OCR Document

Team History

The Scottsboro Swim Team was organized in 1974 under the auspices of the Scottsboro Recreation Department with Bob Thomas serving as President, J. C. Gibson as Vice-President, Pam Holder as Secretary and Jane Nevels as Treasurer. The organizing Board of Directors was Jim Smith, Jo Ann Holder, James Stewart, Larry Selby, Edwina Wood and Ken Potter.

Andy Skelton was hired as the first coach followed by the following individuals in order: Steve Hamlet, Woodson Smith, Lynn DeWitt, Gail Tarbox, Scott Caden, Mary McKinley, Stacey Goode, Kelley Goode, Karen Thornton, Stan Mannon, Joel Brown, David Brewer and Pam Darwin. David Brewer returned as head coach during the 2003 winter season with Diane Richard as assistant coach and Marcos Abril as parent volunteer assistant coach. At the end of the summer 2005 season David Brewer Retired as head Coach. Diane Richard is presently head coach with Marcos Abril & Steve Hamlet as assistant coachs.

Until 1980 the team only participated with Alabama Recreation and Parks Association summer league, winning the District II title in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 while swimming well and representing Scottsboro with determination in all the other years. The teams most recent accomplishment in District II was a 2^nd place finish in 2006. In 1989 the City of Scottsboro built the existing Rec*Com which houses an indoor pool, allowing the availability of a year round swim program. The teams winter season is September through April and the team swims USA during this time. Summer season is May through July and the team swims Rec. league during this time. During the winter season September through May the team charges $20 for per month swim fee. The entire amount collected is paid to the head coach and the assistant coach for their services. Also, the Rec*Com charges a one time fee of $35 paid at sign up. The Rec*Com charges an additional $10 late fee for sign ups after the designated sign up deadline date. In order for a child to compete in USA sanctioned meets they must be a member of USA Swimming, the membership fee is $50 per year (this does not apply to summer rec. league.). During the summer season no coaches fees are charged, however there is a one time $35 fee paid to the Rec*Com at sign up.

In the memory of a committed young swimmer who was killed in a traffic accident, the Rusty Holder Award is given to a member of the Scottsboro Swim Association who meets the following criteria:

*Displays a polite, cooperative, and enthusiastic attitude.

*Strives to improve individual abilities as well as meet team goals.

*Is conscientious about making all practices as well as meets

while remaining punctual.

*Is willing to work with younger swimmers and serve as a

role model.

The Rusty Holder award is given out each year only if there is a swimmer who meets the qualifications. Past recipients include Brian Hastings, Melissa Baggett, Susan Woods, Ben Goode, Michael Proctor, Robby Chaney, Jason Davis, Stephanie Miller, Eric Lang, Karen Goss, Daniel Williams, Cole Page, Allison Amos, Cody Dutton and Zane Dutton. The award is on display in the REC-COM* trophy case.

Beginning in 2003 the team also recognizes the award for 1^st place in event #81. This award can go out to anyone associated with Scottsboro Swimming. It is for excelling in life, and proven dedication to the sport of swimming and the families involved. In 2003 the award was given to Drew Brewer for creating the cover of the heat sheet for the ARPA STATE MEET and in 2005 Coach David Brewer for his many years of unselfish service to Scottsboro Swimming. The 2006 recipient was Anne Dutton for her 14 years of excellent service as judge and board member. The recipient for the 2007 year was John Powell for his 12 year service as board member, VP and meet manager.

Association Objectives and Philosophy

Scottsboro Swim Association is one the largest and most active swim organizations in District II of the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association Swim League (ARPA). Any organization has goals and must work to achieve them.

Being cognizant of the diverse personalities and abilities of swimmers and that the goals and objectives of each person may be significantly different, the philosophy of the SSA program is as follows:

        *to provide a program that assists in the development of well-rounded
        individuals through athletic competition, team involvement, and
        community support.
   *to encourage parental participation far the further enhancement and

development of the individual and the swim program.

        *to provide a level of coaching which permits swimmers to receive
      instruction and direction to the extent that each one may develop,
      as he or she desires to full potential through diligent practice efforts,
      proper techniques, and self confidence.

*as a member of the ARPA, to successfully compete as a team in meets
at the local, district, and state level.

For the 8 and under age group, emphasis is placed an establishing good practice habits, discipline, encouragement, proper attitude, and stroke development. Because everything is new and there is so much to learn about legal strokes and participating in a swim meet, it is important for all swimmers to attend practice sessions. Parents are encouraged to review the rules with their child to ensure they do not miss the events in which they are scheduled to swim.

