ATTENDANCE:   Attendance at ALL practices is mandatory. Any exceptions to this policy needs to be cleared by each athlete's individual coach. Any conflicts such as doctor's appointments, family vacations, etc. should be scheduled around all practices and meets. Also, in order to be eligible to compete on the day of a meet, the athlete must be in attendance at school that day. Messages should be left at the high school by noon of the day that an athlete is absent. The message should be left for your athlete's coach. If an athlete has an unauthorized absence they will not be allowed to compete in the next competition. Repeated unauthorized absences will lead to the athlete being dropped from the team.

ACADEMICS:  The coaches believe that activities are an integral part of a high school education but that academics are the main reason why we are all here. It is our hope that our athletes will be able to be successful both academically and athletically. In order for this to be accomplished certain sacrifices will need to be made ( but study time and practice time will not be sacrificed ). Our policy is simple. We expect our athletes to be passing ALL their classes. If an athlete is not successful in class, then more than likely they will not be successful in the pool. So here is what we expect. Each week there is an eligibility list that we get from the Athletic Director's office. An athlete's name appears on the list if they are failing, near failing, or incomplete in class. If an athlete's name appears on the list they will need to find out why and rectify the situation. If the athlete gets a note from their teacher indicating that they have taken care of the problem then they will be allowed to compete. If both school and their sport are important then this situation should never occur, but our athletes need to realize that you cannot have one without the other. If parents or the athlete feel they need additional help they should contact their coach and we will schedule tutoring for them.

TRAINING: To be successful at anything it will take a lot of commitment and dedication. To be more successful on this team you must decide if you are willing to be more dedicated and committed than the majority of your peers. are you willing to be a leader and not a follower? Are you willing to do the right thing? This will not be an easy role to fill but it will be an admirable one. You have some tough choices to make and many of your choices may not be popular among your friends - but we expect you to make them because you are a member of this team and we dare you to do the right thing. Our expectations are simples:

• As a member of this team we expect you to "train hard" in the pool, in the classroom, and among your peers.
• Involvement in drugs and/or alcohol or associating with those who use them is unacceptable behavior and will not be tolerated. Be strong enough to set an example and walk away.
• We will have daily curfews that we expect you to abide by. You will be expected to be home by the following times: weekdays-- 9:00 p.m.: weekends -- 11:00 p.m. If we have a competition on Saturday than Friday is looked upon as a week night. If for some reason an athlete needs to be out past curfew then they should clear this with their coach before hand. If your parents set an earlier curfew we will strongly support this.
• 15 MINUTE RULE ... You will be expected to arrive at each practice or meet, other than after school on school days, at least 15 minutes before the scheduled event. That means you need to be in the building 15 minutes before we start practice on weekends and holidays and 15 minutes before predetermined meet warm up times or bus departure times. NO EXCEPTIONS!
• If you break team policies then the minimum it will cost you will be the missing of a meet. The breaking of District 211 policies carry heavier penalties

NUTRITION:   We train too long and too hard to all of a sudden negatively affect our performance because we are not careful with what we do outside of the pool. In order to get the most out of our training, we expect you to eat properly, get plenty of sleep, and take care of yourself (especially if you start to get sick). Here are some basic guidelines that should help:

• Stay away from junk foods and food with a high fat content.
• Drink fruit juices and water instead of pop.
• Don't be obsessed with the numerical value of your weight but more about its composition. Muscle is heavier than fat.
• Take daily vitamins if it is OK with your parents.
• Never leave the pool with wet hair or bare feet. WEAR A HAT AND A COAT WHEN IT IS COLD!!!
• Bring a water bottle to practice every day, but don't share glasses, water bottles, etc. with others.
• If you need help with your weight or diet please contact one of your coaches and we will assist you in developing a plan.
• Stretch and take care of any injuries you might have. This is a short season and we can't afford to lose practice time.