Requirements for Swimmers

For safety reasons, Wave swimmers must be able to safely swim 25 yards (one length of the pool), unassisted and without using the lane lines. Our 6 and under swimmers should have prior swim lessons and the ability to jump in/get back to the wall safely. We want to keep everyone safe! The first two weeks of practices will be an evaluation period. After that, the parents will be contacted if the coaches have any concerns about the ability of a child to safely participate as a member on swim team. At the coaches’ discretion, swimmers unable to safely practice yet with their age group may be asked to get private lessons to achieve competency quickly, or wait another year. Swim lessons outside of swim practice are encouraged for new swimmers and those learning new strokes.

Volunteer Requirements at Swim Meets

Wellsley Wave is a volunteer-run swim team. When you register your swimmer, you are also registering your family to fulfill 3 volunteer roles during our season. During registration you will be asked to select from several possible categories and dates. While most families fulfill this responsibility by volunteering at 3 different meets, it is possible for a family to meet this obligation by having multiple people volunteer at the same meet (for example, two adults from the same family fulfill two different roles at the same meet, that counts as 2 of the 3 volunteer requirements. Don't let it deter you from signing up--volunteering at swim meets with your neighbors and watching the kids have fun is the best way to spend a summer evening!

Note that this policy stands even if your child does not plan to participate in any meets.

In an effort to reduce the number of no-show volunteers and to make the process fair for all swim families, anyone who does not show up for their scheduled meet position and fails to arrange a replacement may be subject to having their child unable to compete at the next swim meet.

Swim Practices

All pool rules apply to swim team members at all times. Prior to the scheduled pool opening, only practicing swimmers will be allowed in the pool area. Swimmers waiting for their practice to begin may wait on the pool deck. Coaches are not responsible for swimmers before or after their practice time.

All swimmers should be on time for their practices.

Meet Attendance Policy

All families must indicate their swimmers' swim meet attendance status online to indicate whether their swimmers will attend. Attendance (Yes or No) for a given meet typically must be confirmed by noon Sunday prior to meets. Coaches will use this information to plan meet line-ups, therefore it is important that it be accurate and up to date.

If your child gets sick or cannot attend a meet for any reason, please let the coaches know. You can email the coaches directly at [email protected].

If your child will arrive late or must leave a meet early, please let the coaches by noon Sunday. The absence of one child can require major adjustments in the meet line-up.

Swim Meets

During meets, swimmers are expected to stay in the designated age group area at all times. If a swimmer needs to leave the area for any reason, he or she should notify the kid pusher in charge of his or her age group. Failure to comply with this rule could result in a swimmer missing an event. Kid pushers are to be treated with respect at all times.

TSA specifies that swimmers will be placed in age groups based on their age as of June 1st.

Meet Line-Ups

Meet line-ups will be set as of 5:45 and no changes will be made after that time unless a swimmer is moved up to replace a no-show. Meet line ups will be based mostly on the swimmers’ times. Consistency of times and performance will also be taken into consideration both at meets and at practices. Participation (although there will not be a specific policy), practice attitude, and stroke legality will play a major role in the main event decision. The main goal is to encourage teamwork, participation and improvement. Swimmers in every heat are valued by the coaches and the swim team. To support this idea, the coaches will attempt to put every child in at least one relay at every meet. They usually pick the best combination of 4 times for the A Relay Team, but then will fill up the B and C teams with as many different kids as possible in the Medley Relay and Free Relay.

Meet Delays

Regardless of TSA allowances for extended weather delays, the Wellsley Wave swim team will strictly adhere to the 1 hour wait from the first delay. After 1 hour delay, the meet will be cancelled/or rescheduled.

Inclement Weather

Please refer to the Inclement Weather page for our policies for dealing with inclement weather.

Discipline

Disruptive behavior (unsportsmanlike conduct, refusal to participate, disrespectfulness, etc.) will not be tolerated and may result in dismissal from practice, meet or other swim team sponsored activity. The Wellsley Wave swim team is a great place to learn and have fun. However, when a swimmer does not follow the team rules at a practice or meet, the coach must correct the swimmer’s behavior. Whenever possible and/or appropriate, swim team discipline will proceed according to a proscribed set of steps.

• Step 1: The swimmer will be given a verbal warning by a coach.
• Step 2: Should the problem continue or escalate, the swimmer will be asked to sit out of practice for 5 minutes or be taken out of an event at a meet.
• Step 3: Should the swimmer not respond appropriately to steps one and two, the swimmer will sit at the side of the pool for the remainder of practice or be taken out of all remaining meet events. The parent and parent coach liaison will be notified by phone or email that day.
• Step 4: If a swimmer’s misbehavior is a continuous distraction at practice, the coach may call the parent to remove the child from practice if the child is under 11 years old. Swimmers 11 and older may be sent home from practice to minimize a negative impact on the entire practice. The coach may call or e-mail the parent later in the day to inform them of the situation. In both cases, the parent coach liaison will be notified.
• Special Case: If a swimmer’s behavior endangers other swimmers, the coach may, at his or her discretion, skip the verbal warning and five minute time out and remove the swimmer immediately. If a swimmer repeatedly exhibits inappropriate behavior at practices or meets and does not respond to steps 1-4, he or she may be removed from the team roster and forfeit the right to any refund.

Conflicts and Route to Resolution

If a swimmer has a question or problem, he or she should first discuss the situation with the coach in a respectful manner outside of practice time. If the situation is not resolved, the swimmer’s parent should contact the Parent-Coach Liaison to discuss the problem. The Parent-Coach Liaison will meet with the coach and then contact the parent to explain the resolution. Parents should not attempt to talk to the coaches during practice or meets. Please keep in mind that when your child’s practice ends, another practice is usually beginning, so time spent talking with parents takes away from a group’s practice time. Parents who do not respect this rule may be asked to leave the pool area during practice or meets. Parents who are abusive to a coach, swimmer or another parent will be asked to leave and may be barred from attending practices and meets for the remainder of the season. If you have questions for a coach, please email the coach.

Requesting a Waiver of Volunteer Requirements

Although it is rare, we understand that there are acceptable reasons that prevents families from fulfilling this volunteer meet requirement. If you have attempted to volunteer in other ways, you may request a waiver by contacting us with the following information:

Request for waiver of volunteer requirements due to hardship

Parent/Family will submit to the Swim Team Board via swim team co-chair, no later than June 1st, a written request including:

• Detailed explanation of circumstances and need for such a waiver
• Detailed explanation on how/why creative avenues to fulfill volunteer requirement were not feasible
• Past/current/future volunteer roles with Wellsley Wave

The Swim Team Board will review the request on a case by case basis and respond in writing to the family. The Board will take the following into consideration when making a decision:

• Hardship
• Level of commitment to team (past and current)
• Willingness to volunteer
• Length of time in town
• Alternative/creative solutions pursued
• Other