Q & A

ATTENDANCE POLICY QUESTIONS

Q: My family is going on vacation and we won't be around during Thanksgiving or Christmas... Will those be excused absences?

A: Yes, Excused absences are appropriate for family activities. Prior approval from coaches is required though and you will still be expected to make up the time missed. If it will be an extended period, you are asked to attempt to participate in a workout schedule during your vacation. See coaches for details.

Q: I work on certain days, can I make up the practices?

A: Work is not considered an excused absence as this does not fall under the categories of school-related, family, or illness. While you can make the practices up, you will receive an unexcused absence that counts towards your three unexcused absences. We recommend notifying your employer now to change your work schedule. If there is an extreme hardship, please contact the Head Coach so that we can begin to discuss alternate plans.

Q: If all practices are mandatory, how will we make up the practices?

A: On most Wednesdays, late arrival days, coaches will remain at the pool until 8am. Swimmers and divers can make up the time by doing a fitness related topic from 7-8am after the morning workout. This will still allow you plenty of time to get dressed, eat breakfast. There will also be other announced times for swimmers to make up workouts.

Q: I am in some hard classes, I will need to go to tutoring or after-school study sessions, will I be excused?

A: As long as you bring a pass signed by the teachers, you will be excused. Though you will be asked to make up the time if you miss more than 30 minutes of workout.

MORNING PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q: My parents can't drive me at 5:45am, what should I do?

A: Try and arrange another way of getting to practice. We will attempt to form car-pool and phone trees before morning practices begin. Your parents not being able to drive you, will not be considered an excused absence. We've had several swimmers participate in carpools, use public transportation, and find other ways. Please do your best. We will be mindful of weather and other issues that may cause issue.

Q: I am in a lot of accelerated and advanced placement classes, I can't do morning practices - what if I need to study?

A: Time management is the job of the athlete. In the event of a major project or test, please let your coaches know. You can request an excused absence for the purpose of studying. As an alternative, we may assign you an afterschool or before school study period in the LRC. You will need to have a conversation with coaches regarding this as this issue usually need to be handled on an individual basis.

As a member of the team, you will need to manage your time. We suggest making sure you keep a good calendar so that you know when all your events are so you can begin to prioritize your events and avoid the pitfalls of everything happening at once. Preparation will go a long way and keep you stress-free.

Q: Cerfew and driving restrictions prohibit anyone under 18 from driving before 6am, what if I get pulled over?

A: While State Law and City Cerfew Ordinances enforce cerfew until 6am, both laws make exceptions for those traveling to and from organized educational programs. " If pulled over, as long as the officer can verify that you are heading to school, you will be OK. All other laws regarding passenger and motor vehicle operation would still be applicable.

Q: The winter weather is usually really cruddy, what if we are late for 5:45am?

A: Common sense will be exercised. The coach on deck will have the ability to make a determination of whether conditions warrant an excuse to being late. Remember, we have to get to the pool at 5:45am too! In the event of canceled morning practice due to extreme conditions, we will attempt to post an update on the website no later than 5:15am. We will also attempt to make contact via our phone tree, remind.com app, and other emails. If school is officially closed, morning practices are also canceled. If the school reopens for activities, updates will be posted on the website.

VARSITY/JUNIOR VARSITY QUESTIONS

Q: If there's not going to be Varsity or Junior Varsity groups at practice, how will we know who's on Varsity or Junior Varsity?

A: While our practice community will not be grouped, we will announce Varsity and Junior Varsity squads for competition. This will occur on or around the first meet. The squads will be created based on observations by coaches of practice sessions, conducted time trails, and past rosters.

Q: Will I be in a group with novices? Won't that be bad for my training?

A: Practices will be divided based on skill and ability. Depending on the training focus, groups will be established. During endurance sets, obviously they will have to be ability grouped. There will be plenty of differentiation going on!

Q: I like JV because I don't want to swim the hard sets like Varsity does, can't there still be a JV group?

A: No, our focus is on training all athletes and having common goals and objectives. Workouts will not be dumbed down for "JV" athletes. However, fear not, this does not mean a novice/beginner athlete will be expected to train like a "Varsity" athlete. Coaches will manipulate sets to allow for a successful and fun training atmosphere.