CSI Technical Planning Questionnaire RESPONSES
NAMES & TEAMS – See below
Topic 1. ENTRY DEADLINES & BEING CUT FROM MEETS
How often was your team cut from CSI meets last summer?
None – 12 (2 of whom said they turned entries in "weeks" before deadlines)
Once – 3
Twice – 8
Should this policy (CT priority deadline) be modified to set the CT early entry date as three weeks before the meet date?
Yes – 19 (Two people want CT teams protected through regular entry deadline, i.e. Out of state teams get in only if there is room after all CT teams have been entered.)
No - 4
Should the policy (of providing a CT only, protected entry date) be dropped entirely?
Yes – 4 (Two people want a first come, first served policy without regard to team location)
No – 18 (One person suggests adding policy to all winter meets)
Should some portion of the LC schedule be open to CT teams only? If so, how often?
Yes – 20 (Two of whom said don’t eliminate opportunity for open meets the same weekends)
All meets during LC – 3
2 meets a month – 6 (Including a person who said 4 to 6 meets during the season)
1 meet a month – 5
Every 3 weeks – 2
Senior Champs - 1
No – 8
Topic 2. LENGTH OF AGE GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS
Several coaches observed that the present length of LC Age Group Championships inhibits quality swimming. Do you think the time of the meet should be reduced?
Yes – 8
No - 10
Maybe/Not sure – 3 (1 of whom seems concerned only if meet leaves Wesleyan)
Some coaches suggested holding all trials in the morning at two sites (e.g. 3 age groups @ Wesleyan & 3 age groups at East Hartford) so that finals could start earlier in the evening. If officials and volunteers could be found to mount two trials sessions would you prefer this over the present arrangement of running the meet at one site with 11/12 trials in the afternoon?
Yes – 3
Maybe – 3 (2 were worried about coach coverage)
No - 17
Some coaches proposed making the 11/12 events timed finals in the summer so that finals would include fewer events. Do you prefer this over the present arrangement?
Yes – 10
Maybe/Not sure - 2
No – 14 (Several very strong statements about this being wrong way to go)
Some coaches proposed that cut-off times be designed to create an entry of no more than three heats (24 swimmers) per event. Do you support this limitation of the entry size?
Yes – 3
No – 23 (Two people said they would be okay with 4 heats)
What suggestions would you make to CSI about the organization and conduct of the LC Age Group Championships?
See comments section at end of report
Topic 3. CT REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
This summer’s CT Regional Champs will be July 20-23, the same weekend as Sr Champs and one week before Age Group Champs. To do otherwise will end the summer season for most age group swimmers before mid-July. One option being considered is to conduct a single 13 & over Regional Championships at Wesleyan between trials and finals of Senior Champs. Two or three 12 & under Regional meets would be held at other sites. CSI would try to run all these sessions in the AM but it might be necessary to use a single site for two "meets," one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Would you prefer
To have the 13 & over Regional Championships at the same site as Senior Champs? - 8
To have all ages from one team at one site for Regional Championships? - 18
Would you prefer to see Regional Champs held the week after Age Groups – making the summer season longer but eliminating the meet as a last ditch qualifying opportunity for AGs?
Yes – 3
No - 25
Topic 4. SUMMER ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Would you prefer
To require Zone swimmers to travel and room as a team? – 17
B. To allow Zone swimmers to make their own travel and lodging arrangements? - 7
Topic 5. SPRING COACHES’ CLINIC, ASCA CERTIFICATION CLASSES & USS EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
How many coaches on your team will need to pass the first year USS education requirements to renew their USS membership next year?
None – 8 responses
One – 10 responses
Two - 3 responses
Three – 2 responses
Total number of new coaches from survey – 22
Would you attend an ASCA Level 1 class this spring? - 5
Would you attend an ASCA Level 2 class this spring? - 6
Would you attend an ASCA Level 3 class this spring? – 5 (plus 1 maybe)
Several people reported they were certified through Level Three. Some others objected vigorously to the USS and ASCA education program, criticizing the test and ASCA’s role in it.
PLEASE ADD ANY COMMENTS REGARDING THE SUMMER SEASON.
COMMENTS CONCERNING AGE GROUPS
Either swim 11/12s timed finals or drop 15 & overs
Put 15 & overs in P.M. trials session. Swim 11/12s with 13/14s
Create a two step process with "regional" qualifying meets at multiple sites and a top 8 timed final 2 weeks later
Fold all timed final events (including 11/12 400 Free on Thursday) [I don’t think this means relays and I’m not sure that person recognized that ALL 400 events are now timed finals at AGs]
Put 10 & unders at a separate site
Put 10 Y unders on a separate weekend
Put 400 IM events on Thursday
Move 15 & over trials to afternoon.
Make 15 & over a timed final session in AM
Put 11/12 400 Free (and maybe 10 & under 200 Free or 200 IM as timed final) on Thursday.
One coach wrote:
"Consider that there are wonderful elements to the meet and problems….Most of the problems seem to be seen by the coaches more than the kids….I hear coaches complain about the length of the meet all the time but rarely do I hear complaints from the swimmers or families. I do think we should make the cuts so they limit the size of the meet [elsewhere this coach suggested 4 heats as goal]
and I think we should consider moving 15 and overs (those without SR cuts) into SRs as a timed final event between trials and finals)….I do believe …AGs and SRs should be limited to CT swimmers unless we have adequate room to accommodate out of state swimmers which we have not."
GENERAL COMMENTS
Avoid a repeat of last summer’s SR championships. Cut teams by date of entry. Don’t "make a joke of the meet." Revise only the 400 Free/400 IM if needed, not the entire meet
Smaller teams with part time coaches have trouble covering extra meets & sessions [offered as general observation in context of multi-site meet proposals like AGs & Regionals]
Reduce length of meets to 2 hours – especially for novices
Make sure Wesleyan opens vents for all meets held there
Consider holding more events/meets on Friday nights
RESPONDENTS (Through Feb 7)
NAME TEAM AGES COACHED
Joe Testa NES 12 & under
Sean Farrel CDEV 13 & over
Ann McCann AJSC All
Steven Dore PSDY 12 & under
Mike Krein NCY 13 & over
Gary Cavaliere HNHS 13 & over
Kaeley Steinnagel LEHY 12 & under
Linda LaPeak Valley Shore Y 12 & under
Jeff Simmons Newington All
Sara Massa CAT All
Kathy Walsh NCY 12 & under
Bill Krumm WRAT 14 & under
Nick Cavataro GYWD All
Carol Navarro CAT 11 & over
Ed Heath FINS (Meriden) All
Chuck Elrick HMST All
Tom Theve Nutmeg All
Jeff Allen WYW 13 & over
Ann Hughes Glastonbury All
Robert Hughes Glastonbury All
Jack Stabach Nutmeg 13 & over
Cliff Johnson Valley Shore Y 11 & overs
Bill Ball UAC All
Tim Wise Omni All
George Miles BRS All
Kurt Bittel ICSC All
Karen Roth WYW All
Diane Honrath Trumbull All
28 Coaches from 22 teams
22 say they coach 12 & unders
23 say they coach 13 & overs
9 YMCA teams
5 "town" teams
8 other teams