HOW TO BECOME A COACH MEMBER OF
September
2011
- Have current
certification cards in the below courses/disciplines:
USA Swimming Safety Committee has a list of approved certifications. It is posted on the USA Swimming site at all times
and that is the most current list. Click
on List of Accepted
Certifications to see the list.
The 3 certs you will need are below and include
2 additional needs:
1.
CPR
2.
First Aid
3.
Safety
Training for Swim Coaches (some Lifeguarding certs
accepted if accompanied by a STFSC online written test completion email – see
above link)
ADDITIONAL ITEMS NEEDED
- Complete the
USA Swimming mandated Background Screen. www.usaswimming.org/backgroundcheck
The approval
process takes 3-10 business days, so don’t delay.
5. Complete
the Athlete Protection Education. www.usaswimming.org/protection
*This APTest will not be available until 9/15/11. Therefore, no non-athlete memberships will be
processed until this test score comes through the automated system.
- Send the
following to Indiana Swimming (address is on non-athlete application):
- Completed
USA Swimming / Indiana
Swimming non-athlete application
- 2012 -
$55 fee ($49 USA Swimming fee + $6/IN coach surcharge)
- All 3 ORIGINAL safety certification cards as per
#1 above. We will return them to
you with your USA Swimming Coach card.
In order to expedite a membership due to last minute receipt of
cards, we will accept fax or scan/emails – lynn@inswimming.org or 317.237.5783
of card(s). IN Swimming reserves the right to refuse the fax or
scan/email card and request the original be
sent.
If one of your safety certs
is from the American Red Cross, they are now on an instructor submission ONLINE
process which allows for faster service.
If you waited until the last minute to get your certification, we will
accept the online course record that the instructor can print when submitting
their roster via the online system (it’s similar to a web-receipt as it shows
the URL address at the bottom). We will also accept an email or a fax of the ½
page certification that the instructor can print (in lieu of a card). We will not accept any ARC
hand-written cards or the former hand-written course record sheets.
The
background check and the APTest are automated and are
in a holding tank at USA Swimming’s servers OR will match to your
membership. There is no need to submit
any documentation you have on BG check or the APTest. This is a field in the membership program
that I cannot override, so if it’s not in the system, I cannot issue a coach
card. There is no such process as a
provisional or probationary coach membership.
All 5 items needed above have to be in the system.
*All memberships expire 12/31. Membership is NOT 1-year from when you submit
an application. If a membership
application is received 9/1-12/31 it is allowed to go over into the next
calendar year. That expiration date will
be 12/31 of the FOLLOWING year. Your
safety certifications & background screen expiration will be printed at the
top of your coach membership card for easy recall.
FOUNDATIONS OF COACHING EDUCATION
REQUIREMENT:
IF you have heard about a “long test” that you have to take to become a
coach, you can relax. This is NOT needed
for FIRST time/first year coach memberships.
Once you become first year coach at Indiana Swimming a “WELCOME” E-
THE COACH MEMBER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING ALL CERTIFICATES
CURRENT!!
First Aid, CPR, STSC and background
screening expiration dates will appear on the TOP of the coach’s card. The earliest of the expiration dates will
also appear in bold letters on the front of the coach membership card. Example: If CPR expires on May 15, 2012 the
following wording will appear on the front of the card: VALID THROUGH
LOOKING FOR A CERT CLASS?
We rarely are informed
of any cert classes in advance to post.
Check with the organizations in your area that are on the approved list
to check on class availability.
Please note on the
accepted certs link above, that
Waiver for Coaches with Physical Disabilities
Several
people who have applied for coach membership have had disabilities that
prevented them from completing CPR (asthma) and Safety Training for Swim
Coaches (wheelchair). These people were
unable to participate in the skills demonstration required to pass these
courses. Effective December 1, 1998,
coaches with physical disablilities can apply for a
Safety Certification Waver.
For
additional information, contact Lynn Kinstler at the ISI office (lynn@inswimming.org or 317.237.5780).
COACH SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
USA
Swimming initiated the Coaches Safety Curriculum in September 1987. USA Swimming coach members are required to
maintain current proof of training in First Aid, CPR and Safety Training for
Swim Coaches (STSC).
