Join KSDT

Weather Related Cancellations
Please call the Katonah pool at directly at 232-9349

The coaches are available to answer any questions you may have. Call the pool (232-9349) and ask for a swim and /or dive team coach or make an appointment with them before or after practice. Please, for the safety of our children, do not ask to speak or meet with the coaches during practice.

Swim Team Coach:
Kevin Mullaney
Kevin has been a member of the Katonah Swim and Dive Team for 12 years and this is his second year as a Head Swim Coach. Kevin has swum for the Marlins and Fordham Prep. He has been studying at the University of Notre Dame for the past year. Kevin also returns to the pool as a life guard. He looks forward to another exciting season this year with the Katonah Swim and Dive Team.

Assistant Swim Coach:
Katie LeWinter
Katie Lewinter has swum for the Katonah Swim and Dive Team since she was six years old. In her second year as Assistant Swim Coach, Katie is looking forward to another great season. She will be a junior at the University of Southern California where she is studying Biochemistry and Film Production. Katie has been a member of the Saw Mill Aces and the Marlins swim teams. At John Jay High School she was a member of the varsity swim and the basketball teams. Katie has given swimming lessons both privately and at Summer Academy in Greenwich .

"I am really looking forward to working with the younger children on the team this year. I started swimming competitively with the Katonah Swim Team and it has given so many a chance to become good swimmers and friends. I hope that I can continue that experience for more swimmers this summer!"

Dive Team Coach:
Katie Rhodes
Katie is 19 years old. She is attending Marist College. She dove for KSDT for eight years. Worked as an assistant dive coach for two. She interned at Pace University with two professional dive coaches. This will be Katie's second year as Head Dive Coach. She also works as a lifeguard at the Katonah Pool.
She looks forward to the 2008 KSDT season and is thrilled to be back!

The Parent committee is a group of volunteers who help coordinate administrative details for the Swim & Dive Team, including fund-raisers, meet schedules, the Awards Dinner, scheduling jobs at the meets (lane timers, scorers, etc.), ordering supplies, ribbons, medals, trophies and other team-related functions. The Parent Committee members can often answer your questions.

2007 Parent Committee Members:
Nicole Campbell, Co-Chair: 232-5297
Ruth Bleasdale, Co-Chair: 232-4617
Ellen Baudinet, Job Coordinator: 232-6890
Lauren Smith, Ribbons, Medals, Trophies: 232-0865
Yoshiko Sampson, Treasurer: 232-4594
Kathy Sanders, Merchandise: 232-5660

The team is supported by both the Town of Bedford and volunteer efforts of the parents. The Town Does Not Run the swim Meets – the Parents Do! The family of each team member is encouraged to help with parent volunteer jobs during the season. Jobs are assigned for both home and away meets. Please make sure you complete the “ parent/guardian volunteer form” as soon as possible. If for any reason a conflict arises and you cannot fulfill your commitment, please make every effort to find a replacement and notify volunteer in charge of organizing the jobs. All questions regarding parent volunteer jobs should be directed to Ellen Baudinet.

Team photos will be taken on July 6, 2007 , at 7:45AM sharp. All team members should be present in their team suits. The cost of the photo is $15.00; please make checks payable to “Sports Pix”. Photos must be ordered and paid for prior to the photo shoot. Even if you are not ordering a photo, we would like to have the full team in the picture, which will be displayed in the trophy Case. Please note that this is not a fundraiser.

The registration fee includes the cost of ribbons, medals, trophies, Invitational expenses, team gifts, donut mornings, administrative expenses, etc.

Each team member is expected to be in the pool (or at the diving board) when practice begins . If you are not sure if the pool is open due to poor weather, please call the pool, or look on the swim team web site www.katonahswimanddiveteam.org . Following registration, attendance will be taken every day at practice. No one is permitted into practice unless registered on the team (there is a two day open practice for new swimmers/divers). Registration forms are available at the pool or on the website. Please contact Nicole Campbell or Ruth Bleasdale to complete the registration process.

