Code of Conduct - MVN Dive

General MVN

Rules & Regulations

Team membership, placement and grouping are at the discretion of the coaching staff. The staff has full power to accept or reject the application of any person for membership.

All scheduled practices and meets must be attended unless arrangements are made in advance and approved by the coaching staff. Continual lack of attendance may result in suspension from the team. Each diver needs to arrive at his or her scheduled workout group on time. Continual tardiness may result in suspension unless coordinated with the coaching staff.

All team members who are attending high school are required to maintain academic eligibility as per CIF rules. A minimum 2.0 GPA is required. Coaches may require team members to bring them copies of their report cards. A Diver may not participate in any AAU or USA Dive meet if their GPA is below a 2.0.

Team suits are required to be worn at all meets by all divers. In addition to the team suit, team warm ups are required to be worn by all divers who are members of Elite, Gold or Silver teams. MVND attire is to be worn on the award stand at all meets.

For National team members, National Team attire is to be worn at Nationals, no exceptions. Workout attire is to be worn at every practice and suits and attire must fit properly and present a professional and MODEST appearance. Divers failing to dress appropriately will be asked to sit out until proper attire is worn. Jeans, skirts and dresses are not allowed. Always wear appropriate running shoes, shorts or sweats, bathing suit and towel. All team attire can be purchased through the MVND team coordinator or approved vendor.

Parents, Family and friends are not allowed on the pool deck during workouts without the coaches’ permission. Parent/coach conferences are welcomed but should be arranged, in advance, by appointment.

Transportation to local meets and practices is the responsibility of the diver/parent and arrangements must be made in advance with another adult driver. Coaches are not allowed to transport divers.

Team membership can be terminated at the discretion of the Head Coach.

Social media policy: Team members and their parents are prohibited from being “friends” with any member of the coaching or office staff on any social media platform.

Bathroom policy and rules: The bathrooms at the Marguerite Aquatic Center are only occasionally checked by staff; generally speaking, they are not monitored by staff who are busy coaching. In the event an athlete needs to use the restroom during a training session, every effort will be made to have that athlete accompanied by another athlete. However, it is NOT the responsibility of the staff to ensure this policy is followed. Athletes will be given 5 minutes for a bathroom break. In the event the athlete does not return within the policy timeframe, once he/she returns, the athlete will be asked to sit out the rest of the practice.

Home Meets

Generally, MVND will host at least two invitational diving meets per year. The Chris Vonk Memorial Diving Invitational is held early in December, and the Ron O’Brien Invitational is held in March.

In addition, MVND may host some smaller, less-formal meets geared toward beginning divers. MVND periodically may host the JO Regional, JO & Senior Zone, and JO & Senior National Championships. Notification from MVND Club Administrator/Staff/Designated Volunteer, for parent signups will be emailed or posted 6-8 weeks prior to any MVND event.

Home meets require the participation of every MVND family. Advance preparations include sending out information, publicizing the event, obtaining food for coaches’ hospitality, and scheduling meet scorekeepers, registrars, and computer operators. During home meets, some jobs may include selling merchandise, booster club activities/support, announcing, manually keeping score, using the computer scoring system, attending to the hospitality area, and working at the registration & awards table. Volunteer hours from each family are required for these home meets. Please see the Team Service Hours Agreement for each family’s requirements.

Away Meets

Traveling to meets in other cities is an excellent way to test a diver’s developing skills while enjoying the benefits of visiting new places and making new friends. Parents or designated guardians of divers who are 13 years or younger are required to travel and board with their diver.

The parent or guardian must arrange for a chaperone if unable to travel to the meet with the diver. Both parents and diver must sign the Team Travel Code of Conduct each year. Although the club may recommend hotels for everyone to stay in, parents are ultimately responsible for housing, transporting, and monitoring their children during diving competitions. If a parent cannot attend, HE or SHE (not the coach) will be responsible for making arrangements for his or her child to stay with another family.

The High-Performance Director may designate and enforce a curfew. Whether at home or away meets, all team meetings and workouts are required. The Coaching Staff strongly recommends staying at the designated meet hotel, if at all possible, to facilitate team communication, bonding, transportation, getting to breakfast, workout, and team meetings on time. Staying in the same hotel is especially beneficial to newer or more inexperienced families who are traveling.

The newer families can visit with the more experienced families and “learn the ropes”; getting up together for breakfast with the coaches and teammates, leaving the hotel together, arriving to the pool on time (without getting lost)…all relieves the nervousness of parents and divers, and offers a support group on and off the pool deck – crucial for a successful and enjoyable event/trip.