Local
Swimming Committees (LSCs) enforce these requirements largely through the
membership function. Justification for
the requirements may be found in legislation passed over the years by the USA
Swimming House of Delegates. The
following passages are found in the 2011 Rules
and Regulations:
Article 202.3.3 Conditions of a sanction - ….USA
Swimming athlete members must be under the supervision of a USA Swimming member
coah during warm-up, competition , and warm-down.
Article 502.6 PRIVILEGES AND RESPONSIBILIES OF MEMBERSHIP
.1 All non-athlete members of USA Swimming
must have satisfactorily completed criminal background checks and athlete
protection education as required
by
USA Swimming.
.3 Anyone who coaches athletes at a USA
Swimming practice or competition, must be a coach member of USA Swimming and
must have satisfactorily
completed
safety training, criminal background checks and other coaches’ education as
required by USA Swimming
.4 A coach members of USA Swimming must be at
least 18 years of age.
A list of acceptable First Aid, CPR and STSC
courses is linked on the first page of this document. Taking courses that are not on this list
will not be acceptable for coach membership.
There is no such thing as a full online cert. Coaches must demonstrate, in person, to an authorized
instructor with one of the organizations on the list, the skills to pass.
ALL
COACH MEMBERS OF
FOR
THE COACH AND CLUB TO MAINTAIN INSURANCE PROTECTION.
Frequently Asked Questions about
Safety Requirements
Q: Who determines which courses are
acceptable?
A:
Q: What are some of the minimum
requirements?
A: Every
course must be taught in a classroom; online courses are not acceptable. Every course must cover specific topics that
are on the committee’s requirements list.
Every course must end with both a written test and cognitive skills
demonstration. These tests must be
passed with a minimum grade of 80% in order to pass the course and receive the
certification.
Q: How can I request that a course be
considered by the committee?
A: Send the
following materials to Member Services Coordinator, USA Swimming, 1 Olympic
Plaza,
·
Student
handbook
·
Instructor
handbook
·
Copy
of written test
·
Outline
of skills that must be demonstrated
·
Copy
of certification issued (marked ‘void’)
The materials will be forwarded to the Safety
Education Committee for review. Please
allow 3-4 weeks for the process to be completed.
Q: I am a
Registered Nurse/Surgeon/Doctor/Physician’s Assistant/etc. Why isn’t my nursing or medical
certification/degree acceptable?
A: Not all medical
personnel are required to maintain current certifications in first aid and/or
CPR. If your certification does require
that but your facility/hospital does not offer a course that is on the USA
Swimming approved list, take the course and then go to your local ARC chapter
to challenge the same course. (See the
question above for more information about an ARC Review Challenge.)
Q: My CPR
certification expires tomorrow but I can’t find a class until next month. How will this affect me, my team and my
insurance?
A: Failure
of a coach to satisfy the safety requirements will be grounds for termination
of coach membership status and loss of insurance coverage. There is no grace period; coaches are
expected to renew their safety certifications PRIOR TO the expiration
dates. Clubs that continue to conduct a
program with coaches who have failed to maintain current certifications risk
termination of membership and loss of insurance coverage.
If your expiring
certification was issued by the American Red Cross, you can ask your local
chapter about a Review Course, which is much quicker. Your certification must be current or have
expired within the previous 12 months in order to be eligible for the Review. (Expired certifications are never acceptable
for coach membership in USA Swimming.)
Q: I just
took a course that is not on the approved list, what should I do now?
A: The
American Red Cross offers a Challenge for first aid and CPR. Contact your local chapter to make
arrangements to take the challenge, which involves the written test and skills
demonstration only – no classroom work.
If you pass the written test and the skills demonstration, you will get
the correct certification that you need for coach membership in 30-45 minutes
without having to sit through the entire course again. Fees for a challenge vary by chapter.
Q: Can a non-athlete volunteer to assist a coach?
A:
Things to remember:
®
It
is the responsibility of the coach to renew all safety certifications in a
timely manner.
®
There
is no interim coaching (grace) period.
When individuals apply for coach membership, they must meet all safety
requirements to be registered. All
safety certifications must remain current throughout the membership period.
