Expectations

Athletes represent themselves, their families, the club, the LSC, and USA Swimming. Athletes are expected to behave with maturity, respect, and accountability.

Athletes must:

• Treat coaches, teammates, officials, opponents, volunteers, parents, and facility staff with respect.
• Follow coach instructions during practice, meets, dryland, travel, and team activities.
• Arrive on time and prepared with proper equipment.
• Practice good sportsmanship before, during, and after competition.
• Respect facility rules, locker room/restroom rules, and team travel expectations.
• Use appropriate language and behavior in person and online.
• Refrain from bullying, hazing, harassment, intimidation, discrimination, retaliation, or abuse.
• Avoid conduct that damages the reputation of the club or creates risk for others.
• Report unsafe behavior, misconduct, or policy violations to a trusted adult, coach, Safe Sport Coordinator, club leader, USA Swimming, or the U.S. Center for SafeSport as appropriate.

Prohibited Athlete Conduct

The following may result in discipline:

• Bullying, harassment, hazing, or threats.
• Physical aggression or unsafe conduct.
• Possession or use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, vaping products, marijuana, illegal drugs, or misused medication at club activities.
• Theft, vandalism, or intentional damage to property.
• Use of phones, cameras, or recording devices in locker rooms, changing areas, restrooms, or other prohibited areas.
• Dishonesty, cheating, falsification of records, or unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Violation of USA Swimming rules, Safe Sport policies, club rules, facility rules, or meet host rules.

Parents play an important role in supporting athletes and helping create a positive team environment. To protect athlete safety, preserve coach authority, and respect facility and meet operations, parents are expected to follow all club, facility, and meet conduct standards.

Practice Conduct

During practice, parents must allow coaches to coach and athletes to train. Parents may observe from approved spectator areas only and may not interfere with instruction, athlete focus, or practice flow.

Parents may not:

• Coach, signal, yell instructions, or correct athletes from the stands or pool deck.
• Interrupt coaches during practice unless there is an immediate safety concern.
• Pull an athlete out of practice without first communicating with the coach prior to the start of practice.
• Distract athletes by holding side conversations, calling them over, or using phones to communicate with them during practice.
• Challenge coaching decisions during practice, including lane assignments, training groups, practice sets, discipline decisions, or meet entries.

Meet Conduct

At swim meets, parents are expected to support athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and host facilities in a respectful manner. Parents must remain in approved spectator areas unless they are serving in an authorized role.

Parents may not:

• Challenge, confront, or argue with officials, timers, meet staff, coaches, athletes, or other parents.
• Enter clerk of course, hospitality areas, or restricted deck areas without proper authorization.
• Attempt to influence officials, protest calls directly, or interfere with meet procedures.
• Coach athletes from the stands or deck during races.
• Use disrespectful, aggressive, profane, or intimidating language toward any athlete, coach, official, volunteer, facility staff member, or spectator.

Concerns and Communication

Concerns about coaching, athlete placement, training, meet entries, or team expectations should be addressed through the club's communication process, not during practice or competition. Parents should wait until an appropriate time to speak with the coach or club leadership.

Concerns about officiating must be handled through proper meet procedures. Parents may not confront officials directly. If a parent has a concern about a rule interpretation or meet procedure, they should bring it to the coach, who may determine whether any formal inquiry is appropriate.

Failure to Follow Conduct Standards

Parents who violate sideline or deck conduct expectations may be asked to leave the practice area, meet venue, or facility. Repeated or serious violations may result in restrictions on attendance, removal from volunteer roles, suspension of family participation, or termination of club membership.

Parent Volunteer Requirement

Each family is expected to support the club through volunteer service. Swim meets and club events cannot operate successfully without parent participation, and all families are expected to help when asked.

Timing Requirement

Timing is a basic expectation of swim meet participation. When the club is assigned timing chairs at a meet, families with athletes participating in that meet may be required to help cover timing shifts.

Families are expected to:

• Sign up for assigned timing shifts when requested.
• Arrive on time for their shift.
• Find a replacement if they cannot serve.
• Remain at your lane until properly relieved.
• Support timing assignments even if their athlete is not swimming during that specific shift.

Hosted Meets and Club Events

When the club hosts a meet or team event, parent support is required. Families may be asked to support roles such as meet setup and cleanup, timing, hospitality, awards, concessions, check-in or admissions, safety monitoring, runner or heat sheet support, and fundraising or sponsorship support.

Parent Officials

The club strongly encourages parents to become certified officials. Officials are essential to running swim meets, supporting athlete development, and ensuring fair competition. Becoming an official is one of the most valuable ways a parent can support the club and the sport. Parents interested in officiating should contact the club for information about training, certification, and upcoming opportunities.

Failure to Meet Volunteer Expectations

Families who repeatedly fail to meet volunteer expectations may be subject to corrective action, including assigned volunteer shifts, loss of priority registration, restrictions on meet participation, volunteer fees, or other club-imposed consequences.

Coaches and staff are expected to maintain professional boundaries, follow USA Swimming requirements, and create a safe, structured, and developmentally appropriate training environment.

Coach Responsibilities

Coaches must:

• Complete and clear a Live Scan background check before beginning any work, supervision, instruction, or volunteer service involving minor athletes.
• Maintain current USA Swimming coach membership and all required certifications.
• Follow USA Swimming rules, Safe Sport requirements, MAAPP, club policies, and facility rules.
• Maintain professional boundaries with athletes.
• Communicate with athletes and families in a transparent and appropriate manner.
• Plan and conduct safe and organized practices.
• Make training group, meet entry, relay, and competition decisions in the best interest of athlete development and team success.
• Report suspected abuse, misconduct, policy violations, or safety concerns through the appropriate reporting pathway.
• Maintain up-to-date coaching, CPR/AED, Lifeguard and Water Safety Certifications at all times.

Professional Boundaries

Coaches and staff may not use their position to create inappropriate personal relationships, private access, favoritism, secrecy, or dependency with athletes. All interactions must be observable, interruptible, and connected to legitimate club activities.