides a foundation to prepare swimmers for middle school, high school, and college level swimming and strives to create championship level athletes without burnout.
Goals
- To improve each child’s competitive swimming ability through good instruction and participation in competition.
- To allow for each swimmer to obtain their highest potential over his or her career.
- To reinforce good social and teamwork skills.
Communication
Communication within the club is mainly through email and the FTSC website www.ftswimming.org . It is very important that you let us know of any changes to your email address or you may miss out on important information/changes. If you do not have an email address or access to a computer, please make sure that we have your current phone number so that someone can contact you, if needed.
Practices
Swimmers are required to arrive promptly for practices and be ready to swim at the appointed practice time. In the event of changes in the practice schedule, you will be notified via email. Changes will also be posted to the club’s website, www.ftswimming.org . In case of severe weather, i.e., thunderstorms, please be aware that swimmers may not be in the pool when there is visible lightning, and practice may possibly end early. In the case of school Holidays, and snow days, if Franklin Township schools are not in session, there is no swim practice unless otherwise noted on the team Calendar.
- Swimmers are expected to attend at least 75% of all regular season practices. Coaches are to be informed as to the reason for the swimmer’s absence.
- Swimmers are expected to be at practices and be ready to get in the pool at the designated time. That means that swimmers will probably need to be here early to get changed, stretched, and equipment ready (including having cap and goggles on).
- Swimmers arriving late, or not working out to their fullest potential, will be given penalty yards at the end of practice (i.e. 500 yd swim for swimmers in the Gold group).
- Swimmers are expected to pay attention to their group’s coach or any FTSC coach when directions, instructions, corrections, etc. are being given. If a swimmer does not understand what a coach is saying, the swimmer is expected to let the coach know so it can be repeated or restated.
- Swimmers are expected to be respectful, polite, and courteous to all the FTSC family, including other swimmers, coaches and parents.
- Swimmers are expected to give their best effort (speed and technique) during every practice.
- Swimmers are expected to treat all equipment (kickboards, paddles, flippers, etc. ) with care and put them back in the proper storage location at the end of practice.
- Swimmers will be allowed one bathroom and drink break during practice at the coach’s discretion.
- Swimmers are not to be in the stands and parents will not be present on the deck, unless it is an emergency.
- Swimmers are expected to exit the pool immediately at the end of practice and will have 10 minutes to use the locker room.
- Parents are expected to be at the pool ready to pick up their swimmer within 10 minutes of the practice schedule ending time. Note: Parents of swimmers in the Raindrops and Storm groups are strongly encouraged to stay and watch their child from the stands. This helps give confidence to the young, beginning swimmer.
Team Uniforms
All members are REQUIRED to have the following:
Swimsuits
- Competition style for practice
- FTSC team suit for swim meets
Goggles Required
Swim Caps
- Light colored cap for practice (name will be written on it to be visible to coaches)
- Team cap with FTSC logo for swim meets (received at registration)
Swimmer Levels
RAINDROPS- Level 1 - (Learn To Swim Competitively)
Must be able to swim the length of the pool once without extreme difficulty in order to be accepted to the program.
Level A - 11 & 12 year old novice
Level B - 9 & 10 year old novice
Level C - 8 & under novice
Introduction to competitive swimming. Will focus on learning freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke as well as an introduction to starts and turns. Basic water safety and lane etiquette will also be learned. Must complete the beginner level program in order to become a part of the Competitive FTSC team. Dual meets will be required, but participation in invitational meets will be prohibited unless suggested by the coaching staff.
To be run in 8 week long sessions 3 days per week. Sessions will be held from April to October.
STORM- Level 2 - Entry level competitive swimmers
Level A - 10 & under with at least one “C” level time
Level B - 11 & 12 year old advanced beginners
Level C - 10 & under advanced beginners
Will focus on attaining a basic knowledge of all strokes, including butterfly and will learn to swim and IM.. Strong emphasis on learning proper stroke technique and legal strokes, starts, turns and finishes. First level that will compete at invitational meets.
3 practice days per week. Minimum 25% of scheduled invitational meets with 1-2 events per day participation. Participation in any available dual meets is mandatory.
