We grade swimmers on the following criteria:

1. Swimmer Type and Performance (Max: 40 points)

Club Swimmer:
Has AA or faster times: 40 points
Slower than AA: 30 points
Non-Club Swimmer:
Has faster than BB times: 30 points
Slower than BB: 20 points
2. Social Events Participation (Max: 15 points)

Full participation (e.g. attends 5+ events): 15 points
Moderate participation (3–4 events): 10 points
Minimal participation (1–2 events): 5 points
No participation: 0 points
3. Meet Participation (Max: 25 points)

Attends 5+ A/B meets: 25 points
Attends 3–4 meets: 20 points
Attends 1–2 meets: 10 points
No meets: 0 points
4. Family Volunteering (Max: 20 points)

Regular volunteering (multiple meets or roles): 20 points
Occasional volunteering (once or twice): 10 points
No volunteering: 0 points

maximum is 100 points. We levy double the registration fee for the following season if points are less than 60.

Just kidding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is a club swimmer who does A meets & some social stuff and rarely practices with the summer team (but contributes, or tries to contribute, points for the team to win A meets), less of a team member than a swimmer who practices often with the summer team and attends B meets?

I value that B kid over the A kid. But I do like if the club kid comes to team socials and is spirited, not just a Saturday only kid.

Kids who just show up on Saturday’s or kids who sign up for team but don’t do any practices or meets are not really part of the team.

Why not? They contribute to the team winning meets. If it weren't for their club swim, they wouldn't be as fast.

Anonymous wrote:Is a club swimmer who does A meets & some social stuff and rarely practices with the summer team (but contributes, or tries to contribute, points for the team to win A meets), less of a team member than a swimmer who practices often with the summer team and attends B meets?

I value that B kid over the A kid. But I do like if the club kid comes to team socials and is spirited, not just a Saturday only kid.

Kids who just show up on Saturday’s or kids who sign up for team but don’t do any practices or meets are not really part of the team.

Is a club swimmer who does A meets & some social stuff and rarely practices with the summer team (but contributes, or tries to contribute, points for the team to win A meets), less of a team member than a swimmer who practices often with the summer team and attends B meets?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are stupid but younger kids like them. Even the HS swim team does them. Our summer team has the teen coaches do them, mostly during unpaid time, which is wrong.

My daughter is a teen assistant coach and while she loves everything about summer swim, she and her fellow coaches spent hours and hours making paper plate awards for every kid on her team. A truly massive amount of work.

My daughter also was a longtime coach. So time consuming to make for the full team. The kids who show up everyday and have personality get great and funny plates. The children who come once or twice a season get “ray of sunshine” to fill up a plate even if they aren’t deserving. Some kids only get a paper plate for recognition if they aren’t a good swimmer. I wish there was a simple way to means test paper plates without singling kids out or hurting feelings.

"Aren't deserving?" We are talking about a simple acknowledgement that you exist and are seen and worthy. Every child should get one. You have no idea what a difference little things that say "I see you" can make in some child's life.

This is the bad mindset parents have these days. My kid deserves special recognition for pretending to show up and be part of the team. Expecting coaches to sink time into someone’s paper plate who didn’t put any time towards the team is ridiculous. I think it would be a very valuable lesson if the kids who don’t attend don’t get paper plates. Parents can explain if they show up more next time they can earn one.

Dealing with disappointment (fair or not) and moving on is a skill.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are stupid but younger kids like them. Even the HS swim team does them. Our summer team has the teen coaches do them, mostly during unpaid time, which is wrong.

My daughter is a teen assistant coach and while she loves everything about summer swim, she and her fellow coaches spent hours and hours making paper plate awards for every kid on her team. A truly massive amount of work.

My daughter also was a longtime coach. So time consuming to make for the full team. The kids who show up everyday and have personality get great and funny plates. The children who come once or twice a season get “ray of sunshine” to fill up a plate even if they aren’t deserving. Some kids only get a paper plate for recognition if they aren’t a good swimmer. I wish there was a simple way to means test paper plates without singling kids out or hurting feelings.

"Aren't deserving?" We are talking about a simple acknowledgement that you exist and are seen and worthy. Every child should get one. You have no idea what a difference little things that say "I see you" can make in some child's life.

This is the bad mindset parents have these days. My kid deserves special recognition for pretending to show up and be part of the team. Expecting coaches to sink time into someone’s paper plate who didn’t put any time towards the team is ridiculous. I think it would be a very valuable lesson if the kids who don’t attend don’t get paper plates. Parents can explain if they show up more next time they can earn one.

Not a bad idea. You must show up to practice at least 3x a week, as well as swim in 3 A or B meets, during the season to "earn" a paper plate award. Club kids won't care about paper plate awards, and kids who don't show up to practice or most meets may not bother to show up at the banquet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are stupid but younger kids like them. Even the HS swim team does them. Our summer team has the teen coaches do them, mostly during unpaid time, which is wrong.

My daughter is a teen assistant coach and while she loves everything about summer swim, she and her fellow coaches spent hours and hours making paper plate awards for every kid on her team. A truly massive amount of work.

My daughter also was a longtime coach. So time consuming to make for the full team. The kids who show up everyday and have personality get great and funny plates. The children who come once or twice a season get “ray of sunshine” to fill up a plate even if they aren’t deserving. Some kids only get a paper plate for recognition if they aren’t a good swimmer. I wish there was a simple way to means test paper plates without singling kids out or hurting feelings.

