Another fruitless letter, this time to RMC

Mark Rauterkus

Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.

108 South 12th Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Orders: 1-800-869-0758

Business Phone: 412-481-2497

FAX #: 412-481-2540

April 9, 1992

Robert Morris College

Department of Athletics

Coraopolis, PA 15108

412-262-8302

Dear Dr. Bob McBee,

Have you ever considered picking-up Men and/or Women Swimming as a NCAA Varsity Sport?

Have you ever considered NCAA Water Polo?

I understand from a recent visit to the college that the pool at the college is under-utilized to a great extent. With you facility, we could easily put some programs in there that would generate profits of $5,000 to $25,000 per year, if you are interested.

Furthermore, have you ever considered using the pool for you athletes jump training and off season conditioning?

Finally, I have one other idea that I’d like to share with you, and that is the starting of the Robert Morris Press. Many colleges and universities have university based academic press operations. With my young, independent, publishing business, I have many ways in which I could interact with your athletic department and form a sports publishing business and host many special events, for the sake of building a new source of revenue and positive public relations—especially to high school athletes.

If you are interested in getting together someday, perhaps over an informal lunch date, please call me. I have plenty of questions. Then I

would be most willing to submit a more formal business plan regarding my ideas.

I’m sending you a copy of my professional, swim coaching resume and a copy of two new book covers, plus a company catalog.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks.

Sincerely Yours,

SPORTS SUPPORT SYNDICATE, INC.

Mark Rauterkus, President

New Job Attempt, Plum

Plum School District

Personnel Director

Dear Mr. Edwin T. Neff,

I had a great time in my first year as the coach of the Plum High School Swim Teams. I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with the students and get back into the day-to-day activities of sports.

I’ve done a great deal of thinking about next year and the long-term future. I’d like to explore the possibilities of moving into a full-time position with the school district. I am thankful that you are willing to entertain ideas and proposals from myself regarding the creation of a new position within the district.

I see a number of different ways in which I could be of value to Plum besides being the swim coach. I’ve witnessed a number of needs for Plum that match perfectly with my past experiences and my goals for the future. I’d like to pull together a combination of part-time duties, and build a new position for myself within the district that would keep me busy on a 12-month basis.

As we progress in our discussions, I want you to share your ideas and give your input. For example, you already mentioned to me on my last visit to the office the fact that you could already use some support with the publishing of the newsletter. I’d like to start our discussion with these ideas and get a picture from you as to what you think might work, and what might not work. These ideas are a first step, and I’m quite open to making changes based on your feelings and advice.

Sincerely yours,

Mark Rauterkus

Plum High School’s Head Swim Coach

Summary

Mark Rauterkus, the present coach of the successful Plum swim teams, seeks to become a full-time, school district employee. Mark wants to work to create a new position for himself within the district by combining a number of existing and new responsibilities.

This new position is cost effective, as Mark’s efforts will increase revenues by creating new programs that better utilize existing facilities. 

The management responsibilities of the natatorium will come under Mark’s direction. Mark continues as head swim coach, but also serves as Aquatics Director to manage the swim lesson program, the evening recreation swim hours, the YMCA swim team, and all weekend/summer hours. Mark will upgrade all existing programs.

As for the new responsibilities, Mark will become the executive director of a few new ventures including: the Keystone Swim Conference, the Plum Press and the Pennsylvania Literacy’s Unity Movement. 

The Keystone Aquatics Conference will host big swimming competitions and clinics at Plum and around the area. For example, the Plum Area YMCA Swimmers are preparing a bid to host the 1993 YMCA district meet. This two day meet generates profits of thousands of dollars. 

The best description for the Plum Press is the academic press model in use at colleges and universities. I am sure you have heard of the University of Pittsburgh Press, or the Yale Press. The Plum Press is a business agency that utilizes student/employees to create educational products, mainly books. The Plum Press would jump into action as an outgrowth of the existing activities of the Sports Support Syndicate, Inc. A catalog and a list of projects that would take a life-time to develop are enclosed.

The Pennsylvania Literacy’s Unity Movement (PLUM) is an umbrella organization that allows the activities of the Plum Press to extend beyond boundaries of the community. Other schools, towns and sponsorship dollars are expected to be more attracted to our programs and further brought into the fold if we used the Pennsylvania Literacy’s Unity Movement banner.

Each of these new projects will be a not-for-profit (and not-for-loss either) venture and operate as a subsidiary of the Plum School District. In total, these new organizations will bring in substantial revenues to the district.

As for specific costs, the new projects presented should all pull their own weight. Mark would like to have a separate operational 

budget and line of credit for these activities that are not part of the traditional school district budget. Instead, the district could establish a corporation that is owned by the district. Each year the operational profits could be reinvested into the programs to purchase new equipment and provide better products for the district to enjoy.

Given a smooth transition and solid support for the ideas from the district, Mark can make projections of first year revenues (1992-93 school year) exceeding $50,000.00. In future years, the Plum Press could expect to grow to generate at least $250,000.00 per year.

