Arlington Aquatic Club Back to Swimming Night 2009

1. Arlington Aquatic ClubBack to Swimming Night2009 www.aacswims.org

2. Meeting Agenda • Coach’s Introduction • AAC General Information • AAC Team History • AAC Philosophy • AAC Goals • Meet Schedule • Gator Team Requirements • AAC Payment Plan • Parent Responsibilities • Equipment • 2009 Swimposium • AAC Website www.aacswims.org

3. www.aacswims.org

4. AAC General Information Arlington Aquatic Club 3700 South Four Mile Run Drive Arlington, VA 22206 703-228-1814 www.aacswims.org Estile@arlingtonva.us AAC Important Phone Numbers AAC Information Line 703-228-1814 Evan Stiles 703-228-1814 Wakefield High School Pool 703-578-3063 W-L High School Pool 703-228-6262 Yorktown High School Pool 703-536-9739 Sport Fair 703-524-9500 USA Swimming 719-866-4578 AAC Booster Board President Peggy Hinkle lphinkle@gmail.com Officials Ted Berner tberner@verizon.net Fundraising Kathy Didawick kathy.didawick@bcbsa.com Secretary Louise Collins collinsjrjohn@aol.com Treasurer Beth Emanuel emangb@earthlink.net www.aacswims.org

5. AAC General Information • Inclement weather: In the event the Arlington public Schools are cancelled due to snow or inclement weather, call the AAC information line 703-228-1814 (or 703-228-4715 Arlington County Sports Office Inclement Weather Line) • Communicating with the coaching staff: Small matters should be discussed with your child’s coach immediately after the practice session. Please take advantage of this time to have your concerns addressed. Any question or concern requiring a more lengthy consultation may be addressed through the head coach, Evan Stiles, at 703-228-1814, or the individual coach can be emailed. www.aacswims.org

6. AAC Team History • The Arlington Aquatic Club (AAC) was started in 1974 as a one night per week swim clinic. Through the years, AAC grew into a team that had practice groups ranging in ages from 4-18, all held at Wakefield High School. The program has developed into a fully competitive USA Swimming program. AAC has grown continually over the past 10 years and now offers practice groups for the pre-competition level and the competition level at Wakefield and Washington-Lee High Schools. AAC has produced Mini, local, Zone, and Junior National Champions as well as Senior National and Olympic Trial qualifiers . www.aacswims.org

7. AAC Mission • The mission of the Arlington Aquatic Club is to provide ALL swimmers a complete education in the techniques and nature of competitive swimming while in a setting that is conducive to learning. The program will provide an enjoyable atmosphere backed with current scientific research that will enable any swimmer to reach his or her individual goals, foster a desire for excellence, and a love for the sport of swimming www.aacswims.org

8. AAC Competition Team Philosophy • The AAC Competition Team philosophy is: • Teach and reinforce the techniques of competitive swimming • Build physical strength and endurance • Promote team spirit and unity through competition and social interaction • Develop a sense of commitment, responsibility, and time management skills necessary for achieving success • Teach and reinforce starts, turns, finishes appropriate for competition • All swimmers will learn how to set individual goals that are high yet obtainable, as well as learn the processes that it takes to reach these goals • Teach and reinforce race strategy • Apply what is worked on in practice, in competition • Promote the growth of the “total” swimmer- all strokes, all distances www.aacswims.org

9. AAC Pre-Competition Team Philosophy • The AAC Pre-Competition Team Philosophy is: • Develop proper stroke mechanics for competitive swimming • Provide individual attention to all swimmers, regardless of age or ability level • Promote the psychological development of each swimmer by providing goal-achievement programs, resulting in positive self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment • Prepare swimmers to enter into the Competition Team www.aacswims.org

10. AAC Top 10 Personal Goals for Swimming 1. Have fun! 2. Make friends 3. Learn to balance life including family, school and swimming 4. Eat healthy foods and stay hydrated 5. Achieve goal times 6. Earn a Gator patch 7. Improve time standards in all events 8. Represent AAC and yourself by displaying good sportsmanship 9. Have exceptional practice skills 10. Learn all four competitive strokes, focusing on perfect technique www.aacswims.org