THUNDER-Level 3 - Intermediate level competitive swimmers
11 & 12 “C” level times/ 10 & under “B” times
Swimmers have a basic mastery of all strokes. Will focus on a continued improvement in technique, learning basic interval sets, and begin to train to swim moderate distance events. There will also be focus on improving times in all events.
3 practice days per week.
Minimum 75% of scheduled invitational meets with minimum 3-4 events per day participation. Participation in any available dual meets is mandatory.
LIGHTNING-Level 4 - Upper intermediate level competitive swimmers
Level A - 10 & under divisional level and beyond
Level B - 11 & 12 “B” level times
Swimmers have a basic mastery of all strokes as well as competitive times in multiple events. Will focus on a continued improvement in technique, learning basic interval sets, and begin to train to swim moderate distance events.
4 practice days per week.
Minimum 75% of scheduled invitational meets with minimum 3-4 events per day participation. Participation in any available dual meets is mandatory.
FLASHES-Level 5 - Advanced level competitive swimmers.
Level A - 13 & over State qualifiers and beyond
Level B - 13 & over Divisional qualifiers
Level C - 11 & 12 year old Divisional Qualifiers and above/advanced 13 &
over swimmers who are near Divisional Championship times.
Swimmers have a high level mastery of strokes. Will focus on achieving perfect technique, heavy training, and holding fast intervals during training.
5 days per week practice.
Early morning practice 3 days per week when available.
All invitational meets are required, swimming the maximum number of allowed events per day. Championship meets are required as well.
Swim Meets
FTSC normally will compete in one or two swim meets each month during the session.
The majority of meets are Invitationals which are held on the weekends and are broken down into sessions by age group. You will need to indicate on the sign up sheet which days your swimmer will be able to attend. Events that your swimmer participates in on that day will be determined by their coach and your balance will be deducted from your pre-paid meet fund.
Another type of swim meet is called a dual meet. This is a meet in which one club competes against another. There are no entry fees required to participate in a dual meet. Dual meets are usually only for one day or evening, and may last from 3-4 hours.
All events in a swim meet are individual events except for the relay events. Coaches decide who will fill the spots on the relay teams.
USA procedure requires a team to submit an entry to participate in an Invitational meet. Sometimes a meet will “fill up” which may result in our club not being accepted into that particular meet. Meets scheduled on the team calendar are tentative. In the event that we are no accepted into a meet, you will be contacted by email. If possible, the coaches will seek another meet to attend instead.
Meets sanctioned by USA Swimming are officiated by USA Swimming trained Officials. Officials are trained to observe proper procedure and stroke technique. If your swimmer has been disqualified for any reason at a meet, remember that this is a learning experience and not the end of the world. Nearly all swimmers have been DQ’d at one time or another, even in the Olympics!! Just ask!
Most of all, remember that your behavior at a meet not only reflects on you, but also on FTSC.
Swim Meet Sign-up Procedure
Notifications for upcoming swim meets will be posted on the club website, www.ftswimming.org as well as the team calendar. Deadlines for dates to sign up will be posted as well. The sign-up sheets will be available at the pool during club practice times at the table outside the coaches office, or on the bulletin board by the entrance to the pool. You will need to indicate your swimmer’s name, and days available to swim. Coaching staff will determine which events your swimmer is entered in. If you have any questions, please see the coach.
Club members have a minimum expectation for participation in meets determined by their ability group. All fees will be deducted from your meet fund which is prepaid according to this minimum expectation. If your fees exceed your prepaid fund, you will be asked by the treasurer to recharge this account.
Prepaid meet fees will be determined on this basis, and these fees are non-refundable.
If you are for any reason unable to attend a meet for which you have already signed up, PLEASE notify one of the coaches as soon as possible.
You must understand that if you do not attend a meet that has already been paid for by FTSC, you will not be able to receive a refund for meet fees paid, as FTSC will not receive a refund from the hosting team.
What To Expect At A Swim Meet
All swimmers are required to Sign in when they first arrive at a swim meet. This lets the club hosting the meet know who is in attendance and ready to swim. Be sure to arrive before the stated warm-up time so you will have time to sign in. If you’re not sure where the sign in sheets are, ASK!!
