Draft Minutes until approved at the January 2010 Competition Committee Meeting

Potomac Valley Swimming

Competition Committee Meeting

September 27, 2009

Overlee Community Center, Arlington

• Call to Order: 10:05 am
• Attendance: Riley Eaton – PVS, Steve Menard – AAC, Shelley Geskar – YORK, Bruce Andersen – HACC, Emily Felker – HACC, Josh Hyde – FISH, Pete Morgan – CUBU, John Hirschmann – PVS, Rory Lewis – SDS, Aaron Dean – OCCS, Bill Stephens – PVS, Sean Link – DCPR, Mike Kraeuter – BWST, Brian Pawlowicz – CUBU, Robbie Robins – CUBU, Bob Petraites – JFD, Dave Crocker – RMSC, Eric Adams – SNOW, Heather Coulson-Haddock – MAKO, Yuri Suguiyama – PVS, Paris Jacobs - MACH, Dan Jacobs – MACH, Greg York – PVS, Manga Dalizu – FAST, Bob Walker – ASA, Denise Adams – ASA, Ward Foley, John Ertter, Terri Marlin
• Approval of May 2009 CCM minutes; Motion is made to approve the 2009 Spring CCM minutes, seconded and approved.
• Reports from 2009 USAS Convention

1. General Chair

a. Attended all GC meeting, they all discussed communication, getting along with other LSCs and LEAP program. John Hirschmann is taking the lead on the LEAP project; which is a LSC evaluation program within USA Swimming.

2. Ward Foley; received a continuing coaches education grant. He is reporting on the meetings he attended while at the USA Swimming Convention.

a. 1436 athletes went to Junior or Seniors and maintained a 3.? GPA

b. First time Open Water Champions will be awarded the same as First time Pool Champions.

c. Center of Excellence; there are now 3 sites, the Baltimore area with Bob Bowman, Phoenix with Sean Hutchinson (?), and North Carolina with Dave Marsh

d. Air Quality: some testing has been done. One of the biggest contributors to poor air quality is the amount of urine in the pool. Please encourage your swimmers to use the restroom.

e. Communication Committee: this is very important to USA Swimming. We all need to know how to handle “emergency situations”. Try to avoid the rumors and steer the message correctly. USA Swimming is available to help improve crisis communication.

f. Internet Crimes: make sure if you use social website that you know you who has controls and who is using your site.

g. Build a pool: USA Swimming will be offering several Regional one day workshops starting in 2010. The closest one to PVS is scheduled for the Fall 2010 in New Jersey. See the USA-S website for more information.

h. IMX meets are starting this fall, they are currently looking for a pool in the northeast to run an Eastern Zone IMX meet.

i. Need a 2 course 8 lane pool with warm up/warm down.

ii. 4 sessions, 3 days with roughly 900 swimmers.  

iii. Between Nov 1, 2009 and  July 1 2010

i. New program, “IM Ready”, includes the 4 50s and the 100 IM. The idea is to get the younger kids ready to for the IMX program.

j. Oct 1 start date for the new swim suit rule.

3. Sr. Chair: no formal report submitted, all items included in meeting minutes

4. Age Group Chair; no report submitted

5. Coaches Rep: see report submitted

a. Age Group Development (handout)

b. Trying to make the PEAK mandatory for club renewal in the 4 year plan

c. Club Recognition: this is a benchmark program, please encourage your club to participate in this program; Both the Eastern Zone and PVS were singled out for having the fewest number of clubs who have participated in this program.

d. USA-Swimming is starting a “Young Gun” program, encouraging younger up and coming coaches to speak out and help develop other coaches and clubs, etc. There is a lot of help out there for you club and your coaches. Contact Peter Clark for more information

e. All clubs are encouraged to use the Club Portal there are a lot of new features, please look into it.

6. Athlete Rep

a. They did a great job, and participating in many great activities including going into the inner city of Chicago to work with Diversity athletes. CJ Fiala has applied to be on several USA Swimming Committees.

· Eastern Zone News

1. Reminder that 2010 SC Zones we can bring 3 swimmers per age group in 12 & U age groups

2. 2010 Eastern Zone meets:

a. 2010 Southern SC Sectionals at Germantown – host club RMSC

b. 2010 Northern SC Sectionals at Buffalo – host club STAR

c. SC Age Group Zones at Rochester, NY – host club FAST

d. LC Super Sectionals (this meet has yet to be determined)

e. LC Age Group Zones at MAC / Rockville – host club PM

3. 2010 LC Super Sectionals bonus events – make 1 / get 1…

       make 2 / get 2…make 3 or more / get only 1

4. When meet is swim in 10 lane pool, 10 will make finals and 10 will be scored.

5. EZ voted to NOT run a LC 15&O Zone Championship meet; the parameters don’t’ fit into the Eastern Zone schedule well and the EZ doesn’t feel that there is really a need for this meet.

