Team Policies
Rules, Policies and Expectations
MEETS
Athletes are expected to be a part of the team for the duration of the meet. Athletes are not allowed to sit in the stands during any part of the meet. Athletes may visit the stands after the 50 Freestyle and before Diving starts. This is a 10-15 minute period. Divers will be permitted for a 10-15 minute period after diving has concluded.
Athletes are expected to participate in the set-up of our home meets approximately two hours before the start of the meet. A complete clean up of the pool and locker rooms at home meets is required before the athletes are allowed to leave.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES
iPods and other music devices will be allowed on deck during meets to prepare for a race. Using music devices is a privilege and if abused, music devises will be banned from meets. If the coaching staff believes an athlete is not engaged with the team, we will ask them to put their music away for the rest of the meet. Due to cell phones capable of taking pictures, no music may come from a cell phone. Cell phones are to be kept in the phone box during meets.
FOOD AND SNACKS
Athletes may have healthy, body fueling food during meets. Please use your best judgment on what type of food your athlete is bringing to meets.No candy, chips, cookies, pop, etc. The best foods are crackers, 1 cup of noodles, sandwiches, fruit, vegetables and water. Making healthy choices improves the chances for success at meets.
HOMEWORK
Homework will be allowed to be worked on during the diving portion of the meet, but should not prohibit the athlete from cheering for our divers.
PARENT PICK UP
Athletes will call their parents once the bus leaves from an away meet to let parents know when to pick them up at Blaine High School. Parents, out of respect for our coaching staff, please do your best to be waiting at BHS when the bus arrives.
PRACTICES
Athletes are expected to be to practice on time. There is a bus from BHS and Roosevelt to ensure athletes arrive at practice on time. Once at practice, we are one team focused on reaching our team and individual goals. Athletes are expected to give their best effort in practice. Our coaching staff will challenge them to be their best selves for the good of the team. Disrespectful, disruptive behavior at practice will promptly be addressed by our coaching staff.
INJURIES
If your athlete is injured, they will be allowed to rest their injuries based on doctor’s recommendations.
If an athlete needs to sit out for more than 10 minutes at a practice, we ask that athlete seeks medical attention.
We want to insure all injuries are well cared for and since we are not medical professionals, visiting a doctor will allow the athlete to heal properly. Athletes sitting on the side become a distraction to our other athletes so we expect this to be limited. Stretching and physical therapy exercise’s need to be completed BEFORE practice starts. Icing sore muscles for 20 minutes after practice may help sore muscles.
Before an athlete may return to competition they must be cleared by a medical doctor, not a chiropractor, to ensure they are properly healed.Without this note the coach staff reserves the right to keep that athlete out of competition to prevent further, more damaging injury. Please submit doctors notes via e-mail to the coaching staff.
Our schedule is posted to the website under Team Calendar. Practice and meet attendance is mandatory for our athletes. Please note that the calendar is subject to change as needed. Please review the calendar often and refer to all weekly emails for up to date schedules. If your athlete needs to miss a scheduled practice or meet day, please submit the absence via e-mail to the coaching staff. Participating in meets is a privilege that requires preparation. Without being at practice you are not fully prepared to compete. Religious and school based activities, such as band or religion classes, are always excused.
Unexcused absences will be subjected to the following actions.
1st Unexcused: athlete will miss their individual event(s) for the following meet.
2nd Unexcused: athlete will be pulled from the following meet.
3rd Unexcused: athlete will be pulled from the following two meets and a meeting will be scheduled with the family.
4th Unexcused: athlete will no longer be part of our team.
ILLNESS:
If athletes are ill we require them to stay home, rest up and get healthy before participating in practice or meets. If an athlete misses practice due to an illness, they will be pulled from meet events at the coaches discretion. Proper sleep, nutrition and hydration can help athletes avoid illness during the season.
GIRLS SEASON SPECIAL EVENTS
We do have practices scheduled for Labor Day weekend and MEA. Labor Day weekend, the Friday before Labor Day weekend is a required practice. The following Saturday is an optional practice (strongly recommended) and will not be counted as an unexcused absence. If you are unable to attend practice over Labor Day weekend or MEA weekend, please submit via e-mail to the coaching staff prior to those dates.
If they make True Team State, Athletes will also participate in True Team State.
CRAFT FAIR
Participation in the Craft Fair Set Up is mandatory as it is our largest fundraiser and is only 1 day a year.
Attendance is one of the most important components in building team unity as well as team and individual success. There are less than 60 days of in water practice so every practice is essential. As a coaching staff, we will do everything we can to ensure your athlete has a successful season.
We do understand circumstances arise which are out of your control and we are happy to discuss those as they come up.
MEETS
Athletes are expected to be at all meets unless the coaching staff is previously informed. If an athlete needs to miss a meet for any reason, please contact the coaching staff more than 24hrs in advance so necessary line-up adjustments can be made. Athletes may compete in two individual events and two relays, or one individual event and three relays. The max number of events for one meet is four. The top four times in each individual swimming event will determine the Varsity team. All events and meet participation will be determined by speed, ability, attendance, attitude, our competition and coaches discretion.
Athletes are allowed and encouraged to ask questions and may give input but coaches have the final say.