11. AAC Meet Schedule OCTOBER, 2009 • 3 Swimposium PVS Georgetown Prep • 9-10 UMD Red & Black Invitational UMD UMD • 10-11 SDS Victor Charity meet South Run • 16-18 PVS October Open PM Mt. Vernon • 24-25 Speedo Eastern States Senior Circuit #1(by invitation) PEAK PGS&LC • 31-1 Fall Gator Mini Meet AAC Wakefield High School NOVEMBER, 2009 • 6-8 PVS November Open FISH Cub Run OCCS Lee District PM Takoma #1 FBST • 21-21 Speedo Eastern States Senior Circuit #2 • 20-22 Swim & Rock (By Invitation) SDS Oak Marr • 22 Pilgrim Pentathlon Mini Meet CUBU Claude Moore DECEMBER, 2009 • 3-6 Tom Dolan Invitational CUBU GMU • 5-6 Reindeer Mini Meet YORK Providence • 10-13 Sport Fair Winter Classic (by Invitation) PM GMU www.aacswims.org

12. AAC Meet Schedule (cont’d) JANUARY, 2010 • 3-6 Tom Dolan Invitational CUBU GMU • 5-6 Reindeer Mini Meet YORK Providence • 10-13 Sport Fair Winter Classic (by Invitation) PM GMU FEBRUARY, 2010 • 6-7 2009 FISH Qualifier FISH GMU • 13-14 Winter Gator Mini Meet AAC Wakefield H.S. • 13-14 PM 14 & U JO Qualifier PM Cub Run • 19-21 PVS 18 & Under Age Group Championships FBST Lee District • 27-28 2009 MACH/YORK Qualifier MACH/YORK Oak Marr MARCH, 2010 • 4-7 PVS Junior Championships RMSC MLK • 11-14 PVS Senior Championships CUBU GMU • 13-14 RMSC Mini Championships RMSC Olney • 18-21 PVS 14 & Under Junior Olympic Championships MACH Fairland • 25-28 Speedo Championship Series Eastern Zone Southern Sectional Meet RMSC Germantown APRIL, 2010 • 1-3 Eastern Zone SC ChampionshipsFairport SwimmingWebster, NY • 16-18 Cherry Blossom Meet YORK Oak Marr www.aacswims.org

13. Entering Potomac Valley Meets • Swimmers and Parents will be notified, vie e-mail, when meets are coming up. All meets will be posted on our website, under the “Meets” tab at the top, as well as being listed on the “General Calendar” found under the “Group Calendar,” tab. • When you click on the “Meets” tab at the top it will take you to a page that shows all available meets. You can click on the meet you wish to attend and it will list when the meet is, what pool it will be at, as well as eligibility requirements and the entry deadline. There will also be a link to the PVS website to view the meet announcement. • To enter into a meet, you must click on “Attend this Event.” Once you have done that, you will need to click on your swimmers name, then select either the “Yes, please sign (name) up for this event,” or “No, thanks, (name) will NOT attend this event.” 4. Once you have selected to attend the meet, it will list all the available events for each swimmer. All you have to do is click the box next to the events your child wants to swim and then hit “save changes.” All events must be approved by a coach, so after you submit your entries they will appear as “Pending Approval.” Once the coach has approved the events, it will display as “Approved.” www.aacswims.org

14. Rules and Procedures for Swim Meets 1. Each coach will have a master entry form for the meet. Each swimmer should check with the coach for information actually entered, location of meet, and warm-up times. Any amendments to this information will be posted as soon as the information is received. 2. Each swimmer should arrive at the facility fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled warm-up. Each swimmer should double check to make sure their name appears in the correct events. If there are any discrepancies, report these to the AAC coaching staff BEFORE warm-up. 3. All swimmers must report to the AAC team area immediately upon arrival. This is particularly important when relays are to be swum at the start of the meet. Any swimmer selected for a relay must participate in the relay. Always check with your coach to find out if you have been selected for a relay before you leave the meet. 4. Any swimmer who would like to leave the team area and talk to their parents or friends must inform a coach. NO PARENTS will be allowed on deck in the team area. This is a Potomac Valley Swimming policy. If you would like to come down on deck, you can volunteer to time during the meet! 5. AAC swimmers are expected to display good sportsmanship throughout the meet. 6. Before you leave the facility, make sure you have completed the following: -clean up your area -collect all of your belongings -inform your coach www.aacswims.org