6. USA Club Portal: All clubs are encouraged to begin using the portal.

7. Maximum Zone meet times have been released

8. There will be a Coaches Clinic in Ithica, NY on Nov. 13-15, encourage your coaches to attend.

· PVS Board Action items

1. Reminder of PVS Equipment Purchase Program: As of now, no teams have expressed any interest. If your team is interested please contact John Ertter. PVS will subsidize up to 50% of the total cost of your equipment purchase (up to $5000).

2. 1 athlete rep from each club is requested to attend HOD in May.

3. PVS BOD accepted and approved all CLUB meets that were submitted for Sept 1- Dec. 31 of 2009, these meets are all currently on the PVS Schedule.

4. PVS BOD accepted and approved all CLUB meets that were previously submitted for Jan 1- March 31, 2010

5. PVS Jan. Dist meet had to move to Jan 2-3, 2010 due to pool availability

6. PVS BOD accepted and approved all PVS meets for April 1 – Aug. 31, 2010

7. Swimposium Reminder: Paris Jacobs gave an update on the Swimposium. The athlete track is full, but there is still room for coaches, please encourage your coaches to attend.

8. PVS Travel Assistance reminder

a. USA SC Nationals. And Jr. Nationals Qualifying period is April 1 – entry deadline

b. The swimmer must have 4 swims in a PVS sanctioned meet with no requirement to swim the individual event in a PVS sanctioned meet which is swum at the National meet for which travel assistant is being requested.

a. There was a request to have the travel assistance admin send an email or note when the applications are received and if they are complete or need additional information before they can be processed. This request will be taken to the Board.

c. Establish Criteria for 2010 Travel Assistance to National Meets: it was recommended that the Travel Assistance criteria remain the same in 2010 as it was in 2009.

a. A motion was made to keep the same Travel Assistance criteria for the 2010 season, seconded and approved

· PVS Age Group Coach of the Year Award winner – Dave Kraft -  RMSC

· Establish 2010 PVS SC schedule (PVS meets only, no club meets)

o October Open, October 15-17, 2010

o November Open, November 5-7, 2010

o January Distance, January 8-9, 2011

o January Open, January 22-23, 2011

o February Distance, February 13, 2011

o 18 & Under Age Group Championships, February 18-20, 2011

o Junior Championships, March 3-6, 2011

o Senior Championships, March 10-13, 2011

o 14 & Under Junior Olympics, March 17-20, 2011

§ Motion to approve the proposed PVS short course meet schedule for 2010-2011 season, seconded and approved