Correct stroke technique is taught by telling, modeling and having the swimmer practice the strokes over and over. However, at the youngest level, it is often dependent on the maturity, coordination, strength and, of course, the willingness of the child to concentrate on the problem strokes. There are many SSA record holders who take a long time to get those toes turned out when swimming breast stroke or those legs together when swimming butterfly. Even though we do not believe that the SSA should teach beginning swimming lessons, we do encourage young swimmers and their parents to be patient and to continue to work on correct stroke technique. Also check with the coach to see if there are videos, books, etc. available which explain each stroke.

Swimmers are encouraged to attend all practice sessions and swim meets. Swimmers are also required to be on time. All swimmers must learn to accept the discipline the coach expects, but most important to be able to discipline themselves. Habits formed as a young swimmer are difficult to change in older age group swimmers.

SSA believes each swimmer should be given the opportunity to develop to their full potential. Age is no factor when it comes to the support a swimmer needs from his parents, coaches and fellow team members. Historically, SSA has set very high goals and has been extremely successful in competing at all levels. These goals are reached through self discipline, dedication, hard work and enthusiasm. Our swimmers, as they should be, are not only proud of their team, but they are proud of each other. Swimming gives the young athlete the opportunity to develop individual skills as well as be part of a competitive team.

Scottsboro Swim Association Organization

The SSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating the improvement of the youth in Scottsboro in aquatic competition. The officers are elected yearly at the annual meeting in July. They are announced at the swim banquet held at the end of the summer season.

The government of the Association is vested in the Board of Directors and the President as outlined in the Articles of Incorporation.

I. Officers for the 2007- 2008 Season

A. President-Mike Kirkland

B. Vice President- John Reichle

C. Secretary- Marien Serrano

D. Treasurer- Angie Carter

II. Board of Directors

Paula Copeland, Craig Heaton, Jimmy Green, Steve Butler, Gene Gosset,

John Powell, Andy Altonji, Carrie Houser

III. Coaches

A. Head Coach-Diane Richard

B. Assistant Coach-Marcos Abril

C. Assistant Coach-Steve Hamlet

The coaching staff is responsible for the following:

1. Establish the SSA as a quality oriented competitive swim program.

2. Establish and implement the overall coaching policy.

3. Establish workout groups, schedules and facilities.

4. Recommend a schedule of swim meets to be attended by the SSA swimmers.

5. Actively coach SSA swim groups.

6. Maintain discipline of the team in accordance with board policy.

7. Keep performance records and prepare meet entries for those swimmers
coached.

8. Perform miscellaneous administrative duties to include endorsement of appropriate club rules and the preparation of inputs to the Board.

         9.    Try out prospective new SSA swimmers and recommend their acceptance or
                 rejection as SSA members.
         10. Represent SSA at all swim meets.
         11. The head coach shall be responsible for directing the duties of the coaching                                 staff.
         12. The head coach is responsible for the day to day administration of the program
                 and establishing relationships with area swim teams.

13. The head coach and assistant coaches must be certified coaches under United

States Swimming.

         14. The head coach has the final decision in placement of swimmers on the relay                           teams. The head coach will consider meet times, swim off times, and attendance
           at practices as well as at meets when choosing the 4 members of each relay
           team.

15. The coaches will decide what events the swimmers will compete in during

summer dual meets. There will be a heat sheet posted before each meet.

General Information

Meets and Events for summer Rec League :

During summer rec league SSA swims dual meets against neighboring towns and
cities such as Arab, Boaz, Albertville, etc. In each meet there will be 80 events
divided into 8 subcategories as follows:

SF-short freestyle LF-long freestyle
BR-breast stroke BA-backstroke

BF-butterfly stroke IM-individual medley

FR-freestyle relay MR-medley relay

All the events listed above are individual events except for freestyle relay and
medley relay. Each of the 8 subcategories is again divided by gender and then
again by age groups as follows:

8 and under boys 8 and under girls

9 and 10 year old boys 9 and 10 year old girls

11 and 12 year old boys 11 and 12 year old girls

13 and 14 year old boys 13 and 14 year old girls

15-18 year old boy’s 15-18 year old girls

Swim for Points versus swim for exhibition:

During summer rec league we swim competitively against our opponents. Most often this is in a dual meet setting. Score is kept electronically by the meet manager software. For each event, we can swim 3 people for points. If there are other swimmers who can swim the stroke, they can swim as exhibition swimmers. As an exhibition swimmer, they are not given a score; however, their time is important because it is recorded in the scorebook to be used in determining swimmers for the next meet. As an individual swimmer, you are allowed to swim only 3 individual events and 2 relay events for a total of five races.

