Present: Isabelle Fraser (PVAC), Ray Grant (SD), Brian Hobbs (GTRS), Dan Mascolo (HYV), Mike Spring (MVP), Dan Warner (NSSC), Dave Ponte (SCA), Brian Cameron (YNS), Paul Bennett (ANA), Josh Stern (OSS), Chuck Batchelor (NEB), Anne-Marie Estrada (AAC), Kyle Browning (AAC), Kate Mulholland (SRSC), Amy Parratto (SSA), Mike Parratto (SSA), Laura Matuszak (GMA), Marc Broudy (NWSC).

1. Discussion of end-of-season Championship Meet schedule.
   1. District Championships 2003 – It was proposed to move the District Championship Meet from March 21-23, 2003 to March 7-9, 2003.
1. Josh Stern said tat he did not like the District Meet placement in the schedule because it delayed the start of long course training for his age group swimmers.
2. Josh S. remarked that we need a “qualifier/last chance” meet before the championship season starts that is not the District Meet.
3. Josh S. stated that it made no sense to make the District Meet the last meet in the entire meet schedule for the season.
4. Dan Warner said that we need to decide as a group what we want and then we need to do it.
5. Both Dan W. and Josh S. both noted that with the current schedule, the higher-level swimmers on the team would be done with their training earlier than the lower level swimmers.
6. Ray Grant noted that some college pools might not be available for use earlier in the season.
7. In addition, Ray G. noted that some families might have conflicts with swimmers needing to attend different meets on the same weekend.
8. At Amy Parratto’s suggestion, each coach present stated his or her opinions on the placement of District championships.
   1. Isabelle Fraser said that she liked the current schedule and that her swimmers staid in the water most of the year. Therefore, she liked the idea of the swimmers staying in the water later in the season.
   2. Ray G. said that he was concerned about the pool availability, not the placement of the meet or the date.
   3. Brian Hobbs said that he was indifferent.
   4. Dan Mascolo said that he also wanted to see the lower level swimmers out of the water sooner. He also noted that the current placement of Districts might interfere with the YMCA New England Meet.
   5. Marc Broudy said the he was indifferent. He did not have an issue with the amount of time certain swimmers stayed in the water.
   6. Mike Spring said that the placement of the meets does not affect his training plan. He expressed his pleasure in the small qualifier meet that he ran for his own swimmers. He also said that he wanted to see a cap on age group championships, so that senior level swimmers were not participating in the meet.
   7. Dan W. said that he liked the move up of the District Meet because it allows for a better flow of meets for him and his team.
   8. Dave Ponte said that he liked the District Meet change because it allowed his swimmers a better break before the long course season.
   9. Brain Cameron said that he liked the move of the District Meet and had no opinion on the progression of the meets.
   10. Paul Bennett said that he liked the move of the District Meet because it allowed his swimmers a better break before the long course season.
   11. Josh S. said that, for him, it is not an issue of having a break. Rather, he wanted to start his long course season earlier. He felt that the late placement of Districts makes the short course season too long for the 9-12 year-old developmental swimmers. He pointed out that many coaches determine their training schedule based on the championship meets. Therefore, we have a responsibility to set up the best schedule for all swimmers. He felt that pools were not an issue, as we do not need the highest quality facilities in New England. We can hold the meet in a six-lane pool, with no warm-up/warm-down pool.
   12. Chuck Batchelor said that he liked the move of the District Meet because it preserved Districts as a championship meet and not a qualifier meet, and moved the meet closer to the Age Group Championship Meets.
   13. Anne-Marie Estrada said that she liked the move of the District Meet because it keeps the District level swimmers as part of the team, rather than separating them with several extra weeks of training.
   14. Kyle Browning said the he liked the increase in the long course season afforded by the move of the District Meet. He said that with the Senior Meet back in place, teams could use the Senior Meet as a team meet and perhaps opt out of Sectionals. He said that for his team, school vacation is a big hurdle to overcome in terms of consistent long course training. He feels that if he can start long course training two weeks earlier, then he may be able to prevent some of his swimmers from breaking up their training with vacation.
   15. Kate Mulholland said that she liked the move of the District Meet because it will keep her District swimmers feeling more a part of the team. In addition, it will help the long course season get started earlier. She does have some YMCA concerns with the current placing of the meet.
   16. Mike Parratto expressed his pleasure with the current discussion. He does have concerns about facilities and wonders if we will have to go to three meets soon.
   17. Ray G. mentioned that we would have to stick with 2 meets. If we go to 3 meets, the meets may be too small to get teams to run the meet.
   18. Josh S. said that if there were a facility problem, then he would personally run the meet.
   19. Josh S. also said that he wanted to see more coach representation at the Annual Meeting.
       1. He proposed that each team should have one coach represented at the Annual Meeting or be fined.
       2. The issues that we discuss are significant and the education that we receive is worthwhile.
       3. We can use the money from the fines for further coach education and food.
   20. Laura Matuszak said that the movement of the meet did not affect her training schedule. She said that she was concerned with pool availability, particularly Dartmouth at that time of the year. However, she supported the move because it seemed to make sense in the flow of championship meets and because it is clear that the other coaches support it as well.
2. Discussion about what the coach’s representatives can do to better server the coaches, particular regarding the recent concerns that coaches do not feel that the coaches on the Board are representing their interests.
   1. Josh S. said that the resentment came out of the proposed championship schedule that did not represent the coach’s ideas and the Bowdoin Meet.
   2. Dan W. said that he receives countless e-mails from parents and coaches regarding their concerns. He always brings these concerns to the Board where they are regularly met with minimal concern. He asks those who bring concerns to him via e-mail to bring forward a formal request to the board in writing, e-mail, or personal representation at the meetings. No one had followed through in this way.
   3. This process should be supported by the coaches’ representatives. We should explain the process, tell the coaches to take responsibility for themselves.
   4. Josh S. says that much of the resentment comes from the misunderstandings around the move of the 13 and Over Championships to the University of Rhode Island and the Bowdoin Meet. Josh took it upon himself to discuss these changes with Pam Warner and Mike Parratto to gain understanding. However, there was little communication from the Board explaining what was going son.
   5. Mike P. said that he had a problem with the way the bid was handled. The bid should not be awarded just to the team. It should include the facility as well. His problem with the meet at URI was not the team or the bid that they had approved. His problem was that the meet bid was maintained even when the facility was lost.
   6. Josh S. said that when a team gets a bid with a specific facility, the priority should be given to the facility rather than to the team.
3. Discussion of the Summer 2002 Long Course Open Championship Meet.
   1. Josh S. said that we should move the New England Open Championship Meet to August 1-4, 2002, which is the same weekend as Sectionals.
      1. All present agreed.
   2. Mike P., as the outgoing Senior Chair, stated that in order for the New England Senior Meet to be really successful, the standards must be fast, all of the teams must attend and the facility must be great.
4. Election of the Junior Coaches Representative.
   1. Dan Mascolo is voted the new Junior Coaches Representative.

Submitted: Laura Matuszak
New England Senior Coaches Representative
Green Mountain Aquatics Head Coach
63 Main Street
Essex Junction, VT 05452
(802) 654-2881
lmatuszak@smcvt.edu

Dan Mascolo hyvswimming@hotmail.com