MVND Team Code of Conduct

The purpose of this code is to promote the best possible individual, team, and competitive diving program by establishing a set of conduct rules to help ensure a friendly, safe and productive diving environment. The code is further designed to promote a favorable image of the Mission Viejo Nadadores Diving Team. This code is generally accepted by teams nationwide and is supported by USA Diving.

General Code of Conduct - Athlete

All members will respect the coaches. This includes giving them their full attention when they are speaking and providing instruction without back talk or arguments.
All members will arrive on time at practices & competitions early enough for designated stretch and warm up.
All members will treat each other with respect and display good sportsmanship. Foul language or name-calling is not permitted. Disrespectful, indiscreet or destructive behavior will not be tolerated. Any form of sexual harassment WILL NOT BE TOLERATED and are grounds for dismissal from team.
Pushing, hitting, kicking, taunting, bullying, and other intentional unwanted touching or interfering is not permitted. Athletes and parents are required to sign a separate Anti Bullying document at the start of every season.
Running or other horseplay activity is not allowed.
Athletes must notify coach on deck if parent has not arrived to pick them up within 15 minutes of the end of a scheduled practice or event.
All athletes are expected to participate in all designated championship meets they qualify to attend.
MVND is a drug free organization; using alcohol, non-prescription illegal drugs or tobacco is not permitted.
All members are expected to wear designated team suits, T-shirts, and warm-ups during all competitions unless otherwise cleared with coaching staff.
All members are expected to win with character and lose with dignity. This means greeting fellow competitors in the same manner regardless of the place or score you receive.
NO Cell Phones during practice time, including dryland. Cell phone use is for emergency only.
Social Media restrictions, divers are not allowed to post any inappropriate language, posts/text. This is considered a form of bullying.
Athletes are prohibited from becoming “friends” with any current Mission Viejo employee or coach on any social media platform. Videos and photos of athletes may only be uploaded by the coaching staff to the team social media platform.

General Code of Conduct - Parents

Youth sports programs play an important role in promoting the physical, social and emotional development of children. It is essential for parents, coaches and officials to encourage youth athletes to embrace the values of good sportsmanship. Moreover, adults involved in or at practices, competitions or related team events should be positive models of good sportsmanship and lead by example demonstrating fairness, respect and self-control.

Parent, Guardian or family members should not engage in unsportsmanlike conduct with any coach, parent, participant, official or other attendee.

Parent, Guardian or family member should not encourage child or other person to engage in unsportsmanlike conduct with any coach, parent, participant, official or other attendee.

Parent will not engage in any behavior that may endanger the health, safety or wellbeing of any coach, parent, participant, official or other attendee.

Parent, Guardian or family member should not encourage their child or other person to engage in any behavior that may endanger the health, safety or wellbeing of any coach, parent, participant, official or other attendee.

Parent, Guardian or family member should not engage the use of profanity at team facilities, events and social media affiliated with the Nadadores.

Parent, Guardian or family member will treat any coach, parent, participant, official or other attendee with respect regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or ability.

Parent, Guardian, or family member will encourage child to treat any coach, parent, participant, official or other attendee with respect regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or ability.

Parent, Guardian or family member will not engage in any verbal or physical threats aimed at any coach, parent, participant, official or any other attendee.

Parent, Guardian, or family member will not encourage child to treat any coach, parent, participant, official or other attendee to engage in any verbal abuse or physical threats aimed at any coach, parent, participant, official or any other attendee.

Parent, Guardian or family member will not use non-prescription illegal drugs or alcohol during or while attending a team related event. This includes being under the influence when in the presence of coaches, parents, participants, officials or any other attendees.

Parent, Guardian or family member will not permit or encourage child or any other person to use non-prescription illegal drugs or alcohol during or while attending a team related event.

Parent, Guardian or family member is responsible for their own personal conduct as well as the conduct of their children when representing MVND at competitions, practices and related events, or anywhere in public when they are wearing MVND identifying gear.

It is the Parent’s sole responsibility to arrange for all practice and event transportation, meals and supervision when unable to personally accompany their child. Travel and Consent forms available on Team Unify in the Document section MUST be completed and approved by MVND coaches prior to event registration at any away meet if a parent or guardian will not be present with their minor.

Although indirect, and gossip cannot be prohibited, it is strongly encouraged that parents communicate directly to the Coaching Staff regarding specific areas of concern in a respectful and productive manner to preserve the positive, family atmosphere of MVND.

Parent/Coach Communication Policy, communicate with coaches via parent liaison email only. Texts are allowed only if it is an emergency.

