Summary

City Meet Host Facility Search

Rob discussed the main challenge facing the league, which is finding a host facility for the city meet due to the unavailability of the LSU Natatorium. He asked attendees to approach their facility managers about potentially hosting the meet, even partially, and to fill out a form if interested. Rob also provided updates on the league's board structure, including the election of Julie as secretary, and announced that nominations for three member-at-large positions would be opening soon. He assured the group that the league's finances were in good shape, with updates to be provided in writing alongside the meeting minutes.

Competition Guidelines Discussion Updates

Rob and Romayne discussed two key issues regarding competition guidelines. First, Romayne questioned the requirement for lifeguards at city meets, and Rob clarified that while lifeguards are required for dual meets, they chose to have an EMT on hand instead for the recent swim meet. Second, Romayne pointed out that the competition guidelines don't explicitly mention the rule about college swimmers being ineligible, which Rob agreed to update in Article 2, Section 3A to clearly reflect the existing policy that prevents college swimmers from competing, including those 19 years old on June 1st and those who have attended college.

Stroke Judge Rules Discussion

Emily raised questions about the role of stroke judges in the league, expressing her experience from coaching in New Orleans where disqualifications were more common. Rob explained the current rules, which allow stroke judges to issue DQs only if both teams' coaches agree in advance, using league-provided slips. The discussion centered on whether the league should adopt the New Orleans model requiring stroke judges to issue DQs throughout the meet.

Swimming DQ Implementation Discussion

The group discussed implementing DQs (disqualifications) in swimming meets, with Timme emphasizing the distinction between summer programs focused on fun and fitness versus more competitive meets. Rob clarified that coaches can decide on DQ implementation based on their philosophies, as long as they agree beforehand, and noted that while online training might be required if DQs were mandatory across the league, coaches can use volunteers or certified officials for DQs if they choose to implement them. Monica inquired about obtaining DQ slips, which Rob confirmed are available on the league website under the documents tab on swimbr.org, along with other necessary templates and guidelines.

Greater Baton Rouge Swim League

The group discussed team divisions, confirming that with the addition of a returning team, the Greater Baton Rouge Swim League now has 17 teams, which aligns with the competition guidelines requiring more than 16 teams for divisions to be implemented. Romayne noted that team divisions are currently only used for trophy distribution at City Meet. Monica raised concerns about the clerk of course process at City Meet, highlighting issues with coordination and suggesting that experienced coaches could help improve the process for younger coaches and their teams.

Coach Presence at City Meet -Cap Proposal

The board discussed issues with excessive coach presence at events, particularly noting problems with too many volunteer coaches overwhelming the clerk of course areas, especially affecting younger athletes. Rob proposed implementing a cap on the number of registered coaches per team based on team size to address this issue, suggesting that teams with 20+ coaches were creating congestion and access problems. The group agreed this policy change should be implemented league-wide rather than just addressing individual teams, and Rob indicated he would bring this proposal to the board for further discussion.