USSSA 2022 Winter Magazine Ready, Set, Swim

Happy Holidays!

Our vision is to help every person in the world enjoy the water—our partnership with USSSA is a key step toward making that vision a reality. We simplify swimming for beginners because high quality products have the power to make the water a more fun and comfortable place.

This holiday season you can make your little swimmers even more excited for their time in the pool with high quality products like our DragonFly Goggles, Animal Head Caps, the Mermaid Dream Fin, or the Cozy Swimmer, our new kids' thermal swimsuit!

We’re here to help! Feel free to contact us any time with questions or comments!

ASSOCIATION

E.

Cave Creek,

85331 480.837.5525 usssa@usswimschools.org usswimschools.org

Better

School

Starts

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT EVERY Season is THE Season for swimming!”

Here we are approaching the end of yet another year and here’s hoping it was a great one for all of you. In keeping with the theme of ‘Tis the Season to Swim, if you’re a true swim person, you’re already saying to yourself:

“EVERY Season is THE Season for Swimming!”

It’s true that historically enrollments dip during this time of year with families clearing time on their already packed schedules and that lessons activity pick back up once spring arrives, but let me pose a few questions your way during this time of winter...

What if we continuously touted the year ‘round benefits of the potentially life-saving skill of swimming to our clients and families?

What if we systematically and strategically beat the communication drum of the developmental benefits that uninterrupted swimming provides cognitively, emotionally, and physically?

How often are we congratulating and offering our appreciation to our swim parents for having the forethought to recognize there is no greater single activity for their child to be engaged in than swimming (I mean who doesn’t like being congratulated or appreciated, right?)?

And the obvious question: Why not already know how to swim and be safe in the water before the parks/pools/lakes open up?

Maybe, just maybe, the narrative of seasonal swimming can begin to have its needle moved to making it a more permanent, lifelong lifestyle, and not just a seasonal activity.

What a great world it would be if EVERY Season was THE Season for Swimming! Wishing you all the best this holiday season and the upcoming year!

TRACY KOLEBER

US Swim School Association

TRACY KOLEBER

FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Business, like life, is cyclical and has seasons or stages.

As I consider our theme for this issue it gave me a moment to consider the seasons of business. Yes, did you know that there are seasons to each business? Business, like life, is cyclical and has seasons or stages.

Spring is the season of creation. It’s about potential and possibilities. It’s an exciting (and sometimes scary) time as you start on something new or different.

Summer is the season of growth. The time when you nurture and tend to the development of the businesses.

Fall is the season of harvest. A time when you reap the rewards of your efforts and hard work. Hopefully this is also the season where you are storing up your reserves while there is abundance.

Winter is the season of rest. Both you and your business need time to rest and reflect. This can be a time with its own challenges, as the demand for what you are offering may dwindle and you need to lean on your reserves to keep moving forward and hang on until your next spring.

What season is your business currently in right now? What can you learn from fellow swim school owners that have moved ahead to the next season?

As an association we value meaningful connections and we hope over this year you have been able to take advantage of opportunities to connect with fellow swim school owners, while also learning from one another through our various resources such as webinars, huddles, and this magazine.

In this issue you can learn more about tips for teaching adults, taking action to reduce your business’s carbon footprint, and what soft skills are needed in sales, because let’s face it, in one way or another we are all selling something.

If you have not yet checked out our new Certified Fundamental Swim Instructor you can visit our website to learn more at: www.usswimschools.org/cfsi/

USSSA continues to grow and develop benefits and resources to help you and your business through the seasons ahead.

LISA M. ZARDA, CAE, CNAP Executive Director | US Swim School Association

ENERGIZED INTO ACTION

The commitment was to become more sustainably minded and to do my part in creating a better future for the global swim school industry.

BY MEL RICKWOOD OWNER AQUATICS DOWN UNDER SWIM SCHOOL AUSTRALIA

On Tuesday the 20th September 2022 at 2pm I took the pledge. Sitting in a conference room in Hawaii at the USSSA Conference, I was given a blue tassel to tie onto my lanyard to acknowledge that I had made a commitment.

The commitment was to become more sustainably minded and to do my part in creating a better future for the global swim school industry.

So, what can a single site swim school operator from Sydney, Australia do with and within her leased facility to honor this commitment? To be honest, I hadn’t put a lot of thought into the carbon footprint that our business is contributing to – it’s been easy to say that the last few years have been challenging enough just staying open, without the added pressures of moral obligations and protecting the planet! But, the presentation on “10 tips and tricks to help the planet and your bottom line” made me consider that we want future generations to be able to have a place to enjoy the skills that we teach them.

Our leased premises are quite unique, we are situated within a shopping centre and therefore I have always thought our carbon footprint is ultimately out of our control. But my mind is now awash with ideas on what we can do to take back some of that control and make a positive impact on the environment as well as helping to educate the 1730 students (1127 families) that come through our doors every week.

WHAT WE ALREADY DO:

1. Cover our pool when it’s not in use which reduces heat loss and evaporation

2. Use electronic class rolls rather than paper rolls

3. Showers are on 30 sec timers and basin taps are push button operated

4. Electronic Automatic Leveling device (water witch) which tops up our water without manually relying on a hose preventing overfill and water wastage

5. Staff members have their own branded water bottle which they can refill from our water fountain rather than them buying bottled water

6. Each new family is given a reusable shopping bag with our logo on it

HERE ARE SOME STEPS I HAVE TAKEN SINCE RETURNING FROM THE CONFERENCE:

1. Made contact with our land lord.

The first thing I did was to contact our Shopping Centre management team to see what they think about in terms of environmental factors which could be useful for a tenant.

Their top priorities were:

• Waste – recycled material is significantly cheaper than general waste for them to dispose of. The centre currently has general waste, soft plastics , paper and cardboard and bottles and cans and are now looking into organic waste/ composting options

• Lighting and energy consumption – LED lighting is recommended for all fixtures in general mall areas

• Environmental education – workshops that educate our families – they have run 2 recently: In the Loop and The Deep Blue

Centre management have put me in touch with an energy consultant to come to our facility to see what can be done with our energy consumption – as we know that our filters, pumps and air handling systems draw a lot of energy and with the use of variable speed pumps and timers, we may be able to reduce our energy and our costs without compromising the integrity of the premises and or the quality of our water.

Centre management are in the process of investigating the installation of solar panels to the roof of the shopping centre – so hopefully we will be able to benefit from this to reduce our own consumption. In the meantime, they have agreed to put me in contact with a solar panel expert to discuss costs and savings.

