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January 19, 2010 6:00 p.m.
Swim Team Parent Board Meeting
Present from the Board: Chris Raineri, Tina
Conness, Laura Anke, Mandi Johnson
Parents Present:
Simkins
Weiland
Dean
Gerber
Satterfield
Aimone
Hickey
Liebhart
Camenisch
Schaefer
Chris: explaining reason of meeting, asking for
feedback, see how things are going, suggestions for improvement,
any ideas about past home meets we’ve had?
Laura: Timers? We really need more help, great
group of parents, Angie Brown was asking if timers needed a break
and nobody needed one at last meet which was great. Jane has been
helping out a lot, which is great.
Chris: Thanks everyone for helping so much. It
takes all of us to pull it off so Diane, concessions ok?
Dianne: I have people show up at the end of the
meet that aren’t signed up for concessions, mostly dads that
break down tables, put chairs away, its huge.
Chris: Those are the two biggest areas, timing
and concessions.
Dianne: Its been great and gets us out of here
faster.
Chris: Bullpen, Lori Satterfield, team area has
been great. Nice and clean.
Aimone: Commenting the bullpen is great, maybe
getting a lot of traffic and Sandi has been great, and Sandi runs
them out, don’t need extra kids in there, and Sandi is doing
a great job.
Satterfield: Districts? Noticed signups for
bullpen, two spots, 1-50 and then to the end.
Chris: Saturday, Rockford is helping us. Same for
admissions table.
Edie: They supply half.
Chris: What’s there Saturday, double it.
Sunday?
Edie: All the teams time, so we combine
everything else, but depending on what duties is what, Rockford
will be helping and admissions will be mostly our people there for
accountability.
Aimone: Will we be walking them out to
events?
Edie: You’ll have escorts.
Chris: Saturday is 12 and under. Sunday is 13 and
over so older swimmers can help out Saturday.
Laura: We do have older swimmers that are willing
to help.
Chris: Also, if there’s any high schoolers
that want to volunteer because a lot of them need community service
hours, sent info to local high schools and business, if you know
anyone interested send them Chris’ way, or email Chris and
she’ll contact anyone.
Laura: We do need a lot of high schoolers for
timer reporters.
Chris: That’s not even listed as timer
recorders.
Laura: The difference is we have 3 timers per
lane and flyover starts so it will be hard for timers to time and
write 3 times down, so with flyovers it would be great to get high
schoolers writing times down, and not timing. Will make the meet go
smoother.
Chris: Districts will be Sat. March 6 Setup at
5:00 Friday night. The Y will be closed Friday to Sunday except for
wellness center. We have both gyms for the teams so we need to set
up Friday night Tarps on the floor, tables, chairs.
Edie: Wait until warm-ups to put in timing
system.
Chris: We need at least one family member to work
both days of the weekend. A lot of spots to fill in so if your job
is 6 to 9 a.m. take a break and find another spot you could fill in
on another job both days to work throughout the day, that’d
be great. Fill in as many spots as you think you could do,
that’d be great. Rockford is co-hosting and on Saturday
supplying half of the workers. Chris does have a timeline. Building
opens at 6:30, although we’ll be here before then. Warmups
7-8:30, coaches meeting, timers meeting, parade of athletes at
8:30, 8:55 opening ceremony, 9:00 start. Finals won’t start
before 3:30 p.m.
Edie: Those are an hour after prelims. I think it
was 3 something and final started at 5.
Chris: Its only one heat per event
Edie: You still have all traffic. Will be over
around 8 or 9 ish.
Chris: Coach Rob wanted me to ask a few things:
Districts: Are we interested in doing Districts next year? We
can’t decide after districts so we need to know now.
Aimone: The ymca is cleared with it and
ok?
Chris: Im sure. Dave is excited about the whole
district event.
Edie: Rockford is nice.
Chris: Is there another place?
Edie: Anybody who places a bid for it.
There’s other teams who has hosted it but its been at
DeKalb.
Chris: Dekalb or here are the only two facilities
really.
Laura: DeKalb has state next year so they
don’t want to do it.
Edie: When is the deadline for –
??? How much money do we make from
districts?
Laura: Swim team profit was about $4500.
Edith: A lotta money
Dianne: I’ll voice my opinion on
concessions. I don’t plan on going anywhere so if they do
I’ll save it and keep doing what I’m doing.
Aimone: How did districts run? Smooth last time
we had it?
