• Attend practices regularly
  
• Be on time for workouts
  
• Listen to the coaches’ suggestions
  
• Be a positive member of the team. (Disruptive behavior cannot be tolerated.)

PARENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Parents are expected to assist their children and the team. It is important that a child know his/her parents are interested enough to observe some practices, attend home and away meets whenever possible, and support the fundraisers and home meet efforts.

It takes volunteer help from parents for the Mariners organization to function properly. Parents are expected to take their turn pitching in at the home meets. As such, assignments will be made to divvy up responsibilities at home meets. We will endeavor to assign people to jobs at which they are most comfortable. Examples of areas that require volunteers are:

• Timers
• Judges
  
• Concession Stand
  
• Time Tabulation

Each of these duties is easy to learn. It takes 30 to 40 people to run a swim meet, so we ask that parents help as much as possible. Even if you have no idea what a swim meet is all about, pitch in and help anyway. Successful organizations receive volunteer help from a large number of parents so that the volunteer effort is an enjoyable one, and to create a successful program!

Parents should also:

• Encourage your swimmers by finding something positive about his/her work.
• Support the coach’s disciplinary expectations and procedures.
  
• Make sure your swimmers are at practice on time and ready to swim.
  
• Make sure your swimmers are at the meets on time and properly prepared.

FUNDRAISING

Fundraising is now an option for families. Fundraising works to benefit the families and the club. This effort helps reduce the cost of swimming for families who participate. Up to $50 per fundraising event per swimmer can be earned. Fifty percent of the net money earned on fundraising campaigns benefits the swimmer (up to $50), and the remainder will benefit the club towards its expenses.



COACHES LIAISON COMMITTEE

During practices and swim meets, our coaches must keep track of many swimmers. If at all possible, please do not distract them during meets and practices. If you have concerns about the program or coaching, please talk to the Coaches Liaison Committee, which is a committee of three parents from the Board. They will pass your concerns to the coaches and try to make the program work as smoothly as possible. With such a large number of swimmers and their families, it is important that this committee be responsible for direction to the coaches.


PRACTICES

Mariners practice Monday through Thursday at the newly-renovated North High Pool complex. There are three practice sessions:

Many swimmers opt to practice less than the four nights per weeks as other activities and their interest allows. Obviously, more practice usually results in better performance, but attending every practice is not a requirement.

For the most part, practice times are by age group. However, the coaches may recommend that a swimmer move to an earlier or later practice depending on the swimmer’s abilities.

The last group, Older and Advanced, will have 15 minutes of stretching and warm-ups before entering the water.

Sometimes we do not have access to the locker rooms, so there is no way for the kids to change their clothes at practice. Most kids just wear sweat suits over their swimming suits. When the weather gets cold, we strongly recommend that the kids wear a hat over their wet hair as they leave the building.



SWIM MEETS

Mariners participate in a competitive swim meet approximately once a month on a Saturday. A swimming meet usually starts about 8:00 a.m. and ends anywhere from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. depending on the number of swimmers in the meet.

The Mariners swim club is charged a "splash fee" for each swimmer who will be entered into a meet, including home meets. There is no additional charge to the swimmer to be in our tri-state meets, however if the swimmer won’t be able to attend the meet, please let our head coach know at least 10 days before the meet. Swimmers who commit to swimming at a meet but do not attend the meet will be charged with the meet splash fees. There are optional meets available that are outside the tri-state meets. The optional meets will cost each swimmer a splash fee per event to participate, which is to be paid by the swimmer prior to the meet.

When the kids go to a meet, they should take a bag with 2 towels, a book or game, some money ($3 to $5), light snacks and for a long meet bring a sleeping bag or blanket to keep warm and comfortable. They should also have a sweat suit to wear over their swimming suit between events. At most meets there is usually a concession stand that sells pop, candy bars, and pizza or sandwiches. They should not bring anything valuable.

For first time swimmers, meets can be a little confusing at first. Each meet follows the same pattern with the same order of events, each of which are numbered. The swimmer needs to keep a lookout during the day at the event number being posted at the ready area so they can get lined up for their event.