2. Hand dryers vs paper towels. Our biggest waste product are hand towels that are not recyclable. We are currently looking into whether swapping to hand dryers will be a better environmental choice than hand towel dispensers.

3. Reusable swim diapers vs disposable diapers. By providing each new family with a reusable swim diaper on enrollment, we can reduce the amount of diapers that end up in landfill.

4. Reducing shower time. Our showers are timed for 30 seconds but people still feel the need to push the button again and again – so signage in the showers reminding customers on how much water is wasted whilst showering and reminding them to keep shower time to a minimum.

5. Back of house waste sorting baskets –recycling, soft plastics and general waste.

6. Emailing receipts rather that printing them or duplicating eftpos receipts.

7. Educating our families on water consumption and waste management by joining our shopping centre during holiday activities to run workshops.

8. 2023 Swim School Calendar –providing a QR code for parents rather than printing cardboard calendars.

9. Swim Costume and flipper swap week where they can swap flippers that no longer fit and donate swim costumes for charities.

10. Contacting our goggle supplier to see if they can remove external packaging and additional plastics.

So, in the words of Jessica Surette, grand impacts do not require grand gestures. What we hope to do is make some simple yet sustainable changes and do them consistently.

THANKS SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATORS AND USSSA FOR ENERGIZING ME INTO ACTION.

SUCCESSFULLY TEACH ADULT SWIM LESSONS WITH THESE FIVE PROGRESSIONS

Learning to swim should be treated as lots of little tasks and skills leading to a final product. Otherwise, the final product is often not as polished as it could be. If swim instructors and parents are too anxious to see the end results, they may neglect to take time for all the developmental steps along the way.

We continue to be thrilled as we watch so many swim instructors embrace a step-by-step approach to learning to swim. Many have realized that we must take baby steps and add one skill at a time. The most important concept being that we cannot progress until the student is ready to learn to swim.

PROGRESSIONS FOR TEACHING ADULT SWIM LESSONS

If swim instructors teach progressions slowly from step to step with children, shouldn’t they do the same for adults? We notice that many swim instructors lose their understanding of progressions when teaching adults swim lessons and jump right into teaching adults to swim with pulling and kicking skills. Many adult beginner swimmers come to swim lessons with plenty of past baggage such as:

• They may have had a bad water experience as a child.

• They may have tried swim lessons one or more times and have failed.

• They may fear the water after years of avoiding learning to swim.

For many adults, getting ready to learn to swim means over coming fear. Most importantly, they need to be comfortable enough in the water to be able to control their breathing. Our suggestion is that you follow the same order of introducing skills for adult learn to swim lessons as we do with children. If you jump forward to swimming without following the progressions, many will never be comfortable in the water.

HOW TO SWIM:

1. Buoyancy: Start with basic walking. The goal is to feel the water holding them up, not to get to the other side of the pool. Walk slowly so they can feel the lift. Remember, if they do not have this feeling, they will always struggle to stay upright rather than hanging out or relaxing in the water.

2. Balance: Let them walk with their arms out to their sides. Once again, we are working on comfort and overcoming any fear. Remember, if they do not have this feeling, they will always struggle to stay upright rather than hangout or relax in the water.

3. Breath Control: This progression is very important for adult learn to swim. We recommend having them hold their breath on land and count to 5. Then discuss doing the same thing with their face in the water. Just like children, we must help them have control holding their breath before blowing bubbles. It can be a great comfort for adults to use goggles in this step.

4. Buoyancy and Balance with Breath Control: This is when we must take the time to hang out and be relaxed in the water. Floating in a X or Y position with a teacher or two barbells aids in feeling the buoyancy and the balance. If movement is added too soon it compromises buoyancy balance and breath control.

5. Movement: The very first movements are very small kicks. These kicks should be just enough to initiate propulsion.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW THE SAME PROGRESSIONS WITH ADULTS AS WE DO WITH CHILDREN. IF WE NEGLECT TO TAKE THE TIME FOR ALL THE DEVELOPMENTAL STEPS ALONG THE WAY, THE ADULT MAY NEVER LEARN TO BE COMFORTABLE IN THE WATER AND THEREFORE, NEVER REALLY ACCOMPLISH THEIR GOAL OF LEARNING TO SWIM.

WEBSITE & MARKETING CONTENT: YOU ONLY HAVE SECONDS

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

According to a 2021 survey by Contentsquare, the average time a user spends on a website is 54 seconds.

Note that this is the average time. This isn’t necessarily the time that an existing or potential customer actually spends on your website.

BY JAMES PAUL JPWRITELY

Simply put, you don’t have much time to educate and encourage your website visitors to invest in your product or service.

Since this existing or prospective customer has found your website, that’s a win in itself. But now that they’re on your page, it’s important to focus on how to keep them there.

That’s why the content that you’ve chosen to make your first impression and welcome visitors is paramount.

We tend to overthink it, but your content shouldn’t be complicated. Your company has the product and/or service that customers need; we know that because they are already there! Make it clear and obvious how you can help them and then how you can fulfill those needs. Your home page must be the following:

• Impactful

• Clear and specific

• Correct/factual

• Concise and, most importantly,

• Grasp the culture and values you exude

As a business owner, you have enough to do in building and maintaining your business. You may not have time to develop website content for your webpage, or you may not have the expertise.

This is where I can help! As a content writer and editor for jpwritely, I specialize in creating succinct, clear, and accurate content to maximize those precious initial seconds. I can help you pinpoint what content will work best for your website, and how best to communicate it to your customers.

If you’re interested in a consultation to help you with your landing page, blogs, or any other website content, please reach out to me at jpwritelyediting@gmail.com.

ABOUT JPWRITELY

Whether it’s as simple as a blog, an email, and website content; or as complicated as a press release, business proposal, manual, policy or procedure, jpwritely will give you the confidence to know that you have error-free customized content and communications. jpwritelyediting@gmail.com

SOFT SKILLS NEEDED IN SALES

If we have one or two bad experiences in business and quit, you wouldn’t have a business anymore, so why do we give up quickly in sales?

We all work in sales, yet the word “sales” make us uncomfortable because we’ve had a bad experiences being sold to, or someone sold to us and it was awful.

BY NIRAJ KAPUR

I spent 23 years in sales working in one of the toughest places, corporate London. For 5 of those years I was lucky because I traveled the world running shipping events. I had to sell sponsorship, delegate places, and manage a team. The way people do business in New York is different to Egypt which is so different to Shanghai which is different to Belfast which is different to Tampa and Miami.

