Approved at January 3, 1998 Meeting

The Fall Meeting of the PVS Competition Committee was called to order by Ward Foley, Age Group Chairman.

Present were:

Rules for meeting were reviewed. Minutes of May 4, 1997 Competition Committee were approved.

Bios for Outstanding Athlete nominees were distributed for review.

Kit Mathews, Coaches Rep, reported on Convention.

Ward reported the Athlete Representatives are working on organizing an athletes committee with one representative (16 years old) from each club to meet in beginning of 1998.

OPERATIONS DIVISION

Thirl Crudup reported on Operations Division committees: Officials, John Hirschmann, Meet Management, Jack Mechler, and Equipment, Don Smith. Handouts for clinics are on the table. Any concerns about the volunteer officials please get in touch with John. He will address new start procedures at a later date. Jack Mechler and the Meet Management committee will be reviewing meet pass down information and writing meet announcements. Don Smith is looking at a distribution site in VA. Jeannette Lewis has tendered her resignation with PVS, effective October 31, 1997. Beginning November 1, Becca Peck will provide meet setup for clubs that need this service.

Ward reported that Greg Long was elected Athletes Rep and Kit Mathews was elected Coaches Rep at the May House of Delegates meeting.

Steve announced that time standards for national meets are available on the table in back of room. PVS remains in the Southeast for 1998. Site Selection report is also on table. Senior Swimming Committee is working on a format for Club Championship Meet.

SENIOR CHAMPS

Ad hoc Committee on Senior Champs format: Paul Bergen, Dave Tonnesen, Manga Dalizu, Peter Karl Paul presented the committee report. Five options were offered for consideration.

By consensus, Competition Committee agreed to begin meet on Thursday, and separate 500 Free and 400 IM. Ward will check on availability of Oak Marr for Thursday.

MOTION PASSED to keep 200 relays and swim at end of session; these relays will not be scored

MOTION PASSED to limit relays to two per club per relay event. Note: Relays in championship meets have QT’s. That standard must be achieved to enter a relay. The rule requiring three swimmers in the meet no longer exists.

MOTION PASSED to begin Sunday finals one hour earlier.

After discussion, MOTION PASSED to approve Option C (attachment) --not available

Criteria for QT’s: 5-6 heats of 400/500’s, 6 heats of 200’s, and 8 heats of 100’s; no more than 3 hour sessions all inclusive except on the day of the mile. With committee approval, Steve will go back over the last two years and set the standards, with review by Coach Reps if there are any huge discrepancies. MOTION TO APPROVE PASSED.

MOTION TO RECONSIDER PASSED to reconsider 200 Medley Relay order in schedule of events.

MOTION PASSED to swim 200 Medley Relays before distance events.

LSC’s can choose to reverse order of swim of Bonus, Consolation, and Final heats in order to move alternates into empty lane(s). MOTION PASSED to reverse the order for PVS Junior and Senior Championships and swim Final, Consolation, Bonus.

REGISTRATION

Mary Ann Henderson reported Coaches Certification. Handout was provided. Team and coach is responsible for keeping certification current. The age of coaches on the deck was discussed. Athletes trying out have 30 consecutive days to register, and process is considered complete if forms and fees have been turned in to club registrar. Clubs are expected to submit in a timely manner. For dry lands the same line of sight applies.

Ward reported that Kerry Ellett was elected to a second term as the Eastern Zone coach representative to USS Age Group Planning, and was also elected chairman.

Ward has the medals for distribution to clubs running meets with medal awards.

1997 Outstanding Athlete elections: one vote per club

LONG COURSE ZONE TEAM

Long Course Zone Team Report (attachment): Linda Crudup submitted the Team Managers’ Report. PVS placed 5th overall. 17 T-16 reportable times were achieved. Thanks extended to officials, timers, parents and coaching staff.

The Spring SC Zone Meet will be April 2-4, 1998, at GCIT, and awarded to New Jersey LSC. The Summer LC Zone Meet will be August 5-8, 1998, at UMBC (13 & Over prelims and all Finals) and Meadowbrook (11-12 prelims and 10 & Under timed finals), and awarded to Maryland LSC. Both pools are outdoors. Open water will be on August 9.

Warm-down was a problem at the 1997 SC meet since schedule of availability was sporadic. Continuous warm-up has been requested for 1998 SC.

Question was asked whether Zone competition was meeting the needs of 14 & Under PVS athletes. Paul Bergen will chair a committee to investigate. Marilyn Mangels, Kim Guthrie, and Ward Foley will serve on committee.

Ward proposed the Long Course schedule have the same meets and formats as 1997. It may be necessary to run age group meets over three Sundays or use two sites in order to satisfy the 4 hour rule

Steve explained that the PVS schedule will be presented at the January Competition Committee meeting. Additional meets for the LC schedule will be considered at that time. Clubs are encouraged to come to the meeting prepared to present those meets proposals and with completed meet announcements. MOTION TO APPROVE PASSED.

The PVS Board of Directors ad hoc committee report will be presented at the October Board meeting. Kit, Steve, Ward, Thirl, Dick Dave Scibetta, and Amanda Sovik, served on this committee. Steve presented a summary of the committee’s recommendations. He will take any Competition Committee concerns and recommendations for this report to the Board.

The ad hoc committee attempted to establish the purpose of the Zone Team for the Short Course meet in particular, with some carry over to the Long Course meet, and to set up ways to address problems and areas of concern.

The purpose of the Short Course Zone Team is to prepare swimmers mentally and physically for national level competition.

