Join us in welcoming Coach Daniel Gauzza to our Swim Team family.
Meet our Coach
Hello, my name is Daniel Gauzza, I’m twenty years old. I swam for eight years and swam for four on the sun valley high school team. I also played baseball, soccer, track, and cross country for the high school. I have coached for baseball and soccer for two years each. I was a lifeguard and taught swim lessons for five years. I go to Delaware county community college to practice Emergency medical transport.
Registration
Children age 5+ who are able to “swim” a lap using forward momentum (stroke technique not required) are encouraged to join our Swim Team. The cost is $50/swimmer. The registration deadline is June 6th. You may complete the on-line registration form and remit payment at www.aquaticclub.com
Parent’s Meeting
There will be a parent’s meeting on Thursday, June 2nd at 6:00 pm. During this meeting our coaching team and representatives will be introduced, and expectations for the season will be reviewed. Parents should review our expectations with their children and reinforce adherence to our guidelines.
Time Trials
Each year prior to our first meet, the children participate in time trials. During time trials each child will be timed in all 4 strokes. These times will be used by our Coaching staff to assess the ability of your child and place them appropriately in our League events. Time Trials are scheduled for Thursday, June 13th during practice. All children are expected to attend this event. We will need parent volunteers to assist with the coordination of the event including but not limited to lane timers.
Practices
Practice will be begin on Tuesday, May 31st. It will be held daily, Monday/ Tuesday and Thursday/Friday. We will have a Wednesday evening practice June 1 and June 8th.
There will be two practice times: 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm & 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
- Our coach will expect your child at every practice unless you let us know your child is not attending. Please send an email to swimteam@aquaticclub.com if your child is unable to attend practice.
- If practice is cancelled, which is very rare, announcements will be posted on our facebook page. Practice will not occur when the Club is closed for inclement weather.
- To ensure we optimize the Coach’s time with the children, parents will not be permitted to approach the coaches during practice or during meets as it may be distracting not only for your child but other children. If you need to have a discussion with the Coach please send an email to swimteam@aquaticclub.com to schedule a meeting.
- If the water is too cold early in the season, we will be doing dry land training just to get the kids warmed up and back in shape, as well as to get them accustomed to coming to practice.
- If a child repeatedly refuses to practice, we will enlist parental support to encourage their cooperation. If all else fails, the child may be asked to withdrawal from the program. inform the parent to come back and pick them up as they become a liability because the coaches do not have time to babysit while conducting practice.
- No child will be allowed to leave the premises without a parent or specified guardian. Please do not tell young children to meet you in the parking lot as this is very dangerous and a serious safety issue.
- Swimmers should have a cap and goggles for each practice. Also, please have your swimmer wear a one piece swimsuit for practice.
Note: As practice will be held while our Club is open, only members of the Club will be permitted on the premises.
Discipline
All swimmers are expected to be courteous and respectful to all of the coaching staff as well as their fellow teammates. If there is a problem, we will notify the parent. If a child continues to be disruptive, they will be asked to sit out the rest of practice; however, they will not be permitted to leave the premises without a guardian picking them up. Disrespect will not be tolerated, and we appreciate everyone’s cooperation with this policy.
Swim Team Suit/ Gear
We encourage everyone to purchase a team suit and cap. Our suit this year is Sporti New Wave. It can be found on swimoutlet.com.
If you choose not to get the team swim suit, please have your child wear a royal blue suit for meets.
All swimmers will need a swim cap and goggles.
Swim Meets
Schedule:
Our first swim meet will be Sunday, June 19th for the Ridley Cup @ Ridley Township Swim Club.
Our IntraCounty League season will begin on Saturday, July 9th @ Nassau Swim Club. The full schedule may be found on our calendar. Please note, it is imperative that you email Coach Hailey at swimteam@aquaticclub.com ASAP if you know your child will not be available to swim on any of these dates; it becomes a nightmare when we are not notified in advance of a swimmer’s absence, and they are slotted to swim, especially in a relay as this results in 3 other children not getting to swim that event if there is no one to slide into that position.
