From the Head Coach
Practice and Meet Expectations
*Please note that hyperlinks are included in this communication to take you to our handbook with additional information.
A message from Head Coach ,
Welcome back Stingray family, and to those new members to our family, and fold, a warm welcome. This is the 35th Season for the Stone Creek Stingrays Swim Team within NWAL. First let me begin by making you aware that our official communication for our team will be done three ways, on the website, via email, and on Remind. So you can go to STCST’s website, for all information regarding the season, and also make sure you join our Remind Group so that you can get updated with the team information.
As most of you are aware our Season was to have officially started, last week on Tuesday April 11th. This unfortunately was not possible, due to circumstances beyond our control, and with the cold front coming back, we had to delay the start of the Season until yesterday Wednesday April 19th. This Friday April 21st, we will have our official annual Parent Meeting at our Clubhouse at 5:30 pm. Kindly make an effort to attend this meeting since our policies, procedures and the 2023 season will be discussed. Those new to the team will be able to have any questions answered, and also have a better understanding of how your new team operates. Check the website and be on the lookout for the reminder on Remind, or via email.
Let me apologize for the length of this message, but it’s necessary, so that I can go over the expectations of our Season. This email will also be posted on the website so at any time you have a question or concern you will have access to it. As we enter our 2nd week (since the 1st was postponed) of the new Season, I just wanted to ensure I reached out to you. Since this season will again be challenging, we were able to remain in one of the top Divisions in NWAL, Blue 3, due to our past performances. Hence bigger and faster teams, coupled with our Team going through a transition phase. Where we are still on a rebuild from the split we had two years ago. Hence this will be one of the major challenges we will face, trying to get our numbers on our team up. while competing in a Division where all the other teams have at least 100 swimmers, but like the Champions we are, when faced with adversity we will rise and overcome these challenges together as a Team.
Our Season began yesterday, with our usual Dry-Land preparation, but the official opening of the NWAL Season will be on Saturday May 6th, with our Time Trials/Mock Meet. As alway, we began with Dry-Land Training & Conditioning, for our Competitive Groups (Beginner, Intermediate and Advance). Non-competitive swimmers with the skill set to be in one of these groups, will be allowed to participate in these practices, with the approval of the coaching staff. Pup Swimmers, since they are non-swimmers, their practice will start next week, when hopefully the competitive Groups of our team, could also begin water practice, depending on the turnout and numbers present for the remaining practices this week.
Our water evaluation process for new swimmers hopefully will begin sometime next week, and this is also dependent on the commitment of our swimmers attending, and actively participating in this critical practice activity, that helps prepare them for the season. Once we hit the water as always new swimmers will be evaluated, and also swimmers from last year’s placement, or prior could find themselves moving up hopefully by the last Friday of April (April 28th), when all the competitive Groups will be firmed up. Once the evaluations are over, the check-in deck will have the updated roster at sign-in.
Click on the hyperlink practices , to see the schedule times.
If you have any conflicts please let one of the coaching staff know, so we could try to accommodate the request, since we try to keep the Groups together. Kindly note that NWAL’s age limit for swimmers is 4 years old to 18, and this is based on an age up change in date this year, to May 1st, 2023. We will only take a younger swimmer providing they turn 4 prior to the end of the NWAL’s Official Season, which is June 17th. Since our last week of the Season, is the Postseason Meets where only qualified swimmers get to participate.
Over the remaining ten and a half weeks, your swimmers will join me and my fellow Assistant Coaches, who have all either been former swimmers of this team, or on another team that I’ve coached. Most have also been with STC from the beginning..
I will now take the time to go over some of my policies, since some of you are new to the team. I also want to make sure that this goes out early and clearly for all to take in, and understand my and the team’s expectations, and it will clear up any misconceptions. One of the main goals of any successful team is always to strive to improve, and in order to do this you have to reflect on what has occurred, try to understand where errors were made, and correct them by implementing changes.
When I did my reflection of that last year, to see where we could improve, the answer was simple: the size of our team, the meets we lost at our Dual Meet, were also the same teams that placed higher than us at Divisionals. Since they either doubled or tripled us in numbers. Even though we were the smallest in the Division, we still were able to win a few Dual Meets. The Invitationals were a completely different story, where we out performed every team in our Division.