DIVING
The top three athletes per team based on score will be considered Varsity. The number of dives an athlete competes in may vary meet to meet. Athletes can move from exhibition, JV, and Varsity based on times, attendance, and any disciplinary actions. We believe athletes are capable of competing at the varsity level and will be given the opportunity to do so. The coaching staff will make intentional decisions regarding varsity competition.
INVITATIONAL MEETS
Invitational meets are typically Varsity Only events. If the coaching staff feels the team and individual will benefit from participating, the athlete will be asked to participate in that specific invitational.
SECTION COMPETITION
Our Section team is based on the top four athletes in a particular event who have met the qualifying standard for that event. Section relays are chosen at coach’s discretion after careful thought, discussion and data is assessed. Divers to qualify for Sections by completing an official 11 dive list prior to section competition. Athletes who do not meet a GPA of 2.0 or higher will not participate on the Section Team. Athletes who have violated our zero tolerance policies will not participate. The coaching staff will determine Section events based on a myriad of factors including past performance, attendance, training habits, attitude and an assessment of the team’s best chances of scoring.
STATE COMPETITION
Our State Team is made up of athletes who qualify for State at the Section Meet by achieving a qualifying time or by placing in the top two of a particular event. The top four placing divers proceed to State. State relay alternates will be chosen by the coaching staff. Being a state relay alternate is a privilege. State Alternates will be expected to continue to train throughout the state meet.
Drugs including marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes and e-cigarettes including vaping is illegal for all high school athletes.
The MSHSL has laid out the disciplinary procedures for these offenses. Our team will follow the MSHSL guidelines.
In addition to the MSHSL guidelines, any athlete suspended for drugs, alcohol, or tobacco will forgo their privilege of lettering.
They will not be receiving any other team awards and they will not be part of our Section or State Teams.
The MSHSL has strict rules against having cell phones in locker rooms.
Cell phones are not allowed on deck or in locker rooms and will be collected before all practices and meets.
Athletes will place their cell phones in the provided area for practices and meets which will be kept in the office. If an athlete violates the no cell phone rule, disciplinary action will be taken.
The first offense will be a verbal warning. If behavior continues, violations of this rule will be subject to the consequences of Unexcused Absences.
1st Violation: athlete will miss their individual events for the next meet.
2nd Violation: athlete will be pulled from the next meet.
3rd Violation: athlete will be pulled from the next two meets and a meeting will be scheduled with the family.
4th Violation: athlete will no longer be part of our team.
With increased texting and camera phones, we feel very strongly about limiting cell phone use on the pool deck. We feel athletes do not need to use their phones during practice or meets and cell phone use during practice without coach permission may lead to loss of individual events.
Athletes may choose to leave cell phones in their cars at their own risk.
Phone numbers for the pool and coaching staff will be provided in case of emergency.
Bullying and hazing will not, under any circumstances, be tolerated.
This action will be dealt based on District Policy and MSHSL rules. and will involve our athletic director. If your athlete feels they are being bullied, please contact the coaching staff immediately! You may also utilize the District’s incident reporting form located on the District website. We will investigate the concern as quickly as possible to ensure we understand the situation prior to action being taken.
A Reminder Around Social Media:
Social Media is a powerful tool that can be used to inspire or do significant damage. We have a zero tolerance policy for bullying and the use of illegal substances. These issues will be dealt with in accordance to the district and MSHSL policies.
What you post on social media is a reflection of you as an athlete and as a member of our team. Please use caution and discretion when posting to social media to ensure all posts reflect a positive image of yourself and Blaine Swimming and Diving.
Our goal is to build a team that is unified and focused on reaching their goals through positive behavior. Please help the coaching staff by encouraging your athlete to only post positive, appropriate content on their social media.
Based on district by-laws, 510.10 Category 3: 7th and 8th grade students may participate on high school teams if, and only if, no high school athlete is cut or denied from competing at the varsity level due to the presence of a 7th or 8th grade student.
Athletes are given the equitable opportunity to compete at the level suited for their ability.
If you have questions regarding the application of this policy, please contact the Head Coach directly to get clarification and questions answered.
Athletes will have the opportunity to leverage their captains to try and resolve conflict. If it cannot be resolved via captains or they do not feel comfortable based on the issue they can come to the coaching staff directly.
Parents may be present while describing the issue but athletes need to be the communicator of the issue at hand.
Parents, please model good sportsmanship and know that final decisions about athletes will be made by the coaching staff. If you feel there is an issue, please contact the coach staff and allow us 24 hours to respond.
We ask that you do not take action or reach out while you are in an escalated state.
We take athlete and parent concerns very seriously and want to ensure the facts are presented in a clear manor.
Lettering Policy
We understand the importance and significance of athletes lettering. We take careful consideration into our lettering policies and use coaches discretion to determine the athletes who letter each season.
- Score 150 Varsity Meet points. Average 10 points per meet.
- Place in the top 16 at a Section Meet
- Coaches discretion based on overall season performance, attendance, attitude, and behavior.
Individuals Swim Event are scored based on placing for 1st through 12th place. 1st Place receives 12 points, 2nd place receives 11 points… with 12th place receiving 1 point.
- Score 150 points twice or more in any 6 dive meets.
- Place in the top 16 at a Section Meet
- Coaches discretion based on overall season performance, attendance, attitude, and behavior.