Welcome to Our Team!!
The Jasper County Killer Whales (JCKW) wish to welcome you and your child to the
wonderful and rewarding sport of competitive swimming.  By joining the Killer Whales your
child is now a member of USA Swimming, one of the largest and most unique youth sports
organizations in the world.

In addition to the obvious rewards of one of the most beneficial forms of exercise for
cardiovascular and overall fitness, your child will also develop life skills such as time
management, self-discipline, and sportsmanship.  These benefits will be reaped long after
their participation in the sport ends.  Through a gradual commitment to practice, each child
is taught to work hard to achieve goals.  Through positive encouragement and an
occasional stern push, a child will learn to push themselves toward testing their own limits
each and every day.  Hard work leads to achievement and success, and success is fun!!  
When your child is done with the sport of swimming, be they 9 or 90, we hope that he/she is
a better person for having been a Killer Whale.

This page of the site is designed to help parents to get acquainted with the practice to
practice, meet to meet operations of JCKW and USA Swimming.  We hope it will explain
some of our policies and a few of the general swimming concepts you need to know so that
this experience can be as fun and rewarding as possible for athletes and their families.  
Please do not be afraid to ask questions of your coaches, officials, and other team parents.
We are all here with the same goals and we are all here to help each other.
USA Annual Fee is currently $48.00 and is required by USA Swimming.  No member of any
USA Swimming Competitive program can participate without first paying this fee.  USA
Swimming provides insurance that covers practices, meets and any other supervised team
activity .    
JCKW DUES are currently $50 per month for the first child in a family.  Each additional
child is $35 per month.   Payment of dues and the annual fee give you:
-basic membership to attend practices and competition
-insurance coverage at all USA Swimming sanctioned or supervised activities.
-a subscription to USA Swimming’s SPLASH! Magazine.
-one vote per family at all open meetings concerning club operations.
-quality coaching from a caring, dedicated staff.
Beginning level COMP dues are $40.00 per month.
PREP TEAM dues are $40.00 per 5 week session and payment is due on the first day of
each session.
Payment of dues and fees:  Dues payment is to be made by the 1st of the month for
comp team.  Statements will be emailed.  If you are not current, your swimmer doesn't
compete in meets.  If out more than 30 days without arrangements being made for
payment, then complete suspension of swimming.  
JCKW offers dues scholarships based on income.  We do not want finances to be the
reason someone does not have the opportunity to be a part of our team.
Meet fees are due upon entry.  We reserve the right to scratch a swimmer from a meet if
payment has not been made by the meet start date.  
Stay informed:
JCKW has up to 60 families involved and communication between the coaches, board and
membership have been difficult in the past.  These are the major forms of team
communication:  Please check them regularly.
-Family file:  each family has a file upstairs.  The practice and meet schedules will be
placed in the boxes.  Also, this is how we do our billing so please check often.  We also
may place lost and found items that we think belong to you in your box.
-website:  The team meet schedule, team info, qualifying times and almost anything else
you could need to know will usually be on the team website.  Browse the site and get to
know where everthing is.  We will try to keep the website as current as possible.
-e-mails:  when you register with the team you are placed on the team e-mail list.  
Practice groups and programs:

PREP:        Most swimmers begin in the PREP program.  PREP is designed to introduce
swimmers to the sport in a non-competitive environment so that swimmers can learn at their
own pace.  In PREP we focus on comfort and “feel” for the water.  We work on team
building, practice etiquette, and a lot of fun basic skills.  Repetition is vital to learning.  We
take time to acquaint swimmers with the idea that we are “racing ourselves” by focusing on
personal improvement rather than how we compare to everyone else.  Every child learns at
his or her own rate.  In PREP, some swimmers are invited to small meets when the coaches
feel they are ready.  

Beginning COMP:(Ages 8- 12)  The goal for PREP swimmers is to be invited to the
COMPETITIVE team.  In COMP, swimmers are welcome to attend any meet they are
qualified for.  The COMP team builds on basic skills already learned, and begins to add
endurance work to our skill repetition. Swimmers practice two times per week either with the
M/W or Tu/Th group.  Meets are encouraged but they are optional.
   