District and State Swim Meets:

At the end of our regular summer swim schedule, there is a district swim meet.
During this meet, every swimmer from our district will compete for the
opportunity to advance to the state level. The location rotates in alphabetical order through the district.. is always an exciting experience. Just like in
a regular meet, each child may swim 3 individual events. They may also swim on one or both relay teams. If there are enough swimmers in the age group, there may be 2 or 3 relay teams. There are certain guidelines as to what results qualify for state. You will be updated with the qualifications before or at the District Meet. The Alabama State Swim Meet is bid by different cities across Alabama for hosting rights.

Season Awards:

At the end of the summer season, we have a banquet to celebrate our accomplishments. This banquet is held on the second Saturday in August. Season awards are given for the following categories:

High Point-This award is given to the top boy and girl in each age division who accumulates the greatest number of points for the team throughout a given season.

Most Improved- This award is given to the most improved boy and girl swimmer in each age division as determined by the coaching staff.

Best in Practice- This award is given to the individual who remains steadfast and works hard in each individual practice. This award is determined by the coaching staff.

SSA Spirit Award-This award is given to the swimmer or swimmers who exemplify teamwork by cheering on their fellow swimmers.

Attendance Award- This award is given to the boy and girl who attends the most practices during the season.

Rusty Holder Award- Named for a former SSA swimmer, this award is given selectively to the senior swimmer who meets a strict set of guidelines. Further explanation of this award can be found in our Team History.

Parent Volunteers:

Parents of swimmers are expected to work at all of the meets. IF WE ALL DO A LITTLE THEN NO ONE HAS TO DO IT ALL. Each meet will last approximately 3 hours. There will be 3 away meets this year, not counting Madison Medal Meet, District, or State and 7 home meets. For the home meets, it takes an additional hour to set up and 30 minutes to break down. What follows is a partial listing of all the jobs necessary to carry out an effective swim meet:

        Timers-one for each of 8 lanes                        Stroke and Turn Judges
        Starter                                                                 Ribbon Writers
        Computer Operators                                          Timing Console Operator
        Place Judges                                                       Card Retriever

Water Provider Scorekeeper

False Start Rope Keeper Bull Pen Coordinators

During away meets, we are expected to provide 1/2 of the adult volunteers, but we are not required to help set up. It is only courteous to help with some of the break down afterwards.

Everything you always wanted to know about swim
meets…………………..but were afraid to ask

(or didn't know what to ask)

Swim meets are a great family experience. They're a place where the

whole family can spend time together. Listed below are some very in-depth

guidelines geared to help you through your first couple of swim meets. It may
seem a little overwhelming, but we tried to be as specific and as detailed as we
possibly could. If you have any questions-please ask the coach or a member of
the association's board.

Before the meet starts........................

1. At home meets some parents will be asked to come to the pool 1 1/2 to 2
hours prior to the meet time to help set up. This will require arranging for
the timing system, setting up chairs, etc.

2. Swimmers should arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time begins. Our warm up time is 1 hour before each scheduled home meet
and 30 minutes prior to away meet.

4. Upon arrival, find a place to put your swimmer's blanket, towel and swim
bag. The team usually sits in one place together, so look for familiar faces.

5. Once "checked-in" write each event on your swimmer's hand in ink. It is
written E, H, L-(Event, Heat, Lane). This helps them remember what
events they are swimming and what event to listen for.

6. Your swimmer now gets their cap and goggles and reports to the pool
and/or coach for warm-up instructions. It is very important for all
swimmers to warm-up with the team.

7. After warm-up, your swimmer will go back to the area where his/her
towels are and sit there until the next event is called. This is a good time
to make sure he/she goes to the bathroom if necessary, gets a drink, or
just gets settled in.

8. The meets will usually start about 10-15 minutes after warm-ups are over.

9. All questions concerning meet results, an official call or the conduct of a
meet, should be referred to the coaching staff. They, in turn, will pursue
the matter through the proper channels.

Meet Starts..............

1. It is important for any swimmer to know what events he/she is swimming.
He/she may swim right away after warm-ups or they may have to wait
awhile.

2. A swimmer's event will be called, usually over the loudspeaker, and
he/she will be asked to report to the "Clerk of Course" or to the "Bullpen". Swimmers should report with their cap and goggles. Generally, in summer league girl's events are even-numbered and boy's events are odd-numbered.
Example---Event #26, 10 and under Girls, 50 yard freestyle report to the
Clerk of Course.

3. The coach or the Clerk of Course will give a card to each of the swimmers swimming in that event. This card will tell each swimmer their heat and
lane number. The swimmers will then be lined up and taken to the start
area in correct order. The swimmer will give the card to the timers when
it is their time to swim. These cards are very important because they tell
the people running the meet who actually swam each event.