LET’S CHALLENGE SOME OF THE MYTHS PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT SALES

r Sales is awful and make you queasy

r Sales is for people who are qualified to do nothing else

r Sales is spamming as many people as possible and crossing your fingers for results

r Sales is telling lies to get what you want

THE PEOPLE I’VE WORKED WITH WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL AT SALES DO NONE OF THE ABOVE. THIS IS THEIR ATTITUDE

✓ Sales is helping your clients get results

✓ Sales is opening a deal

✓ Sales is overcoming objections

✓ Sales is taking care of your clients when they sign a contract

✓ Sales is helping people

There’s many hard skills people incorporate including different closing techniques, prospecting over the phone, and time management. Post pandemic, it’s not good enough to have hard skills only. Soft skills are needed too.

WHAT ARE SOFT SKILLS AND HOW DO THEY HELP?

1. BE KIND

I was at a networking event last week and saw a business owner standing by himself, staring at his mobile and awkwardly looking up from time to time. My daughter is an introvert and 40% of my clients are introverts so I understand their behaviors. People often think the quiet/shy ones have nothing to say. I respectfully disagree. If you’re introvert, you’re an excellent listener and thoughtful. So I invited him to join my friends knowing how difficult it can be to approach a group.

The next day he told his client what I did and the client looked me up on Google. Then hired me for LinkedIn training. Karma exists. Whatever you put out into the world comes back to you. Kindness makes everything better. Spread it as much as you can.

2. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

It’s not what happens, it’s how you react. In the course of a sales call you can be interrupted, deal with a passive aggressive client, have them make unreasonable requests and of course, ask for discounts.

The biggest mistakes people make are reacting to this by being defensive, raising your voice slightly higher, speaking faster and displaying awkward body language.

When someone asks for a discount, ask if they understand all the benefits they’ll be getting and mention those benefits again. If they say you’re too expensive, ask compared to whom. If you immediately start defending yourself, you lose the deal. Now it not the time to talk about why you’re great. It’s time to ask better questions and undercover what the client hasn’t told you.

3. ASK GREAT QUESTIONS

Some say this is a hard skill, others say it’s a soft skill. Either way, it’s a vital skill. Too many times I’m observing a demo or in a client meeting and they rush into the pitch. Business takes time. Relationships take time. Making a statement and asking a question is powerful. This shows you know what’s going on and you’re also seeking advice from the client. “The world has changed so much in the last 6 month. What are the biggest changes you see in your industry in the next 6 months?”

The same rule applies at networking events or conferences, where people immediately ask, “What do you do?” Don’t start with this, it’s unoriginal and sales is about standing out. Ask “What brought you here today?” and “Who do you want to meet?” You learn a lot about people by asking great questions and listening.

4. MENTAL HEALTH AND FOCUS

1 in 5 people before 2020 lockdown had mental health problems. During lockdown 2 in 5 had mental health challenges and now it’s 3 in 5. That’s a serious problem.

We live in a world of constant distraction and problems. This affects business performance, with reduced sales, reduced profits and increased staff turnover.

So what can you do?

Create a vision board. Men and women often have different vision boards.

• Women talk about family, loved ones, dream holidays, things that deeply matter.

• Men have Aston Martins, £50m yachts and at least 1 Kardashian.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t dream big. By all means be ambitious, but make it achievable. Create images of what you want to achieve. Keep them on your laptop screensaver, mobile lockscreen, fridge and bedside table, so you see it all day long and are reminded of your purpose. When you have a great purpose, you can achieve faster.

5. REVIEW YOUR DAY

Business can too intense sometimes. We often work on autopilot, from meeting to meeting, or even worse, we have meetings about meetings. From the decade I’ve invested at events from Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, Robin Sharma and the thousands of books I’ve read, it’s important to review your day, see what worked and what didn’t work. Do this with your phone off. Go old school with a pen and notepad. It calms you down and stops you getting overwhelmed.

Niraj Kapur is a LinkedIn Top Voice, Trusted Coach and a Salesforce Influencer to Follow. In his free time, he plays drums in a rock band and raises money for several charities like Movember and Milton Keynes Hospital Cancer Unit.

If you want to understand LinkedIn and sales better, and get results, contact Niraj on LinkedIn or email: niraj@everybodyworksinsales.com.

Reprinted with Permission.

OF EVENTS

FOR MORE DETAILS, VISIT: USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG/EVENTS

THANK YOU ANNUAL SPONSORS

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

INFANT TODDLER EDUCATION WORKSHOP VIRTUAL

DECEMBER 1, 2022

CERTIFIED POOL AND SPA OPERATOR (CPO) COURSE VIRTUAL

DECEMBER 7, 2022

WHAT IS TRAUMA-INFORMED AQUATICS WITH LAURIE LAWRENCE AND JANINE RAMSEY VIRTUAL

DECEMBER 12, 2022

SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATORS VIRTUAL

FEBRUARY 21-22, 2023

SPRING WORKSHOP SAN DIEGO, CA

OCTOBER 2-4, 2023

USSSA NATIONAL CONFERENCE ORLANDO, FLORIDA

CHARLIE BANANA CINTAS

CONSTANT CONTACT COUNCILMAN HUNSAKER GREEN SPROUTS LEGALSHIELD/IDSHIELD MERCHANT COST CONSULTING ONETEAM360 PROVEN PROMOTIONS

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TAKE COMMAND HEALTH TALENT LMS USERWAY VORGEE USA WORLD WIDE SWIM SCHOOL

OCAQUATICS IS NOW A CERTIFIED B CORP

Ocaquatics Swim School has become the first swim school in the world to achieve Certified B Corporation® status.

This designation is reserved for companies that demonstrate their commitment to being leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. B Corp Certification involves a process that verifies a business is meeting high standards of performance, accountability, and transparency. These areas include such factors as employee benefits and charitable giving, to supply chain practices and environmental impact. There are nearly 5,500 companies worldwide that have achieved this status. Based on the B Impact assessment, Ocaquatics Swim School earned an overall score of 85.6. The median score for ordinary businesses who complete the assessment is currently 50.9. Join us in congratulating Miren Oca and her team at Ocaquatics Swim School for their dedication in achieving B Corp certification.

USSSA HONORS MEMBERS AT AWARDS BANQUET

This year’s awards banquet was a night to remember and was full of honors and accolades for some well deserving individuals. We were honored to have Ed McHale’s brother present our 2022 Ed McHale Educator of the Year Awards.

Our first recipient is a highly sought-after instructor at his swim school. Not only does he still get in the water almost 20 hours a week to teach swim, he is the Aquatics Director, Head Deck Manager, and CPO. Like Ed, this recipient has many students with special abilities and is one of the most patient instructors you will meet. Congratulations to Brandon Whitehead.