Next, your swimmer will need to find their coach and get ready for warm-ups. Your coach will tell the swimmers where they are expected to sit along with other team members until individual events are called. Parents are not allowed on the pool deck per USA Swimming standards and procedures.
After your swimmer has finished their last individual event, make sure that they check with their coach before they leave the meet. The coaches may have signed them up for a relay event. If you leave before the scheduled relay event, this may cause your teammates to forfeit the relay event.
- Swimmers are expected to arrive at the meet at the proper time for warm-up and be ready to get in the pool at the designated time. This means that swimmers will probably need to be at the pool early to get changed, stretch, and have all equipment (goggles, cap etc.) ready.
- Swimmers are expected to wear their team attire (unless wearing a speed suit to obtain championship times).
- Swimmers are expected to follow the coaches’ instructions during warm-up and for meet procedure.
- Swimmers are expected to know their events and seeding and be on time to swim their events. This information can be obtained from the coaches prior to warm-up.
- Swimmers are expected to follow up with their coach after each swim to discuss their performance.
- Swimmers are expected to support their other teammates and to be respectful to other teams competing at the meet.
- Parents are expected to encourage their swimmers and support the team.
- At any home meet, at least one adult representative from each family is expected to be and active member of a club committee to help promote, enhance and improve the club.
For High School, and Middle School swimmers competing in other School sports and/or swimming, IHSAA participation rules will be followed and practices or games in other school sports will take precedence during their scheduled season, just inform your coach as to your schedule.
What To Bring To A Swim Meet
Team Swim Suit (required)
Team Cap (required)
Goggles (required)
Sweat suit/warm-ups
Flip Flops or other waterproof Shoes
2+ towels
Entertainment (books, cards, paper, pens, MP3 player)
Gatorade, Water, snacks (sometimes available at Concession stand)
Overview of Strokes
Freestyle The swimmer may swim any stroke they wish. Most common is the Australian Crawl (freestyle). This stroke is characterized by the alternate overhand motion of the arms and flutter kick.
Backstroke The swimmer must remain on his/her back at all times except during turns. The stroke is an alternation overhand motion of the arms with flutter kick. The swimmer is not required to touch the wall before execution of the turn.
Breaststroke In the breaststroke, the arms move simultaneously on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pushed forward from the breast on or under the surface of the water and are brought backward in the propulsive stage of the stroke simultaneously. The kick is simultaneous thrust of the legs called a “frog” or breaststroke kick. No flutter or dolphin kicking is allowed. Swimmers must touch the wall with BOTH hands at the wall before turning. Swimmers are allowed only one underwater pull with the arms off the start and turn.
Butterfly The butterfly features the simultaneous overhead stroke of the arms combined with a dolphin kick. The dolphin kick features both legs moving up and down together. No flutter or frog kick is allowed. As in Breaststroke, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands before turning. This stroke is commonly referred to as Fly.
Individual Medley This event is commonly referred to as the I.M. and features all four strokes. The swimmer begins with butterfly, changes to backstroke after one fourth of the race, then the breaststroke for another quarter, then finishes with freestyle. The swimmer must touch the wall with their hand for the backstroke to breaststroke transition.
Medley Relay In the medley relay, all four strokes are swum by four different swimmers. No swimmers may swim more than one leg of the relay, which is swum backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle order.
Freestyle Relay In the freestyle relay, four swimmers swim. Each swims one fourth of the distance. No swimmer may swim more than one leg of the race.
*Please refer to the official USA Swimming rule handbook for complete details
Coaching Responsibilities
The coaches’ job is to supervise the entire competitive swim program. The FTSC coaching staff is dedicated to providing a program for youngsters that will enable them to learn the value of striving to improve oneself—“to be the best that you can be”. Therefore, the coaches must be in total control in matters of training and competition.
- The coaches are responsible for placing swimmers in practice groups. This is based on the age and ability level of each individual. When it is in the best interest of a swimmer, he/she will be placed in a more challenging training group by the coach.
- Sole responsibility for stroke instruction and the training regimen rests with the FTSC coaching staff. Each group’s practices are based on sound scientific principles and are geared to the specific goals of that group.