??? Jane, the silent auction, what does it
involve?
Chris: She’s gathering things to have on
the silent auction.
What is she trying to gather?
Chris: My work gave me a bunch of stuff, and so
you just get things donated, or like a Mary Kay basket.
?? do you have to be present to win?
Chris: It’s a silent auction so
they’re bidding and they pay at the end of the day. Do they
run Saturday and Sunday?
Edie: Just Saturday.
Chris: We’ll stop before finals.
Dianne: If your child isn’t in finals then
you won’t stick around.
Edith: I just picked up a bunch of books,
I’ve done a lot of acutions, so last time we got a lot of
donations from the Dells, different things, so I’ve got three
books, so we’ll start emailing right away, but if I can make
a suggestion, if you want to do districts next year, part of our
signing up, because we had an auction every year, when you signed
up, part of it was you had to make the donation for the auction,
monetary, or an item.
Chris: When who signs up?
Edith: When you sign up for the year, that was
part of it, and it wasn’t a huge amount, like $5 donation or
something. That way next year if you’re doing districts,
there’s a good supply of items coming in.
??? What about each family donating such dollars
and then board putting baskets together?
Edith: Make it part of the sign up.
Edie: But you don’t want too many
baskets.
??? they did a booze basket and they’ve
sold over $400 in tickets for the one basket.
Aimone: Do we have trouble getting items?
Edie: No. Jane is doing very well. You want good
quality stuff.
Dianne: I think Laurie had 2 Blackhawks
tickets.
Chris: How many did you have, baskets two years
ago?
Edie: Jane would want to be here to discuss. This
is not a district meeting but a parent meeting.
Chris: Well, I’m just asking. Distance
challenge, Coach Rob was thinking the 30th with Ottawa and Rockford, but we
usually have shirts and that’s 3 big teams, so --
Diane: What is it?
Chris: The kids have to qualify for it and
practice and meet a certain standard and then they swim a 500, 1000
or a 1650 and then they get a t-shirt at the end that says they met
the challenge and get time.
Leibhart: So its all for fun?
Chris: Well, it is for fun.
Edie: Last time it was for our kids.
Chris: Dixon.
Edie: But that was an option.
Chris: Its not required. Its up to them if they
want to offer.
Edith: That would be a lot of t-shirts and a huge
expense for the team.
Edie: Could we do it like a Sunday?
Chris: Yes.
Edie: Cuz I remember Dixon was there.
Chris: We knew from Dixon who was going to swim
because I remember getting t-shirt sizes. So we can
do it on a Sunday and there will be times, stop
watch timing if we do it on a Sunday. It will count for the team
but not like during a meet. Everybody ok with doing that on a
Sunday?
Aimone: the 30th
of January?
Chris: It was the end of the Dixon meet, like in
February. But all of the ones we have coming up are big, 3 teams.
Sunday, less teams, just us?
Edie: If its Sunday, it has between 12 and 4 and
ask Donna if the pool is scheduled for parties or anything.
Chris: anybody else have anything? I think
that’s all I have.
Diane: When is the next district meeting?
Edie: Ill check and sent out an email.
Satterfield: Are we still going to have relay
practices?
Edie: Yes, until Feb 1st.
Chris: This isn’t a district meeting but we
did get a logo today. This isn’t THE logo, but just looking
at it. We’re not done with it, we’ll add a medal or
ribbon to it, but needing opinions, that would be on a black shirt,
yellow or gold.
Edie: Any suggestions on district logo, submit
anything because deadline is February 20th for a decision.
Aimone: A black tshirt?
Chris: Yes.
Satterfield: This is the one we’re
selling?
Chris: Yes.
Satterfield: Is there a separate one for the
team?
Chris: Not for districts. Unless they want to
wear their team tshirts.
Dianne: Friday night practices are wonderful. Its
more one on one they may not necessarily get during practice with
50 other kids.
Chris: Thursday night before districts, cooking
at Trinities kitchen if anybody wants to help.
Diane: I’ll stick a sign up because at the
district meeting a lot of people said they’d come but I
don’t remember, but probably Thursday is a good thing, people
will be here Friday setting up, it’s a good thing to do it
Thursday.
Chris: Anything else?
Dianne: Vegetables, a lot of them.
Laura: Check your mailboxes as concession items
may be changing.
Diane: Has 15 cases of water and soda, so people
that bring liquid, asking for hot dogs, throw them in the freezer
for districts, but sign up sheet is wonderful every week. Parents
are a huge help setting up and tearing down.