Our second award goes to an instructor who has been teaching swim for 15 years. Like Ed did, she too has a joy and enthusiasm for education that goes above and beyond lessons in the pool. In addition to being a swim instructor, she is also part of the creative curriculum team, a lead trainer, and has volunteered in the development of the new USSSA swim instructor certification. Congratulations to Kelli Stryker.

The Guiding Light Award seeks to honor individuals who have provided exceptional service to the US Swim School Association and other members of the Association. This year’s recipient has been a guiding light to many swim schools in the past couple of years and has spread her loving spirit and joy with everyone she comes in contact with. She really has dedicated so many hours to the Education Committee and we are all better because of her service. Her organization skills and attention to detail have helped other committee chairs advance their work with their teams, to provide better resources for the USSSA. Congratulations to Kendra Walker.

The Humanitarian Award seeks to recognize members of the US Swim School Association who have provided outstanding service to others, demonstrating empathy, selflessness, and commitment. This year’s recipient truly impacts our world and makes it better for the rest of us. She is a very active and well-loved citizen of her community, as well an active chairperson and member of the Association. She has a passion for supporting her local community through various organizations and her smile and energy light up the room wherever she goes. Congratulations to Rose Cholewinski.

The prestigious Hall of Fame award seeks to honor individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the teaching and learning of swimming. This year’s recipients are outstanding examples of people who started a company out of passion, grit, and perseverance. The combination of their love for the water, past business experience, and support from fellow USSSA members allowed them to pursue a dream of building a swim school. This year’s recipients exemplify the criteria for the Hall of Fame award in every way. They have made significant and lasting contributions both in their own community and abroad. Congratulations to Bob and Kathy Hubbard.

The Lifetime Achievement is awarded for outstanding vision, dedication, and commitment to the learn to swim industry. This year’s recipient launched her swim school in 1990. She has given back to the USSSA for over 30 years, serving on the board three times, speaking on numerous topics over the years, welcoming new swim school members and offering her guidance and support as a way to give back. She has also spoken internationally where her passion for water safety and helping others shines through. She loves this association and uses her talents and experience to make other swim schools stronger, better, and more resilient, helping others through the tough times. Congratulations to Karen Clay.

BY RAFAELE MADORMO

SWIM SCHOOLS IN CHANGING TIMES

The complexity of planning and managing organizations, of any model, in this contemporary world, which is at a crossroads, reorganizing its vision, its basic values, its social and political structure for this new model of society that has emerged in the so-called fourth industrial revolution, has only increased. Alvin Toffler, writer and futurist in the 1980’s coined the lapidary phrase: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Fact.

TOFFLER

New practices replace old ones and require new behaviors and responses. We need to unlearn and thus abandon what no longer serves us in order to adopt new knowledge. Today it is crucial to understand and practice the concept of lifelong learning, both formal and informal, because it makes it possible to keep pace with the evolution of society.

On the other hand, the Zeitgeist, a German word meaning the spirit of the times, guides what people want and seek at a given moment in civilization. In the early 20s of the 21st century, it can be expressed by technology, environment, agility, inclusion, continuous learning, sustainability, social responsibility, volatility, etc.

VUCA AND BANI WORLDS

There are two theories turned into acronyms, created at different times, that try to guide the reflections to face, at least reasonably, the circumstances of today’s reality: the VUCA world and the BANI world.

VUCA is an acronym created in the late 1980s by the US Army War College to illustrate the world that emerged from a post-Cold War scenario and, in the early 2000s, began to be cited in business books, being incorporated into the strategic analyses of companies.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity became common concepts for people working with strategy and planning.

Volatility means that changes cause very large variations, quickly and constantly. Uncertainty caused by rapid change blurs the vision of the future, making planning difficult. Complexity means that everything is interconnected, people and technologies, complicating decisions. And Ambiguity no longer allows us to be clear about what is right or wrong, mak ing it difficult to read the scenario. However, for a large group of people, the VUCA world no longer makes sense, as current conditions are different from when the theory was created, so a new way of interpreting it has emerged; the BANI World.

The concept was developed by American anthropologist, author, and futurist Jamais Cascio and presented in an article called Facing the Age of Chaos, published on the Medium website on April 29, 2020.

BANI is an acronym for Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible.

Brittle – Disastrous situations can suddenly arise. The pandemic is one example. Anxious – Reflecting this fragile world, anxiety disorders have become a hallmark of our time. Non-linear – Cause and effect are supposed to be unconnected or even divergent, which generate disproportionate reactions. Incomprehensible – We have no knowledge of how things work, and the phenomenal amount of data and information makes it no easier to find answers. Nothing is certain anymore.

In the view of the theory’s author Jamais Cascio, how to adapt to the reality shaped by the BANI world “...fragility can be addressed by resilience and empowerment; anxiety can be relieved by empathy and mindfulness; non-linearity would need context and flexibility; incomprehension calls for transparency and intuition. These may be reactions rather than solutions, but they suggest the possibility of finding answers”.

Making good decisions in this world where the paradigm is constant change at increasing speed, brought about by complex, mostly dissonant and disorganized elements, is not simple. Understanding the importance of analyzing the macro-environment, be it through the VUCA World or BANI World approach, I consider it essential to focus on two points in particular: technology and the human factor.

TECHNOLOGY AND THE HUMAN FACTOR

Technology is one of the mainsprings of mankind’s development and plays a major role in the changes and the speed with which they occur, so it is important to stress that companies, especially those in the water sector, need a change of mindset to achieve the crucial digital transformation. Many imagine that acquiring software and transferring processes from the analog world to the digital world, without changing the logic of how things are done, is enough to transform their business digitally, when in reality, they have taken only the first step, the so-called digitalization. Important, but insufficient to achieve the necessary transformation.

Digital transformation means a change in strategic mindset. Processes are built for a reality where the barriers between the physical world and the virtual world are increasingly blurred. And this is key to offering customers a fluid and integrated experience at any time they have contact with the brand, whether online or in person. Therefore, digital transformation is an imperative condition to be in tune with the context of the world in the 21st century. Based on the integrative vision of the physical and virtual worlds, the manager must pay particular attention to the implementation of tools made available by technology to collect and organize data, as they are vital for customer-centric management.

The concept of customer centricity is directly linked to organizational culture and reflects how the company thinks and acts with its customers. Most swimming schools have in their culture the proximity to the customer, which facilitates this quest to understand and deliver the positive sensations through water that they expect. The addition of the use of customer experience management programs complements the information detected in the personal relationship and enhances the delivery of results.

