Purpose & Organization

Purpose

The Iowa City Eels Swim Club is organized to provide a competitive age-group swimming program for the people of the Iowa City area.  The Club is dedicated to accomplishing the following:

1)  Help each athlete develop, understand and appreciate his or her own physiological and psychological capabilities, and those of others;

2)  Promote and encourage physical and mental fitness as positive ways of achieving realistic goals, both in swimming and other pursuits;

3)  Provide opportunities for realizing individual goals as well as competition with other athletes as a means of stimulating and motivating all participants to fully develop their potential as athletes and as sportsmanlike competitors in all aspects of life.

Organization

The Iowa City Eels Swim Club is an Iowa nonprofit corporation and is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  The Club's fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31.

The Iowa City Eels Swim Club is a registered group member club of United States of America (USA) Swimming, Inc., and is under the jurisdiction of Iowa Swimming, Inc. (ISI), the governing body of amateur competitive swimming for the State of Iowa.

The Club operates on a year-round basis that includes a summer season (long course) and a winter season (short course) each year.  An athlete's participation in good standing shall make that athlete's parents eligible for membership in the Club.  Membership is further contingent on the parents' participation in one or more of the committees and/or Club sponsored activities (i.e., fundraising, swim meets).  Membership in the Club is on a monthly, seasonal, or yearly basis.

The Club's business is managed by a Board of Directors, which is composed of five Officers (Immediate Past President, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer); four trustees; the Head Coach; an athlete representative; and a Masters representative.  The Board of Directors is responsible for developing, directing, administering, and promoting a financially sound, competitive age-group swimming program.  Regular Board meetings are held once each month, and at such other times as deemed necessary.  Club members are encouraged to attend board meetings and provide input and feedback.

The annual meeting of the Club membership is held prior to the start of the summer swim season (short course) for the purpose of electing Officers and Trustees to the Board of Directors and the transaction of any other business.  Special meetings of the membership may be called by the President, a majority of the Board, or by the written request of at least 15 percent of the Club membership.  Each member family is entitled to one vote at any annual or special membership meeting.

Standing Committees

Much of the Club's business is planned, organized, and conducted through the work of six standing committees: Fundraising, Communications, Technical Planning, Merchandise, Social, and Meets.  A Board Officer or Trustee is appointed to chair or oversee the selection of a chair of one or more of the standing committees.  Active involvement of each parent on one or more committees is essential to ensuring the Club's success.  The functions of each standing committee are as follows:

Fundraising- Responsible for developing, planning, organizing and conducting all Club fundraising activities.  These activities include events such as the annual swim-a-thon, holiday wreath sales; swim meet program ad sales, and corporate sponsorships.  Fundraising is important to help ensure the Club has sufficient financial resources while helping to keep membership fees as low as possible.  Because fundraising is so important, each family with one swimmer is required to raise $100.00 a year; and each family with more than one swimmer is required to raise $150.00 a year.

Communications- Responsible for facilitating the information flow among the Board of Directors, the Head Coach and the membership.  Activities include preparation of a monthly newsletter; maintenance of the Club's web site; preparation of an activities calendar; submission of newspaper articles; and posting items on the Club's bulletin boards.  Effective communication is vital to the success of any organization.  The Board of Directors is committed to establishing and maintaining an effective communication program.  Parents are encouraged to voice their suggestions and concerns, to attend membership and board meetings, and to volunteer to work on one or more committees.

Technical Planning- Responsible for the Club's meet equipment issues (Colorado timing system, computers, printers, and associated software) to include budget submissions, purchasing, inventory, storage, maintenance, swim meet set-up, operation, and training.  This committee's expertise and efforts are extremely important to the success of club sponsored swim meets.

Merchandise- Responsible for helping promote the Club and building team spirit through sales of swimming apparel containing the Club name and logo; and helping sustain the Club financially through swim meet T-shirt and program sales, and negotiating revenue sharing contracts with swim apparel vendors.

Social- Responsible for planning parties and membership events throughout the year to promote team spirit, provide fun activities, and allow parents to get better acquainted.  Examples of such events are the July picnic, Cookie Nights, and the March banquet.

Meets- Responsible for organizing and directing the three swim meets hosted by the Club each year.  The three meets are the Irving B. Weber meet in November /December, the Spring Meltdown in May, and the State Age-Group Championship in July/August.  Responsibilities include preparing the meet invitation; obtaining the meet sanction from ISI; preparing the meet entries; arranging for meet officials, timers, concessions, computer and timing operators; preparing the meet program; preparing the final results and financial summary.  Hosting meets is extremely important to the Club, as they are a primary source of revenue from entry fees and program, concession, and merchandise sales.  While the Meet Committee has the primary responsibility, hosting meets is a team effort of the entire club membership.

VOLUNTEERING TO SERVE ON A COMMITTEE IS A REWARDING EXPERIENCE AND HELPS ENSURE THE CLUB ACHIEVES IT'S GOAL OF PROVIDING A QUALITY COMPEFITIVE AGE GROUP SWIMMING PROGRAM FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE IOWA CITY AREA.