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Attendance policy

The following attendance policy applies to all Youth Competitive Athletes. 

Synchronized swimming is a team sport with every member playing an important role to ensure success of the team. Regular attendance and prompt arrival times are important to all members of the team. Full teams are required to be able to perform lifts, swim in patterns and for all athletes to be aware of choreography changes and clarifications. Aquatica’s attendance policy ensures that all members are aware of attendance expectations and sets clear guidelines on how to proceed if an athlete is unable to meet these expectations.

  • All competitive athletes are expected to be at all team practices, choreography camps, and competitions. 
  • Coaches will document all absences and late arrivals as they occur.
  • Coaches should be notified if an athlete is unable to attend practice ASAP so that coaches can make adjustments to their plans accordingly. We understand that sometimes things come up last minute like a family emergency or being sick, so in those cases please try to give as much notice as you can. 
  • Athletes with non-contagious illness or injury that restricts them from swimming (e.g., sinus infection, ear ache or broken limbs) are expected to attend practice to participate on deck and keep up with routine changes
  • Absences may be excused on a case-by-case basis if prior notice is given and there is a reasonable explanation for the absence, such as:
    • Any contagious illness. Athletes are asked not to attend practice when running a fever or where vomiting has occurred on the day of the practice. There are separate guidelines around COVID-19 and we will follow these to ensure the safety of our community. 
    • An injury that prevents the athlete from participating even on deck at practice
    • Mandatory school activities
    • A death in the family
  • If an athlete is unable to attend a competition for some reason, they should notify the team coach AND head coach as close to the start of the season as possible so that the athlete isn’t charged competition fees and coaches can adjust routines if needed.  Athletes are registered for competitions up to 5 weeks in advance and fees are non-refundable by MAS if an athlete can not attend.
  • No practices should be missed within two weeks of a local competition, or three weeks of a larger competition (CPC, Qualifiers, Nationals etc.) 
  • Any extenuating circumstances that come up preventing an athlete from being at practice within that time frame should be brought to the coaches attention as soon as possible to be discussed
  • Parents are encouraged to schedule vacations at times when athletes do not have practices (Christmas break, spring break etc.) 
  • If a vacation is to be taken during scheduled practice time, written notice to the primary coach and Head Coach must be given at least one (1) month beforehand to allow them to plan for the athlete’s absence
  • Vacations must not be planned within the two weeks prior to competitions, competitions can be found on Manitoba Artistic Swimmings website and in Aquatica’s club calendar on our website. 
  • If a vacation is longer than 2 weeks, or close to a competition, athletes may be asked to attend extra training on their return at the athlete’s expense to ensure they are caught up.
  • Parents of athletes with 2 unexcused absences a month or 3 excused absences a month will be contacted and a parent/coach meeting will be arranged with the team coach
  • The athlete’s commitment and the Club’s expectations of the athlete will be discussed
  • If absences continue after the initial meeting with a parent, a second meeting with the head coach and a board member will take place to discuss the matter and expectations. A course of action will be determined by the athlete’s coach and head coach at this time, this could include the athlete swimming as an alternate on the team until they can show regular attendance.