It is well known that technological evolution directly reflects on the way generations relate to and absorb it, impacting on the transformation of society’s behavior over time. The generations born as of the 90s of the 20th century, onwards, relate to the internet in a similar way as the pre-commercial internet generations related to electric power, that is, something natural and essential in their way of interacting with the world. They barely notice its presence, except when it is missing. Thus, a large part of current customers and in the near future, the majority, demand a relationship guided by agility and availability, with the fewest barriers to get the service or product in the desired time. The paradox of technological evolution and its importance for human beings lies in the fact that the more virtual the world is, the greater the need to intensify human relationships. Technology in excess activates the “Human Mode” as defined by Rohit Bhargava, Professor of Marketing at Georgetown University: “people seek and value more physical, authentic, and ‘imperfect’ experiences, empathetically designed and delivered by humans.” This is reflected in consumption, as Professor Bhargava adds “Consumers want authentic connection and compelling stories behind their brand choices.” Within Barghava’s Human Way perspective, swimming schools and aquatic activity centers in general are, by vocation, centers of human relationships, which offer the desired real-world experiences. Moreover, as a

“Technology creates the setting and human beings are the performers who star in the play.”

universal characteristic, swim schools are local businesses and owned by people known to their customers and regulars, with life stories that create real connections, becoming a positive factor of relevance in the market competition to have their brand chosen, in a world where large organizations proliferate.

Besides the human factor, the manager must also pay attention to the use of technological tools in an appropriate way, to collect and organize data, seeking the balance between the abundant availability of information with the real capacity to transform it into applicable knowledge, so as not to spend energy and time on information that does not add value and even complicates the decision-making process. In management it is essential to choose the appropriate and assertive performance indicators for decision making.

The symbiosis between technology and human beings becomes more and more noticeable, and as it could not be otherwise, in the management of any aquatic organization, the use of technological resources is necessary to facilitate the processes, whatever they may be (administrative, commercial, financial, etc.), but in the relationship in the water with customers / students / patients / athletes, technology should serve as a support for the relationship between people. As I often state “Technology creates the setting and human beings are the performers who star in the play.”

ESG

As a conclusion to this text, I bring the issue of sustainability to the field of swimming schools and aquatic activity centers. This theme gained strength in 2004 in a publication called Who Cares Wins, an initiative of the World Bank in partnership with the United Nations (UN) Global Compact and financial institutions. The publication created the acronym ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) that seeks to combine economic, sustainable, and social development practices. This action took sustainability to another level, showing companies that investment in sustainable actions, as a broader understanding generated by ESG, is the way to keep them relevant in the market.

Proving that this is a trend that will be absorbed by the aquatic sector, there is already the first swim school in the world to receive a B certification – which attests that the companies that have it respect the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and legal responsibility –achieved in September 2022 by Ocaquatics of Miami (Indoor Warm Water Swim Lessons | Miami | OcaquaticsSwimSchool).

To be aligned with ESG behavior, swimming schools and aquatic activity centers have the task of following the behavior of customers, who are increasingly vigilant and concerned about giving back, in the form of consumption, to those who

are committed to causes that are relevant according to the spirit of our time. Following the ESG vision, in the aspect of environmental awareness, companies and aquatic entities should, as an example, be concerned with the conscious consumption of water, invest in reuse, seek clean energy sources, etc. In the social issue, they must be attentive to the behavioral changes that are occurring and, as a result, offer adequate locker room spaces, be prepared for the inclusion of people with disabilities (physical, hearing, visual or intellectual), support important causes in the community such as aquatic safety, etc. And in the governance vision, to be attentive to ethical practices by investing in processes for the security of customer information, to act with transparency in the relationship with customers and employees, etc.

In conclusion; there are many factors that interfere in the management of any business, and in this text I have described only a few, which cannot be disregarded in the strategic plan that every swimming school or aquatic activity center must have. Planning in the VUCA and/or BANI World is difficult, but not planning makes the trip happen on a bumpy road, without lighting, without signs, with many dangerous curves on a dark and rainy night. Thank you for your time and I hope the text can help you improve your trip.

Bibliographic references:

Barghava, R. (2021). Livro não óbvio – Como antecipar tendências e dominar o futuro. Buzz Editora. Cascio, J. (2020, Abril 29). Facing the Age of Chaos. https://medium.com/@cascio/facing-theage-of-chaos-b00687b1f51d Tofler, A. (1992). A terceira onda. Editora Record.

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I can’t pinpoint one person since there are so many!

I can tell you the USSSA is filled with many individual members who are amazing since they lead their teams, students, families and communities in which they live so they make an impact on our industry and some many lives. It’s just such an honor to work with so many leaders.

MELISSA TAYLOR SMALL FISH BIG FISH SWIM SCHOOL

I look up to Miren a lot. I look up to her not only for specific swim school practices + ideas, but also timeless wisdom that helps me in life as well as business. Specifically she teaches me humility, integrity, self-care, generosity, financial acumen, practicality, not beating my head against a wall, resourcefulness, openness, self-awareness, self-honesty, following through on my commitments, admitting when I am wrong, laughing at myself, being kind to others, enjoying the journey, saying “no” when I need to respect my own needs or boundaries.

Long before Mitchell Chang’s death, Mary inspired me with her no-bullshit attitude, forthright directness + fun. In the Mitchell aftermath, Mary role-modeled resilience, willingness to accept + ask for help, faith.

The women on the list inspire me too, but I am not going to make specific mention so your heads don’t swell!

I also have anti-role models for leadership + personal values - people who model that which I don’t want to be + paths I don’t want to follow. Sometimes I don’t need a shining example, but a shocking reminder to steer back to true north.

DAVID GORMAN SWIM-IN ZONE

My parents, Bob and Kathy Hubbard. I have witnessed their journey professionally and personally. They have faced extreme challenges and continue to persevere through them with commitment to each other, optimism and pure grit. They lead with passion, servant leadership, intelligence and care for others. I am grateful I have been able to grow and learn in an environment that has great role models as a professional, parent and spouse.

Outside my Hubbard career, all of my mentors, coaches and leaders of whom I respect the most care for people as individuals. I have learned that making a connection and developing a relationship increases productivity, teamwork and the drive to the end goal. I have also learned, especially through sports, in the long run relationships are way more important than the final score. What we build and who we impact along the way is our journey.

ANN MARIE SUNDERHAUS HUBBARD FAMILY SWIM SCHOOL

We have many leaders in our lives that make an impact on how we make our journeys. I for one do not have one leader but many who influence my life professionally, personally and emotionally. In this industry we have great leaders who lead with elegance and have transformed me as a person and my business. I cannot say it’s one but it’s a collection of many great leaders. Thank you swim Peeps!