®
Only
courses on the approved list are acceptable for coach membership.
®
You
jeopardize your
®
All
claims or incidents of bodily injury or property damage must be reported
immediately to USA Swimming National Headquarters and Risk Management
Services. Use the Report of Occurrence
form, which is available at www.usaswimming.org.
®
If
you don’t know the answer to an insurance question, just ask. We are here to lend support – call Carol
Burch or Lori Shumate at USA Swimming in Colorado (719-866-4578), or Sandi Blumit
at Risk Management Services, Inc. in Arizona (1-800-777-4930).
Enforcement in Membership
When
individuals apply for coach membership, they must meet all safety and
background screening requirements to be registered. They will not be allowed an interim coaching
(grace) period. Failure of a coach to
satisfy the safety and background screening requirements will be grounds for
termination of coach membership status and loss of insurance coverage.
Clubs
must have at least one properly registered coach to register as a USA Swimming
club. This does not change the fact that
all coaches must fulfill the safety
requirements. As defined in the
rulebook, a club must have at least one coach; group members that do not
fulfill this requirement may join only as “organizations.”
Coaching Assistants
An
athlete member of USA Swimming may assist
a USA Swimming coach. However, it is
imperative that the USA Swimming coach member be on deck with the athlete
member and maintain “direct line of sight” at all times.
If exercising sole supervisory responsibility (lane 8 kids), the 18 & Over
athlete must become a USA Swimming coach member, meeting all of the membership
requirements outlined above.
Enforcement at Practice
Clubs
that continue to conduct a program with coaches who have failed to satisfy the
requirements risk termination of membership and loss of USA Swimming insurance
coverage.
Enforcement at Meets
Individuals
without a current coach membership will not be allowed to participate in any
coaching capacity at any LSC/USA Swimming sanctioned competition. This restriction includes being barred from
the deck area at all LSC, Zone, Sectional, Junior National, National and
International qualifying competitions.
If
any individual refuses to comply with these provisions, all athletes on that
person’s club shall be designated as “Unattached” for the entire competition
unless the club has some other USA Swimming coach member present. It shall be the responsibility of the meet
referee, or his designee, to enforce these provisions. This “last resort” option of unattaching athletes exists only when the coach does not
fulfill the requirements and refuses
to leave the deck when asked to do so by meet management.
Athletes
should not be forced to swim unattached simply because their USA Swimming coach
is not able to accompany them to a USA Swimming meet. Instead the athletes should be assigned to
another coach, the host team or a designated marshal.
Membership Application
All
safety certificates must be valid on the date of application for
membership. Coaches should submit their
certificates (or copies, if allowed by LSC policy) of the First Aid, CPR and
Safety Training for Swim Coaches courses (front and back) as proof of training. If an
LSC Membership Chair doubts the authenticity of a copy, he/she has the right to
request access to the original. It
is the responsibility of the coach to renew all safety certificates in a timely
manner.
The First Aid, CPR and
STSC expiration dates will appear on the stub of the coach’s membership
card. The earliest of the expiration
dates will also appear in bold letters on the front of the coach membership
card. (Example: If CPR expires on May 15, 2012 the following
wording will appear on the front of the coach membership card: VALID THROUGH MAY 15, 2012.)
Waiver for Coaches with Physical Disabilities
Coaches with physical
disabilities who are unable to participate in the skill demonstrations required
to pass these courses can apply for a Disability Waiver. For additional information, contact your
Local Swimming Committee Membership Chair.
FIRST
YEAR EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR COACHES
Article 502.4.5 “All
coaches of USA Swimming clubs, including seasonal clubs, who register for the
first time as a coach member, shall complete coaches’ education required by USA
Swimming prior to receiving their coach membership for the second year.”
This
educational requirement is in addition to the safety and background screening
requirements described above. Within 4-6
weeks after the LSC Membership Chair processes the membership application,
first year coaches will receive a packet containing information about the
educational requirement, an order form for course materials, and information on
how to take the test online. Upon
successful completion of the online test, the LSC Membership Chair will be
notified automatically and the coach’s record will be updated to reflect that
the requirement has been completed. This
must be done prior to registering for the second year of coaching with USA
Swimming.