COMP 1:        (Ages 8- 12)    The COMP team continues to build on skills already learned,
and  adds more endurance work.  COMP swimmers should attend at least two meets per
season.  Championship meets are expected for COMP swimmers.  Please be aware that
even if your swimmer does not have individual qualifying times, you may be needed for
relays!  2-3 practices per week are expected in the COMP 1 group during the season.

COMP 1 practices are currently:
M, T, W,TH     5:00-6:15pm


COMP 2:          (Ages 9- 12)  COMP 2 swimmers focus on building endurance and learning
race strategy.  Swimmers in this group are expected to attend 3-4 practices per week as
prescribed by the coaching staff.  This is the first level where consistent practice
attendance and commitment to team goals are required during the season.  Championship
meets are required, and not attending may mean your swimmer will be moved back to
COMP 1.  

COMP 2 practices are currently offered:
M- TH               5:00-6:30 pm

Senior Development:  (Ages 11-12)  Senior development swimmers continue to improve
all swimming skills, endurance, work ethic, and team support.  Swimmers in this group
attend 4-6 practices per week.  Swimmers in this group are Championship qualifiers.

Senior Development practices are currently offered:
M- TH               5:00-7:00 pm

SENIOR 1:  (Ages 13+)  Our Senior group is for swimmers age 13 and up, and can
accommodate swimmers at all ability levels.  Our Senior group focuses on building aerobic
endurance and anaerobic power for race-specific training.  In the senior groups we
understand that some swimmers just want to stay in shape between High School and
summer seasons, and want to focus on long term goals like pursuing a college swimming
career.  We take the time to educate our athletes about training, nutrition, injury
prevention, and college recruiting.  In this group, we ask for 3 practices per week during
the active season, and require attendance at Championship meets.

SENIOR 1 practice times are:
M-TH                6:00- 8:00pm
Sat.                   9:00- 11:00am Saturdays.   



SENIOR 2:  (Ages 13+)  Our Senior 2 group is our ELITE group.  These swimmers will set
the example for our team in commitment.  5 practices per week are required during active
season for age 13-14, and 6 per week are required for age 15+.  Morning practices are
available for make-ups when needed, and mornings may be prescribed for our most
dedicated athletes.  Swimmers in this group may be expected to lift weights and to shave
their bodies for championship meets.  ELITE status is an honor and a privilege which must
be earned.   

SENIOR 2 practice times are:
M-TH                 6:00- 8:00pm
Sat.                    9:00- 11:00am Saturdays.   
AM practices:     5:45- 7:00am  *by permission only


*Please be aware that many athletes may never reach the more advanced levels of
training.  Please help your child to not be discouraged if others progress more quickly.  
Every child develops “feel for the water” at different rates.  And the life and interests of
every child are different.
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USA SWIMMING:  USS is an organization that has jurisdiction over amateur swimmers in
the United States.  Every swimmer must be registered with USS which requires an annual
fee-- (the $45 you pay when you sign-up every year.)  USS established rules, sanctions
competitions, and determines the eligibility of athletes.  USA swimmers are the best
swimmers in the United States, and always rank high in world competition.  Our Local Swim
Committee (LSC) is Missouri Valley Swimming.  We report directly to Missouri Valley and
have many of our competitions with other Missouri Valley teams.  There are currently 41
teams registered “year-round” in Missouri Valley.
          
Summer and high school swimming policy:

When this club was established, it was with the full intention of allowing swimmers to
continue representing their hometown tri-state teams in the summer and their high school
teams during the school year.  Dual membership can have many benefits and is important
to developing the “whole” athlete in the sport of swimming.  All we ask is that families realize
that this club focuses on long term goals and specifically the Missouri Valley Division 1
Team Championships.  JCKW should be a central part of our athletes goals in all other
leagues of swimming.  No one league is more important than the next and each league
serves only as a part of the total process of developing great swimmers.