Unless specifically changed by the coach, practice is every Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8:45AM . Swimmers should arrive by 7:20 for warm up so that practice can actually start at 7:30 . It is important that swimmers receive the proper warm-up prior to the workout. At 8:45 practice will end and parents can plan to pick up their children by 9:00 . If children go to camp and need to leave early from practice, please inform the coaches (in a written note) of the dates and times that the child needs to leave.

Parents will be called and asked to pick up any child who refuses to participate or is disruptive during practice. Non-participants are not allowed in the pool area. No parents are allowed on deck during practice. The swimmers need the coaches’ full attention. If you need to talk to the coaches, they are available to parents and swimmers immediately after practice.

Bluebirds are younger team members getting exposure to competition. The primary emphasis is on learning, teaching team ethics, and having fun. However, the team reserves the right to limit Bluebird participation to only those who demonstrate certain abilities and comfort in the water. Because of the age of these children, the Town of Bedford required Bluebird parents (or responsible adult) to remain at the pool during practice. Parents may wait anywhere except “on deck.”

Bluebird practice is scheduled from 8:00 to 8:45 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Children will be out of the pool by 8:45 to get ready for pick-up or town camp at 9:00 am . Any child who needs to leave before 8:45 must send a note.

▪ Depending on enrollment, the dive team may be split into two groups with separate practices.

▪ To qualify for a “B” meet competition, a diver must be able to perform two dives from two different categories. No moving up in age category.

▪ To qualify for an “A” meet competition, a diver must be able to perform four dives from three of the five categories.

Please remember that meet dates, times and locations can change. Every team member is responsible for checking the Team Information Board at the pool, for updates and revisions to the schedule as well as special events.

The Katonah Swim and Dive Team banner marks the area where the whole team gathers during a swim meet, both at home and away. Everyone is expected to stay with the team during the entire meet. No one should leave the area without the coach’s permission. The coaches cannot spend time during a meet “hunting” for team members.

At all meets swimmers should arrive 15 minutes prior to the posted warm-up time.

Warm-up sessions tend to be short and hectic. It is important that children arrive with plenty of time to warm up. All swimmers and divers are strongly encouraged to wear their team suit. The officials will disqualify participants wearing suits and/or caps with logos from “winter” swim team programs, special events, etc.

We also ask that the parents set a good example of sportsmanship for our children. Cheer for kids in the pool even if they are not your own children. Please discourage your children from leaving the designated team area. Please help with clean-up after the meets. If a parent has a problem or a question during a meet, please approach a member of the parent committee. Please do not speak directly to the coaches during meets. The coaches are busy assuring the safety of your children at that time and should not be distracted.

Please note that Town of Bedford policy prohibits the coaches from providing transportation to team members.

The coaches try their best to give all kids fair opportunities to swim and dive with the overall goal of maximizing the team’s ability to compete and win. The coaches will make every effort to enter as many children as possible into every meet. Please be sure to check the team board for each meet to see what events your child is swimming/diving. The coaches typically post the meet line-ups two days prior to the meet. A commitment sheet is enclosed in your swim/dive packet. Please complete and return by July 3rd. If there is a change, please notify the coaches in writing at least four days prior to the meet.

If the line-up has already been posted for an “A” meet, and something comes up suddenly which causes your child to miss the meet, please let the coaches know ASAP. It is difficult to make last minute changes to the line-up, but the coaches will try to fill the open spots.

If your child is entered into an “A” meet, does not attend that meet, and the coach is not informed about the reason for the absence, the consequences are at the coaches’ discretion.

The Katonah Swim and Dive Team is a member of the Northern Westchester Swim Conference (NWSC), and as such, we are subject to their rules and regulations. There are 27 competitive teams in the Conference, divided into 5 Divisions. The Katonah Swim and Dive Team will compete in Division I this year, the most competitive division of the five divisions.