So our challenges will be the same this year, where we just need to continue what we were doing, while at the same time placing priority on growing the numbers to stay competitive. So it’s like the saying says “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Where It starts with being a team. Not that I’m the team, or any one individual is, but we all are. Hence it means every swimmer, where no one is above the team. It’s all for one, and one for all!
This is how the coaching staff was able to correct, instill and work with the swimmers after the few losses that occurred last year. Hence we ended the season with a bang, with a large percentage of the Team making the Postseason. So this must continue into this season. We all must be present, we must put effort in our practices, & practice together, and at meets we all should perform at our optimum. We also need to be telling your swimmers to invite their friends and family to come join.
Now let’s also clear or clarify the first common misconception. Which is, the win happens at the meet. It doesn’t. It actually happens at practice, as a result of how you practice. It’s celebrated at the meet, but the real work happens at practice, especially more than ever this year, since we are still the smallest team in our Division.
This is why you have the 5 P’s
Proper Practice Prevents Poor Performance.
With that said, we need to see a greater improvement going forward with swimmers at practice. Hence I would like to address this, since the coaching staff observed this first hand yesterday, where you can’t effectively practice if you don’t have a team. Swimmers MUST ATTEND PRACTICE. Since most teams in our Division are into their second week of practice, while we’ve had only one day, but with the numbers yesterday we haven’t started since hardly anyone came.
Over my many years of Coaching, and all the teams that I’ve been a Head Coach, even currently, where I’m coaching multiple teams. My belief has always been the same, and it is very simple, a team can only be a team if we practice together. I totally understand that some of you might be doing Club and Summer League, just like me and my AssistantCoaches. Since it’s the only way most of the successful swimmers in this league stay successful.
If you are or were on a team that your coaches allowed you not to attend their practice, and they preferred you not to practice with them, then let me apologize for this. Since you were only a meet day swimmer/athlete for them, and that to me is not a team swimmer/athlete. Hence this is unacceptable. It has never, would never, and will never happen on any team that I’m the Head Coach. We have practice 4 days a week, excluding Monday which is the cleaning day, so going forward I expect to see everyone at all practices. If this is hard for you, come let me know, or reach out to any coaching staff, only then we can look to see how to address it for you. We understand, and we want to ensure that everyone does their part for the team, especially coming to the end of the school year. But you MUST MAKE the coaching staff aware, since the expectation is a minimum of 1-2 days a week for swimmers with busy schedules, until school is out in another five weeks.
This way we are able to see our swimmers, to be better able to choose the events for the team to maximize our points, and to improve the progress of each swimmer, both in the individual events, and relays. So if you’re not at practice how is this possible? How is it fair to your teammates? Even if you’re fast enough to make a relay, it would be totally unfair for the swimmers who come everyday to practice, practice relay takeoffs only to look on and watch you show up and be on our Team’s relay representing the team. This creates turmoil in the team, and it won’t be fair to the coaching staff or board, to have to address these types of issues. It creates disharmony, and negativity that can break up a team, and cause the swimmers to lose focus.
I’m a firm believer that you are a product of your environment, and this is not the type of environment that is conducive to a winning team. Since it tends to promote an “I” type of ideology, and not a “we”, and as far as I know there's no I in Team. I have a simple rule, which is that no one is bigger or above the team. So I say again, if this was allowed on your other teams, I apologize. In order to win a meet, swimmers need to be swimming at practice, and then competing in their chosen events at meets in order to get points. Like they say, “He who has the most points at the end of the meet, wins the meet.” So, if there is anyone else that knows a different way than this, please let me know.
Note that, for this year’s Schedule click the hyperlink to go to our Meet Schedule.
This means in order for us to continue being successful, we need swimmers showing up. The coaches and the board have all cleared our schedule, to ensure that you, the swimmers and parents have a successful season. So we ask that you try to do the same, by planning your summer vacations around and after these dates above. This would ensure that we have the best chance of maximizing our points at these meets. With everyone committing and putting in maximum effort, I can’t see why we won’t continue to be successful. By this we ask that you do the same and be all in with us.
As we all know, relays are usually at the beginning and the end of the meets. If you can’t attend a meet or you know that you are leaving the meet early, prior to the meet kindly let us know ASAP. If the meet has started and you need to leave the meet early, please let one of the following know: the Team Representative, a Board Member, or a Coach. That way we can ensure that the necessary changes are made in a timely manner, which would allow us to ensure that we can still participate in that relay. Otherwise it’s very frustrating and unfair for swimmers who were waiting to swim the Relays at the end of the meet, only to find out that they can’t, simply because a parent did not want to wait, or tell anyone, so they decided to leave. This unfortunately creates turmoil with the parents who were waiting, they start to lash into the coaches and the board for being inconsiderate and unprofessional, since we are now responsible for indicating to them that we don’t have enough swimmers for a relay. Meanwhile, that parent who went home, and who caused all the turmoil, is unaware and unmoved for whatever reason they chose to leave, without notifying anyone.