Coaches:
The Coaches will be on the deck watching and timing each race. They will be giving the kids encouragement and praise at the end of each race. Please DO NOT approach the coaches unless it is an emergency. It is very difficult for them to do their job and focus on our children if they are being interrupted. If there is a problem, please discuss with Colleen Fiabane, she will be happy to help you.
Officials:
We could not run our meets without the active involvement of all of our parents. To ensure that all of the responsibilities do not fall on one parent, we will have sign-up sheets for volunteers needed for each area of our operations, including, but not limited to, Snack Stand Sales at home meets, Timers and Judges at both home and away meets; Scorers at both home and away meets, set up crew for home meets, which is done the night before the meet, Banquet Coordinator and Fundraising.
Snack Stand Donations:
- Saturday Meets: We ask for donations of coffee, donuts, bagels or fruit that is sold at our Snack Stand. There will be a sign up sheet outside the office so we know what we can count on.
- Wednesday Evening Meets: We ask for donations of pretzels, cookies, cupcakes or fruit to be sold at our Snack Stand. There will be a sign up sheet outside the office so we know what we can count on.
Line Up
It takes many hours to complete the line-up for the meets. We work the line-up to try to get the best results to win the meets. Sometimes, we may have to move a swimmer up to the next age bracket to try to gain points. We appreciate your patience and understanding in advance as this is not something that is done carelessly. It is a very tedious process, and we do our best to accommodate as many swimmers as we can.
The maximum number of events a swimmer can swim is 3, including a relay. We make every effort to work every child into at least 2 events, and as much as possible 3 events. Additionally, we will add Exhibition heats to try to fit all swimmers in when possible. In the age brackets where we have a lot of swimmers, it is sometimes very difficult to achieve this goal, but we do our best.
Seating
We expect all swimmers to sit together and cheer for each other. There will be a parent who is assigned to gather the children to the ready bench area before their event, and this becomes very difficult when the kids are not where they belong. They should NOT be in the sand, the baby pool (at away meets), in the playground or otherwise. They must remain in the designated area, with their team, at all times.
Ridley Cup
This meet will be held on Sunday, June 19th at Ridley Township. Please note we only have two entries per event, with a maximum of two events per swimmer; therefore, are not always able to include every swimmer but will make every effort to do so. If your child is swimming, you will be notified by Coach Daniel.
Invitational Meets
The Invitational Meets usually have a small cost per event, and you must sign up in advance if you want to swim. These are a great opportunity for swimmers to swim their favorite stroke and get more experience racing. There is no limit to the number of events entered. The meets are as follows:
- Prospect Missy Harrell Odd Age Meet: This meet will be Sunday, July 17th. It is a great opportunity for the kids who moved up to the next age group and are in their down year (example they are 9 in the 10& under group). The usual line of events by age is 8 & Under, 10 & Under, etc. This meet is set up as 7 & Under, 9 & Under, 11 & Under, etc. More information will follow shortly.
- Drexel Classified Meet: This meet will be Sunday, July 24th. This meet has “not to exceed” qualifying times. This is not for the swimmer who is a top finisher; instead, it gives the swimmers who don’t always place a chance. More information will follow shortly.
Championships
Preliminaries will be held on Saturday, July 23rd @ Tinicum. The top 6 finishers in each event will advance to Championships will be held on Saturday, July 30th at Prospect Park. The top 2 finishers from IntraCounty Champs will advance to the Elite Meet on Tuesday evening, August 2nd at TBD.
Team Pictures
Date and time will be announced.
Banquet
Our banquet is typically held in July/August. During our banquet, swimmers and parents are acknowledged for their contributions to our team’s success. All swimmers, parents and siblings are encouraged to attend. Date and time to be announced at a later date.
Fundraising
Our Swim Team program operating cost is approximately $5,000/season. We regulate our registration fees so that the program is affordable to most members. To supplement our income, we conduct several fundraising events throughout the course of the season the proceeds of which offset the expense of our coach’s salaries, banquet, team gifts, awards, etc. It is our hope that everyone will support these events as they benefit our Team and the Club. If anyone is interested in helping with our fundraising initiatives please contact Colleen Fiabane.