• recommend 6 coaches (head coach and 2 assistants for 13&Over, and a head age group coach and 2 assistants for the 12&Under);
• eliminate 2 automatic positions
• continue the application process
• provide additional stipends of $200 for assistants, $400 and Continuing Education Grant for head age group coach, and $500 and Continuing Education Grant for head coach
• earlier selection of staff

• method still decided by Competition Committee
• 13 & Over – fastest athlete in each event makes team; 2nd slot, athlete’s qualifying time equals or betters 12th place of previous year’s Zone Meet
• 13 & Over – only eligible to go to Zone Meet a total of three times (for SC only)
• select earlier to allow for team meetings and practices: 1 each 12&U, 13&O, and combined

• Code of Conduct will be reviewed and refined for BoD approval no later than January.

• Change QT to 8th place
• Qualify that fastest is eligible and has applied for the Zone Team
• Coach compensation: good to compensate but that does not necessarily solve the problem. Need to establish responsibilities and reporting procedures and educate Head Coach
• Don’t make "three times" retroactive

• Use 8th place as time standard for second swimmer
• Beginning 1999 SC Zone, 13 & Over athletes may be on the PVS Zone Team maximum three times

Dave Tonnesen, Bob Walker, and Duane Davis will meet to discuss how to handle the education of the Zone staff.

Other Zone Team issues: Overall performance; size of team; particularly 15&O; 13 & Over performance; behavior issues

Fastest two swimmers in each event in each age group and sex from September 1, 1997 through March 1, 1998, from USS sanctioned meets; not to include time trials and relay lead-off times, from applications due January 15, 1998. MOTION FAILED.

Fastest two swimmers in each event in each age group and sex from September 1, 1997 through March 1, 1998, from USS sanctioned meets; not to include time trials, from applications due January 15, 1998. MOTION PASSED.13 & OVER ZONE TEAM SELECTION

THE ORIGINAL MOTION: Fastest two swimmers in each age group and sex selected on times submitted from September 1, 1997 through March 15, 1998, from USS sanctioned meets; not to include time trials, from applications due January 15, 1998. Times must meet or exceed the previous year’s SC Zone Meet 8th place time from prelims.

AMENDMENT OFFERED and accepted as friendly amendment that one swimmer in each age group and sex be selected at December JO’s based on fastest time, and the second swimmer be selected as stated in the original motion.

Following discussion, it was clarified that there is not a qualifying standard on the swimmer selected at JO’s

MOTION TO AMEND to require both swimmers, one from JO and one from best time through Senior Champs, to meet the 8th place time qualification. MOTION TO AMEND FAILS.

VOTE ON ORIGINAL MOTION WITH FRIENDLY AMENDMENT to select one swimmer in each age group and sex on fastest time at JO’s. MOTION FAILS

After further discussion, MOTION PASSED TO APPROVE THE ORIGINAL MOTION for 13 & Over Zone Team Selection.

MOTION PASSED that Zone Coach applications be due to the PVS Office on December 15, 1997, and elections to be held at the January 4, 1998 Competition Committee meeting.

MOTION PASSED to award tie in 17-18 girls.

MOTION PASSED to destroy ballots.

For PVS SC meet schedule, there is no change to the financial arrangements or Hosted and Sponsored meets.

$50.00 Sanction fee for dual or tri meet. For meets added to the PVS schedule, specifically the LC January meet, the Herndon meets, and the three club meets in December, the fee for operating is $0.50 per splash returned to PVS. In addition, there is an existing policy for use of PVS equipment for a fee of $300.00.

Effective January 1, 1998, any team that enters more than 10 swimmers and does not use Hy-Tek, will incur a surcharge of $1.00 per swimmer. This does not include Distance Meets.

Ward reported problems securing pools. As a result, the January 17-18 Distance Meet has been changed to January 3-4 at Rockville. OCCS will get back to Ward about running this meet.

The February 7-8 Open Meet has no pools. Ward suggests recommending to the Board that sanctions be approved for any meet format for the weekends of January 31-February 1, and February 7-8, that are requested by the November 18 BoD meeting; and that the February Open meets not be held. MOTION PASSED to take this recommendation to the Board.

Ward proposed that Age Group Champs format be 10 & Under and 11-12 events with QT’s to keep prelims sessions at 3 hours, and running the same event order as last year. After discussion, motion withdrawn.

MOTION PASSED to run single age group format and adjust the time standards for the 9 and 11 year old events.

There was a request to add the FINA events of 50y Breaststroke, Backstroke, and Butterfly to Senior level meets. Athletes who made the 50 Free cut at Senior Champs entered that event in Junior Champs seeded with times for other strokes and swam other strokes. The request is to allow athletes who have the QT for Senior Champs to swim other strokes in the 50 Free event at Junior Champs. Question was asked if sanction would be approved for 50 yard events for 13 & Over athletes. Ward said that events not recognized by USS would be treated as approved or observed swims.

After discussion the following was put forward as a motion:

Clarification of Warm-Up Policy for Championship meets: The first 30 minutes will be for general swim. After that, Lane 2 will be open for one way sprint and Lane 8 will be open for pace. At 45 minutes, Lane 7 will be open for one way sprint and Lane 1 for pace. All other lanes will be genera

Concern was expressed regarding time standards for LC Junior Champs. Paul Bergen will bring a written proposal to the Winter Competition Committee meeting.

Peter Karl informed the meeting that Jane Stafford had passed away. She coached in PVS for many years and was very active supporting minority swimmers. A scholarship has been set up in her name with USS to provide support for minority swimmers in programs conducted by USS. Contributions may be sent to USS Headquarters.

Kim Guthrie announced that the new USS PEAK Kit for Parent Education has been added to the PVS Coaches Resource Library. Kim houses and maintains the library at her office. Coaches may contact her to borrow any materials.

Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

/s/

Evelyn Taylor
Administrative Assistant