Edie: Anything on the parents board that you
could see that could be worked out better?
Chris: On parents side? No. They’re helping
out great.
Mandi: I put a notice in everyone’s mailbox
and we all had discussed it with Coach Rob and if you’re not
paid up whatever, by next Tuesday, then your kids are no longer
allowed to swim at swim meets, as its not fair to people paying and
you have to have something or some people just wont pay.
Satterfield: But its an oversight
sometimes.
Mandi: That’s how I addressed it. I’m
not picking on anyone.
Liebhard: For invitationals?
Mandi: Some fundraisers, swimsuits, this I stuff
that should have been taken care of a long time ago so we have to
do something.
Weiland: How do you know if you owe money?
Mandi: You would have had an invoice in your
boxes, and if you owe anything, there would have been a letter in
your box and if you’ve already paid it disregard the
notice.
Chris: At our last meeting, we are buying the new
team manager and meet manager software. Apparel, we have $350 from
Tier and Coach Edie gave us suggestions of what to purchase, and
get goggles for the office, because they’re breaking and we
need them during the meet, so we’ll have extra goggles in
there, and then equipment for the pool deck.
Diane: If they wouldn’t chew on
them.
Aimone: How’d we get the money?
Chris: From all the swimsuits we bought.
Diane: Does that continue?
Chris: It’s a credit. Its cumulative.
I’ve purchased things off there too. As long as you go thru
our website, so $350 is quite a bit.
Edith: Who came up with the idea for heat
tags?
Edie: Tom did.
Edith: Because for some of the kids who
don’t get a lot of tags, they’re insane.
Diane: They love the trade in night. They
don’t want to leave them on their bags.
Mandi: Wants to share the scoreboard we pay $6000
a year for that, so we have that payment, the banquet coming,
coaches, but its an expense.
Diane: When is the banquet?
Tina: Third Friday in April.
Mandi: We make money at districts, but we still
have to put money up front for districts.
Aimone: Is there a problem with that?
Mandi: I just want to share where its being
disbursed to.
Aimone: That would be a good email to send out,
where the money is going towards.
Chris: We should do that about what we
purchased.
Aimone: How much was the scoreboard?
Mandi: $60,000.
Chris: If someone advertises on the board, its
$250.
Diane: That money all comes back to the team, not
the Y?
Edith: We have a phenomenal scoreboard.
Aimone: Chris, or anyone, in the rule book, or
Edie, how many practices do you need before you attend a meet?
Families have been bringing their kids to meets.
Chris: Supposed to go to 2 meets but
there’s Hennepin too.
Aimone: There’s some making meets and not
going to practices. Weeks go by and they’re missing. Its not
fair to swimmers who are dedicated, and are losing a relay team
spot to someone who just shows up for meets.
Mandi: Talk to Rob about that? Last year we were
here and Zack was sick, went ahead and said yes, he can swim
because we’re always here, between here and hennepin, rob was
like no problem.
Aimone: They’re not coming to practices at
all, so that’s not fair, swimmers who work hard and are here
every week. I’ll bring it up to Rob.
Saterfield: It is in the handbook and online and
rules are rules and if you play on basketball or football, they
wouldn’t allow that. Other people notice it.
Aimone: Its gotten to the point where swimmers
notice it. Its die-hard these spots on these relays. They fight
hard and work hard and minimal seconds they’re off and they
don’t get the spot.
Diane: Lori mentioned the web and since
that’s one of my areas, I’ve sent out emails asking for
suggestions for the website, let me know. Last week, everybody
seemed to be talking about Minnesota and where we are staying so I
put an email out there, so if there are things you would like to
see out there and keep in mind that by putting the Minnesota stuff
out there, needing suggestions of what else they would like to see
out there? Photos, haven’t had time to figure out yet. We
have so many pictures. Going to end up being a slide show, Cant be
individual pictures to click on.
Mandi: Edie, you were talking too about
pictures.
Edie: What did you mention earlier that you said
you’d talk about later. Was it the camera?
Chris: Yes
Edie: Would that come out of the teams budget for
that?
Chris: I’m working on getting a camera
(security) for free, so first thought the cable for free and now
camera for free, but won’t know until tomorrow.