DAVINA LOPEZ DAVINA’S SWIM HOUSE

WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO AS A LEADER AND WHY?

READY, SET, SWIM WINTER ISSUE GETTING TO KNOW YOUR BOD!

My mother would never say she was any sort of a Hero. She simply led our family by example against many odds as a young mother. I was her fourth born out of five children. She was a person of integrity, honesty and determination. There was plenty of turmoil around, yet I learned how to make lemonade out of lemons. When I was around six years old she went back to school and got her GED and went on to get her Bachelor’s degree. And became the Chief of Staff at the Hospital for Respiratory Therapy (a new profession back then in the 60’s) with few if any women in the profession. She was a force of nature and a true leader by example.

That has made a great impression upon me watching her go to school, raise us kiddos and work as a single mother through the 60’s and 70’s when it wasn’t so typical.

The first leader my mother made sure was in my life was my grandmother, who lived right next door to us. She taught me kindness, understanding, cooking, gardening and sewing.

My mother also put another leader in our lives, Mrs. Sandy. She also cared for us and answered every question with some type of reference to the bible. She taught me unconditional love, peacefulness, spirituality and compassion “for all the creatures great and small” as she would say.

My mother also knew I needed positive male role models in my life.

I begged to be on the local swim team. The Coach explained to my mother, with me standing there, “the rest of the team are 8 year olds, she is only 5, she is just too little”…ohoh. My mother did not try to talk the coach into letting me swim on the team, she said “show him you want to swim” she pushed me in the pool, and I swam the full test lap. She was gone when I finished. She always impressed on us, life may not be fair to you, you must carve out your own destiny. He went on to teach me commitment, discipline and a great sense of community, team spirit and self determination. Next she supported me trying out for a girls softball team called Steve’s Babes. Yep it was back in the 70’s, no one thought a thing about a team of girls playing by that name. Coach Steve Marker took our team onto the National Championships. I was the catcher and played ball for 12 years. He taught me true grit, tough love, focus, planning, organization, perseverance, leadership of a team, full on competitive-winning spirit and above all he was another positive male role model. You see, my mother’s father died when she was twelve and my father passed when I was sixteen.

My hero, my Mother Maxine, of whom I am forever grateful. She taught me to seek out leadership and learn to be a leader for others. I have been able to connect with many leaders in my life right from this swim school association. One of her greatest lessons she taught me was to “live not by words, but by actions.”

DEBBIE SAYERS

DOLFUN SWIM ACADEMY

A leader I look up to is author and speaker, John Spence. It was great to have him speak in person at our National conference this year. For those that are unaware, that was a work in progress that took three years. Over that time, as we worked together to have him deliver his message to swim school owners, both John and his team have been professionals from start to finish. They were always looking for ways to go above and beyond, delivering not just on what was agreed to, but working to exceed expectations. I enjoyed his book Awesomely Simple when I read it years ago as a tool that really helps breakdown leadership into simple, easy to understand concepts. Being a great leader is not easy, but the basics of making a great leader really are simple to understand and can be a great starting point to being someone people want to work for and who regularly exceeds expectations.

LISA ZARDA UNITED STATES SWIM SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

There are so many incredible leaders I look up to.

The one leader that I carry around almost everywhere with me is Nick Papanicholas. Unfortunately he passed away in 2016 but I carry his prayer card around in my bag constantly to remind me of him. Chicago Swim School would not be where we are without him. He believed in my business partner Rob and I from our very first meeting. Rob and I both taught his older grandchildren and some of the younger ones are still part of our program today. Nick was always friendly and made every meeting feel like it was friends talking instead of a business meeting. One thing I “think frequently in handling situations is “what would Nick do in this situation” especially when dealing with financial situations. He was a great mentor and I am so honored to have known him. He was able to see us open our 2nd facility and see the success of Chicago Swim School!

BUFFY FOLISE CHICAGO SWIM SCHOOL

A leader who I look up to is Mark Stoops, the University of Kentucky Football Coach. Coach Stoops has spent the past decade building a program from the ground up. He’s humble, hard working, fiercely protective of his players, and is often described by his players as a great man.

TRACY KOLEBER NITRO SWIMMING

UNDOUBTEDLY A LEADER AND HERO IN MY LIFE IS MY MOTHER AS SHE MADE SURE I HAD MANY LEADERS IN MY LIFE.

Our week kicked off with an eye-opening keynote session with business expert, John Spence. On Tuesday morning, we were all brought to tears with the unbelievably inspirational story told by keynote speaker, Dr. Regina Lewis. If you were lucky enough to be there in person, we know you’ll be excited to hear that she is joining us again in Orlando, FL for the 2023 National Conference. On the final day, we were energized with a lively session given by Bruce Sullivan focused on living and working with people not like you! It’s safe to say that everyone walked away with some great take-home tips.

Each day of the conference was filled with networking, visiting with our valued sponsors and exhibitors, as well as break out sessions. Sessions were on a variety of topics ranging from sustainability all the way to science-based effective patterns for learn to swim programs. Roundtables and panels were a treat to attendees as well! The Awards Banquet provided a wonderful evening of recognition and fun in a beautiful outdoor setting!

Whether you joined us in person or virtually, we hope you had a fantastic three days. And if you weren’t able to join us at all, we truly hope to see you February 21-22, 2023 in San Diego, CA for the Spring Workshop! Hoping to see you all there, and until then…A hui hou kākou.

Aloha and Mahalo! The 2022 National Conference in Maui, Hawaii is officially a wrap and what an amazing time we had together!

Save the date! Spring workshop 2023

NEW MEMBER LIST

CHESHIRE FITNESS ZONE PEDIATRIC THERAPY Craig Goldstein Cheshire, CT

ELITE SWIM SCHOOL Mishari Razouki Hawally, KW

FLIPKICK SWIM ACADEMY Kona Morren Ft. Worth, TX

HILLSIDE SWIM SCHOOL Rebecca Foster Fresno, CA

FEBRUARY 21-22, 2023

CATAMARAN RESORT HOTEL & SPA 3999 MISSION BLVD. SAN DIEGO, CA 92109

Mark your calendars and join us in sunny California for the USSSA Spring Workshop! We are in the process of planning 2 content-filled days that are sure to leave you feeling inspired and motivated. We are very excited to announce that Garry Ridge, CEO of WD40 will be joining us as the opening keynote speaker. A company culture expert, Garry is known world-wide for his transformative effects in leading WD-40. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear him speak on culture and what really makes the difference in performance when looking at a company. On day 2, Deborah Deras, author, CEO, and mindset expert will be kicking off our day with a keynote session that is sure to change the way you think.

