Hilton Area Swim Team (HAST)

All coffee orders are due Monday. Please put them in file marked Coffee Sales at the beginning of evening practice. Payment is due with order (preferably check made payable to HAST).

Entries for the 14 and under gold meet are due November 28th. Please send entries to dlajuett@hiltonswimteam.org.

Entries for the Webster Pentathalon are due December 2nd. Please send these entries to dlajuett@hiltonswimteam.org.

The coffee sale fundraiser is due Monday November 24th. Please place order and monies in the folder marked coffee sale.

Practice will end at 7:00 on Friday for all swimmers. Please arrive promptly to pick up your swimmers due to the fact that Merton Williams is having a function at the pool.

If you have not sign up to work at least one session for our meet this weekend please do so ASAP. We are requiring every family sign up for at least one session even if your child is not swimming. We can not run these meets without volunteers. If your family does not sign up for at least one session there will be a fine charged to your bill. This new policy was discussed at our parent meeting which very few parents attended. Any questions please see a board member.

This Saturday and Sunday HAST is hosting a "Slower than Gold" invitational in Hilton. All families are expected to sign up for at least 1 volunteer slot. You may commit to a morning or an afternoon on Saturday or Sunday. First come first serve. Be sure to sign up soon so a job and time fits into your weekend plans!! The sign up sheet can be found in the glass case in hallway by the pool. Many families have not signed up to work yet. We need everyone to pitch in. High school swimmers who are not swimming in the meet are expected to help.

The board (especially Coach Snow and Mr. Wilson) have been working hard to get the new website up and running. If you haven't checked it out yet - take a look. www.teamunify.com/nshast

Please plan accordingly so that final HAST dues payments and USA swimming registration renewals are received by December 1, 2008. That date is approaching quickly!

The Spencerport Gold/Silver/Bronze meet is November 22nd. Please email entries to me no later than Wednesday November 12th. No late entries will be accepted. Email entries to dlajuett@hiltonswimteam.org.

* Coffee Fundraiser Information was handed out. Fundraiser begins today. Each 2.5 oz bag costs $1.00 - of which HAST profits $.35 which will be applied to each family's fundraising obligation. 23 different varieties are being offered. All orders are due with payment (preferably check made payable to HAST) by November 24th. No late orders will be accepted. Order forms were put in family folders at pool. Thank you to Kathy Crassi for handling this for the team!!!

* Entries for"Slower than Gold Meet" in Hilton next weekend are due to dlajuett@hiltonswimteam.org by Friday 11/7/08. All families are expected to sign up for a volunteer position during that meet. A sign up sheet can be found in glass case by pool.

* Coach Snow is handling entries for the Dual meet this Saturday in Hilton at 1:00. He will be talking to swimmers about their events at practice on Thursday. If you do not plan to swim this Saturday (anyone 12 years and under) - YOU MUST TELL COACH SNOW!

* We are in the process of switching over to a new website. If you have received emails from this new site, you may go into it and explore but know not all aspects of it are up and running yet. You cannot enter events for meets through this new site yet. ALL meet entries must be emailed to dlajuett@hiltonswimteam.org for the time being.

* If you have not received any notices from the new website, it probably means we do not have any email address for you or it is an invalid email we have. Please see a board member to verify your email address.

* STAR Meet entries are due by Thursday, 11/6/08.

* New Parents - please be aware that some of the newer (younger) swimmers are not ready to be in the water for 2 hours of practice. Coaches will monitor swimmers on an individual basis and may tell them to get out of water early. Please be prepared to pick them up early. Be at the pool by 7:00 and/or have a meeting spot (dismissal procedure) in place for your child.

