Esperanza High School Aztecs Aquatics Parent Handbook


Coaches’ & Contact Information:

MEN’S WATER POLO & SWIM

Galen Diaz – Head Coach: Phone: 714-779-6476

Matt Williams – Assistant Coach: Phone: 714-624-8434

Jay Mericle – Assistant coach (contact info below)

Matt Slevcove – Assistant coach (contact info below)

WOMEN’S WATER POLO & SWIMMING

Matt Slevcove – Head Coach : Phone: 714-264-7194

Jay Mericle – Assistant Coach: Phone: 714-393-2588

Galen Diaz – Assistant Coach: Phone: 714-779-6476

Matt Williams – Assistant Coach: Phone: 714-624-8434

Booster Club Board Members and Contact Information
PRESIDENT:
Bob Williams: 714-936-0386

VICE PRESIDENTS
Men's Water Polo
Becky Smith: 714-609-0348

Women's Water Polo
Lori Raichel: 714-345-3778

&
Jennifer Kanell : 714-875-2467

Men's Swim
Cindy Long

Women's Swim
Nadine Miller

Secretary & Membership
Tracy Molenaar: 714-801-0180

Treasurer
Steve Shaw:

Fundraising Chairperson (open)
Christmas Tree Fundraiser Chair
Scott Van Ness: 714-777-4750

Facilities Coordinator
Mark Rhone
/ Website
Vernon Galvin: 714-599-3015

GRADE REPS
Senior Boys
Alyx Holiday: 714-528-4325

Junior Boys
Cindy Long/Veronica Traub ;
Sophomore Boys
Carrie Galvin: 714-519-5584

Freshmen Boys
Leslie Rhone

Senior Girls
Jill Wilson: 714-970-9444

Junior Girls
Julie Pizzarello (Rollins) 714-767-8937
Gina Cox: 714-970-6118
Sophomore Girls
Amy Phillips

Freshmen Girls
Christine Clark

Expectations for Athletes and Parents

Athletes / Parents
Equipment needed :
·  Athletic shorts, t-shirt and running shoes for dry-land workouts
·  Old running shoes for pool work
·  Goggles
·  Practice swim suit / Become active in the Esperanza Aquatics Boosters. It helps our athletes and keeps our program growing.
Team Attire
These are to be worn to all Water Polo Games or Swim Meets
INCLUDES
Team swim suit
Team shirt
(these are included with your Booster donations) / Support & Commitment
Parents are expected to support their
Children and the coaches. We all want every athlete to be as successful as he or she can be. Parents can make sure their children stay on track.
Early morning practices can be exhausting, but if we remember the discipline we are instilling in the athletes it will make it easier. Water Polo & Swimming are not just about practices and chlorine. It is about responsibility, teamwork and sacrifice.
For athletes who don’t drive, you can help make sure they arrive on time for practices, games & meets.
Team Functions
·  Practices (a.m. /p.m., BE THERE & BE ON TIME!)
·  Games & Swim Meets (non-participants as well as participants)
·  Team spirit activities
Helping with our Aquatics Booster Board is critical to the success of our Aquatics program. We get great results when we all work together! A list of committees and parent coordinators is included in this handbook. Please contact the President or Vice Presidents for more information, or talk directly to the committee coordinator.

Frequently asked questions

What do I do if my child has to miss practice because of illness or an appointment? Especially Zero period?

Communicate (via email, text or phone call) to your coach when an illness occurs. Try to schedule appointments after workouts whenever possible. Try to work your class schedule without a zero period, but we understand that will not always be possible.

It is the first week of school and my freshmen child is playing water polo/swimming and has a conflict with another class during 6th period? What do we do?

Continue to work with your guidance counselor to correct the situation, as being enrolled in 6th period P.E. is a must. Until the problem gets corrected, hustle out to the workout session as soon as your 6th period class is done.

What exactly is the Esperanza Booster Club?

The Coaches teach our children. The school district provides and maintains the pool, water and the electricity. The Esperanza Aquatics Booster Club ensures that the coaches have all the necessary equipment and supplies they need to run all four aquatics sports (Men’s Water Polo, Men’s Swimming, Women’s Water Polo and Women’s Swimming) that comprise the program. That means that every water polo ball, lane line, bleacher, and swim kick board was provided by the Booster Club.

The Booster Club orders all the swim suits, t-shirts and other clothing worn by our athletes. They also organize team meals, team photos, fund raising events and the always popular team banquets.

Our Aquatics Booster club supports four sports: Men’s Water Polo, Men’s Swimming, Women’s Water Polo and Women’s Swimming. Depending on the number of kids that we have, we will typically field a varsity team, a junior varsity team and a frosh/soph team (for each sport).

What are the Booster Contributions?

The Boosters cannot provide all that is necessary to ensure a great aquatics program on their own. Everyone is asked to contribute to the costs. The Booster contributions that are requested at the beginning of each season (men’s water polo, women’s water polo and swim) cover the cost of the athletes swim suit, team shirt, banquet, team meals, any game or meet entry fees, any coaches stipends not covered by the PYLUSD, any cost for Referees or officials, in other words everything other than the pool, water and electricity.

I am not getting good information from my child regarding games, meets, team meals, pictures, etc. Where can I get information?