*Attention: Northern Westchester Swim Conference Rule Change

NWSC has officially changed the cut-off birthdate for all new swimmers and
divers from June 1st to July 1st. Swimmers not previously registered in past
years with KSDT or any other swim team in the NWSC are only eligible to swim in
age groups corresponding to their age as of July 1st, 2007 and older age groups.
The cut-off date for swimmers that have previously particpated on KSDT or
another team in NWSC will remain at June 1st for the rest of their swimming
careers.

There are 6 teams in our Division and, during the season, we must compete against each of the other 5 teams. This type of meet – between two teams – is called a “dual” or “A” Meet. Our win/loss record will determine our division for the following year. For this reason, the meets are important to the team. The coach will try to use the best competitive strategy in order to maintain our Division standing. A team member may compete in three individual events (diving counts as one event) plus one relay.

Teams are awarded points for 1 st through 4 th place finishers. Points are scored 5-3-2-1. If both teams have entries, no more than two places can be scored per team. No team can sweep – that is, take points for 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd – if the other team has a swimmer or diver. One problem that plagues many swim teams is the lack of older swimmers. For this reason, the coach often puts younger swimmers into events for higher age groups. As long as the swimmer does not get disqualified (DQ’ed), he or she will collect points for 3 rd place, even if the swimmer finished in 4 th. If the swimmer does get DQ’ed, he or she will not get points for 3 rd place, but neither will the other team. Meets can be won or lost by points scored this way.

When a child is disqualified, it means that during the course of the race, part of their stroke was illegal. An official may inform the child that they were DQ’ed, and may explain why. We realize that this may be upsetting to the child, but those are the rules and must view disqualifications as learning opportunities. One common example is a one-handed touch in the butterfly. Swimmers must realize that even the very best swimmers were DQ’ed as they learned the various strokes. When your child is DQ’ed, he should inform someone on the coaching staff immediately. The coaches will later work with your child on the error so that we can try to prevent it from happening again.

We strongly encourage all eligible swimmers to compete in "B" Meets. “B” meets offer a wonderful opportunity for swimmers who are not placed in “A” meets to compete in events against other teams. Though no official score is tallied, “B” meets are still competitive, with ribbons awarded for different placements in the races. All swimmers are eligible to participate in “B” meets as long as they have not placed 1 st or 2 nd in an individual event in their age group. This rule will be enforced —”B” meets are also the coaches’ opportunity to focus exclusively on swimmers who are looking to swim hard and earn an opportunity to swim in “A” meets. Swimmers and parents should not be hesitant to participate in “B” meets, just show up at the posted time and place. “B” meet swimmers can showcase events that they want to swim in the “A” meets. Participation will certainly factor into lineups.

These are meets that are less serious than the Dual meets. Team trophies and individual medals/ribbons are awarded at Invitational's. The host team invites other teams and decides what the events (strokes, age groups, etc.) will be. Trophies are given to 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd place teams. Usually, 1 st through 3 rd place swimmers get medals; 4 th through 6 th place finishers get ribbons.

Each team in the division sends their best swimmer/diver in each event to the Divisional Championships. The coaches make their choices of swimmers and divers based on times, scores, attendance, and sportsmanship. The parent committee is not involved in this decision. The outcome of the Division Championships determines the best swimmer/diver of each event (e.g., the Girls, 14 and Under Breast Stroke) in the Division. The next day, the event winners will compete in the All Starts.

The first place swimmers from the Divisional Championships for each event will attend the All Star Championships from all 5 Divisions and compete for the title of the best in the Conference.

These will be held at Rye Playland (swimming) and at Sprain Ridge (diving). All teams in Westchester send their best swimmers and divers. Please consult with the coach if you are interested. There are additional fees to swim at the Westchester County Championships.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE Northern Westchester Swimming conference, PLEASE GO TO: www.nwsc.usswim.net