P.O Box 280 Stittsville, ON K2S 1A4

The SPLASH

Volume 6; Edition 1 October 8, 2006

Quote for the Month

"The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break." Rick Hansen

Upcoming Events

Date	Event	Groups Attending
14-15 October, 2006	Hall of Fame Etobicoke	All Competitive
11-12 November, 2006	Go fall Classic Ottawa U	Platinum Gold 1 and Silver
18-19 November, 2006	GAC 6th Anniversary	All Plus Entry Level

Coaches Report

We are already 3 weeks into the new swimming season of 2006-2007. The swimmers came back from the summer vacation stronger, taller, fresh and ready for new challenges.

We have our first swim meet coming up with 19 swimmers traveling to Toronto. This is a great opportunity for these swimmers as an early season meet of this caliber is a great way to start the season. Our next meet after Toronto is at Ottawa U in November. The Ottawa U meet is very important for the three groups attending as it is the lead up for the Platinum and Gold groups away meet in Montreal.

All groups are well into the first phase of our training program that will refine strokes and improve general endurance.

This season introduced a new structure for our swim groups:

- Developmental Groups – we are affiliate to the Sears I Can Swim program

- Bronze now has 2 groups: Competitive and Recreational

- Silver is just a competitive group

- Gold also now has 2 groups: Competitive and Recreational

- Platinum remains as only a competitive group

This new structure allows for having a more homogeneous mi of swimmers in each group. Each group will consist of swimmers with closer skills levels, goals and interests to each other.

The Silver group is now a competitive group. It has mostly 10 – 12 years old swimmers who moved up from the last year’s Bronze group. Three of the kids already have regional times and some others are close to the qualifying times. They should be able to do those times by February – just in time for the Short Course Eastern Ontario Swimming Championship.

Our club adopted the Sears I Can Swim philosophy for the Developmental Group. We implemented 4 groups, corresponding to the following 4 levels:

Minnows 1 time per week = I Can Freestyle

Minnows 2 times per week = I Can Backstroke

Superfish 1 time per week = I Can Breaststroke

Superfish 2 times per week = I Can Butterfly

Each level has a focus on a particular stroke and goes progressively from freestyle to butterfly. This doesn’t mean that the other strokes are not taught and/or practiced, but the emphasis at a particular level is on only one of the strokes. This way the swimmer is able to master a stroke before he/she moves to the next level. Once all strokes are mastered, the swimmer is eligible to move into the Bronze group.

The Developmental Group’s young coaches are now Sears I Can Swim certified coaches. They can deliver a better quality of teaching to our youngest swimmers in the club. We also have volunteer coaches who are learning and helping the Developmental coaches provide better quality lessons.

Tip of the Month - Drink Water

This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week is an excerpt from the January-February 2006 issue of Splash, in which special correspondent and Olympic gold medallist, Nicole Haislett, offers some nutritional guidelines for swimming fast. Here, Haislett writes about the importance of drinking water.

Haislett’s Tip:
Water, water, water! Everyone should drink lots of it, especially athletes. I think swimmers forget they sweat in the water. According to medical research, 75% of all people are chronically dehydrated, and even mild dehydration will slow a person’s metabolism as much as 3%. Lack of water is the biggest cause of daytime fatigue. I always carried a water bottle with me. It becomes habit. Remember, coffee and sodas don’t count. If you’re trying to cut back on calories, drink a large glass of water before and during your meals.

Nicole Haislett was a 1992 Olympic gold medalist and former American record-holder in the 200m free. She is now a professional chef.

Head Coach Rob and Assistant Coach Liliana

Message from the President

I would like to start by welcoming you to the Goulbourn Aquatic Club (GAC). This swim season, 2006-2007, will be a great year. As you may know, the club has been going through changes for the past few months, and I am delighted to say that these changes are all positive and for the good of the swimmers, the parents and the community.

The club’s bylaws have been rewritten. These changes allow the club to be democratic and open. By so doing, annual democratic elections will be held to allow club members to elect the Board of Directors. Additionally, these changes introduced a transparent reporting structure in order to ensure that the club’s members are informed about the financial standing of the club.

On October the 2^nd we had our first ever Annual General Meeting (AGM). During this meeting we reported on the last swim season 2005-2006 and provided a view on the current swim season 2006-2007. Looking back at the 2005-2006 season, the club was going through many changes - the most important was the change from the pervious board to a transitional board. The transitional board did a great job in moving the club forward to a democratic and transparent process. During this time the club lost a few good swimmers and some coaches, and unfortunately we ended the year with a financial loss of approximately $12,000. Fortunately, the club’s reserve fund could cover this loss. The current balance of the reserve fund is $24,377.00, far below of the more typical half a year of operating expenses that other swim clubs hold.

