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March 2017 Clinic Summary

LEVEL 3 COACH CERTIFICATION CLINIC: March 4. This course focuses on the administrative aspects of coaching (rather than stroke technique). This USMS Website link provides registration links and course description.

Here is the course outline of topics:

Level 3 - Administration
Chapter 1:  Developing Coaching Leadership
Chapter 2:  Program Management
Chapter 3:  Building a Budget
Chapter 4:  Building a Program Support Structure
Chapter 5:  Event Planning and Administration
Chapter 6:  Safety and Risk Management
Chapter 7:  Special Populations and Considerations for Adult Athletes
Chapter 8:  Dryland Training
Chapter 9:  Nutrition
Chapter 10: Injury Prevention

PNA will provide financial assistance to PNA members who take this course. Coach Certification Level 1 and 2 are pre-requisites to this training. See the application on the PNA site for financial assistance.

Application for Financial Assistance (PDF version)

Application for Financial Assistance (MS Word version)

STROKE DEVELOPMENT CLINIC for COACHES: USMS offers a new training for coaches on how to develop and run Masters clinics. Click this USMS Website link about the purpose of the course and its curriculum. The price is a mere $50, with a $10 discount if your 2017 registration includes the coach registration add-on. Because of this affordable price, PNA will not be offering scholarships for this program.

PNA swimmers will also have the opportunity to participate during Sunday's session (see next item).

The USMS Stroke Development Clinic Course, offered by USMS Education Services, instructs the Masters coach how to conceptualize, organize, and deliver a stroke development clinic (SDC). The course is offered to USMS certified Masters coaches who have successfully completed Level 1 or higher of USMS Masters coach certification. Current USMS registration is required. The course consists of both a classroom and on-deck component. The registration for the clinic course is limited to 12 coaches per class.

In the classroom, the course instructors will teach the Masters coach how to structure a clinic based on the type of clinic, length of time of the clinic, swimming pool configuration, lane space availability, and number of swimmers attending. The Masters coach will be instructed how to deliver a drill/swim progression for each of the four competitive strokes. The purpose of the drill/swim progression is to help swimmers of all abilities improve stroke technique during the clinic and the ability to self improve beyond the clinic into the future.

The on-deck portion of the class is delivered immediately after the classroom portion or the following day during a USMS Stroke Development Clinic. This gives the Masters coach the real-time experience of practicing the skills learned in the classroom while under the guidance of the course instructors.

The combination of classroom and practical instruction is a formidable method to achieving the core objective of the clinic course: Provide Masters coaches the skills and resources necessary to host a successful stroke development clinic.

Benefits of this course to Masters coaches:

• Increase the coaches’ skill level of stroke development and stroke technique improvement
• Professional advancement opportunities
• Revenue generation from clinics, new member recruitment, and member retention
• Becoming a resource to others who want to engage the services of a trained stroke clinician

The fee to attend the SDC course is $50. USMS designated Masters coaches receive a $10 discount during the online registration process.

STROKE DEVELOPMENT CLINIC for SWIMMERS: Click this USMS Website link about the purpose of the course and its curriculum. This USMS stroke development and improvement clinic is for swimmers of all abilities. It will be conducted concurrently as the in-water component of the Stroke Development Clinic for Coaches (above). All four strokes will be evaluated and corrected with the use of drills and coach instruction.  USMS Coaches Mel Goldstein and Bill Brenner will be on hand to help you improve your technique and teach you drills that will enable you to continue to refine your stroke. Swimmers are not required to swim all strokes and may work on only those strokes they choose.
Cost of the clinic is $40.

SUCCESSFUL OFFICIALS CLINICS in Idaho, January 7-8, 2017: PNA Officiating Coordinator Teri White says, “Hi everyone! Just to share what I think ended up being “the perfect” picture from my clinics in Couer d’Alene last weekend… this sums it up! We had 15 people for the Stroke and Turn clinic and 12 for the Starter in spite of that wicked winter storm that blew through. Fantastic people, and great fun talking to people who truly understand the technical aspects of the strokes! Matt Bronson (Inland NW LMSC Chair) plans on talking about the success of the clinics at the LMSC Leadership Summit in March. I hope this will generate fire to get other LMSCs who are short of officials to join in. Take care!”

ADULT LEARN TO SWIM CLINIC will be held in the Seattle area on January 28, 2017. Here is the USMS registration link for the clinic. For more information about the ALTS curriculum see the USMS website description.

At our October 2016 Board Meeting, PNA decided to assist PNA members who meet certain criteria with financial assistance for the ALTS training.  In updating our purpose for this financial assistance, PNA will evaluate applications based on the feasibility and planning that each applicant has for the timely use of this training.  Our experience has taught us that creating learn to swim programs locally takes considerable preparation and we are dedicating our financial assistance to those applicants who have researched the possibilities and have a reasonable expectation of applying the training within 6 months of participating. We have added an addendum to the scholarship application for PNA to evaluate how each applicant meets the new criteria.

PNA will assist those who meet the criteria with $125 towards registration for the ALTS training. If you are interested in financial assistance from PNA and meet the criteria, download the pdf version of the financial assistance application. A version in MS Word is here: financial assistance Word Version. If you have questions, contact Sarah Welch, PNA clinics coordinator at sarah@usms.org or 206-359-2588.