The Plum Press, and/or the district can purchase plenty of computer labs, team uniforms, bus trips and timing scoreboards on a quarter of a million dollars of revenues. The Executive Director would like to be able to act like an entrepreneur and be able to respond to the marketplace quickly. Getting the responsibility, a special account, an identity and line of credit at a bank would take care of the majority of the start-up investment from the district. Both the pool and presses sit vacant and idle many hours every week. There would not be a start-from scratch learning curve as the Sports Support Syndicate could jump-start all Plum Press business.

Personally and professionally, Mark would rather be an executive director of a small, non-profit start-up associated with a school who earns a decent 12-month salary rather than being tied to the ups and downs of a small business. I’d like to have an opportunity to negotiate all the details of employment and vision with you.

There are thousands of benefits presented when discussing the formation and operation of the Plum Press. However, chief among the benefit are abilities of the Plum Press to: 

• stimulate reading, 

• foster a respect and love of books, and

• teach that hard, challenging work is personally rewarding and fun.

With the new directions being stressed by the Governor and the State Board of Education based on educational outcomes rather than credit hours, Plum is faced with changes. This proposed program stresses excellence in education and fitness and can easily garner front page headlines in the Wall Street Journal and features in Newsweek magazine. The whole community and school system can get excited about these ideas. Furthermore, my plan gets the ball rolling in areas outside of the traditional school day—lengthening the school day and lengthening the school year. In due time, we can put the energy and visibility of these projects into the classroom.

Natatorium CEO / Aquatics Director

Job Description

• Program and administer all after school activities at the swimming pool.

• Design and manage the budget for programs.

• Hire all staff.

• Coordinate payroll, time sheets, and getting all pay materials from the employees to the school district accounting office.

• Hold a forum for community input and evaluation regarding the programs.

• Coordinate usage of the pool with outside groups.

• In the summer months, either manage or hire a manager to operate the pool’s programs.

Goals

Increase utilization of the natatorium by the community with involvement in meaningful programs such as:

Learn to swim, family swim, water safety, masters swimming, fitness swimming, rehab exercise, and alternative activities such as water polo, diving, scuba, underwater hockey, birthday parties.

Mission

To upgrade the aquatic educational opportunities in periods beyond the school day by sponsoring creative programs and enrolling active, dues paying participants supporting such programs.

Needs

•Classroom and weight room availability

• Instructor payroll

• Marketing and promotions budget

• Class supplies

• Storage for pool area

Executive Director of the Plum Press

Plum Press Definition

The Plum Press would be a new department or a non-profit subsidiary within the school district.

The Plum Press would have its own operational budget that allows for revenues, expenses, speculative investments, capital investments, inventory, part-time salary, etc.

The Plum Press is a commercial enterprise, operated by a school district appointed executive director that creates an educational setting for the students and allows for the development, display, distribution and marketplace involvement of in-house products.

Mission of the Plum Press

The Plum Press would be a cutting-edge, private/public cooperative venture that would operate 12 months of the year.

The Plum Press activities would work with student/employees giving experiences in a wide range of roles including:

Management, Manufacturing, Writing, Editing, Photography, Design, Production, Advertising, Marketing, Accounting, Sales, Telephone Marketing, Wholesale, Public Relations, Printing, Merchandising, Direct Mail, etc.

Job Description

Design and seek approval of a business plan for the formation, funding and operation of the Plum Press.

Direct all aspects of the Plum Press.

Projects for the Plum Press

Mark Rauterkus has researched a wide variety of projects, investing countless hours, searching for meaningful and viable projects. Mark has a long list of pending projects ready for his direction, a list so long and deep that these projects would take a life-time to accomplish. The following is my short list.

Following Ideas by Category:

Book Series

Big Books

Periodicals

Book Series

Each title below is not one book, but a series of books with up to 30 total books in a series. Some of the books are simple, 48 pages in length, others are longer. Enclylopedia companies are hungry for the rights to sell books that come in a set. Each series would take a year or two to complete. Sponsors could be found for each series, similar to what BP Gas Company is doing with Winnie the Pooh books now being advertised.

A is for Athlete

This series of multi-lingual, sports-specific, alphabet books would teach languages and sports and culture. The series would feature one book for each Olympic Sport and each book would feature six or more different languages, including sign-language. I think we could get an Olympic sponsor, such as Pittsburgh Paints to sponsor this first printing. The Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs would also want to be involved.

Sports Math

This series of workbooks feature questions and answers about math as it relates to sports and recreation. The books in the series get more difficult with regard to the sports in discussion as well as the math skills needed to solve the problems. There has been a tremendous advance interest from this book. An attempt to publish the book with questions from sports magazine was not easily accomplished. 

Age Group Swimming Around the World

This series of books would feature a different sport in each book. For example, the swimming book would feature chapters on 11-year old swimmers from  different parts of the world. Different sports and different age groups could keep this series interesting and it would teach sociology as well as geography and languages. Mary T. Meagher, world record holder in swimming wants to help with the swimming book.

First Things First

This series of sport-specific books would teach a 9th grader how to consider trying out, joining, playing and conditioning him or herself for a scholastic sports team. The series would have a book on each sport offered in the high school setting.

