Policies, Rules and Expectations

In order to be clear in our commitment to our team philosophy of sportsmanship, discipline, commitment and cooperation, the RAZORS Executive Board is adding to and revising our various discipline policies. Safety of all of our swimmers is our main concern and the board members and coaches take very serious the trust that each and every parent has put in us in providing each child with a secure and positive learning environment.

The following policies and rules are directed to swimmers, parents, and coaches and will become effective immediately. Failure to abide by these rules may result in verbal warnings, written warnings, meet suspension or possible team suspensions. All coaches will document any actions taken and records will be kept by the Oxford Razors Swim Team.

The Razors coaches and Executive Board members encourage each and every parent to discuss the following with their child and help them understand the true meaning of sportsmanship that our program is committed to.

Swimmers
Horsing around, fooling around, hanging around, tardiness, or failure to listen to a coach’s direction during practices or meets will not be tolerated. The coaches want the swim team experience to be one of growth and fun – fooling around is not a part of having fun. Failure to abide by these rules will result in the following:

1st offense: The child will be verbally reminded that this is their first offense and their action is unacceptable and must cease.

2nd offense: The child will be removed from the pool and will be asked to sit on deck for a short break. When the coach has the opportunity, he/she will explain to the child that their behavior is unacceptable and they must cease the behavior immediately.

3rd offense: The child will be removed from the pool, a parent will be called, and the child will be excused from the practice/meet for the remainder of the event.

4th offense: The child will face a two week team suspension and they will not be allowed to participate in the next scheduled competitive swimming event.

5th offense: The child will be suspended for the remainder of the season.

Bullying, verbal threats, harassment, verbal arguments or similar actions will not be tolerated. Schools and communities within our state understand the seriousness of such behavior and as such have instilled tough discipline policies. The Razors also understand the brevity of these actions and we will adhere to the following:

1st offense: The child will immediately be removed from the event (practice/meet), a parent will be called and the child will be excused from that day’s event.

2nd offense: The child will face a two week team suspension and they will not be allowed to participate in the next scheduled competitive swimming event.

3rd offense: The child will be suspended for the remainder of the season.

Physical contact, hitting, fighting or similar actions will not be tolerated. If a child is involved in any of these types of activities the child can expect the following:

1st offense: Immediate removal from the event, a two week team suspension and the child will not be allowed to participate in the next scheduled competitive swimming event.

2nd offense: The child will be suspended for the remainder of the season and all fees paid may be forfeited. In addition, the Razors Executive Board will call a meeting with the swimmer and their parent and a decision will be made as to whether or not that swimmer will be allowed to participate in any future Razor activities.

Note - Other discipline issues not covered here will be dealt with accordingly. All swimmers and parents know there are consequences that will follow inappropriate actions and the coaches and Executive Board members have the authority to institute any penalty that they feel is appropriate for the infraction committed.

Parents
We, as parents, are the role models for our children. As such, we have a responsibility to act in a manner consistent with the philosophies of the Razors and to act as positive examples for our children to follow. Nothing can be more upsetting to a child than to see their parent or other parents acting in a way that is in direct contrast to the ideals of sportsmanship and amateur competition. Parents associated with the Razors must act in a responsible fashion. Failure to follow our simple rules will result in disciplinary actions.

During a swim meet any parent that does not have a deck duty is not allowed on the pool deck for any reason. In the event that your child needs you to give them something during a meet you may run it down to them, hand it to the deck marshal or coach, and then immediately return to the spectator area.

Should a parent have a deck duty they will be expected to wear a pass given to them by the meet manager or representative. Once the duty is complete, we ask that all passes are returned and each parent return to the spectator area.

Parents are never allowed to question or confront an official during a swim meet. The job of questioning officials is that of the coaches. If a parent has a concern regarding an official’s call, they must wait 24 hours then call the coach to discuss the incident. Again, we, as parents, know that emotions sometimes get the best of us and a short waiting period will help us reflect on the incident and our emotions.

Since we as parents should understand our responsibilities and the rules set forth, specific consequences will be at the discretion of the coaches and Executive Board members. These consequences can include but are not limited to removal from pool deck, two week suspension, one meet suspension, or season long suspension.

Additional incidents that have never been and we hope will never be a part of the Razors program must be addressed. The Razors will not tolerate any form of parental bullying, arguing, verbal assault, physical assault, or fighting associated with a Razors event. Should a parent ever become involved in such an incident that parent may face immediate removal from the event, a season long suspension from any Razor event, and a possible lifelong suspension from future Razor events.

Coaches
As everyone knows the Razors coaches have a responsibility to practice everything that the Razors preach. The coaches themselves understand these responsibilities and they are committed to your children and our team. As such, by being employed by the Razors the coaches will …

lead by example
not argue with officials in the sight of any swimmer, not belittle any swimmer or individual involved with the Razors program
give constructive criticism to other coaches, swimmers, and parents when appropriate
act and dress appropriately
institute the ideals of sportsmanship to all individuals involved with the Razors program

The failure of any coach to adhere to our own codes of conduct will be addressed by the Executive Board and appropriate consequences will be implemented.

Rules of the Pool

All swimmers are to enter the pool area through the locker rooms.
No street shoes are allowed on the pool deck.
Only swimmers, coaches, guards, and volunteers are allowed on the pool deck. Spectators should go directly to the viewing gallery located on the 2nd floor.
No eating or drinking anything but water on the pool deck.
No hanging out in the locker rooms during meets.
No chairs on the pool deck per the Oxford Fire Marshall.