15. Golden Gator Team Requirements The AAC Gator Team is designed to develop well-rounded swimmers. Every swimmer, whether a B/C or A+ swimmer, can earn a spot on the Gator Team 1. The swimmer must swim every event (legally) in his/her particular age group at least once 2. All events must be swum in the swimmer’s age group. A swimmer may not carry over events into a new age group. A swimmer must begin all his/her events again Patches will be awarded at the end of the year Awards Banquet for swimmers making the Gator Team in each age group www.aacswims.org

16. Golden Gator Events by Age Group www.aacswims.org

17. AAC Payment Plan The Arlington Aquatic Club has a monthly payment plan. • For competition groups, you will be billed monthly for 8 months, October through May. For Pre-competition groups, you will be billed monthly for two months of each session. Session 1 October and November, Session 2 January and February • You will be receiving a monthly e-mail invoice from Arlington County. To see your whole account, you will need to log into the County Website https://registration.arlingtonva.us • If you do not want to pay online, you may mail a check, made payable to: Treasurer, Arlington County, to: Evan Stiles 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive Arlington, VA 22206 www.aacswims.org

18. Paying Your Team Bill Online Go to https://registration.arlingtonva.us/. Enter your User Name and Password. Click “Sign In”. *If you have never used our online registration system before, you will be prompted to create a more meaningful Login Name and Password. You will also be required to provide answers to two security questions. Please enter the required information and click “Submit” to continue with the next step. Using the navigation menu on the left side of your screen, click on “My Account” and then click on “Pay Fees or Balances”. All bills – past, current, and future – that have not been paid in full will be shown. To pay a bill, click on the shopping cart icon to the left of the item. If you wish to pay multiple bills, click on “Add Another”. Once you have selected all the bills you wish to pay at this time, click on “Proceed to Checkout”. www.aacswims.org

19. 6. You will be presented with a Summary of Charges screen. To continue the payment process, select the credit card you wish to use and click “Continue”. Proceed as directed to enter the required billing information and process your payment. *We accept American Express, Master Card, Visa, and Discover 7. After the payment has been processed, you will get a confirmation screen that contains a link to open a copy of your receipt. Thank you for using our online payment system! www.aacswims.org

20. Parent Involvement • Volunteering: Help the team at meets you attend by volunteering to be a timer or an official at meets. And you can help support AAC when we host a meet by volunteering at the Concession Stand or Marshalling, as well as being a timer or official. • Fundraising: Our two biggest fundraisers of the year are the selling of concessions at the two Mini-Meets we host. There may be other opportunities throughout the year. www.aacswims.org

21. Swimmer Pick-up/Drop-off • Wakefield Parents: Due to space limitations and pedestrian safety, you will not be able to park or sit in your cars at the top of the hill in the parking circle. The circle is meant as a pick-up/drop off area only. Please wait for your swimmer to come out to the front, before driving up or have the swimmer walk to the car. • Washington Lee Parents: There is no parking or standing in the driveway that leads up to the pool. You must park your car in front of the Planetarium and drive up only when your swimmer are outside and ready to be picked up or have the swimmer walk to the car. www.aacswims.org

22. Equipment • Team equipment and sportswear for AAC is supplied by Sport Fair in Arlington • Sport Fair, Inc. 5010 Lee HighwayArlington, VA, 22207phone: 703-524-9500fax: 703-524-9501 • Every registered swimmer will receive a AAC t-shirt and swim cap. • In addition, your child needs a team suit, practice suit, goggles, and a water bottle for each practice • Speak with your child’s coach regarding the need to purchase fins www.aacswims.org

23. 2009 PVS Swimposium • Who: PVS Officials, Coaches, Parents, and Swimmers • What: PVS will be hosting a Swimposium this year. It will feature some of the finest speakers and presenters in USA swimming, who will educate and entertain us throughout the day • When: Saturday, October 3, 2009 • Where: Georgetown Prep • How: Mail completed registration form and check for $35 made out to Potomac Valley Swimming to: Potomac Valley Swimming- Swimposium c/o Paris Jacobs 2314 Toddsbury Place Reston, Virginia 20171 www.aacswims.org

24. Website www.aacswims.org • Check the website for information about: • AAC News • Practice Schedules and Cancellations • Meet Schedule • Group Calendars • Swimmers times • Coach Bios • Masters Swimming Information www.aacswims.org

25. Questions? www.aacswims.org