Practices
What we expect from swimmers and families at every practice.
Be ready at practice time
Before things get complicated, swimmers are expected to be ready to begin a scheduled KYD activity at their scheduled practice time. This usually means being prepared to jump in the water at that practice time. Swimmers should not be arriving at the YMCA at their scheduled practice time. To be early is to be on time.
A snack before practice
Swimmers need a snack after school prior to practice. Period. Snacks.
A water bottle
Swimmers must have a water bottle. They can fill it with water or an appropriate workout drink. Gatorade and Powerade are not appropriate workout drinks.
Two pairs of goggles
Swimmers must have two pairs of goggles. One is none. Two is one. See the Equipment page for recommended goggles.
The warmup, pool time and motivation
The most important part of a swim practice is The Warmup. Swimmers are significantly more prone to injury if they miss The Warmup. It's usually a 15-20 minute set of swims incorprating easy, slow, aerobic swimming and skill/drills. The remainder of the workout can vary significantly by practice. Swimmers more than 15 minutes late should simply not attend practice. They're missing The Warmup. They're stressed out about showing up late. They're embarrassed on the pool deck in front of their peers. There is never an extra lane for a swimmer to warm up in. Skip practice and show up on time for the next practice.
As mentioned in previous sections, pool time is a commodity. The swim team is alotted 4-5 lanes over 2.5 hours to train 60 swimmers. This sometimes results in 6-7 swimmers per lane. All of the swimmers in each lane are doing the same thing: the same stroke at the same distance at the same speed. There is no space for an injured swimmer to come in and paddle around during practice times. Deckinetics(dryland) and each swim practice's warmup are crucial to the prevention of injury. Injuries are significant setbacks in competitive swimming. Returning to one's practice group in the middle of the swim season is a significant challenge following an injury. The coaching staff focuses on injury-prevention at every practice with specific Deckinetics and swimming drills.
Physical Conditioning and Swimming Technique develop consistently over the course of every season. Swimmers must practice frequently and consistently to maintain this progression in their practice group. Kids don't like practicing with those younger than themselves. They get into a social groove with their practice group. This social energy becomes a crucial part of their motivation to practice.
If swimmers can develop their own motivation to practice they will be far more successful than those pushed by their parents to practice. This isn't baseball. This is a 7-month(and perhaps year-round) group effort. If participants don't feel good about it, it's simply not going to be constructive.
Practice policies
- The KYD Code of Conduct is part of our KYD Handbook which all parents have consented to read during the swimmer registration process. All members of KYD are expected to adhere to the KYD Code of Conduct at all times, however, during practice sessions swimmers will adhere to the following policies to ensure a positive and safe practice space.
- Swimmers will not be allowed on the pool deck if registration has not been completed and payment of fees is not current. YMCA Membership and Swim Team Fees must be current. Don't wait to register on the first day of practice. Swimmers will have first-day meetings which are essential and can't be missed. They cannot participate in these meetings if they haven't registered. Please don't ask for exceptions.
- A parent or guardian MUST escort swimmers ages 10 & Under to the pool deck. Swimmers 10 & Under may not be dropped off at the front door of the YMCA. Swimmers 10 & Under must be escorted through the family changing room and onto the pool deck for every practice. No exceptions. Guardians must be agreed upon ahead of time with the coaching staff by text or email. Older siblings 14 and older may be considered guardians of younger siblings, if you trust them in that role. This must be agreed upon ahead of time by text or email.
- Swimmers must check in at the front desk of the YMCA every time they attend practice.
- All swimmers should arrive before the practice start time to allow enough time to dress and be on deck ready to perform dryland or swim.
- Swimmers should have all necessary equipment gathered and placed neatly behind their lane before practice begins.
- All swimmers may use the Community locker room. Swimmers may also use the Men’s and Women’s locker rooms, located off the pool deck.
- Parents are discouraged from observing practices. Parents will not interrupt or interfere with the coaches or swimmers during a practice session. Parents attempting to “coach” from the stands will be asked to leave and will no longer be allowed to observe practice.
- Parents may not photograph or film any or part of a practice without express written consent from the Head Coach and The Aquatics Director of the Keene Family YMCA. Parents found in violation of this will be asked to leave, will no longer be allowed to observe practice and will relinquish photos and video taken without permission.
- Swimmers shall return equipment to its storage location on the pool deck at the end of practice. Any personal equipment left behind may be held by the coaching staff. Swimmers frequently leaving their own equipment on the pool deck may be charged a minimal fee for its return which will go towards the team fundraising efforts.
- The locker rooms should be considered a place to change before and after practice, not a place for swimmers to play and socialize. All swimmers will be respectful when using and leaving these areas. Swimmers must remove all of their clothes, swimsuits, bags and trash. The locker rooms are used by all members of the Keene Family YMCA and at times there may be other groups sharing this space. Smartphones, phones and other handheld computers are NOT allowed in any of the Keene YMCA’s locker rooms. The swim team considers this a zero tolerance policy. Swimmers will face disciplinary action specified by the Head Coach in response to violations of the policy.
- Dusky, Silver and Gold practices are Closed Practices. This means the pool deck is closed to parents and guardians during those practice times. The benefits of closed practices are many and are not uncommon in youth sports, especially for practice groups consisting of 13 & Ups. This policy change was inspired by events and comments from both older swimmers and parents. Here is some recommended reading in line with KYD philosophy.
- There will be no lap swimming during practice times by parents and guardians.
Questions about a policy?
Ask any KYD coach, or read the full Code of Conduct in the KYD Handbook.