4. After the swim each parent should--
Tell your child how great they did! The coaching staff will be sure to
discuss stroke technique with them. You need to tell them how proud you
are of their performance. Also, walk them back to their towel to relax.

What to take to the meet..............

1. Most important-swim cap, swim suit and goggles.

2. Towels-at least 2.

3. Something to sit on-sleeping bag, old blanket, lawn chair.

4. Sweat suits if inside or cool weather.

5. T-shirts-2 or 3 (they get wet).

6. Games-travel games, books, coloring books, game boy, yo-yo, etc.

7. Food-each swimmer is usually allowed to bring a small cooler. It is better to bring snacks. Lines are usually long if there is a snack bar.

Once you have attended 1 or 2 meets, this will all become very routine. Please
do not hesitate to ask any other SSA parent for help or information. We consider
each other FAMILY.

These meets are a lot of fun for the swimmers. They get to visit with friends,
play games, and meet kids from other teams. They also get to see how much
they have improved from all the hard work and practice.

Special Notes to Parents....
Meets are generally "warm" events, so make sure you dress appropriately. Feel
free to bring a folding chair to sit on.

Glossary

A glossary of those strange and wacky words we use in the sport of swimming. Parents!
You may or may not find these words in the English Dictionary, and if you do, their definitions will probably be radically different than the ones listed in this Glossary. Relax and take your time reading. Soon you’ll be understanding and maybe even speaking “SWIMSLANG”.

ARPA Alabama Recreation and Parks Association – The league in which
SSA competes during the summer consisting of 8 districts throughout the State of Alabama.

Admission Admission will be charged at District and State Meets

Age Group Division of simmers according to age, (8 and unders, 9-10,
11-12, 13-14, and 15-18)

Anchor The final swimmer in a relay

Backstroke One of the 4 competitive racing strokes, basically any style of swimming on your back

Beep The starting sound from an electronic, computerized timing system.

Blocks                        The starting platforms located behind each lane. Some pools have        blocks at the deeper end of the pool, and some pools have blocks at
                                    both ends. Blocks have a variety of designs and can be permanent
                                    or removable.

Bottom The floor of the pool. Bottom depths are usually marked on the
walls or sides of the pool.

Breast Stroke One of the 4 competitive racing strokes.

Bull Pen The staging area where swimmers wait to receive their lane and heat assignments for a swimming event. Area is usually away from the pool and has rows of chairs fro the swimmer to sit in. The Clerk of Course is in charge of the Bull Pen.

Butterfly One of the 4 competitive racing strokes.

Button The manual timing system stopping device that records a back-up time in case the touch pad malfunctioned. The button is at the end of a wire, plugged into a deck terminal box at each lane. It is timer’s responsibility to push the button as the swimmer finishes the race.

Cards A card that is given to a swimmer either by the coach or the bull pen with the swimmers name, event, heat, lane listed. These cards are given to the timers by the swimmer.

Colorado A brand of automatic timing system.

Course Designated distance (length of the pool) for swimming competition. Long course if 50 meters/short course is 25 yards or 25 meters.

Deck The area around the swimming pool reserved for swimmers, officials, and coaches. No one but authorized individuals may be on the deck during a swim competition.

Disqualified A swimmer’s performance is not counted because of rules infraction. A disqualification is shown by an official raising one arm with open hand above their head.

District II The district within ARPA in which SSA competes. At the conclusion of the swim season a District II Championship meet is held to determine which swimmers will represent District II at the ARPA State Championship Meet. The District II Championship meet rotates between the members of the district.

Dual Meet Type of meet where two teams compete against each other.

Dropped Time When a swimmer goes faster than the previous performance they have “dropped their time”.

Dry Side That part of the rules that deals with “Administrative” Regulations of Competition.

Entry Fees Entry fees are only charged for competition in invitational meets and District and State Championship meets.

Event A race or stroke over a given distance.

False Start When a swimmer leaves the starting block before the horn or gun. One false start will disqualify a swimmer or a relay team, although a referee may charge the first false start to the field.

False Start Rope A recall rope across the width of the pool that is dropped if there is a false start.

Flags Pennants suspended over the width of each end of the pool approximately 15 feet from the end of the pool. Also called “Backstroke Flags”.

Freestyle One of 4 competitive racing strokes.

Heats A division of an event where there are too many swimmers to compete at the same time.

Individual Medley Also known as IM. A swimming event using all 4 competitive strokes in the following order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breast Stroke, Freestyle. Each stroke will be swam an equal distance. Distance is based on age.