Diane: From our standpoint, it would be and for
districts, there are so many kids here but those of us in
concessions to be able to have a camera that would show up on the
scoreboard, that we can pipe into the tv in concessions, if we
could get something onto that tv for the meet to see the scoreboard
and know exactly what even you’re on, a lot of the people
working the concessions are in the same age group, so they have it
timed where one of the moms came in, as soon as she left, I went
in, and then I came immediately back because a heat after mine was
somebody elses.
Chris: You’ll know exactly. We’re
working on –
Diane: For every home meet?
Chris: If we get the camera and cabling,
that’ll be set up all the time for the diner area and
districts, itd be there next year.
Diane: It could be 5 minutes they’re in the
bullpen and you don’t want to walk away when you have 20
people standing in line at concessions but if you don’t go
you run the risk of missing your child swimming.
Chris: I have to get a cost for the cable.
That’s what I’m waiting for, and talk to Dave. Anything
else? Very good!
Edie: Anything else up and coming or anything we
should know?
Chris: Districts.
Aimone: How did they go with the lane
ropes?
Chris: Yes, they’re done and turnbuckles
they purchased two sets and they’re testing those out before
they buy others, but lane ropes are restrung. Down the road is to
get ready for districts, and end of the year banquet, and after we
see what $$ is left, then we can decide what we’ll do
–
Edie: Spend it!
Chris: See how much we can put on the scoreboard,
equipment we can buy, mirrors for the pool in the water.
Edie: I don’t know anything about
it.
Aimone: For your flip turns?
Chris: I’m not sure but Coach Rob has asked
for something like that.
Edie: You’d have to take them out because
you wouldn’t want to leave them in there.
Chris: I don’t know.
Edie: Future purchases you guys were thinking
about, like team?
Laura: Other software for the computer, like Word
Office, things we may be getting but postponed for now.
Chris: Nothing big until we get thru districts
and see what’s left. Do you have something in mind?
Edie: No, I’m being a parent too. Are you
going to have these meeting once a month?
Chris: Probably not once a month.
Laura: We’ll have one more I’m sure
before districts.
Chris: This is new.
Edie: It was good. The more parents are involved
the more they give input and also make decisions, so I liked it. I
wish we had it in previous years.
Laura: One thing that may be helpful to timer
parents is as a parent wanting to see, I do have parents ask to go
watch their kid and that’s fine, if I’ve got 16 parents
timing and 3 have kids swimming a certain heat, but you want to
watch your child swim, one of us as a backup is available,
we’re glad to do that, OR, if you’re not timing and not
working, and if you or spouse would be willing, like another family
that is timing, coordinate with them to fill in, its great. Its
hard when timing and your kid is four or five lanes down and
you’re trying to time, I’ve been there, its hard.
Anyone who is willing to work with me, if you see me Saturday
morning, and a family who is willing, it’s a nice thing to
do.
Chris: If anybody is unable to make a meet for
whatever reason, email us to let us know because this year, if
you’re a timer, you’re a timer, and this was probably
like this last year, but its helpful to know the ribbon table, I
need to find someone else to fill in that spot or a job that
that’s not too many people that do that job.
Edith: Do you have enough timers to have a
float?
Laura: As it is, a lot of our timers work and it
has to be alternated, to have the schedule ready, its always really
good to know ahead of time there’s a special
circumstance.
Edith: Let you know in advance.
Laura: Yes. I can work with it. We do have quite
a bit, figuring for everyone to work half a meet, I’d need 32
timers. I’m usually working with 24 timers, at best, so
people are working 2/3 to ¾ of the meet which is a LOT and
very hard, so I love being out there watching the meet, but for
those not timing, realize what these timers are doing, it’s a
lotta work, and a lot of you are doing that already too.
Edith: We do from beginning to end. I love
bullpen. Do you need some of us in bullpen to come check once in a
while?
Laura: It would depend on each area to decide if
they have extra workers. Every meet I’m trying to make sure
some doesn’t work more than others.
Edith: If there was a person there as a float,
because sometimes we run to the bathroom.
Laura: Yes. Keep in mind, with 16 parents out
there, and two kids swimming the same event, only one of us to do
it.
Edith: its hard. We like bullpen.
Laura: I have both parents working, like one
timing and another working the part of the meet. They are doing
double duty.
Edith: That’s good. I’d rather be
busy.
Laura: Every area we need volunteers, and if
you’re willing to do that, there would be a couple families
filling in for them, so they can watch their kids.
Edith: Maybe put that in an email so parents are
aware of that.
Chris: Thank you guys!
6:55 p.m. (meeting adjourned)
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