High School swimming is an important experience.  The opportunity to represent your
school, hang with friends you don’t normally train with, focus on shorter races and have
short meets more often in a relaxed environment is great in boosting athletes general
morale.  Also, by nature, high school swimming is easier for the general public to
understand which gives swimmers a chance to gain well-deserved recognition for their hard
work and achievements.  MSHSAA has strict rules governing swimming and the placement
of the seasons is a concern.  Anyone who plans to swim for their school must meet with
their group coach prior to the high school season to discuss how it will incorporate into
individual and team goals.  JCKW swimmers are expected to represent us at
championship meets, even during or after the high school season.

In the summer we ask for a very minimal number of practices and meets from the majority of
our swimmers; (just enough to get adjusted to the long course pool.)  Usually we will pick
one or two meets that we want the whole team to participate in so we can go after a team
trophy.   Championships are required if you qualify, but we do work around this
requirement to accommodate to conflicts with the Tri-state swim championships.  We also
have modified our dues schedule and meet schedule to accommodate tri-state swimmers
so that you can fulfill your obligations to both teams without letting anyone down or making
your schedule too busy to enjoy.

We often encourage our swimmers to latch onto a summer team.   Please don’t think we are
trying to get rid of you!!  We feel that summer league swimming gives new athletes a
chance to feel comfortable and have fun learning the ropes!  Summer league meets are
very beginner-friendly.  JCKW can attend tri-state meets, but only by invitation as we are
not officially a part of the conference.  JCKW swimmers are also welcome to join the Webb
City summer team, but this is only encouraged if you are from Webb City or your hometown
does not offer a tri-state conference team.
A note from the coaches:

Parents, please remember that we all have the same reasons for being here.  We all want
to see your child succeed in this sport.  Although we are trying to build a strong underlying
team concept to motivate our Killer Whales, we must realize that this is the most individual
sport in the world.  While we race others it is preached to “swim your own race” and
compare yourself only to your best times.  To become a great swimmer one must spend
and unbelievable amount of time in the water, and must have great courage and
perseverance.  The athletes cannot praise, blame or criticize anyone but themselves for
their own successes or failures.  While this is wonderful in the respect that we are teaching
our athletes to take control of their own work ethic and sense of responsibility, this can
innately cause a tremendous sense of pressure.
Coaches often have high expectations.  We can sometimes bark; we let it show when we
are displeased, and we sometimes make mistakes.  When our swimmers learn how the
coach/athlete relationship works, and how much we truly care about them and their efforts
to improve, they will soon learn to have high expectations of their own.  We can play with
them like a friend, we can discipline and show concern for them like a parent, we can laugh
and cry together in the pool and out, but for this relationship to work there must be a deep
understanding that we cannot be a friend or parent.  What we have is a partnership.  An
athlete can only go as far as they dream and work, and only as far as their coach is willing
to take them.  I cannot do my part without the athlete and their families doing theirs, and my
athletes can not do their job without me fulfilling my obligations passionately and to the best
of my ability.  As coaches we have no goals of our own… all this work gives nothing to us
but the satisfaction of passing on our years of experience in the sport we fell in love with,
and the excitement of seeing someone we care about do well.  Please help your swimmers
to believe in us as coaches, and in our means and methods as part of the ‘process’ every
swimmer must go through to reach their fullest potential.

Parents, please be careful to take a step back and let this be “their thing”.  Let your
children know that you support them wholeheartedly.  Learn their times, learn how to
recognize when to congratulate them.  Please understand that learning to take a loss is as
important as learning to win gracefully. , and that learning from our mistakes is as important
as seeing hard work pay off.  This is how we help our swimmers to become true athletes in
life, and that is what our wonderful sport is all about.

Welcome to the Killer Whales.
The Ten Commandments for Swimming Parents:

This is the time to teach your child good sportsmanship, patience, the necessity to obey
rules, the responsibility to a group, and the value of hard work.  If you value winning a race
for your child more than any of the above qualities, you are selling your child and age
group swimming short.  There are things to be learned about losing as well as winning.  To
young children, especially, it will take your guidance to teach them to handle both
situations.  One aid is to keep a chart or record of his times so that he can compete against
himself and note his progress and set his own goals.  The rewards of hard work, friendship,
and travel are all available to your child.  Take advantage of them to build your child’s self-
confidence and speed his maturation.

