Weekly Announcements for Week of 1/3-1/9

Dear SBSC families, 
Practice Schedule Here is the practice schedule for this week. Riley HS Group 1 Wednesday and Thursday 6:00-7:15 G1 Elite-Monday 5:30-7:30 Group 2 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 5:30-7:30 New Prairie HS (only for NPUSC students) Group 1 Monday 11:00 AM -12:15 PM CST and Wednesday 7:00-8:15 PM CST Group 2 Monday 11:00 AM -12:30 PM CST and Wednesday 7:00-8:30 PM CST Practice Notes: No practice at Riley on Tuesday and no practice at NPHS on Tuesday or Thursday due to high school meets. We are using the Train Heroic App during the RHS Group 2 and the G1 Elite practices. If your swimmer has a smart phone we would like them to bring it to practice. If they do, please have them download the app and create an account. The access code for our Group 2 swimmers is G22020. Swimmers should come to practice in dryland clothes over their suits. They should also be wearing quality workout shoes as well. Flip flops or Crocs are not acceptable options. Swimmers are encouraged to bring a yoga mat if they have one. Swimmers attending New Prairie practices will continue to enter the building through door N17. Everyone entering the building will be required to wear a mask. Parents will not be allowed on deck. Each athlete will need to fill out the attached form and hand deliver to the coach when entering the high school. All swimmers should come dressed ready to practice. There may be limited use of the locker rooms after practice. If you have any questions regarding procedures for NPHS practices please email Coach Ashley at awojtysiak@npusc.k12.in.us Consultant Working With SBSC The previous year with all it's challenges has made more then a few of us take a long look at how we do things, re-evaluate goals, and possibly change some of our priorities. SBSC was not immune to this type self-reflection. Please don't take that the wrong way because I am very proud of our club, for several reasons. But with any endeavor sometimes it takes a year like 2020 to realize that "good is the enemy of great". (This is not my quote, but one from author/researcher Jim Collins in his book Good To Great.). A former coaching colleague of mine, Mark Hesse, has started his own consulting business specializing in youth/Olympic sports. Mark has almost 30 years of coaching club and high school swimming at a very high level. The last 8 years of his professional career he as spent with USA Swimming as part of their Sports Performance Team. Mark has agreed to take a look at our club and help us carve out our path or our direction for the future. What I need from our parents is some participation in the process. I'm looking for parents from all of our practice groups and both locations. I am hoping this can be a mix of new families, SBSCForLifers, and those in-between. I would like parents who won't be afraid to voice their opinion even if it opposes mine. I am certainly not looking for an echo chamber or to be patted on the back. I want parents who can see the value in what our club has to offer and would like to see it continue to make an impact on our young athletes long after theirs have left our program. If you think you'd like to be involved in this process please email me as soon as you can. The first step in this process will be a Zoom meeting with Mark and this Wednesday January 6 at 8:00 PM EST. I realize this is short notice but Mark wanted to start this process before he visits our club later this month. Based on the schedule of high school meets, our meet this weekend, and Mark's travel plans from Colorado, this Wednesday was the best day to have this meeting. CPSC Invite January 8th-10th Crown Point High School Our entry has been sent and you can check your swimmer's events by logging into your account on our website or by using the OnDeck app. Here are the pertinent times for this weekend's meet. All times listed are local times for Crown Point. Crown Point is on CST Friday Session 1 (Events #1-#10) Warm-ups 4:45-5:50 CST-our swimmers should be on deck by 4:45 CST Meet Starts 6:00 CST Saturday & Sunday AM -Session 2/5 (9-10 year olds) Warm-up 7:45-8:50 CST-our swimmers should be on be by 7:45 Meet Starts 9:00 CST Saturday & Sunday Mid-Day - Session 3/6 (13 and over/8 and under) Warm-ups 11:15-12:20 CST-our swimmers should be on deck by 11:15 CST Meet Starts 12:30 CST Saturday & Sunday Evening - Session 4/7 (11-12 year olds) Warm-ups 4:15-5:20 CST-our swimmers should be on deck by 4:15 Meet Starts 5:30 CST Some of the times listed above are different then the meet letter. The changes are based on numbers for the meet and to allow athletes to exit the pool and have the deck cleaned before the next session arrives. I will be the coach on deck for most of the meet. If you are running late or unable to make it please text or call me at 574-276-6057. You can read the meet letter by clicking here. Lifeguarding There are all but two spots available for guarding this month. PLEASE, if your swimmer owes hours we need them to volunteer. USA Swimming Guidelines-MAAPPUSA USA Swimming issued a directive with regards to electronic communication and social media contact between coaches and athletes. Most of what is being implemented is common sense and falls in line with our club's policies. One new requirement we will need to adhere to is how your minor child communicates with me. For several years I have asked swimmers in Group 2 and Group 3 to text/email me if they would be missing practice. Moving forward, swimmers will be instructed to include a parent on all communication with me.
 If you are the parent of a Group 2 or Group 3 swimmer, and have never sent me a text before, please text me so I have your contact info in my phone. This way if I need to contact your swimmer about missing practice I can be sure to include you. My cell phone number is 574-276-6057.
 I encourage all parents and swimmers to read the full policy. We are required to keep this policy on our website, here is the link. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. -- John VanDriessche Head Coach South Bend Swim Club South Bend Riley High School (574)276-6057 www.southbendswimclub.com #SBSCForLife