"Aren't deserving?" We are talking about a simple acknowledgement that you exist and are seen and worthy. Every child should get one. You have no idea what a difference little things that say "I see you" can make in some child's life.

This is the bad mindset parents have these days. My kid deserves special recognition for pretending to show up and be part of the team. Expecting coaches to sink time into someone’s paper plate who didn’t put any time towards the team is ridiculous. I think it would be a very valuable lesson if the kids who don’t attend don’t get paper plates. Parents can explain if they show up more next time they can earn one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Horror would be a completely inappropriate plate or leaving just one kid out completely.

That would be better than no paper plate awards.

JFC. Do you know how many parents are bitter and complain about who got what award. That you are ok with a kid being left out entirely as long as your kid got a paper plate with some dumb comment on it speaks volumes about you.

I can understand why they would be upset over subjective awards, like most improved or swimmer of the season. Those are pure popularity awards.

Most improved isn’t subjective. You can run a report in swimtopia that tells you who has had the greatest time drop. That’s what is used for most improved by our team.

^Awards person. This is what we do for most improved. We base it on time drops.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Horror would be a completely inappropriate plate or leaving just one kid out completely.

That would be better than no paper plate awards.

JFC. Do you know how many parents are bitter and complain about who got what award. That you are ok with a kid being left out entirely as long as your kid got a paper plate with some dumb comment on it speaks volumes about you.

I can understand why they would be upset over subjective awards, like most improved or swimmer of the season. Those are pure popularity awards.

Most improved isn’t subjective. You can run a report in swimtopia that tells you who has had the greatest time drop. That’s what is used for most improved by our team.

You CAN do that, but some teams don't. Swimtopia doesn't take into account other subjective aspects of improvement. Its all coaches' discretion.

Regardless, this thread is about paper plates awards. Personally,nice seen them range from cute to insulting. If want to do them, fine. But don't do them at a banquet when you know it won't end until 11:00 pm or later. Kids and parents need their sleep.

You should bring this up with your rep, this is not what we do and based on this thread, we're not the only ones who do not do this during the banquet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Horror would be a completely inappropriate plate or leaving just one kid out completely.

That would be better than no paper plate awards.

JFC. Do you know how many parents are bitter and complain about who got what award. That you are ok with a kid being left out entirely as long as your kid got a paper plate with some dumb comment on it speaks volumes about you.

I can understand why they would be upset over subjective awards, like most improved or swimmer of the season. Those are pure popularity awards.

Most improved isn’t subjective. You can run a report in swimtopia that tells you who has had the greatest time drop. That’s what is used for most improved by our team.

You CAN do that, but some teams don't. Swimtopia doesn't take into account other subjective aspects of improvement. Its all coaches' discretion.

Regardless, this thread is about paper plates awards. Personally,nice seen them range from cute to insulting. If want to do them, fine. But don't do them at a banquet when you know it won't end until 11:00 pm or later. Kids and parents need their sleep.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Horror would be a completely inappropriate plate or leaving just one kid out completely.

That would be better than no paper plate awards.

JFC. Do you know how many parents are bitter and complain about who got what award. That you are ok with a kid being left out entirely as long as your kid got a paper plate with some dumb comment on it speaks volumes about you.

I can understand why they would be upset over subjective awards, like most improved or swimmer of the season. Those are pure popularity awards.

Most improved isn’t subjective. You can run a report in swimtopia that tells you who has had the greatest time drop. That’s what is used for most improved by our team.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you have a good time at the end of season banquet? Maybe reflect on why your focused on team doing something different with the paper plates. No swim banquet should last more than 2-2.5 hours.

Notice that op referred to this get together as an awards banquet, not the end of season banquet. I assume she is a very confused individual.

Why would op be confused? The event is literally called “end of season awards ceremony.” It’s not a banquet. People come for their children to get an award.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are stupid but younger kids like them. Even the HS swim team does them. Our summer team has the teen coaches do them, mostly during unpaid time, which is wrong.

My daughter is a teen assistant coach and while she loves everything about summer swim, she and her fellow coaches spent hours and hours making paper plate awards for every kid on her team. A truly massive amount of work.

My daughter also was a longtime coach. So time consuming to make for the full team. The kids who show up everyday and have personality get great and funny plates. The children who come once or twice a season get “ray of sunshine” to fill up a plate even if they aren’t deserving. Some kids only get a paper plate for recognition if they aren’t a good swimmer. I wish there was a simple way to means test paper plates without singling kids out or hurting feelings.

"Aren't deserving?" We are talking about a simple acknowledgement that you exist and are seen and worthy. Every child should get one. You have no idea what a difference little things that say "I see you" can make in some child's life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a buncha team social events like we do, do the paper plates at one of those instead of the banquet

Doing it at an earlier social event would cut off a few weeks of opportunity to make the plates, but also time to get to know all the kids to come up with good ideas for all of them.

Ah, ok. Our team has social events at least once a week during the season, so we do the paper plates at the last one before divisionals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Horror would be a completely inappropriate plate or leaving just one kid out completely.

That would be better than no paper plate awards.

JFC. Do you know how many parents are bitter and complain about who got what award. That you are ok with a kid being left out entirely as long as your kid got a paper plate with some dumb comment on it speaks volumes about you.

I can understand why they would be upset over subjective awards, like most improved or swimmer of the season. Those are pure popularity awards.