On February 21st, the SRA Board of Directors met and approved the budget for 2012. The new budget does not raise dues, which remain at $575 and are due by April 1st. You may pay in installments. If you want to pay in three installments, the first two should be in the amount of $200 each and the final installment is $175. If you want to pay in two installments, the first should be $300 and the second $275. If you decide to pay in installments, it is your responsibility to remember to pay in full by April 1st, no reminder bills will be sent. Or bring your checkbook and pay at the General Membership Meeting on March 19th. A late fee will be assessed on all dues not paid by April 1st.
Dues notices will be mailed out soon and payments should be sent to:
What a great start to our season! With several parties and swim meets under our belt, we are geared up for a great summer. This Saturday we hosted the first A meet for our swim team. Congratulations to the kids for swimming their hardest and posting our first win of the season. GO SHARKS!
We have a number of events coming up, including our first Family Night of the season. This Thursday, June 30, from 6:30 to 8:00, please join us for extended kid time in the pool while we cook up burgers and dogs. It’s a great time to socialize, feed your family and have some good, clean fun. I remind everyone that family nights are only as successful as we all make them. Volunteer to help out at the Shark Shack! It’s a great chance to meet and greet your SRA neighbors, and with lots of helping hands covering shifts, we all get to spend time with our own families as well. Check the calendar on the SRA website for dates and times for these events.
Remember, the Fourth of July is Monday of next week. The grills will be going nonstop, so we’re on the lookout for able-bodied grillers and cashiers to keep this going throughout the day. On the board by the office, please sign up for a time slot to help out.
Do you have a child 11-15 years old who would be interested in being a lifeguard at the SRA Pool in the future? Then we have the program for you!
Course participants learn all the basics of patron and pool safety during this 20 hour program. The Junior Guard Program will begin on July 9 from 2-5 p.m. at the SRA pool and will be taught by Mark Murray, our pool’s Facility Manager and Swim Coach of the Fort Belvoir swim team. Listed below is the schedule for the 2011 Junior Life Guard Program.
There will be a final exam on July 25 at 2 p.m. to conclude the course.
NOTE that in order to qualify to be a Lifeguard at SRA pool, a person must be certified by completing the American Red Cross Lifeguard Training (which includes CPR and First Aid) course and be 16 years of age – however if your child has taken the Junior Guard Program at SRA (or has one year guard experience at an equivalent pool), they will be considered for SRA pool employment at age 15.
FOR INFORMATION ON AMERICAN RED CROSS LIFEGUARD TRAINING courses, see the Fairfax County “Parktakes” brochure, or Fort Belvoir’s website, or contact Mark Murray.
The pool season is three weeks old now, and I wanted to provide the membership with a few updates on operations and other issues.
First, and most importantly, I am happy to report that we are cancelling the special meetingon June 21 that we had scheduled regarding the fire at Little Hunting Park. They are working with Fairfax County and their insurance company to re-open with some temporary facilities. We are continuing to offer assistance where we can, for example, we will be hosting one of the swim events that LHP was scheduled to host, and now will be unable to accommodate with the temporary facilities. I want to thank the many of you that reached out to me with words of support for our neighbors in their time of need. The members of LHP are truly grateful for our offer of assistance.
Second, I want to provide an update for you on the status of the volleyball court restoration. As you may have heard, as we began the restoration, we discovered a water leak in pipes off our property that was causing a significant amount of water to pool in the area of the court. Fairfax County located the leak, and notified the home owner. We were told that it needed to be remedied in 14 days. We are waiting for that to occur, and will complete the restoration as soon as conditions allow the equipment to operate. Thanks for your patience.
Finally, I wanted to take a moment to address the three temporary closures that we have experienced this year due to "environmental issues". Of course accidents are going to happen, and when they do, our staff knows exactly how to respond to ensure the health and safety of our members and guests. Our response to these occurrences is dictated by county and health officials, and we will continue to follow all the requirements. The good news is that our new facility has a far greater turnover rate than previously, and thus the period of closure has been greatly reduced. With that said, I wanted to remind us all about the rules in place regarding this issue.
From the SRA Rules and Regulations:
6.HEALTH AND SANITATION REQUIREMENTS:
...
C.Bathers who are incontinent or not toilet trained must wear a swim diaper.
D.No regular, disposable, or cloth diapers; or plastic swim pants are allowed in the pool.
E.Swim diapers must be checked at each break by a parent or guardian.
F.Parents /guardians are responsible for reporting ANY fecal matter in swim diapers that occurs in the pool to the pool manager or guard on duty.
G.Diaper changing is not permitted on the deck area, only in bathrooms at the diaper changing stations.
We have enjoyed a great start to the season. The opening party was a terrific success, the teams are running at full speed, and the pool has been well attended. I want to thank all the volunteers that make this possible. I know much of the hard work is in front of us, and I invite everyone to get involved. There are countless opportunities to pitch in and help keep this facility running the way we all expect.