Parents are prohibited from becoming “friends” with any current Mission Viejo employee or coach on any social media platform.

Due to the nature of coaches working closely with and leading/disciplining athletes/parents, employees are strongly discouraged from socializing with parents on the team, outside of the pool. Interactions at competitions, team events and volunteer activities are exceptions to this policy.

The following measures are NOT in ascending order and any measure may be imposed immediately by the Head Coach or the MVND Dive Committee based on circumstances and severity of infraction by athlete or parents.

Verbal Warning
Written Warning
Restricted or modified practice (i.e. time out, request for written apology, etc.)
Diver removed from practice, event or scratched from meet with no expense reimbursement provided.
Suspension from events, practice or the team with corrective measures and/or specific behavior contract assigned to remedy the concern. Depending on severity of conduct violation, an indefinite suspension may be warranted
Removal from the team

Travel Code of Conduct

Traveling to meets in other cities is an excellent way to test a diver’s developing skills while also enjoying the benefits of visiting new places and making new friends. Parents or designated guardians of divers who are 13 years or younger are REQUIRED to travel and board with their diver.

The parent or guardian must arrange for a chaperone if unable to travel to the meet with the diver. Both parents and diver must sign the Team Travel Code of Conduct each year. Although the club may recommend hotels for everyone to stay in, parents are ultimately responsible for housing, transporting, and monitoring their children during diving competitions.

If a parent is unable attend, HE or SHE (not the coach or another family) will be responsible for making arrangements for his or her child. Please inform the office and coaches if your diver will be traveling with another family or designated responsible adult and communicate contact information accordingly.

In an emergency, it’s important for the traveling coaches to be able to reach a responsible party for each diver. All contact information and arrangements for transportation are the sole responsibility of the parent. Your child is your responsibility ultimately so please make sure all aspects of the trip and properly communicated and firmed up prior to travel.

In addition, if you are not traveling with your diver, make sure the responsible party has a medical consent form to provide authorization during an emergency as well as a copy of your diver’s medical card and any all pertinent medical information such as drug allergies etc.

Any traveling MVND coach may designate and enforce a curfew. Whether at home or away meets, all team meetings and workouts are required. The Coaching Staff strongly recommends staying at the designated meet hotel, if at all possible, to facilitate team communication, bonding, transportation, getting to breakfast, workouts, and team meetings on time. Staying in the same hotel is especially beneficial to newer or more inexperienced families who are traveling.

On trips requiring overnight lodging, team members may be required to stay in rooms or designated areas assigned by the coaching staff. All Divers are required to stay in the same hotel that the coaching staff resides in the absence of the diver’s parent or legal guardian. A parent, legal guardian or designated chaperone must stay in the room with the diver(s) if the diver(s) are a minor. NO Exceptions.

If members of the opposite sex are in a room not assigned to them, doors and curtains must remain open at all times.

Everyone must be in their assigned room at the designated curfew time and no one except assigned roommates are allowed in the room after curfew time. Appropriate curfews will be established for each trip by the coaching staff.

Smoking, use of alcoholic beverages or any drugs other than those prescribed by a physician or approved by a parent or coaches are NOT permitted. The Head Coach can require a drug test of any diver.

Indiscreet, destructive, disrespectful or any other behavior considered to be detrimental to the team will NOT be tolerated.

When certain meets require traveling out of town, the coaching staff will supervise the travel arrangements for divers not traveling with their parent or legal guardian. The team will travel together if at all possible, especially for international meets.

Family Activity Policy

When at a competition, ancillary family entertainment activities must be scheduled AFTER the diver is finished with daily competition requirements so that the diver is rested and ready to compete.

Additional rules may apply at certain meets and are at the discretion of the coach, meet director or event coordinator.

All Divers must wear MVND team apparel to all home and away dive meets. (Team apparel can be purchased online during coordinated opportunities throughout the year.)

If this Code of Conduct is violated, one or all of the following courses of action may be taken:

The diver may be withdrawn from the competition.
The diver may lose all team privileges including all monies given for the trip.
The diver may be sent home at his/her expense.
The diver may be suspended from the team for a length of time depending on the severity of the infraction.
The diver may be dismissed from the team.

Parents/Guardians Please Note:

The coaching staff will make every effort to see that the diving team members are properly chaperoned at all meets. The burden however must lie with the parent and diver first and secondly with the staff. It is the coaching staff’s priority to be available to coach our team. We require that all parents take the time to review the MVND Travel Team Code of Conduct with their divers and to fully explain the sensitivity and responsibilities that go along with the privilege of overnight team travel.