There will be a swimming officials clinic for all levels (stroke & turn, starter, referee; new and recertifying) at Webster Aquatic Center (WAC) on November 20 @ 7:00. The Webster Aquatic Center is located at 875 Ridge Road, Webster (WAC is adjacent to Webster Schroeder HS). Directions & signs will be posted from there. Please check your certification expiration date, you must recertify every 2 years. Please encourage people from your swim club to become a new official - we need them!! If you have any questions or plan on attending, please contact me at 719-2500 (w) / 671-2078 (h) / E-Mail to jerieth@rochester.rr.com or jrieth@rohmhaas.com so that I have enough handouts for everyone. (Of course, if someone discovers at the last minute that he or she is able to attend, feel free to come--but it sure helps to have a ballpark number!). Thank you. The following tests must be completed for each level:
Stroke & Turn
New Official - stroke & turn and timer tests.
Recertifying – stroke & turn and timer tests.
Starter
New Starter – starter, stroke & turn, timer, clerk of course and timing judge tests
Recertifying – starter recertifying test.
Referee
New Referee – admin, referee, starter, stroke & turn & timer tests.
Recertifying – admin & referee recertifying test.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For New Swim Officials Certifying as a Stroke & Turn Judge takes a little time, but it's a lot of fun, adds to your understanding of the sport, and sure beats sitting in the bleachers at a long meet. It would be terrific if you do the "book learning" and take the certification tests before the clinic. Otherwise, go to the clinic and finish the tests as soon as possible. Here's how to get started: 1) Learn the rules. 2) Take the certification tests. 3) Attend a clinic. 4) Get a USA Swimming insurance card. 5) Apprentice with other officials. Rules
Everyone starts as a Stroke and Turn Judge. To do your job properly, you need to learn the technical rules for the four strokes--freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. It's not so bad really, just four pages in the rule book. Go to the USA swimming website: www.usaswimming.org. Click on the "Volunteers" tab at the top of the page, then click on "Officials" at the menu on the left. Then, "Rules and Regulations." Then, "2007 Swimming Mini-Rulebook." Plus, you will need to at least skim the other rules on how meets are conducted.
Tests
You take two on-line, open book tests, also at www.usaswimming.org, for: Timer and Stroke and Turn Judge. This way you'll know what the other people on deck are doing and be cross-trained for those jobs. Your results will go to the Niagara District automatically. You'll get an e-mail with your scores. Please forward your passing scores to me at rieth@frontiernet.net or jrieth@rohmhaas.com.
The tests are fairly easy. Just register and follow the instructions. Open a copy of the rules in one window and the test in another. The questions are multiple choice and you must cite the section number(s) of the rule(s) that apply. If you get stuck, go back to the rules. If you need to take a break, the program saves your answers and you can return at your convenience. You can keep taking the tests until you pass. Not everyone passes every test the first time.
Clinic
This is where you begin making the transition between understanding the rules on paper and understanding the rules as they apply to bodies torpedoing through the water. The clinic will be a good review. You get to see all four strokes in a video. The video also covers the basics of officiating--where to position yourself for good calls, how to ensure a fair swim for the athletes in your lanes, etc. After you pass your certification tests and attend the class, you'll be issued a blue card so that you can apprentice before you begin officiating on your own.
Insurance Card
This "deck card" is a combination ID and proof of insurance. USA Swimming provides liability coverage for coaches and officials. Obtain a USA Swimming non-athlete application from your club registrar, complete and return. The club will pay your application fee. You need a deck card to apprentice.
Apprentice
You need to "shadow" for four sessions--watch other officials at work and get some on-deck pointers from them--before you can officiate on your own. A session could be a dual meet, or a morning, afternoon, or finals session at an invitational. Most invitationals are two or more sessions. I don't recommend shadowing for more than two sessions a day. Just report to the referee at any USA Swimming meet. You don't even need to have a swimmer at the meet. Let the referee know you'd like to shadow and follow his or her instructions. They usually have you rotate among the positions on the deck. Observe; ask questions. You're there to learn. After the session, have the referee sign your card. Once you have proof of at least four shadow sessions, you need to send me a blue card and I'll send you your permanent (white) certification card. You need to recertify every 2 years.
You will need a uniform to shadow. You've seen the officials on deck. The uniform is a white polo shirt, navy blue shorts or slacks, and white sneakers.

There will be a parent meeting on Wednesday, 11/5/08. New parents should meet at 5:45 in classroom next to pool. All other parents should arrive at 6:15.

Agenda items include -

"Slower than Gold" Meet 11/15-11/16
New Website
Coffee Sale Fundraiser
Necessary Paperwork