Each meet will have a program that lists the events and who is swimming in each event, the order of events and which lane they will be swimming in. Programs can be purchased for about $3 at the meet. Parents and swimmers should look through the program and highlight the events the swimmer is entered in. A few heats before the swimmer's scheduled event, the swimmer should go down to the starting area and get behind the starting block of the lane they are to swim in. The starter will announce the event and heat of each race. When the event is announced, the swimmer should step up on the block and be ready to race. The swimmer should then follow the starter's orders.

Most of the pools we swim in have six lanes and there are usually more than 6 swimmers for each event, which requires multiple "heats". Swimmers are seeded in heats by previous best times so that they are swimming against swimmers of similar abilities. Each heat winner will receive a heat ribbon right at the pool. Each swimmer is timed as they swim and the times are tabulated and posted. Most meets award ribbons for the top 6 places in each event. These ribbons will be passed out by our coaches at practice during the week after the meet.

Parents should try to keep track of their swimmers’ times during the year and recognize individual improvement in times regardless of meet placement. Swimmers who improve their times in any event in a meet will also be recognized as a "Star Swimmer" in the Mariners newsletter. Swimming is a sport that provides competition on a team level and on an individual level, competing against personal times.



TRANSPORATION TO MEETS

There are no set rules on how the swimmers go to meets. Usually, they can ride with friends or family. It is extremely important however, that the swimmers are at the meet at the right time. Many kids will be swimming in a relay at the beginning of the meet with 3 other kids, so if one is late, the entire relay cannot swim.



CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS

At the end of the season, there is a Tri-State League Championship swimming meet and a regional championship meet. (A meet schedule will be handed out shortly after practice starts.) To be eligible for either of these meets, a swimmer must achieve the qualifying times for these meets. The regional times are set by our national organization, and Tri-State times are generally somewhat slower. The times will be posted at the pool when they are released closer to the time of these meets.



COMMUNICATIONS

During the year, we will periodically publish a newsletter. In addition, any important notices will be posted on our website, or at the pool just as you come into the pool area. Most importantly though, if you have any questions, please ask the coaches or contact one of the Board members listed on this site.



YEAR-END BANQUET

At season's end in March, the Mariners have an award night. This is a family affair with a banquet and awards for the kids. It is a fun evening, one in which the kids are recognized for their hard work during the season.



SPECIAL EVENTS

The Mariners will have three fundraisers this year. All fundraisers are optional, but we do encourage you to participate. The funds raised will help reduce individual dues expenses for this year and will help offset club expenses. Swimmers can earn up to $50 off their dues per fundraiser while helping the club offset costs. A minimum of 50% of the net funds raised will help pay club expenses. We are looking at a Holiday candy tray promotion, meet flier advertising and the Swim-a-thon for our fundraisers. Look for more information in a Mariner newsletter near the beginning of the swim season.



USA SWIMMING ORGANIZATION

Mariners are part of the nationwide swim organization called USA Swimming. Headquarted in Colorado Springs, this group is the rule making body for most amateur competitive swimming in the United States. USA Swimming also provides insurance coverage for the local swim teams and individual swimmers. Part of each swimmer’s dues goes to the organization for this coverage.

As part of USA Swimming, the Mariners Swim Club belongs to a regional subdivision called an LSC (local swim committee). We are part of the Midwestern LSC. Our local competitive group is called the Tri-State League, and these are the teams we compete with during most seasons:

• Sioux City Mariners (SCM)
  
• Siouxland Sharks (SLS)
  
• South Sioux City Dolphins (SSD)
  
• Norfolk Y Aqua Jets (NYA)
  
• Spencer Y Sailfish (SPY)
  
• Sioux Center Seahawks (SCH)
  
• Yankton Swim Team (YST)
• Vermillion Area Swim Team
• Dakota Dunes Barracudas

Locally, Sioux City Mariners is run by Mariner parents. There is a Board of Directors consisting of the swimmers’ parents. If you have questions, you are encouraged to ask Board members.


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