A Plum Season

This series of sport-specific books would follow the activities of a sports team, its players, its coaches and the competitors from the first day of the season until the last, and beyond. We just published a book called, A DAM Good Year, on Masters Swimming from the Davis Aquatics Masters. The Plum Season could be similar in concept with a workout diary and drills.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

This series of sports specific books look at sports in terms of history, development and how the play of the game has changed. For example, in swimming, most good 12-year-olds can break world records, if they only lived in the 1940s. The core of the history part of the book would be a reprint of an older how-to book. The future section is a fun part that gives insight as to how the game might change. 

Patrick Rabbit - Literacy Comic Books

This series of comic books feature Patrick Rabbit of the literacy advocate group, Cartoonists Across the World. We will write the stories, sell the ads, build a program of distribution and contract with the creative talent. Barbara Bush, an advocate of literacy and an avid swimmer, wrote the forward to the swimming book, thanks to Mark Rauterkus’ contacts.

Notes on ________

This series of more technical, how-to books are written, by and large, by proficient student-athletes in conjunction with expert, internationally famous coaches. Each book will be on one sporting activity. For example, we can get Olympic Swim Coach, Don Gambril, to coordinate the text for the book, Notes on Swimming. These books serve as handbooks for our clinics and seminars.

Lifting in the 5th Dimension

This is one book that looks at peak performance and it utilizes weight lifting as the medium of expression. However, we can re-write this book over and over again making it apply to all sorts of activities, from marching in the band to playing on the volleyball team. 

Talking with the Golf God

This book, like Lifting in the 5th Dimension, is written for a specific game—the game of golf. However, the sports psychology, visualization, and other self-help messages of this book can be taken out of the context of golf, and re-written for other activities. This would be a fantastic project for high school students to complete.

Big Books

These books are single titles and potential best sellers. If we sell 3,000 copies per year, of a $15.00 book that costs us $4.00 to produce and deliver to the customers, the profits would start to grow.

Collegiate Recruiting Guidebook

There is not any one book designed for the high school athlete to read to tell him or her what to do about college sports participation. This book would be a big-time seller, if only all the rules would stay the same year to year. Every high school in the country would buy a copy of this book.

Pull Your Own Weight for Kids

The PYOW concept is in a pre-release edition and the Chicago Bears are about to run with this idea in Illinois. We could get most NFL, if not all the major league markets to get PYOW into the schools. Plum will start a PYOW program with the elementary grades. It is great for self-esteem.

Reading Day at the Ballpark

There is hat day, bat day, poster day, t-shirt day, and not READING DAY. We can get Reading Day at the ball park in every stadium and arena in every market in month. 

Periodicals

These titles would be published on a quarterly or monthly basis. The Plum Press, as a book publisher, needs plenty of free space to promote its own books, and we would do this in our own magazines. Our staff of writers, editors and advertising executives (all Plum students) would easily fill the pages, and our sponsor, Typecraft Press in Pittsburgh, would print the magazines on color newsprint in an economical fashion.

The Sports Reader

A quarterly, book review magazine with a fun, sports, recreation and fitness focus. Book reviews, written by our students and expert coaches and participants, would also appear in RR Bowker, Books In Print.

The Sports Chronicle

A quarterly magazine of newspaper article reprints from around the nation related to sports-specific topics. Every major weekly and daily newspaper would send us their publication for our clip service. We would read, select, and reprint local articles in a national journal, giving us volumes of materials to use at our desire.

The Golden Cog Award Program

An awards program for authors, editors, photographers, video producers, publishers, and illustrators for accomplishment in publishing in the sports and fitness field. Like the Cleos for advertising or the Oscars for motion pictures, our award, The Golden Cog, would put our organization on the map and under the spotlight for years to come.

Reading Public Service Announcements

A series of TV commercials, PSAs, that feature reading and literacy promotion, much like the Project PLUS from WQED. The Plum Press PSA’s could star athletes and authors engaged in a dialog similar to “tastes great vs. less filling.” Instead we would promote, “read books vs. read magazines vs. read newspapers.” All our celebrity shots can be provided at the annual Golden Cog Award Program.

School Operational Considerations

The Executive Director of the Plum Press would team-teach two classes per semester, 6th period and 7th period, to be called Applied Reading and Writing.

This elective, one-semester course would be open for 10 to 15 upper-class students who have earned high-honors English grades.

Applied Reading and Writing would be held in a classroom next to the office and store-room of the Plum Press. Hopefully, this room could be made available near the print-shop, perhaps room B6? This classroom and storeroom would also need to be the Executive Director’s office throughout the day. It will need to be equipped with 4 to 10 computers, a couple of phone lines and other, special equipment.

As teacher, the Executive Director would report to the school principal. 

The Plum Press will also be a club within the school that all the students could take advantage of if they want to particpate.

The Natatorium CEO/Aquatics Director will hold many pre-school activities for students and staff. Among those activities will be the creation of a new club, the Plum Guards. The Natatorium CEO should be assigned Home Room responsibilities and have the Plum Guards as students in that Home Room throughout the entire school year. 

The Natatorium CEO should also teach one course in the first period in the first semester to be called, Advanced Aquatics Exercise and Instruction. This class should serve as a PE requirement for the students who enroll.  The class should be restricted to swimmers who have already passed the PE swimming class. A classroom and part of the swimming pool should be available for the class meeting. It might be possible that the regular swimming class and the Advanced Aquatics could be held in the pool in first period if both classes are kept to a small number of enrollment.

As far as the coaching is concerned, Mark would continue to serve as the head swimming coach for the boys and girls teams. No significant changes other than hosting a couple of large meets each season, are in-store for the swim teams and the coach would report to the athletic director.

With the Plum Press and the activities revolving around fun activities, like athletics and sports and such, the Executive Director would like to be considered a “Resource Coach” for all athletic teams in the school.

Governor Casey Calls for Reforms

State Board of Education makes sweeping curriculum and testing changes.

Education’s Changing Face

Taken from recent newspaper articles.

“To lead our children out of the classrooms of the 20th century and into the world of the 21st, I propose fundamental changes in how we educate our children,” Governor Casey said.

... to shift measurement of student progress from how much time a child spends in school to what a child actually knows and can do.

... an apprenticeship initiative that would bring schools, business, labor and state government together to prepare kids for 21st century jobs. This initiative would include classroom training, as well as on-the-job experience, with certified craftsman and technicians employed by businesses or industries.

... students graduating from high school will have a wider understanding of subject matter and an accompanying personal enrichment, both achieved through dramatic revisions in learning requirements.

.. give educators the autonomy to develop their own programs. And those programs, the Board of Education hopes, will produce graduates who know what they need to know to become productive in society. Credit standards will be replaced with knowledge standards.

Will Plum High School have its own High School Press? It could be a commercial, incubator, laboratory, enterprise, operated by a school district appointed executive director.

The Plum Press will create a new educational setting for the students and allow for the development, display, distribution and marketplace involvement of in-house products and services. Why talk about exporting in class and not have an example of it in action down the hall at the Plum Press?

The Plum Press could be a cutting-edge, private/public partnership, that would inject a tremendous amount of energy, and zeal for reading, writing, fitness and sport into the student body and community at large.

The Plum Press would do wonders for literacy, personal fitness, creative thinking, self-esteem, and the Plum Press would offer real-world application of classroom knowledge for the students.

I feel that the Plum Press could have a positive impact on every student that goes through this high school and for every citizen in the district. Within ten years, the Plum Press could have touched every adult in the county in a positive manner. Furthermore, I am certain that the Plum Press can be operated in a fiscally responsible nature that would make it a source of new revenues within five years. 

More information and proposals, including the budget can be generated at our next meeting.

To the Plum AD

March 30, 1992

Athletic Director

Plum High School

Dear Mr. Robert Terlinski,

I'd like to be considered for the position of head swim coach for the 1992-93 season. I was happy with my first season at Plum, and I’d like to do it again next year.

There are a number of changes that I’d like to make for next season. Here is a quick list of the three most important changes that I have in mind for next season.

First, I’m hopeful that my discussion with the the Plum administration, and perhaps the school board, will lead to the creation of a new position for myself. However, even if we do not come to common ground, I am still most interested in returning as head coach, just as I was this season, with the same set of responsibilities.

Second, I’d like to make plenty of changes to the seasonal meet schedule. We should not have any exhibition meets if we are again forced to hold two meets with each team in our section. However, I’m under the impression that this requirement is going to change from the WPIAL office.

Third, I want to be able to give my input into the review of this season’s staff and be able to interview all potential assistant swim candidates and a diving coach, should Fred decide not to apply for the job for next season.

Sincerely Yours,

SPORTS SUPPORT SYNDICATE, INC.

Mark Rauterkus, President

Published Books and Software Specifically Related to

Swimming & Diving

Tide Teamwork

Authors: Don Gambril and Jonty Skinner

Sprint Salo

Author: David C. Salo, Ph.D.

How to Prevent Shoulder Injuries for Swimmers

Author: Mick Nelson

A Grammar for Training Female Sprinters

Author: Randall Radic

Inside Diving (pending)

Author: Hobie Billingsley

Swimming — Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

Authors: Bill Wadley & Robert J.H. Kiphuth

Swimmer Improved!

Authors: Kurte Wile, Orjen Madsen, Randa Ryan, John Witchel, Jay Mortenson, Jeff Kostoff

Organizing Our Workouts

Author: Charles “Skip” Bird

Mastering Masters Swimming

Author: George Bole

A DAM Good Year

Authors: Davis Area Masters Coaches and Team

Workout Handler & Master Plan (re-release pending)

Author: Mark Rauterkus

Performance Bond (re-release pending)

Author: Mark Rauterkus

Colleges where Swimmers Coached

Further Points of Interest from Mark Rauterkus

In the event that I am offered the job as head swim coach, I will want you, as the Athletic Director, to assure me that we can accomplish the following start-up tasks. I would hope that your office could coordinate the following points the first month as they are necessary to give this first season a positive jump-start.

I will need to prepare and do my homework on all elements of the team. This study should be an in-depth project on my part to get up to speed as to, “what is what” and, “who is who.” As I'm learning, I'll want to give others an opportunity to meet me and for us all to share ideas that can help the program and further assist the athletes.

1. I will want to have an initial meeting with the High School Athletic Director, the YMCA director(s), YMCA coaches, YMCA swim team captain and YMCA parents club president.

2. I will want to have a brainstorming meeting with the Swim Parents group. Then I will want to have a follow-up meeting with the same group one week later. At that follow-up meeting, we will pick a parent to serve as a communication facilitator for the remainder of the year.

3. I want to have two dry-land seminars with all the swimmers interested in becoming members of the team. We should hold these meetings in a large classroom, perhaps on Saturday afternoons when most of the people are available. We will elect captains, get training handouts, suggest pre-season conditioning programs, and get to know one another.

4. I want to be a part of the process to hire the assistant coach and diving coach. I want to be able to have the authority to object to the hiring and be able to dismiss these people at any time without prior approval.

5. I want to ensure that the year-round swimmers have a suitable opportunity to excel in the Plum program. I am not certain what solutions will be necessary, and everything may already be in place, but these may include optional morning, afternoon or evening practices at other facilities, with the YMCA program, etc. I want to be open to what has been the opportunities in the past. However, I personally, will not be hosting morning practices. I want to guarantee that there will be a place on the team for dedicated swimmers who want to swim to the best of their abilities.

Canadian asking about steroid uses

Letter to the OSU Swim Coach

Mark Rauterkus

Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.

108 South 12th Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

3-16, 1992

OSU

MEN's SWIMMING COACH

Dear Bill Wadley,

We just got home from the Penna. State High School Meet in State College and a good time was had by all.

Jim Rumbaugh swam to a first place finish in the 100 back and 200 IM.

Times of 51.49 and 1:52.58, a new state record in the IM.

Jim beat Derek Williams from North Penn in the IM, both swimmers went faster than the existing state record. But D. Williams has already signed with Minnesota. Williams swam fast relays, including a 20.+ in lead-off in the 200 free relay, setting a new state record for the 50.

Our girls team swam faster at the WPIAL meet, getting second place by 2 points. First went to North Allegheny, defending and repeating state champs. We went a 3:35.66 for a 400 free relay and a 1:50.26 Medley relay. Other fast times were 59.01 100 back, 1:58.5 200 free, 53.01 100 free, 2:11.02 200 IM, 24.57 in the 50 free, plus some others not quite as impressive.

As of now, Jim is thinking about Tenn, IU, NC State?, Virginia, and OSU. You have got to get on the inside track with him soon. 

I look forward to hearing getting the time to complete our book this spring.

Sincerely Yours,

SPORTS SUPPORT SYNDICATE, INC.

Mark Rauterkus, President

Our Plum 400-free Relay at States

Champions!

Attention Clinic Directors and Participants

From, publisher

Dear Coaches,

The brand new book, Volleyball Notes, is hot off the press. However, as of today, this new book is so new, that the ink is still drying and the books could not be shipped in time to make it to the clinic this weekend.

The clinic director has a copy of the book's cover, and you will be getting your own copy of this book in the mail within the next week or two.

The book features new materials from Coach Doug Beal on underhand and overhand passing, from Bill Neville on tournaments, and a host of other chapters on volleyball coaching.

We hope you enjoy the clinic and your copy of the book upon its arrival. Sorry for the delay, and I wish we could have put these books into your hands today.

Bombay letter, 3-25-1992

 Back side of light, frail, green colored paper:

Recap of Plum High School Swimming season, Mark's first as head coach

Letter from Mark Rauterkus

 

Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.

108 South 12th Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

March 2, 1992 

Plum High School

Athletic Director

Dear Bob,

The Plum High School Swimmers finished a most successful 1991-92 season with first-year head coach, Mark Rauterkus, by setting two new WPIAL records and gaining the highest ever team finish in school history.

Jim Rumbaugh, ('92), set new WPIAL records as he won the 200 IM and 100 backstroke in time of 1:55.61 and 52.34.

The Girls team finished the WPIAL Championship meet in second place with 144 points, only 2 points ahead of Mt. Lebanon, and behind defending state champions, North Allegheny.

The Girls 400 free relay of Karen Van Tassel ('93), Erica Van Tassel ('94), Karin Painter ('94), and Katie O'Neil ('92), won their event with a champion's time of 3:35.66. 

At the one-day, WPIAL meet, the Plum swimmers set nine school records. Nearly 20 new school records were set throughout the dual meet season, as the girls team defended its Section title going undefeated, while the boys posted a 7-7 record.

Sincerely Yours,

SPORTS SUPPORT SYNDICATE, INC.

Mark Rauterkus, President

memo to fellow WPIAL coaches

 Mark Rauterkus

Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.

108 South 12th Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

WPIAL Meet, 1992

Memo @ WPIAL & PIAA Swimming

Dear Fellow Coaches,

Here are some suggestions that I’ve been considering. We all know that there are many different ways to promote fast swimming. This list of ideas is my way of sharing some thoughts with you, and I do not intend to push for any one or all of these ideas at this time. Let’s just talk about them.

1. There are too many meets and these meets take away from the more valuable training time.

2. The Home and Away competition in meets could work if there were only four teams per section.

Let’s double the number of sections in the WPIAL keeping the good local rivalries alive.

Swim Section meets on Mondays, as scheduled by the WPIAL office, and make Thursdays the day for schools to schedule meets as they so desire.

3. Benefits Single-Sex meets:

Schedule boys meets on Mondays and girls meets on Thursday, giving the other sex an opportunity to train instead of going to the meet.

As justification to allow more competitors, we could push for JV and Varsity heats in big-school sections at single-sex meets.

Big school team should consider swimming against each other on the same day with girls at one school and the boys at another with JV and Varsity heats.

Single-sex Varsity only meets would allow teams to swim together for a 80 minute warm-up/practice followed by the meet.

3. We need more championship meets. Let’s not be forced to swim all of the late-season, dual meet schedule, and instead let’s hold bigger, multi-team, seeded meets. I suggest:

WPIAL, Boys vs. Girls, Freshman Swim Off - January 2

Boys and Girls JV Section Championships - January 20

WPIAL Distance Classic with 800 Free Relay, 1000 Free, 400 IM - Feb.1

WPIAL 6-Dive Championships - Feb. 1

Boys and Girls Varsity Conference (8 schools) Championships - Feb 10

4. Coaches and officials need to be responsive to more experimentation within the meet program.

At certain meets, let’s re-design the meet program and scratch some events in favor of different event and let’s use multiple heats.

Include:

• 400 Medley Relay, 800 Free Relay

• 200 strokes, and 400 IM

• 100 IM, 25 strokes

• 1000 free with 2 swimmers per lane instead of the 500

• Freestyle only meets with multiple heats per event

(no Medley, IM, or stroke races)

• Stroke only meets with multiple heats per event

(no 50, 100, 200, 500 or free relays)

5. In swimming, it is wrong to ask swimmers to make a State Qualifying time and place in the top 7 finishers. This is not the Olympic Trials. This is not a season ending meet. Make a time standard and stick to it. We are forcing kids to swim against each other and coaches to out-think each other, when we all should be racing against the clock.

Example: One team may want to train 4 or 6 swimmers for the same event in one season. That team would be punished in the WPIALs as they would knock each other out of going to states. But, they may all be able to do the time!

Example: One swimmer wants to make finals at states and avoid the shave and taper for the WPIAL meet. A WPIAL swimmer can not simply achieve the time standard at WPIALs and go for a better performance at States. A coach can be certain that a swimmer is going to hit a certain time, but no coach can guarantee an athlete as to what his or her final place will be and if a trip to states and shaving and tapering is possible. Hence, all the WPIAL swimmers have to either rest and shave to make states or worry about the final WPIAL place. From what I’ve been told, the WPIAL swimmers who could be getting seconds swims at states, don’t make many improvements at the PIAA meet.

We should improve the time standard and send any and all swimmers who make the PIAA cut-time advance to states, regardless of place. We should make an objective, published, study of the time standards and make recommendations based on a five-year average on each event, perhaps taking the 5th place time and adjusting the time standards accordingly.

We must push for this at the state level and use all of our political clout. I would rather take less kids to states and have a firm time standard to make it to states. This is the biggest problem in WPIAL swimming today.

6. For state championships, Illinois has tremendous success holding all the events of prelims on Friday and then all of the Finals on the second day. This allows swimmers to double in events more reasonably.

I’m not sure how a 2-sex meet on one weekend would work. Holding all the Prelims for both boys and girls on the same day might make an impossible day.

Day: Evening:

Day 1: Girls Prelims + Girls Diving

Day 2: Boys Prelims + Girls Finals

Day 3: Boys Diving + Boys Finals

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks.

Sincerely Yours,

Mark Rauterkus, President

Two article in the Plum Hi-Lites about swimming. Victory over OSU and Student profile

Plum High School - some time from the girls varsity dual meets

Medley Relay, 1:55.4

200 free, Karen V = 2:00.4, Karin P = 2:00.3, Katie 2:01.5, Susan 2:02.0

50 = Erika = 26.2

100 free, 55.5 = Karen V

100 fly, 1:03.1 = Katie

500, 5:28, 5:30, 5:38

IM, 2:15, 2:17

Breast, 1:11., 1:17

Back, 1:01.3, 1:08

- - -
This was a note sent to a friend. I was the first year as the head boys and girls coach.

Having a great time as the new varsity coach for the Plum Mustangs

Mark Rauterkus

Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.

108 South 12th Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

January 28, 1992

Plum High School

Athletic Director

Dear Mr. Robert Terlinski,

I'm having a great time, in this my first year, as the coach of the Plum High School Swim Team. I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with the students and get back into the day-to-day activities of sports.

Now I'm doing some thinking about next year and the long-term future. I'd like to explore the possibilities of some day moving into a full-time position with the school district. Would you be willing to entertain some ideas and proposals from myself regarding the creation of a new position within the district?

I see a number of different ways in which I could be of value to Plum besides being a swim coach. I'd like to work with you as Athletic Director and Mr. Klaus. Together we could dream up a couple of ideas, come to some agreements among ourselves and then pitch a proposal or two to the administrators and eventually the board.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks for the consideration.

Sincerely Yours,

Mark Rauterkus

Possible Positions:

Natatorium CEO

Athletic Development Director

Executive Director of the Plum Press

Chairperson of the District Wide Pull Your Own Weight Activities

Regional Swimming Coordinator

Sponsor of Publications (Yearbook/Newspaper/Wellness Newsletter)

Teacher of:

Swimming Classes

Journalism

Applied Reading and Writing

Collegiate Recruiting

Resource and Coach for Other Sporting Activities

Conditioning Coach

 

February 5, 1992

Plum High School

Athletic Director

Dear Mr. Robert Terlinski,

Here is the first draft of some ideas that I had in mind for us to share and discuss. You said it is always wise to listen, and I agree. So I'd like to start with these six ideas and get a picture from you as to what you think might work, and what might not work. These ideas are a first step, and I'm quite open to making changes based on your feelings and advice.

At first, I'm going to offer a wide range of ideas. There are too many here for one person to accomplish, but we might be able to build a position with points from a few of the different plans. They are in no order with regard to importance.

Iíve named each idea with a title for easier discussion. They include:

ï Natatorium CEO

ï Founder and Executive Director of the Plum Press

ï Chairperson of the Pull Your Own Weight Activities

ï Founder and Director of the Regional Swimming Team

ï Resource Coach for Plum's Sports Teams

ï Teacher

Furthermore, I realize at some point I'll need to further sell my ideas to others and even outline my philosophy of teaching. I'm prepared to do what ever is necessary in our discussion so that I may present a viable proposal to the district.

Natatorium CEO

Job Description:

Program and administer all after school activities at the swimming pool.

Design and manage the budget for programs.

Hire all staff.

Coordinate payroll, time sheets, and getting all pay materials from the employees to the school district accounting office.

Hold a forum for community input and evaluation regarding the programs.

Coordinate usage of the pool with outside groups.

In the summer months, either manage or hire a manager to operate the poolís programs.

Goals

Increase utilization of the natatorium by the community with the involvement in meaningful programs such as:

Learn to swim, family swim, water safety, masters swimming, fitness swimming, rehab exercise, and alternative activities such as water polo, diving, scuba, underwater hockey, birthday parties.

Mission

To upgrade the aquatic educational opportunities in periods beyond the school day by sponsoring creative programs and enrolling active, dues paying participants supporting such programs.

Needs

Classroom availability.

Weight room availability

Qualified instructor payroll

Marketing and promotions budget

Class supplies and storage for pool area usage

Founder and Executive Director of the ìPlum Pressî

Job Description

Design and seek approval of a business plan for the formation, funding and operation of the Plum Press.

As the formation of the Plum Press becomes a reality, the founder would become Executive Director.

Plum Press Definition

The Plum Press would be a new department or a non-profit subsidiary within the school district.

The Plum Press would have its own operational budget that would allow for revenues, expenses, some speculative investments, capital investments, inventory, part-time salary, etc., etc.

The Plum Press would be a commercial, enterprise, operated by a school district appointed executive director that creates an educational setting for the students and allows for the development, display, distribution and marketplace involvement of in-house products.

Mission

The Plum Press would be a cutting-edge, private/public cooperative venture that would operate 12 months of the year that would have the following benefits:

Teach students how to work-place setting

Provide hands on experiences of the marketplace in

Projects in mind for the Plum Press include:

Periodicals:

The Sports Reader

A quarterly, book review magazine with a fun, sports, recreation and fitness focus.

The Sports Chronicle

A quarterly magazine of newspaper article reprints from around the nation related to sports-specific topics.

The Golden Cog Award Program

An awards program for authors, editors, publishers, illustrators for accomplishment in publishing sports and fitness materials.

Book Series:

A is for Athlete

This series of multi-lingual, sports-specific, alphabet books would teach languages and sports and culture. The series would feature one book for each Olympic Sport and each book would feature six or more different languages. 

First Things First

This series of sport-specific books would teach a 9th grader how to consider trying out, joining, playing and conditioning him or herself for a scholastic sports team. The series would have a book on each sport offered in the high school setting.

Sports Math

This series of workbooks would feature questions and answers about math as it relates to sports and recreation. The series would get more difficult with regard to the sports in discussion as well as the math skills needed to solve the problems.

Patrick Rabbit - Literacy Comic Books

This series of comic books feature Patrick Rabbit of the literacy advocate group, Cartoonist Across the World. We will write the stories, sell the ads, build a program of distribution and contract with the creative talent.

Notes on ________

This series of more technical, how-to books are written, by and large, by proficient student-athletes in conjunction with expert, internationally famous coaches. Each book will be on one sporting activity. For example, we can get Olympic Swim Coach, Don Gambril, to coordinate the text for the book, Notes on Swimming.

Lifting in the 5th Dimension

This is one book that looks at peak performance and it utilizes weight lifting as the medium of expression. However, we can re-write this book over and over again making it apply to all sorts of activities, from marching in the band to playing on the volleyball team. 

Talking with the Golf God

This book, like Lifting in the 5th Dimension, is written for a specific gameóthe game of golf. However, the sports psychology, visualization, and other self-help messages of this book can be taken out of the context of golf, and re-written for other activities. This would be a fantastic project for high school students to complete.



Special Events

Pull Your Own Weight

Speaker's Tour

Student Readings

Radio Public Service Announcements

Halloween - Now that is Scary.

Goals

Needs

ï Chairperson of the ìPull Your Own Weightî Activities

ï Founder and Director of the Regional Swimming Team

ï Resource Coach for Plumís Sports Teams

ï Teacher

Keep It Simple Plan of Action for Mark Rauterkus Joining the Plum School District

Mark would like to explore the possibilities of becoming a full-time employee of Plum School District.

Mark suggests the creation of new, 12-month position within the school district.

The new position with have two major responsibilities with titles to be called:

Natatorium CEO and 

Executive Director of the Plum Press

As Natatorium CEO, Mark will take responsibility of the development and administration of all aspects of the Natatorium programing beyond the normal school day, including summers. 

As Executive Director of the Plum Press, Mark would lead a new department within the district as a non-profit subsidiary. The Plum Press would have its own operational budget allowing for revenues, expenses, speculative investments, capital investments, inventory, part-time salaries, office space, etc., etc.

Just as some universities sponsor their own University Presses, such as the University of Pittsburgh Press, so will Plum High School have its own commercial, incubator, laboratory, enterprise, operated by a school district appointed executive director. 

The Plum Press will create a new educational setting for the students and allows for the development, display, distribution and marketplace involvement of in-house products and services.

The Plum Press could be a cutting-edge, private/public partnership, that would inject a tremendous amount of energy, and zeal for reading, writing, fitness and sport into the student body and community at large.

The Plum Press would do wonders for literacy, personal fitness, creative thinking, self-esteem, and the Plum Press would offer real-world application of class-room knowledge for the students.

I feel that the Plum Press could have a positive impact on every student that goes through this high school and for every citizen in the district. Within ten years, I feel that the Plum Press could have touched every adult in the county in a positive manner. Furthermore, I feel certain that the Plum Press can be operated in fiscally responsible nature that would make it a source of new revenues within five years. 

The Plum Press would not be created for the sole purpose of turning a profit, but within a few years, the revenue from the activities of the Plum Press could fund many exciting experiences, from computer labs to guest speakers. In due time, the operations of the Plum Press could certainly pay for all the costs of the overhead, including the executive directorís salary. 

School and Employment Operational Considerations:

The Executive Director of the Plum Press would teach two classes per semester, 6th period and 7th period, to be called Applied Reading and Writing.

This elective, one-semester course would be open for 10 to 15 upperclass students who have earned high-honors English grades.

Applied Reading and Writing would be held in a classroom next to the office and store-room of the Plum Press. Hopefully, this room could be made available near the print-shop, perhaps room B6? This classroom and storeroom would also need to be the Executive Director's office throughout the day. It will need to be equipped with 4 to 10 computers, a couple of phone lines and other, special equipment.

As teacher, the Executive Director would report to the school principal.

The Natatorium CEO will hold many pre-school activities for students and staff. Among those activities will be the creation of new club, the Plum Guards. The Natatorium CEO should be assigned Home Room responsibilities and have the Plum Guards as students in that Home Room throughout the entire school year. 

The Natatorium CEO should also teach one course in the first period in the first semester to be called, Advanced Aquatics Exercise and Instruction. This class should serve as a PE requirement for the students who enroll.  The class should be restricted to swimmers who have already passed the PE swimming class. A classroom and part of the swimming pool should be available for the class meeting. It might be possible that the regular swimming class and the Advanced Aquatics could be held in the pool in first period if both classes are kept to a small number of enrollment.

As far as the coaching is concerned, Mark would intend to continue to serve as the head swimming coach for the boys and girls teams. No significant changes other than hosting a couple of large meets each season, are in-store for the swim teams and the coach should report to the athletic director.

With the Plum Press and the activities revolving around fun activities, like athletics and sports and such, the Executive Director would like to be considered a "Resource Coach" for all athletic teams in the school.

Pitt host OSU in swimming and we're with a front row seat

Mark Rauterkus

Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.

108 South 12th Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

January 18, 1992

Plum Swimmers

Dear Swimmers, Divers and Friends,

The meet is at Univ. of Pittsburgh Trees Hall, across the street from the field house and slightly further up the hill from the stadium and more to the crest of the hill and to the left as you look up the hill. Enter the front doors of the Physical Education facility - 2 story white building - and go to the left. 

The meet at Pitt with Ohio State and Penn State starts at 1:00. We will all sit together. PSU is going to be shaved. There will be diving. Meet will end about 3:15 or so, depending upon diving delays. The OSU coach will speak to our group at the conclusion of the meet in the stands. 

After our talk in the stands following the meet, we will head to my address, listed above, on the South Side. Go down the hill to Forbes Ave. which is a large, multi-lane, one way street headed to downtown. Head to downtown and take the first bridge across the Mon River. Turn Left to cross the bridge. At the end of the bridge, turn right onto Carson Street. Head to Station Square. Drive down Carson Street past the business district. The cross streets are numbered. Watch for 12th Street

Turn Left onto 12th Street. Go two blocks and our place is on the corner of Bradish and 12th, #108, a grey wooden building with large windows in front with old Cats Paw heel decals, as it used to be a shoe repair shop.

Bring money to buy pizza, as we will get Dominos. I'll have lemon aid. We will build our new meet program with desktop publishing. Each person writing something about him or herself. By 6:30 or 7:00, everyone must be gone.

We can't go ice skating at Schenley as it is closed on Saturday due to cold weather. There is ice skating at 21st street on the South Side but it does not start until 8:00 pm. You are on your own getting to and from everywhere. Some people will be leaving after the meet and others will leave after a short visit to my place.

Thanks.

Sincerely Yours,

SPORTS SUPPORT SYNDICATE, INC.

Mark Rauterkus, President