I again like to keep it simple, so if this occurs once, I will take the heat for that swimmer. Since they might not have remembered. But if it happens a 2nd time with the same swimmer, they will be banned from relays for the Season. There is No if’s, and’s or but’s. This is why we ask that as soon as you know that you won’t be attending, or can’t attend the full meet, only partially, you let us know. Most importantly if you have to leave a meet, let the Team Rep or Coaching staff know.
Entries for the Meets, be it Dual, Divisional, and Invitationals are at the sole discretion of the coaches, and the Head Coach who has the final decision. All swimmers will be entered in every meet, hence there is no swimmer that will ever say that a Coach did not enter them. It’s quite simple really, if a swimmer isn’t in a meet, it’s because their parent/parents chose not to attend. This might be new to some of you who were on other teams, it’s the parent’s or the swimmer’s responsibility to let the coaches know they won’t be attending, at practice. So we can delete them from our entries, and make the necessary corrections to the relays if needed prior to the exchange for the meet. That way we are only making minor corrections on meet day if an emergency arises where a swimmer can’t attend. So since all swimmers are alway entered in meets, you are given two chances as no shows before you won’t be entered.
Invitationals this year will be on Sunday May 21st, the weekend of June 4th / 5th & Sunday June 11th, for Mid Season, & the weekend June 23rd - 25th for PostSeason. We will be entering all swimmers who qualify as per the team’s policy, the hyperlink Invitationals has the ones we’re attending. If unfortunately you can’t attend then the same policies as above for entries apply. It’s your responsibility to let the coaches know early, so we can remove your swimmer from the meet, and allow us to make the necessary corrections before we do the exchange for entries. Since once the exchange occurs and your swimmers are entered, then you MUST PAY for the entries even if you’re not attending.
Just to explain the rationale behind doing the entries this way for Invitationals. When I originally came here I was asked to build out the numbers (size) of the team, improve the overall quality of the swimming, and challenge for the Divisional Title. All of which were met in the 1st year. The team has grown, the quality of swimmers is better, hence we’ve had Back to Back Undefeated Seasons & Divisional Titles. These performances over my time here, has allowed us to move seven Divisions, and in order to continue our growth, this cannot be accomplished or sustained by Dual meets.
Hence we need to be competing with the best, and they are the ones who are attending the Invitationals. Secondly it also helped us prepare for Divisionals. Going to these meets helps with the development of the swimmers, since as you get older the qualification times get faster, and it bodes well to prepare your swimmers for High School Swimming. Also we are a team, so we are as strong as our weakest link, so if we practice as a team, and go to meets as a team, we’ll have a better chance of winning. It also allows us to have the full complement of Relays thus improving our chances of winning. This especially will be very important this year since we find ourselves in a similar position as last year being the smallest team in the Division.
Over my seasons with STCST, our numbers have improved for Invitationals, with us having over 65 % of competing swimmers qualifying for Post Season last year, and 50 % having the opportunity to swim at Ponderosa. We also walked out of one of our two Mid Season Invitationals with a Trophy. This addition to our Trophies, was as a result of the performances by our swimmers. But, the numbers still haven’t been what I wanted, and this is an area that we need to work on especially this year.
This is why I’ve asked the Board to address it, and they have, by fundraising. Since we are committed to helping families in need by offsetting the entry fee cost. The board has always taken care of the entry cost for all Relays for Invitationals, the only cost for parents is for your Individual entries. This is why we ask that families actively participate in the fundraising, since the monetary donations and funds raised will help us apply these to the team, and keep the overall cost of Summer League down for you the parents.
Thank you for taking your time to read this email in its entirety. See you guys at practice, and feel free to reach out to any of the Coaching staff if you have concerns. On behalf of my fellow Coaches we would like to thank you all for allowing us the opportunity to Coach your kids. We will strive to do our best to keep the motto of this team which is “We Rule the Water” it’s “Our water, Our home.” Go Stingrays!!!!! Hope to see you guys at practice.
Cheers!