1.  Thou shalt not impose your ambitions on thy child.  Remember that swimming is your
child’s activity.  He will progress at his own speed,  Nothing is worse than a parent coercing
a child to do something he does not want to do.  The nice thing about swimming is each
person can strive to do his or her personal best.  It doesn’t matter whether they come in
first or last, they can all improve themselves.
2.  Thou shalt be supportive no matter what.  There is only one question to ask your
child  “did you have fun?”  If meets and practices aren’t fun, your child should not be forced
to participate.
3.  Thou shalt not coach your child.  You have taken your child to a professional coach,
do not undermine that coach by trying to coach your child on the side.  Your job is to
support, love and hug your child no matter what.  The coach is responsible for the technical
part of the job.  You should not offer advice on technique or race strategy.  This is not your
area.  This will only serve to confuse your child and prevent that swimmer/coach bond from
forming.
4.  Thou shalt only have positive things to say at a swim meet.  If you are going to show
up at a swimming meet, you should cheer and applaud, but never criticize your child or the
coach.
5.  Thou shalt acknowledge your child’s fears.  It is totally appropriate for a child to be
scared to death at his first swimming meet, of her first 500 free or 200 IM.  Don’t yell or
belittle, just assure your child that the coach would not have put her in that event if she did
not feel she were ready.
6.  Thou shalt not criticize the officials.  If you do not have the time or desire to
volunteer as an official don’t criticize those who are doing the best they can.
7.  Honor they child’s coach.  The bond between coach and swimmer is a special one,
and one that contributes to your child’s success as well as fun.  Do not criticize the coach in
the presence of your child, it will only serve to hurt your child’s swimming.
8.  Thou shalt not jump from team to team.  The water is always bluer at the other team’s
pool.  This is not necessarily true.  Every team has it’s own internal problems.  Even teams
that build champions.  Children who switch from team to team are often ostracized by the
teammates they leave behind for a long, long time.  Often times swimmers who do switch
teams never do better than they did before they sought the bluer water.
9.  Thou shalt have goals besides winning.  Encourage your child to do her best.  Giving
an honest effort no matter what the outcome is much more important than winning.  One
Olympian said, “my goal was to set a world record.  Well, I did that, but someone else did it
too, just a little faster than I did.  I achieved my goal and I lost.  This does not make me a
failure, in fact, I was very proud of that swim.”
10.  Thou shalt not expect thy child to become an Olympian.  There are 225,000
athletes in United States Swimming.  There are only 52 spots available on the Olympic
Team every four years.  Your child’s odds of becoming an Olympian are about 1 in 4300.  
Swimming is about so much more than the Olympics.  Ask your coach why he coaches,
chances are that he was not an Olympian, but still got enough out of swimming that he
wants to pass that love for the sport on to others.  Swimming teaches self-discipline and
sportsmanship; it builds self esteem and fitness; it provides lifelong friendships and much
more.  Most Olympians will tell you that these intangibles far outweigh any medal they may
have won.  Swimming just builds good people and you should be happy your child wants to
participate.
Who do the Killer Whales compete against?
GREEN:  CENTRAL ZONE.  There are four Zones:  Eastern, Southern, Western, and
Central.  Our Zone Championships are held in August and require AAA times.  The
Central Zone is made up of the following LSC's:  Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Lake
Erie, Michigan, Midwestern, Missouri Valley, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ozark, South
Dakota, and Wisconsin.

RED: REGION 8/ CENTRAL SECTION:   Missouri Valley is a part of Region 8. The
Region 8/ Central Sectional Championships are held in early March for the Short Course
Season, and in Late July for the Long Course Season.  Our Sectional Championships
feature the best Senior Swimmers from the Missouri Valley, Arkansas, Midwestern,
Oklahoma, and Ozark LSC's.

BLUE:  MISSOURI VALLEY LSC:  JCKW belongs to the Missouri Valley Local Swim
Committee.  Our Division 1 LSC Championships are in Mid-March for the short course
season and Early August for Long Course.  Missouri Valley encompasses all of Kansas
and the Western 2/3 of Missouri.
Current Missouri Valley Swim Clubs: