Saturday, January 24, 2015

Re: New 10U and 12U rule modifications

On Jan 23, 2015 6:58 PM, <ceo@usawaterpolo.org> wrote:
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Dear Grant,
At our most recent General Assembly, USAWP announced rule modifications for our youngest athletes in the 10U and 12U age groups. A summary of the new rules can be found here: 10U & 12U RULES

The impetus behind these rules derives from a broad international and domestic basis. Here are some points of discussion to give a little background on the reason for the changes:

- These rules have been successfully implemented for over a decade in all of the developed water polo countries around the globe. In fact, at the moment the USA is the
only developed water polo country not to use modified rules for 10u and 12u.

- These rules are used by the largest development water polo league in the world "Haba Waba", and have gained full support from FINA, LEN and UANA. The countries using these rules to develop their athletes have a grown larger interest in our sport and developed some of the best athletes in the world.
Haba Waba playing rules.

- In California, the "Ironman Water Polo League" has been using these rules for the last two years with successful implementation amongst coaches, referees and athletes.

- Modified rules for these age groups is common amongst most youth sports in the world. USA Soccer, USA Field Hockey, USA Ice Hockey, USA Basketball and the USOC were all consulted during this process.

- For example, most 10u basketball leagues ban zone defenses. This rule is in place to help athletes develop the crucial one on one defensive skills necessary for fundamental success in the sport.

-
The overriding goal of rule changes at these age groups is to de-emphasize the focus on winning, by concentrating on fundamental athlete development, and in turn attract a larger base of athletes to our great sport.

Rules regarding the size of the goal for 10U athletes remains the same as established in 1/2014. Implementation the new goal size for 12Us is being phased in to allow coaches and clubs time to adjust. 12U will not go into effect until September 2015 for USA Water Polo National Events, and January 2017 for all other sanctioned events.

With the exception of the 12U goal size outlined above, these new rules are effective immediately and will be used for JO Qualifying Tournaments, JOs, Rock-tober 2015.

All My Best,


Christopher Ramsey
Chief Executive Officer
USA Water Polo
 
 
 
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Thursday, January 22, 2015

Proposal for a new afterschool activity: The GUARD

This proposal was sent in for consideration.
Enrichment Provider Application

Pittsburgh Public Schools is now accepting applications from enrichment providers who are interested in providing services at 21st century funded After-School Academy sites. Special consideration will be given to APOST quality campaign members. Grants for programming will be awarded between $500 and $3500 based on the proposal submitted to APOST. The application is open until all enrichment providers are filled.

Name: Mark Rauterkus
Phone number: 412-298-3432
Organization name: Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation (BGC)
Program name: The GUARD, from BGC's Swim & Water Polo Camp
Program description:
The GUARD is an aquatic fitness and job leadership activity proposed for both Perry High School and Brashear High School.

At basic levels, students get to visit, use, explore and discover at the school's indoor, six-lane, 25-yard, shallow-deep swim pool. Swim pools are powerful learning laboratories. Swim pools are places built for the crafting and study of individual and group excellence. Typical competitions at swim pools are measured in increments of .01 seconds. Swimming is a lifetime, lifesaving sport done all around the world. The oldest team sport in the modern Olympic Games is water polo. Furthermore, diving, synchronized swimming, scuba, fin swimming, underwater hockey, SKWIM, lifeguard competitions, paddle sports, deep water running, and water basketball are a few of the other pursuits that can and should unfold at public school swim pools.

Learning to swim, pool safety, following instructions, personal health, fitness, problem solving and other aspects of playing well with others are some of the elementary elements with The GUARD. Team building, demonstrating, rule following, competitions and matters of effort, energy and efficiency are explored from many perspectives.

The more advanced concepts within The GUARD concern the strengthening of knowledge, skills and confidence of high school participants to become lifeguards, swim instructors, camp aids and counselors. The GUARD is for job training and mentor development. Within The GUARD, the participants stride along a pathway to certifications and meaningful employment in health-related, educational rich, tech-savy, athletic professions. Knowing First Aid, CPR, and responsible behaviors at the age of 16 could lead to medical school one day or even a more knowledgeable and confident Good Samaritan in a city neighborhood in the hours to come. Most of all, participants in The GUARD get the inside track on summer jobs in roles such as Citiparks Lifeguards and Coaches with the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation's Swim & Water Polo Camp as part of Pittsburgh Public Schools' Summer Dreamers Academy.

Activities can begin at Perry in Feburary 2015 and at Brashear after the high school swim season ends, in March 2015.

What is the primary focus of your program? (Ranked checks applied below.)
Priorities in ranked order.
1. Recreation, Sports, or Physical Fitness
2. Career or Employment
3. Leadership or Character Development
4. Mentoring
5. Service Learning or Community Service
6. Social, Emotional, or Behavorial
7. Civic Engagement, Activism or Organizing
8. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
9. Academic or Education Enrichment

What grades do you serve? (Please check all that apply)
The GUARD in year one is to serve those in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Furthermore, The GUARD enabled special events throughout the fall, winter and spring can refresh relationships from the ranks of past and future Swim & Water Polo Camps. Therefore, Swim & Water Polo Camp participants from recent summers, from grades 3 and above, get to be involved too. So, in essence, The GUARD can serve students from a wide rage of grades.

What is your staffing model? (Please check all that apply)
The GUARD's staff includes Executive Head Coach, Mark Rauterkus, Varsity Swim Coach at Obama Academy. Another Obama Varsity Swim Coach expected to work with The GUARD is Jacob Boyce, PPS Teacher. Both have been contracted employees with the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation.
Most of the other employees in leadership roles are swim coaches in the area. Volunteers are expected as well, but they will have minor roles in operations, helping with certain topic areas as guest presenters and as on-going competitors and mentors. All workers / employees are to be paid as part-time staff with the BGC.

What type of training does your staff receive?
Staff gets ongoing professional development with certifications in Lifesaving, CPR, First Aid. Additional training happens with online lesson plans, technology tools and joint practices where coaches work sessions with students together.
What is your behavior management policy?
Mr. Igims, PPS P.E. Teacher at Langley K-8 and Activity Coordinator for Summer Dreamers in the past years, said, “Kids in Swim & Water Polo can't miss-behave because they are swimming.” At the pool we have a respectful and mindful approach to our bodies and communications among teachers, lifeguards and students. More specific “rules” and “guidelines” can be crafted for these activities with the advice of other staffers and program leaders.
Of course pool rules and safety first policies must be followed.

What is the standard ratio of students to staff in your program?
Ten to one is an average. A good coach and a functional team can operate at 20-1 ratios, but that would not be ideal in these settings with the initial programming seasons.
How do you track attendance?
Our attendance tracking software, TeamUnify, is fantastic. It matches photos, emergency contact info, and other results to every trusted teacher via smart phones.

How much experience do you have working with PPS students and communities?
Extensive.
Sessions are generally 90 minutes each. How many days a week do you need to operate?
Seems as if PPS and APOST seek to have ONE session per site per week at this time. That is fine.

Extra swim sessions every week are going to be made available to the students in that every FRIDAY is COMMUNITY WATER POLO at the Thelma Lovette YMCA on Centre Avenue in Pittsburgh's Hill District. That program is open to high school students and adults, free of charge. Our students are strongly encouraged to attend those sessions on Fridays from 5 to 8 pm. Saturday sessions and sessions at other city facilities are hoped for as well.
What do students accomplish by the end of a semester?
By May 2015, students can accomplish steady improvements in swim fitness, stroke technique and understanding of various water games including SKWIM and Water Polo. Students get a framework for progression from newbie to varsity competitive swimmer speed. Finally, an awareness of Lifeguarding, CPR and First Aid is shared with the students. Those seeking those certifications would be better prepared and need to take additional classes, perhaps with Citiparks on nights and weekends. Also, The GUARD could be made to expand to 3 or more days per week and the CERTIFICATIONS can be delivered then.

How do you motivate and engage the students?
Pay checks and employment contracts help motivate students. Being hired as a staff member is valued come June, July and August. Seeing improvement in abilities is always rewarding. Doing things never done before, such as swimming in the deep end or swimming a non-stop for 500 yards are big milestones.
Our technology tools that use photos, apps and wiki pages can be important to show progress and to make the work documents that are repeatable and reviewable for others in the years to come.
How do you engage parents/guardians?
We have robot auto calling capabilities. We use wiki pages, blog postings and Facebook often. We could establish our own web pages for each site. We expect to offer open-house visits at the schools too.

How do you incorporate 21st century skills?
See other artice on 21st Century skills.

How do you incorporate high-school and/or college-readiness? *This question applies to middle school and high school programs only.
There are college scholarships for LIFEGUARDS. Every college campus hires lifeguards for hourly work too.

Most colleges have swim teams, water polo teams and other happenings in aquatics that our students could join when they get to campus for fun, personal recreation, new friends and support.

Some colleges REQUIRE students pass a swimming proficiency test to graduate.

To certification process for lifeguards, for example, covers content similar to a low-level college course. Independent study and following established, standardized course curriculum with multimedia part of the process.  

Fwd: Free eBook Is Here! 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians -- Answered!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tom Woods <woods@mises.org>


January 21, 2014
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LATEST NEWS

Another Free eBook Is Here!
Derived from material I've covered on my show, 14 Hard Questions for Libertarians -- Answered is a great resource to help equip you to deal with common objections. Click here for the Kindle version and here for a PDF. (Of course, as with all Internet downloads, you'll need to right-click, not left-click, on your mouse, and choose the option to save to your computer.)

Covers questions like:

What would the poor do without government schools?

Why don't you want to ban sweatshops?

Shouldn't we restrict gun ownership to keep people safe?

Don't you care about the environment?

Why don't you support "net neutrality"?

Jan 24, 2015
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American University
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April 25, 2015
Event in the works!
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May 22, 2015
Event in the works!
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Does the Constitution Bind Anyone?

A second show on Lysander Spooner, this one on his views on the Constitution. Spooner advanced the radical argument that the Constitution does not and cannot bind anyone. I discuss his arguments in this episode.
Lysander Spooner: Anti-Slavery, Pro-Secession

Lysander Spooner is like Frederic Bastiat: the kind of thinker who changes you when you read him. Today I discuss the arguments in his 1845 work The Unconstitutionality of Slavery
A Renegade History of the United States

Here's U.S. history the way it's never been told before — and official left and right don't know what to do about it. Join me for a great discussion with historian Thad Russell!
Free Community College: Here's Why Not

Bryan Caplan is at work on a book provocatively entitled The Case Against Education. Who better to discuss the recent White House proposal for "free" community-college education?
Liberty in Our time: Here's How

Ian Freeman of Free Talk Live joins me to discuss some of the exciting liberty efforts going on in New Hampshire. They're unconventional, but that's why they're working.
Piketty Taken Down for Good

Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century was hailed by fashionable opinion upon its release. But it turns out that the author massaged his data, pulled numbers out of thin air, and rewrote history to conform to his biases. Phil Magness takes him down for good.
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Monday, January 19, 2015

Fwd: We need your help on Saturday - Please consider Volunteering some time.

From: Summit Against Racism <summitagainstracism@gmail.com>


Volunteer for the
17th Annual Summit Against Racism
Register Today
Black & White Reunion's annual Summit Against Racism is coming up quickly and we still have a need for volunteers for the day. On January 24, 2015 We will hold the 17th Annual Summit Against Racism at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Our theme This year is: "From Ferguson to Pittsburgh: Challenges Ahead for the Racial Justice Movement."

We need volunteers for many roles including Friday evening set up, Early morning (7:30am) on the day of the summit to help with final set up and registration, to help with the many great workshops, and to serve both Breakfast and lunch.

If you would like to help please fill out the form at this LINK

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Using the proceeds from the annual Summit Against Racism, the Black & White Reunion continues to provide Jonny Gammage Scholarships to African American law students who win our essay contest.  This past year we were able, in partnership with NEED, to offer two $2,500 scholarships to assist two students on their journey to becoming attorneys working for justice. 
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Friday, January 16, 2015

Fwd: Wendy's Drops Sodas from the Kids' Menu

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Margo Wootan" <actionalert@cspinet.org>
Date: Jan 15, 2015 11:53 AM
Subject: Wendy's Drops Sodas from the Kids' Menu
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:


Dear Mark,
Wendys Social Media Image.jpg

For more than a year, CSPI supporters like you have asked Wendy's to drop soda from the children's menu.  I have good news to share: Wendy's heard your concerns. 

Wendy's no longer includes soda in its children's meals or lists it on the kids' menu!

Soda is a leading promoter of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.  Soda and other sugary drinks are the largest source of calories in children's diets and provide nearly half of their added sugar intake.  However, most major restaurant chains continue to push soda through their children's meals.  That's why CSPI and our coalition partners at MomsRising and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility have been urging restaurants to stop promoting sugary beverages as part of meals for young children. 

Thank you for helping to make this change happen.  It is a good reminder that companies can and will change, but only if companies hear from you.

Please join us in thanking Wendy's for taking this step to support parents' efforts and children's health.

Soon we'll be in touch about urging Burger King, Applebee's, and IHOP to drop soda from their kids' menus too—stay tuned.

Warm regards,

Margo and Cameron.jpg

 

Margo Wootan, D.Sc.
Director, Nutrition Policy
Center for Science in the Public Interest

P.S. – CSPI takes no money from companies or the government.  We rely on the generosity of supporters like you to achieve victories for children's health.  Please click here to make a donation today.

 

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