Our coach this year is Bryan Bahr, entering his Senior year at George Mason University and a member of their Diving Team. Bryan won the CAA title in the 3-meter dive with and finished 3rd in 1-meter dive. He was named the CAA Men's Diver of the Week twice last year. He earned four letters in diving at Mount Vernon High School. He competed with the Patriot Dive Club, and was the AAU National Champion in 2006 & 2007. Many of you had the opportunity to meet Bryan at Super Sunday Registration. He brings a distinct love for coaching to our team and is able to teach youths to dive in a natural and approachable manner. Please welcome Coach Bryan to our team.
About Peg: This is my sixth year being associated with the team. I have been amazed at the growth we experienced last year and I am ever encouraged at the growing program we have with NVSL Dive at SRA. Not many pools have the opportunity to participate in NVSL Dive due to facility requirements. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful facility for dive and many great youth who are eager to participate in this beautiful sport.
About Jeanne: Jeanne has been involved with our team for many years and is an excellent resource in all aspects of diving from how to encourage your diver to how to encourage yourself to help with a meet. She will be coordinating our volunteers who will run the meets this year. We have 3 home meets and we host divisionals for dive this year. Contact Jeanne if you are interested in finding out about the training for working at a meet.
In this newsletter is information about:
-Clinics,
-Practice Times & Expectations,
-Links to dive videos,
-Terms for Observing Dives,
CLINICS: Please consider attending a clinic for helping our team in the meets. We need Judges, Table Workers (also called Officials). The workshops are listed on the schedule sent earlier. If you would like to practice these jobs please consider helping with the Dive Expo. The Expo is two days before the first training class on the 12th of June.
PRACTICE TIMES & EXPECTATIONS: Please be on time for practice. When divers arrive they should check in with the coach to be recorded as "present" and begin stretching while the other divers are arriving. Stretching is very important to being able to do dives properly. At all times the divers must behave in a safe manner and follow the direction of the coaches. Divers who are not listening to the coach or are behaving in an unsafe manner will be asked to sit outside the fenceline along the dive area.
DIVE VIDEO LINKS: In the newsletters I like to send some videos of dives that the divers may be learning, tips & pointers in video from various coaches, and just fun diving stuff that appears out there. Please share these as you feel necessary with your diver.
Of the five dive types in NVSL, the first four involve rotating in directions relative to the board and starting position. The fifth includes any dive with a twist.
Forward Group The diver faces the front of the board and rotates toward the water. Dives in this group vary from the simple front dive to the difficult forward four and one half somersault. Backward Group All dives in the backward group begin with the diver on the end of the board with back to the water. The direction of rotation is away from the board. Reverse Group Formerly called "gainers," these dives begin with the diver facing the front of the board and rotating toward the board. Inward Group Formerly called "cutaways." The diver stands on the end of the board with back to the water and rotates toward the board.
Twisting Group Any dive that uses a twist (excluding armstands) is included in this group. There are four types: forward, backward, reverse and inward.
Positions Divers use one or more of the four body positions during each dive: Pike The legs are straight with the body bent at the waist. Like the straight position, arm placement is dictated by the particular dive or by the choice of the diver. Straight No bend at the waist or knees. Depending on the dive, there may be an arch in the back. Arm placement is the diver's choice or is defined by the dive performed. Tuck Body is bent at the waist and knees, with thighs drawn to the chest and heels kept close to the buttocks. Feet and knees should be kept together and toes should be pointed. Free Indicates the diver's option to use any of the above three positions, or combinations thereof, when performing a twisting dive.
Judging Although several divers may do the same dive, each performance never looks quite the same. This is because each individual has unique mannerisms, characteristics of movement, strengths and timing -- all adding up to an abstract but observable phenomenon called "style."
Style is difficult to assess by any standard, except whether or not you like it. This is why judging is difficult. Even though there are criteria of execution all divers must meet, evaluation remains a subjective process. No matter how well a dive is performed, artistic likes and dislikes of the judges play a large part in the outcome of any contest, and for this reason there are usually differences of opinion among coaches, competitors, judges and spectators about the accuracy of results. A dive is scored between zero and 10 points (full or half point increments) by each judge. A table of the scores and how they should be awarded appears to the left. Note that the guidelines do not indicate an award of 10 as "perfect," but instead as "very good."
Categories of Judging Certain parts of each dive must be analyzed and evaluated, and an overall award obtained. The parts of a dive are: Approach Three or more steps forward to the end of the board before the hurdle and takeoff. Form: Should be smooth but forceful, showing good form. Takeoff A diver's lift from the board prior to execution of the dive. Form: Must show control and balance, plus the proper angle of landing and leaving for the particular dive being attempted. Elevation The amount of spring or lift a diver receives from the takeoff greatly affects the appearance of the dive. Form: Since more height means more time, a higher dive generally affords greater accuracy and smoothness of movement. Execution The dive itself. Form: A judge watches for proper mechanical performance, technique, form and grace. Entry The entry into the water is very significant because it is the last thing the judge sees and the part probably remembered best. Form: The two criteria to be evaluated are the angle of entry, which should be near vertical, and the amount of splash, which should be as little as possible.
Scoring NVSL has a five judge panel for regular meets. Seven judges are used at divisional competition. When the judges awards are given, the high and low scores will be eliminated and the remaining Three scores totaled. The number will be multiplied by the degree of difficulty rating assigned to the dive. The DD is predetermined with a table range from 1.2 to 3.7 in one-tenth increments
