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Is there a practice attendance requirement?
No. With the exception of the Senior Group, H2okie Aquatics has no practice attendance requirements. We encourage our Olympic Development swimmers to make as many practices as they are able because coming to practice is first step in assuring continued and steady improvement, but we have no requirements. For our Stroke School program we have introduced a new attendance policy this year. You may choose how many days per week you would like to participate and which days you would like to attend. We encourage you take full advantage of this new, flexible practice attendance structure.
What is my child doing at practice?
If you have questions about what your child is doing at practice, we encourage you to contact or talk to your child's coach, at an appropriate time (see When should I talk to a coach if I have questions...). We love talking about what we are doing at practice and why we are doing it, so if you see us doing a drill or activity and you want to know more, ask us. We encourage you to be active and involved with our program.
What is your inclement weather policy for practices? Do we have practice if it is storming, if school is cancelled, or if there is ice on the road?
In general, yes, we do have practice. We do not follow the same schedule as the school system, thus, even if school is cancelled, you should check the website to see if we have posted any practice changes. Our swimmers come from a very wide region and driving conditions may be bad in some areas, but not in others, thus if we are holding practice but you do not feel safe driving, stay home.
Most facilities that we practice at do not allow us to get in the pool if it is thundering or lightning and often require a waiting period from the sound of last clap of thunder to the time that we are allowed to swim again. During thunderstorms, we consult weather radar maps to estimate how long before the storm clears up and we are able to get in the water. If it does not appear that we will be able complete much of practice, we will cancel practice and post the practice change on the website as early as possible, usually a few hours in advance. If a storm occurs during practice and radar maps indicate that it is unlikely we will be able to get back into the pool with very much practice time, we may cancel practice and have the swimmers phone their parents. Conversely, if the radar maps indicate that the storm will likely pass quickly, we may "wait out the storm" and get back in the pool when it is safe to do so.
Oftentimes, in storm situations, it is very difficult to know whether or not to cancel practice. Sometimes we cancel practice, and the storm clears up in 30 minutes. Other times we delay cancelling practice in hopes that the storm will clear up soon, but it does not and we are forced to cancel practice after waiting at the pool for half of practice. It is difficult and frustrating for everybody involved during these situations, but we try to use good judgment and notify families via the website as early as possible. Please be understanding with us in these situations.
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