The Esperanza Aquatics website (http://www.esperanzaaquatics.com ) is the place to find out additional information. The Schedule is posted there for both swim and water polo. Important and pending events are also posted there.

In addition, we suggest that all parents sign up to receive regular team emails and notices. This can be done at registration or through the web site. If you have any problems signing up please contact any booster board member.

Where can I find directions to the various pools?

Directions to all pools are located on the Esperanza Aquatics website (http://www.esperanzaaquatics.com) under the INFORMATION Tab.

When are the team pictures taken and what do I do if my child did not bring home a photo form?

Team photos are taken at the beginning of each season and are usually on the deck. For example, Men’s water polo will be in early September. Forms are often misplaced or lost, so additional forms can be downloaded from the Esperanza Aquatics website or will be made available on Photo day.

What does it mean for an athlete to be “Cleared”?

Before a student may try out or participate in any athletic activity, a completed Athletic Clearance Packet must be read, filled out and signed, where appropriate, by the athlete and his/her parent. This packet contains pertinent information in regards to the athletic program and the student/parent responsibilities. This packet must be filled out for each school year. The packet may be downloaded from the Esperanza High School website, www.esperanzahs.com. Under the athletics tab click athletic forms. This packet must be turned in by the student to the Athletic Secretary with their current Esperanza ID card at break or lunches ONLY unless other arrangements have been made by the coach and Athletic Secretary. Fall sports will clear returning players prior to the end of the previous school year and new and incoming 8th graders during June. Incoming 8th graders will not have their Esperanza ID card but must obtain one at registration in August.

DEADLINE DATES FOR CLEARANCES:

BOYS WATER POLO: June 16, 2012

GIRLS WATER POLO: September 28 2012

BOYS & GIRLS SWIMMING: October 31, 2012

What are the Transportation Fees and where and how do we pay them?

Transportation Share Fees are set by the Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District and are paid to the School (Esperanza High School). This fee is for District Bus transportation to/from water polo games and swim meets. Separate Fees are to be paid for each sport. The fee will be entered on the student finance account based on the rosters given by the head coach and due the first week of the sport season. If needed a District fee reduction and waiver application is available from the Athletic Secretary. These fees must be paid by the athlete directly to the Esperanza School Finance Office.

The deadline for Transportation Fees is:

BOYS WATER POLO: TBD

GIRLS WATER POLO: TBD

BOYS & GIRLS SWIMMING: February 22, 2013 cost is $70.00

What is the best way for my child to handle a problem with either a coaching decision or a team mate?

Resolving Problems: If an athlete has a problem, they should talk directly to the coach first. If the problem is not resolved, the parent can then contact the Athletic Director.

How can I as a parent help out?

Be ready to volunteer with the team. Most jobs are for a finite period of time – not the whole season.

Be pleasant to other team parents who call asking for help.

Encourage your child to talk to their coach if they have a problem. Try to get your athlete to handle their problem themselves.

Treat the coaches with respect – they work hard to help our children.

Is it required that the water polo players be on the swim team?

It is not compulsory for water polo players to be on the swim team but it is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. Exceptions are made to children involved in another spring sport or activity. It is the best way to ensure the athletes stay in shape, improve their swimming skills, and continue to bond with their team mates.

Will we always have 3 different team levels (frosh/soph, junior varsity and varsity teams) for each of the sports?

Depending on the number of athletes involved in the program each year, we will typically field a varsity team, a junior varsity team and a frosh/soph team (for each sport).

Is attendance at the High School Summer sports camps necessary? And how much time each day is required? And for how many weeks?

It is highly recommended that our aquatics athletes participate in our summer camps. Workouts are typically three hours in length and go four days per week for six weeks. On two or three weekends during the six week camp, there will be some weekend games/tournaments.

When is the best time to plan a family vacation?

August is the best time to take family vacations, as CIF requires the coaches to not conduct workouts for a three week period. For boy’s water polo, after the three week period concludes, double day workouts begin. For the girls, they get the entire month of August off.

I am new to the sport of water polo, where can I find information on the basic water polo rule?

Basic Water Polo rules can be found on the Esperanza Aquatics website (http://www.esperanzaaquatics.com) under the INFORMATION Tab.

My child is on the swim team and I was wondering how many events can he/or she swim at a meet?

Swimmers can swim a maximum of two individual events and two relays or one individual event and three relays.

Who decides the events that swimmers will swim? When do the athletes find out their events?

The coaching staff works closely with each individual swimmer to determine what events they will swim each week. These events will often change each week as the coaching staff wants to evaluate each swimmer competing under different circumstance, with an eye on league prelims and finals.

How are points calculated at swim meets for the swim team?

For individual events:

1st place scores: 6 points

2nd place scores: 4 points

3rd place scores: 3 points

4th place scores: 2 points

5th place scores: 1 point

For relay events:

1st place scores: 8 points

2nd place scores: 4 points

3rd place scores: 2 points

What is the schedule of events for swim meets?

All high school swim meet events are run in the same order. Cards are available listing the events and the order. Ask any Booster Board Member to get you one. They are invaluable during swim season.

If you have a question that is not covered in these FAQ’s please submit it to an EHS Aquatics board member and we will find the answer for you.

Thank you, The Esperanza Aquatics Board

January 21, 2014 Page 2