CLUB POLICIES
Please familiarize yourself with the SSDC policies below. In addition, all divers should be familiar with the AAU National Requirements, FINA Rules, and Degree of Difficulty Table put out by FINA International.
CLUB COMMITMENT
Becoming a member of the South Shore Diving Club (SSDC) is a commitment. The commitment comes from the coaches, parents, and the athlete. A commitment is defined from the time a diver starts, with SSDC, through July 31st, 2019.
If a diver quits SSDC, at any time, they are no longer considered a club member. When a diver quits, before the end of July 2020, they will no longer receive any preferential treatment as to diving days and will be relegated to space available regardless of past seniority.
ACADEMICS:
All divers must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA or a C+ for all classes, not just collectively.
ATTENDANCE:
Divers must be at practice on time and ready to dive. Siblings and career obligations often make this difficult. Car-pools with teammates are often the best solution. Occasionally missing a class is acceptable, but if it happens frequently the diver will be put on the wait list and another, more committed, diver may take his or her place.
BEHAVIOR:
Divers and their families are expected to behave appropriately at all times, follow the established rules of the pools and events and refrain from criticizing the judges, coaches, or divers.
Parents are not allowed to coach their kids while at practice for any reason. During practices and meets, allow the coach or coaches to do their jobs. Some coaches find that divers perform better and more effectively when parents are not present or are seated further away. Coaching, yelling, or disrupting a practice from the bleachers is never acceptable during practices or meets, in any capacity, for any reason. If your child misbehaves, a coach has some responsibility to discipline them, but the ultimate responsibility for discipline remains with the parent.
COMMUNICATION:
A diving coach can have a positive and long-lasting relationship with a diver. He or she can help a diver perform well and make diving a pleasant experience. Parents may find it difficult to approach a coach with a question or concern. Remember, the parent and coach are working together in the best interest of the diver and should feel comfortable discussing any issue that affects the diver.
The best time to approach a coach is before or after practice or a meet, not during the event. It is helpful to remember that a coach is most likely concerned with the long-term goals and may have a different perspective than the parent. Also, remember that the coach is concerned with the best interests of the team, as well as those of the individual diver.
A misunderstanding or miscommunication should be addressed early on before it turns into a more serious problem. Approach the coach with your concern and listen to the coach’s explanation. Some misunderstandings may be a miscommunication on the part of the diver. Occasionally, a parent may want to remove a child from a sport due to an unpleasant experience. Before making any abrupt moves, a parent should talk to the coach to see if a less drastic step may improve the situation.
HIGH SCHOOL DIVING - MIAA
In the event an SSDC Coach is coaching your High School Team - SSDC High School divers will need to pay the whole monthly tuition amount, every month (SSDC is a private club). If you need reimbursement from the school because the school is not providing a facility for your diver to conduct HS practice, then you will have to go after your school for reimbursement.
As a private diving club, SSDC will do their best to help club divers and advise club HS divers to strategize their dives for the best results even if their club practices are reduced due to the High School season. If a diver needs to reduce time, due to High School diving commitments, please let the coach know by the 20th of the month prior to the start of High School diving. An SSDC diver needs to maintain at least one practice day a week of diving in order to avoid the loss of membership.
INJURY
Divers who are injured and plan on returning to the club will need to continue paying their monthly tuition in order to hold their spot for up to 4 months. Divers who are injured and do not plan to pay the monthly “hold” amount of half their monthly tuition, will lose their spot, and membership in South Shore Diving.
Returning injured divers, who opted out of the monthly injury fee, will need to repay a registration fee.
MAKE-UPS
If you miss a class, I will do my best to help you make up the class within the current session, but there are no guarantees due to time and space constraints. There is no pro-rating of classes. All new sessions start fresh and a diver cannot carry over missed classes from a previous session.
REFUNDS
During the initial start with SSDC, if your diver doesn't want to continue after the first class, a refund will be issued. There are no refunds after once the second class has started.
Parents must let the Head Coach know, in writing, that they plan to quit, or leave, diving by the 20th of the current month and that they no longer plan to dive so they will not be charged for the next month.
If the parent doesn’t let the Head Coach know, in writing, by the 20th of the current diving month, they will need to pay the divers current tuition level for the next month. (There is a lot of planning and expense that goes into each diving month and SSDC needs a reasonable time to plan changes).
REQUIRED FORMS / MEMBERSHIPS
All divers must have completed all forms, be a member of the AAU with the "EXTENDED COVERAGE", and pay tuition on time.
FAMILY ACTIVITIES
know many of you have family activities on the weekends typically during the winter. SSDC divers with winter weekend activities will need to maintain at least one diving day a week (usually at UMASS-Dartmouth) in order to maintain their membership with SSDC otherwise membership can be forfeited.
TAKING A BREAK:
Divers wanting to take a “complete” break will jeopardize their diving spot (divers taking a break will not be guaranteed their preferred spot and membership in South Shore Diving regardless of ability, or seniority).
Divers wanting to take a break while keeping their spot will need to pay the ”whole” tuition fee for that month, otherwise, the diver will be treated as if it is a “complete” break and will potentially lose their spot and membership in South Shore Diving - regardless of ability and seniority. If the diver pays the monthly break fee, they will be supported at Nationals if they take a summer break.
LEAVING SSDC
Parents must let the Head Coach know, in writing, by the 20th of the current diving month, if their diver will no longer be diving with SSDC in the new month.
If the parent doesn’t let the Head Coach know, in writing, by the 20th of the diving month, they will need to pay the divers current tuition level for the next month.
TUITION
See the Tuition page for rules regarding tuition payments and pricing relative to the payment date.