The current 2006-2007-swim season looks a lot better. Our early registration was very positive and our September registration went very well. Current registration in the various programs is outlined in the table below:

Program	Swimmers Enrolled	Open	Waiting list
Minnows 1	5	0
Minnows 2	3	2
Minnows 3	5	0
Minnows 4	5	0
Minnows 5	5	0
Minnows 6	5	1
Total Minnows	28	3
Superfish 1	15	1
Superfish 2	8	0
Superfish 3	0	24
Superfish 4	11	5
Total Superfish	34	30
Bronze Rec	8	0	4
Gold Rec	10	6
Bronze Comp	17	7
Silver	15	6
Gold Comp	16	2
Platinum	9	6
Total Summers	137	60	4

The SuperFish 3 is not popular because of the time, Sunday 8:00-9:00am. As a result, we will be reviewing this program for next season with an eye towards changes that will increase enrolment in this program. We are very optimistic that we will fill the open slots in the Minnow programs, the SuperFish programs and the recreational programs through new members and through promotions of current swimmers to the next swim level.

The competitive programs are usually harder to fill but I am delighted to say we are now in a position that we are able to attract competitive swimmers from other clubs in the region. We have 3 new Platinum swimmers, this program is usually the hardest to fill. We also look forward to swimmer promotion within our own program as we groom swimmers to graduate to competitive programs.

Our budget for this year, based on current membership numbers, shows revenues of $146,800 and expenditures of $140,450. As you can see, this swim season we will be in a position to have a small cash surplus as long as the membership continues to be strong and our spending predictable. As I mentioned earlier, our reserve fund is $24,377. I would like us to increase that over time to 30%-50% of a year’s expenditures. This amount would allow the club to withstand unforeseen events, maintain its strength and continue to serve our community for years to come.

I am delighted to report that we have a full coaching staff under the leadership of Rob Beattie. Rob is well respected and liked in the swimming community, is a strong coach and is well qualified to lead our entire swim program - from the developmental members through to our most competitive swimmers.

We also have a strong and dedicated board of directors:

Joseph Elchakieh, President

Greg MacPherson, Vice President and Director of Public Relations

Mar Raphael, Treasurer

Carole Houde, Secretary and manager of GAC swim meet

Ian Lightbody, Director and Officials Director

As you know, the club can’t survive without your help. We need the parents to be involved in the club in various areas as volunteers to make sure we can get the job done and to ensure that our kids have a strong club that they can be proud of.

Two areas are critical to our survival:

1. GAC Meet officials

2. Volunteers at the GAC meet.

GAC officials help in officiating meets holding positions such as timers, starters, and stroke and turn judges. This season, Swim Canada has mandated that all swim clubs must have their own officials or that club will not be able to hold a meet in future years. As the GAC meet is a major source of funding for the club, we all need to find a way to make this a reality. Ian Lightbody will be sending out information regarding free clinics you can sign up for to become a GAC meet official.

Volunteers are needed to help our GAC swim meet successful. There are positions available to help out in the concession stand, hospitality, data entry, the Gong prizes and others.

For volunteers who wish to become officials please contact Ian Lightbody at casa_lightbody@mac.com, and for volunteers to help with other areas of the meet please contact Carol Houde at andrehoude@rogers.com .

I would like to thank some volunteers that worked a lot of hours to make us successful. Susan Coakeley the club registrar, Johanne Paquet for taking care of inventory and coordinating the upcoming out of town meet, Rejean Paquet for maintaining our web site, and Yvonne Holland for volunteering to issue our newsletter, The Splash. I also wish to thank Debra Farrar, our office administrator, for all of her good work.

I look forward to a great year where we can provide our kids with a fun and healthy environment to enjoy the sport that they like - swimming, and I hope to meet you in the near future.

Joseph Elchakieh

President.

GAC Swim Meet – Sat Nov 18 and Sun Nov 19, 2006

The GAC swim meet is our ONE and ONLY fundraiser for the year. This is a huge event for the Club and enables us to raise significant funds.

In order for GAC to have a successful swim meet we would appreciate all GAC families lending a hand.