Be sure to book your room at the Catamaran as soon as possible! The reservation cutoff date is January 27, 2023. Rooms are available for $199 per night (plus $34 resort fee and tax). Reservations can be made online via the USSSA website or phoned in at (858) 488-1081.

*Please reference USSSA 2022 Spring Workshop to access the group rates.

JR’S SWIM SCHOOL Julie Cordeiro Anthem, AZ

LITTLE SWIMMING CO. Danielle Dickerson Northumberland, UK

NURTURING WATER THERAPIES Sandy Karlek Mercer Island, WA

RAINEE RAY’S SWIM Rainee Snowhite Jupiter, FL

SILVER BEAR SWIM SCHOOL – NORTHWEST Nichole and Craig Poirier Reno, NV

SWIM 4 LIFE TODAY April Westbrook Magnolia, TX

SWIMMING SIMPLY Angela Peluse Denver, CO

IS YOUR SWIM SCHOOL AT RISK?

BY ROSS SMITH ERR CONTENT PARTNER WITH WORLD WIDE SWIM SCHOOL

By building a metric around a potential hazard, this can help you better plan and mitigate that risk. The metric to ascertain the severity of the risk is normally based on likelihood and consequence, a table or risk matrix is commonly used to measure the likelihood and consequence of the risk occurring.

LET’S LOOK AT A SIMPLE SCENARIO TO MEASURE RISK, USING A BASIC RISK MATRIX EXAMPLE.

You are about to cross a road, on that road there is only bicycles that travel in one direction at a frequency of about every five minutes. So, the likelihood of being hit by one of the bicycles is low and the consequence if you were hit by a bicycle is reasonably low. Therefore, if the likelihood is low and the consequence is low, the risk associated with this activity is overall low.

However, if we were to increase the frequency of the bicycles traveling along that road to every minute the likelihood of being hit is high, but once again the consequence of being hit and severely injured is still low, in this risk associated with this activity is overall medium.

NOW LET’S CHANGE THE HAZARD AND DO A RISK ASSESSMENT WITH THIS SCENARIO.

You are about to cross a road that is frequented by trucks, which pass every five minutes. You still have plenty of time to cross this road, the likelihood of being hit by a truck remains low, however, the consequence of being hit by a truck and being severely injured or worse is high. Therefore, the risk associated with crossing this road is overall medium.

What if we increased the frequency of the trucks traveling along the road to every few seconds, you probably wouldn’t even attempt to cross this road. So, if we look at the metric, the likelihood of being hit by a truck now increases to high, and the consequence of severe injury or fatality is also high, the risk associated with this activity is overall high.

RISK MATRIX

To truly know if your Swim School is at risk, you first must understand a little about measuring risks.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A BASIC RISK MATRIX YOU CAN USE TO ASSESS RISKS AT YOUR SWIM SCHOOL.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A POSITIVE RISK CULTURE

Hazard identification and risk assessment within your Swim School is the responsibility of all staff, managers, and owners. The first step is to develop a positive risk culture within your business. A positive risk culture is one where staff at every level appropriately manage risk as an intrinsic part of their day-to-day work. Every organizations culture is complex and will be driven by a number of factors. However, to protect your Swim Schools staff, customers, and reputation a positive risk culture starts from the induction of new staff and then flows down to all staff from management.

RISK ASSESSMENTS CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO TWO MAIN CATEGORIES:

• Systematic risk assessment

• Dynamic risk assessment

A systematic risk assessment is the development of policies, procedures and emergency planning outlining the potential risks associated with your swim school (use a risk matrix to measure this).

For example, you have assessed the likelihood and consequence of someone slipping over on the pool deck, so you have developed a no running policy at your Swim School and mitigated the risk by signage and non-slip surfaces. To ensure your customers are safe from slipping your staff have a directive to enforce the no running policy and the policy is communicated to customers by staff.

Policies and procedures are important to have in place, the challenge is to guarantee all staff, including new staff, fully understand the written policy and its intended outcomes.

A dynamic risk assessment is what all staff, managers and owners carry out daily, and it is enormously important. Relying on just a written policy is an extremely naive way to manage risk, something that was safe yesterday may not be safe today.

Every member of your Swim School team should practice dynamic risk assessments, check, plan, look and observe. If the situation has changed, something does not look right or out of place or there is a clear and present danger, the quick actions of your staff to mitigate or control that risk can make the difference between life and death.

FINAL WORD

World Wide Swim School in partnership with Emergency Risk Ready can help mitigate your risks. From years of expertise in the Swim School industry we have developed eLearning packages for staff induction and ongoing staff training that addresses multiple risks. Select from our range of video-based education that focus on, Medical, Non-Medical and Pool Plant Emergencies. Get more information here https://worldwideswimschool.com/emergency-risk-training/

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ASK AL

BY ALVARO G. MENDOZA COMMERCIAL ENERGY SPECIALISTS, INC.

WE CAME BACK FROM THE USSSA CONFERENCE IN MAUI, AND A LOT OF ATTENTION WAS PLACED ON THE USE OF POOL COVERS, AND THEIR MAJOR ROLE IN SUSTAINABILITY IN SWIM SCHOOL POOLS. SOME SCHOOLS SWEAR BY THEM, BUT OTHERS DON’T THINK IT IS WORTH THE HASSLE. CAN YOU PLEASE DISCUSS THE PROS AND CONS TO USING COVERS.

Welcome back to our “Ask the Expert” feature, designed to assist you with issues related to swimming pool water, mechanical equipment, space conditioning, and code compliance. Ask a question, and we will try to answer to the best of our ability.

Sure thing. There is a lot of confusion regarding the use of pool covers on indoor swim school pools. While some swim schools swear by the energy savings, others don’t see where the savings are justified by the labor costs of deploying the covers.

INDOOR POOL HEATING FACTS:

While indoor pools are not subject to environmental conditions such as low outdoor temperatures, wind, and rain – all which can reduce pool water temperatures, they still lose a lot of energy Why? The heat in the pool water doesn’t want to stay in the water, it will escape into the building air space through evaporation. Once there, it must be replaced by either additional energy from a heater, recovered heat from the dehumidification system, or both.

THE POWER OF EVAPORATION:

It takes 1 BTU to raise 1 LB of water by 1 degree F. However when the same 1 LB of water evaporates it takes about 1048 BTU’s out of the surrounding water thus severely reducing the temperature of the pool. Also by the time you have lost 1” of pool water through evaporation, you have lost over 18F of pool water temperature. Evaporation accounts for 70% of your annual heating cost. Evaporated water also leaves behind all the dissolved solids, accelerating conditions that cause bather irritation.

DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING SPACE:

The moist warm air in the pool space becomes a chore for the dehumidification system to handle. Equally as important as the heat loss itself is the potential damage that the moist air, laden with chlorinated byproducts, can cause to your building structure, including metallic fixtures, deck equipment, window systems, etc. Reducing the Chloramines with a properly-sized UV system can help reduce the chloramine part of the damage, but cannot touch the humidity influence. This is addressed using a pool cover.

POOL COVERS CAN SAVE MONEY IN 3 WAYS:

• By controlling evaporation to near ZERO during time of its use, you virtually stop the flow of warm moist air into the building space, and severely reduce the load on the pool heaters and the dehumidification system. This includes the cost of running the 5-15 HP fan moving the air, heating the incoming air (sometimes as much as 70F or more) to conform to indoor air

temperatures, and running the (very expensive) compressor to remove the humidity from the air. All which will provide potentially huge savings.

• Reducing evaporation will greatly reduce the amount of water used. How much? A good rule of thumb is 6.5 gallons per hour per 1,000 square feet of surface area is common for a heated pool. What about your pool?

A Department of Energy RSPEC study on a 1,800 square foot pool at 90F covered during periods of non-use estimated a minimum of 50,000 gallons would be saved each year.

• The replacement water needs to be heated to the same temp as the rest of the pool, sometimes as much as 40F. The pH of the water needs to be lowered, and the Chlorine, Calcium, and Alkalinity will normally need to be adjusted in order to attain proper water quality and water balance.

POOL COVER FACTS:

The two most popular types of pool covers that have been used:

• Bubble-type cover: is similar to the packing material, but is made from a thicker grade of plastic. While they may cost less than other covers, they normally last months instead of years, and their low price is normally offset by the well documented high labor cost of deploying and removing. Also covers that are a pain to utilize don’t get used as often thus reducing savings, but they will serve as a good short-term “proof of concept” for pool owners who might be skeptical about the savings.

• Insulated pool cover: They are made with fabric-to-foam flame laminated polyethylene woven material and a special stitching for strength and flexibility and for making them easy to handle. Stainless-steel deck or wall-mounted winders are used to deploy and retract the new pool blankets, further contributing to ease of handling. This is the medium cost alternative and they seem to float the best, which is important as water on the cover is like having a hole in the cover. Evaporation will still take place and will steal the temperature from the surrounding water.

CALCULATING SAVINGS:

There are a few ways to estimate savings. The tremendous Department of Energy RSPEC program, based on Windows 95 platform, was discontinued years ago, but we still have access, and can run accurate savings reports as needed. There are also several less comprehensive web based calculators that allow you to estimate savings, but none that we have found to be as accurate as RSPEC.

WATER QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS:

If there is a negative to the use of covers it that it temporarily bottles up some chemical reactions in pool water chemistry. But we have found that most swim schools get great results by letting the pool run uncovered a short while before and after the cover is used.

MAYBE THE LARGEST CONSIDERATION:

Perhaps the greatest question mark is how your school is going to store and deploy the blanket. While some industry-leading schools have “accordion folded” the covers at the end of the pool for many decades, others (including some health departments) don’t like that solution. Deployment is streamlined by using a wall or deck mounted winder system, and the entire process can take as little as 5-10 minutes.

CONCLUSION:

It is well documented that the use of a cover will save a significant amount of water, energy to reheat the water, chemicals to treat the water, energy to reheat the incoming air, electricity to remove the humidity from the air, and damage to the interior finishes. There is a quick payback to the implementation. There are some storage and deployment issues to work out, and folks wonder: is it worth it? Many of your peers emphatically say YES!

Please feel free to forward your questions and comments through the USSSA office, or directly to me via email at amendoza@ceswaterquality.com.

Best Regards, Alvaro G. Mendoza

TRADEMARK

A trademark must be used properly to identify and distinguish the products of one source from those of other sources, and to remain the exclusive property of the owner.

MICHAEL W. GOLTRY

REGISTERED PATENT ATTORNEY PARSONS & GOLTRY, PLLC 10643 North Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Suite 201 Scottsdale, Arizona 85259

O: 480-991-3537

C: 480-250-9816

E: mg@pgpct.com

W: patentsavers.com

The rights acquired by federal registration must be maintained through proper and continuous use of the trademark in commerce. On the other hand, widespread misuse of a trademark can, and normally does, make it difficult to enforce the exclusive rights to use the mark. To protect a trademark, several important guidelines should be followed when using the trademark in advertising literature, displays and signs, product packaging, labels, business documents, and correspondence. The following are general guidelines:

• Use a trademark as an adjective followed by the generic name of the goods or services. A trademark is not a noun.

• Do not use a trademark in the plural or possessive form.

• Do not use a trademark as a verb. Trademarks are adjectives, and should never be used as verbs.

• Use a trademark consistently, as each deviation may create a new, different trademark.

• Use a trademark distinctively.

• Use a proper notice of trademark. Identify the trademark as registered or unregistered “®“ for a federally registered mark.

• ™ for an unregistered trademark.

• SM or ™ for an unregistered servicemark.

• Use the trademark continuously and notoriously, and do not abandon the mark.

• Make sure others use the mark as an adjective and only as an adjective.

• Prevent others from using and registering confusingly similar trademarks.

WHAT CAN BE A TRADEMARK?

A trademark can be anything that is capable of functioning as a mark and, more particularly, anything that is capable of distinguishing your goods and services from those of others.

A trademark can be any of the following:

• Word

• Symbol

• Word/symbol combination

• Phrase

• Phrase/symbol combination

• Sound

• Smell

• Shape of an article of manufacture

• Color

• Packaging design

• Anything that is capable of designating the source or origin of goods and/or ser vices.

TYPES OF TRADEMARKS

There are two primary types of marks that can be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office: (1) trademarks and (2) servicemarks. A trademark is a word, name, symbol, or device, which is used in trade with goods to indicate the source of the goods and to distinguish them from the goods of others. A servicemark is the same as a trademark except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than a product. The terms “trademark” and “mark” are commonly used to refer to both trademarks and servicemarks.

LIST OF ADVERTISERS

CSFI | p17

Charlie Banana | p20

Cintas | p25

CouncilmanHunsaker | p35

Cressi | p6

FINIS | Inside Front Cover

Green Sprouts | p24

iClass Pro | p9

Jackrabbit Swim | p2

Neptune-Benson | p31

Risk Management | p13

Splash About | p4 TeamUnify | p25

Tri Swim | p20