• Club Meet Bids for January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010
1. SC meets between Jan 1, 2010 – April 30, 2010
• Black History: Feb 12-14 at Takoma, meet ref Al Betts, DCPR
• CUBU Qualifier Feb 6-7: Wharf in Warrington, CUBU
• Senior Circuit being moved from Jan 2-3 to Jan 16-17, 2009 at WL, AAC
• Motion to approve the additions and changes to the Jan 1-March 31, 2010 calendar, seconded, approved
2. LC Meets between April 1, Aug 31
• FISH: LC Derby, May 8-9 at GMU
• FISH: June Invite June 12-13 at GMU
• PM: VA States, May 29-31 at Oak Marr
• RMSC: Maryland States June 4-6 at Rockville
• MACH: LC classic: April 24-26 at Takoma
• Cherry Bloosm: April    at Oak Marr
• SNOW: Spring Classic Invite, May 7-9 at Claude Moore
• SNOW: LC Invite, June 4-6 at Claude Moore
• RMSC: LC Meet, April 30-May 2 at MAC
• Motion to accept these additions to the April 1-Aug 31, 2010 calendar, seconded, approved
3. SC meets September 1 –December 31, 2010: these meets are being added to the calendar, but will not be voted on until the January 2010 CCM.
• Pilgrim Penthalon, Nov 21 – CUBU
• Tom Dolan Invitational, Dec 9-12 – CUBU
• Fall Gator Mini Meet, Oct 30-31 – AAC
• Harvest Moon Invite, Oct 9-10 – HACC
• Sport Fair Winter Classic, Dec 9-12 - PM
• Bids for 2010 PVS Sponsored LC meets should be submitted to Bill Marlin.
• 2008-09 Athlete of the Year Selection
• 9 yr girl: Isabella Rongione; FISH
• 9 yr boy: Sanjay Wijesekra; RMSC
• 10 yr girl: Dorit Song; RMSC
• 10 yr boy: Devin Troung; RMSC
• 11 yr girl: Kate Ledecky; CUBU
• 11 yr boy: Carsten Vissering; RMSC
• 12 yr girl: Janet Hu; CUBU
• 12 yr boy: Harrison Gu; RMSC
• 13 yr girl: Helen Moffitt; CUBU
• 13 yr boy; Matt Gibson; RMSC
• 14 yr girl: Sarah Hasse; RMSC
• 14 yr boy: Jack Conger; RMSC
• 15 yr girl: Eva Green, MACH
• 15 yr boy: Kurtis Ratcliff, CUBU
• 16 yr girl: Kaitlin Pawlowicz, CUBU
• 16 yr boy: Charlie Putnam, MACH
• 17 yr girl: Meredith Cavalier, CUBU
• 17 yr boy: Sean Fletcher, MAKO
• 18 yr girl: no nominations
• 18 yr boy: Brady Fox, RMSC
• Open female: Mei Christensen; CUBU
• Open male: Matt McLean; SNOW
• 2008-09 Distance swimmer of the Year Awards
• 2008-09 Disability Award Winner
• 2009 LC Zones Report –
1. Head Coach Mike Kraeuter reported that PVS had a great coaching staff, great group of kids. The swimmers fought hard for 5^th place overall. The kids worked hard and really came together well as a team. There were many best times, it was a great showing for PVS.
• 2010 SC Zone Coach Elections
• Head Coach: Mark Faherty, CUBU
• Assistant Head Coach: Emily Felker, HACC
• Establish Athlete Selection Process for SC Zone Meet:
• It was recommend that PVS stay with the same selection process that we used to chose the SC Zone team as we did for 2009 meet.
• A motion is made to use the same criteria for the 2010 SC Zone Team selection, seconded and approved.
• One venue of PVS Jan Open still needs as host club;
•  PM, OCCS and BWST have all put in bids.
• Qualifying times for 14&U SC JO’s posted to PVS web site
• Old Business; no old business
• New Business
1. USAS new suit ban – reminder it goes into effect as of Oct 1, 2009.
2. Review racing start certification process
• Every club MUST read this information. The coach will have to sign a document for every swimmer that they know how to dive into the pool by doing a racing start. Make sure you know what you are signing, so you are covered.
• In PVS we have a lot of movement from club to club, don’t assume that your new athlete has already been checked off. Please make sure you know the information.
• Remember you can not make major changes to an athlete’s dive at a meet in less than 6 feet of water.
• After you have filled out all these sheets and signed them you keep them, you must have the paper.
• If a coach has not signed off on the swimmer, then they should not use the blocks at a meet, it is the coach is primarily responsible, but the meet ref has the authority to not allow the swimmer to use the blocks.
3. Meet Manager 3.0: Please do not run meets using MM 3.0 until PVS works out the licensing agreement with Hy-Tek.
4. IMX: all swims go into the database automatically, but when you go to the USAS web site you need to go to “times & standards”, IMX Xtreme Challenge, Age Group-7000 records. If your athletes go into the USA Swimming website, they can create a profile, so you can see what their events are.
5. Equipment Rental: be prepared that the expenses for all equipment rental will be going up in the future. A new storage facility is being pursued and will be larger and more expensive that the current facility. It will include temperature control and electricity. There will also be new policies put in place to rent equipment; this will enable PVS to be able to provide the equipment in a more reliable manner.
6. Short Course Zones: The Board of Directors want to know with the CCM wants to do about the Zone budget. The last several meets we have gone over budget providing our swimmers with the Zone experience.
• It was recommended that PVS over spend if necessary to accommodate all athletes on the PVS Zone team
• A motion was made to send the recommendation to the Board of Directors, seconded and approved.
7. Thanks to Dan Jacobs as the former Coaches Rep and welcome Yuri as new Coaches Rep.
8. Remember safety first at all meets; Please remind your swimmers to enter and exit the pool in a safe manner at all meet.
9. PVS is in need of a Safety Chairperson; please encourage someone to become the PVS Safety Chair. Contact a current Board member if you or someone from your club is interested.
10. Setting time standards for the 2010 Championship Meets: Senior Chair, Riley Eaton has asked for a Club Representative to send him an email with the “best guess” at to the numbers of entries each team expects for each Championship Meet (18 & Under, Jr, Sr, and JOs). A best guess is better than no guess. This information will be used to determine the time standards.
11. With Open meets: should we change procedures to have all club entries go to a central location and then they can possibly be distributed more evenly to each site. Straw poll showed this idea is was not well received.
• Set Winter Meeting 2010; straw poll taken as to whether River Falls or Overlee was preferred, results about 50-50. A straw poll was also taken to determine if the body preferred Sunday morning or weekday evenings, again the results were about 50-50. The Committee Chairs will schedule the Winter CCM and inform the body.
• Motion to adjourn the 2009 Fall Competition Committee Meeting at 12:00, seconded and approved.