- At meets, the coaches will conduct and supervise warm-up procedures for the team. After each race, the coaches will offer constructive criticism regarding the swimmers performance. (It is the parent’s job to offer love and understanding regardless of their child’s performance.)
- The coaching staff is constantly updating and improving the FTSC program. It is the swimmers’ and parents’ responsibility to make the most out of the excellent opportunity this program provides for success in swimming.
If a coach is not performing their responsibilities to the best of their abilities, please request a meeting with that coach and the Board of Directors to discuss the matter.
Coaches perform additional responsibilities for our club. Our club consists of a mixture of volunteer and paid coaches.
- All coaches have incredible knowledge of the sport and have been active participants and coaches for several years.
- Coaches regularly attend coaching clinics and read related articles and keep current certifications in CPR (yearly), First Aid, and Coaches Safety Training (3 year certification).
- At least one coach is present at every meet.
- Our head coach is responsible for data entry on all meet entries, results, proving times at championship meets, running the HY-Tek system when meets are hosted, meet set-up (events, entry procedures, etc.), practice schedule, swimmer registration of initial batch, swimmer data entry, CISA committee and meeting representative, overseeing the organization, pool supervision.
Financial Obligations
All registration costs and USA membership dues are to be paid for at the time of registration (see FTSC cost schedule) unless arrangements for a payment plan are made with the club treasurer. We try to keep our registration costs as low as possible to encourage enrollment, but also have many financial obligations that are all a part of operating a successful swim club. Please note that returned checks will be subject to a $15 charge.
For those who opt to use the FTSC payment plan, payments received after the agreed upon payment dates will owe a $10 late payment fee to FTSC.
Summary
We hope that this handbook helps in answering any questions you may have concerning the club. FTSC is constantly growing and changing and improving over time.
We are thankful to the Franklin Township School System for the privilege of using the high school pool and expect our members to treat the pool, equipment and facility with care. Our members are not allowed to wander the high school beyond the natatorium area. Anyone not following these rules may be subject to removal from the club. Also, family members may not use the pool facility during club practices. Any non-FTSC members must purchase a fitness pass from the Athletics office of FCHS to be used only during Community fitness hours established by the Franklin Township Community School Corporation.
Thank you for choosing to join our club! It’s always a wonderful feeling to watch our swimmers grow, improve, set goals, and achieve them. Should you have further questions, please see one of our coaching staff or a member of the Board of Directors. Best wishes for a GREAT SEASON!!
Why Should My Child Be a Swimmer??
- Swimming is an outstanding activity for young people.
- Swimming promotes fitness and teaches a child to strive for physical achievement. Many super-stars in other sports started out as swimmers and gained strength and coordination that helped them to excel.
- Swimming is an exciting individual and team sport.
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Swimming is a “lifetime” activity. Participants may be 1 or 101 years old.
- Swimming is relatively injury free in comparison to other youth sports.
- Swimming teaches the life lessons of sport and sportsmanship which include to deal with winning and losing, as well as working with officials, teammates and coaches.
- Swimming motivates participants to strive for self improvement and teaches goal orientation.
- Swimming cultivates a positive mental attitude and high self-esteem.
- Swimming can prevent drowning.
FTSC Club Contact Information
Board of Directors
Jennifer Mrozinski, President |
493-5819 |
jm@ftswimming.org |
Debbie Allbright, |
862-6087 |
da@ftswimming.org |
Sue Boor, |
780-8064 |
sb@ftswimming.org |
Beth Matthies, |
862-1869 |
bm@ftswimming.org |
Dave Nadler, |
862-1403 |
dn@ftswimming.org |
Coaching Staff
John Sincroft |
|
Michael Monday, |
|
John Gerling |
|
Shawn Karnehm |
|
Emily Kirkpatrick |
|
Matt Jeffries |
Club Officials
Dave Nadler |
dn@ftswimming.org |
FTSC Website
Please visit the club website for the latest practice times, meet information and news. As this site is updated whenever new information or changes are made, it is crucial that you visit the club site as often as possible. You may also print the most recent version of the club calendar, and other pertinent documents on the FTSC website.