**Attention High School students***

You can earn community hours for helping at the meet

An e-mail will be sent to each family with details on volunteering for the meet. You can sign up by simply replying to the e-mail or by filling in the volunteer grid located on the GAC bulletin board outside of the pool-viewing window.

Team Equipment

In stock team equipment can be purchased by contacting Johanne Fauvelle at the pool by chance or via e-mail at rejeanp@sympatico.ca

Parents may have noticed that the GAC caps and Team Suits are fading quickly; this is due to high chlorine levels as well as daily use. The caps are latex and will eventually break down, therefore it is suggested that swimmers keep their Team Caps and Suits solely for swim meet use and purchase training suits and caps for daily use. It is also a good idea to have an extra GAC cap on hand at meets in case of rips and tears.

Role of the Parent within the Swim Club

This is an article that our past president, Kathy White. She compiled it from information found on several swim club web sites, including USA Swimming. As our club approaches our annual swim meet this is particularly relevant as you look for ways you can help our club succeed.

Role of a Parent within the Club

The parent of a swimmer can wear many different hats .. official, administrator, meet manager, fund raiser and more. But in the end remember why you are working with the club, your son or daughter enjoys the sport of swimming and you are there for support.

So consider,
• How you can help support the team?
That’s a great question. Check with the coach to find out if there is a parent’s committee that supports the team. Many clubs have programs in place to maximize parent involvement and resources. For example, the club may have a fundraising committee, or even a social committee. Find out from your board or coach how the team can best utilize your skills.

• It looks like it takes an awful lot of people to run a meet. What can I do to help?
If you have already attended a meet, you have probably been approached to be a timer. This is a great way to begin to help run meets. In fact, this is how many officials get started. Officials are a necessary part of every type of competition. Here is a list of the officiating positions:
• Stroke and turn judges
• Clerk of course
• Computer operator
• Starter
• Referee
If any of the jobs interest you, check with your official’s chair.
If you club hosts meets, you may be able to help in the following areas:
• Soliciting sponsorship
• Meet Director
• Hospitality and snack bar
• Meet Entries
• Meet results/awards
• Set up and clean up

And much more. Check to see if your team has a meet committee and find out how to get involved.

• What does it take to be an official?
The first step to becoming an official is to be certified as a Level 1 official. There are clinics held around the province at regular intervals (usually Spring and Fall) and some clubs will hold internal clinics to compliment the schedule. Training is established province wide and meets the prescribed national. Following the Level 1 course there is any number of clinics offered in all the roles of officiating. Officials are trained to be consistent in their knowledge of the rules and protocol involved in each position. If you are really interested in becoming an official, speak with one of the officials during a break at your next meet. Or, feel free to contact you official’s chair for more information.
• Our coach misses practice to go to a Swim Ontario Regional meeting. What is that? What is involved?
You would be surprised at how many people don’t know what their swimming region is within the province much less what it does.
Let’s begin by telling a little about how Swim Canada is organized. Swim Canada is the national governing body for the sport of swimming. In this capacity, Swim Canada formulates rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships and offers a variety of services and program to enhance the swimming experience of all members. Swim Canada is made up of 10 provincial bodies – Swim Ontario being one of them.
Swim Ontario has responsibility for defining age groups, provincial time standards, sanctioning meets and much more. Within Swim Ontario are 6 regions (Central, Eastern, Huronia, Northwest, Northeast and Western).
The reason your coach and hopefully another representative of your team attend these important meetings is to keep informed as well as participate in all the activities of the region. The region is responsible for defining training clinics (officials and swimmers), regional championships and more.
• Our coach is going to an OSCA and CSCTA meeting. What’s that all about?
First of all, congratulations to your club for understanding the importance of these two meetings by making sure your coach is in attendance as well as financing his travel. The OSCA meeting is actually a meeting of all the Ontario coaches. There is both an educational as well as a business aspect to the meeting. The CSCTA meeting is where various committees meet with provincial coaches to discuss national strategy and other business issues surrounding the sport. Both OSCA and CSCTA are responsible for electing their officers, voting on an annual budget and responding to any rule changes or legislation for the next year. By attending these events, your coach will be bringing back invaluable first hand information and knowledge that will benefit your team.
• I have just been asked to submit myself as a candidate for the board. What kind of commitment will this mean?
Becoming a member of the club’s board of directors is an important decision, a decision that requires a great amount of consideration. Find out from current board members what their experience has been, like what kind of time commitment and responsibility are involved. Most clubs should have already defined roles and responsibilities outlined in it’s by-laws or team policies. Ask your coach or team president for a copy of these documents.