Lane The specific area in which a swimmer is assigned to swim.

Lane Lines Continuous floating markers attached to a cable stretched from the starting end to the turning end for the purpose of separating each lane and quieting the waves caused by racing swimmers.

Mark The command to take your starting positions.

Marshall The official who controls the crowd and swim flow at a swim meet.

Medley Relay A relay consisting of equal distance of Backstroke, Breast Stroke, Butterfly and Freestyle in that order.

Meet Director The official in charge of the administration of the meet. The person directing the “dry side” of the meet.

Officials The certified, adult volunteers, who operate the many facets of a swim competition.

Official Time The swimmer’s event time recorded to one-hundredth of a second.

Psych Sheet Another name for the “Heat Sheet” of a meet program.

Qualifying Times Published times necessary to compete in individual events at the State Swim Meet.

Referee The head official at a swim meet in charge of the pool and all the decisions regarding the “wet side” of a swim meet.

Relay A swimming event in which 4 swimmers participate as a relay team with each swimmer swimming an equal distance. There are two types of relays: the medley relay and the freestyle relay.

Seed Assign the swimmers heats and lanes according to their submitted or preliminary times.

State Swim Meet A meet held at the end of the summer ARPA season. Qualification times or at least a third place finish at District Swim Meet is necessary.

Stand-down The command given by the Starter or Referee to release the swimmers from their starting positions.

Step-down The command given by the Starter or Referee to have the swimmers move off the blocks. Usually this command is a good indication everything is not right for the start of the race.

Stroke & Turn

Judge Officials who stand at the start or turn end of the pools. If these officials see something illegal, they report to the referee and the swimmer may be disqualified.

Timed Finals Competition in which only heats are swum and final placings are determined by those.

Timer The volunteers standing behind the starting block/finish end of the pool, who are responsible for getting watch times on events and activating the backup buttons for the timing system.

Touch Pad The removable plate (on the ends of the pool) that is connected to an automatic timing system. A swimmer must properly touch the touch pad to register an official time in a race.

Tri-meet A meet with 3 teams competing for points to see who places 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd.

Unofficial Time The time displayed on a read out board immediately after the race. After a time has been checked, it becomes the official time.

Directions to Competing Pools

Albertville-Follow highway 79 south through Guntersville to Albertville. Turn right onto Rose Road (.3 miles past Catfish Cabin). Turn right onto Cahill Road. At 2nd intersection turn right onto McKinney Avenue. The pool is on the right.

Arab-Follow highway 79 to Guntersville. After the bridge turn right onto Lurleen B. Wallace Drive. At the stop sign turn right by the park. Go straight beside the park. At the red light turn right onto Highway 69 and follow to Arab. In Arab, turn left onto Arad Thompson Road. Go straight to the end (a Y) and bear right. Turn right at the first road (at the baseball park). Pool will be on the left.

Boaz-Follow 79 to Guntersville. Take highway 431 to Boaz. Turn right onto highway 168 west. Go through town, turn right onto King Street. Pool will be on the left.

Cullman-Follow the directions for Arab. Go through Arab on highway 69 until you reach Gunman. In Cullman turn right onto Highway 278. Go approximately 2 miles past West Elementary School. Pool is on the right.

Decatur-Take highway 72 to Huntsville. Then take Hwy 565 to Decatur. Take 65 South and turn right onto 20 (Alt 2). Go over the Tennessee River. Turn right onto Moulton Street. Turn left onto Darryl Road: Turn left onto 8th street Sw. Turn right onto Sandlin Road. Pool is on the left.

Ft. Payne- Hwy. 35 to Ft. Payne. Inside Ft. Payne, take the left at the Y to reach downtown past Alabama Fan Club. Turn right at park in downtown Ft. Payne. Follow road around bend and take first road to left. Rec Center and pool are on the left.

Guntersville-Follow Highway 79 to Guntersville. Turn right onto Lurleen B. Wallace Drive after crossing the river bridge. Go through the red light at highway 69. Pool will be on the right.

Hartselle-72 West to Huntsville. 565 to 1-65 South. Take 1-65 south to Hartselle. Take Hwy 36 exit. Turn onto Hwy 36 west to US 31 south. Follow Hwy 31 south for approximately .1 mile to Civic Center and Pool..

Madison-Take 72 west to Huntsville. Take 1-565 to HWY 20 west. Turn right onto Hughes Road. Turn right onto Old Madison Pike and then left into Dublin Park. This is an indoor pool.

Meet Transportation

We will transport ourselves to all away meets. Each parent who does not plan on attending the meet will be required to arrange for their child to ride with another family.