ANTI-RECRUITING POLICY

Active recruiting - the solicitation of an athlete of one USA Swimming member club by another USA Swimming member club is contrary to the best interests of Maryland Swimming, Inc. and it’s athletes.

USA Swimming clubs within Maryland Swimming, Inc. shall be prohibited from directly or indirectly soliciting or encouraging an athlete of another USA Swimming member club to leave his or her existing club to join the soliciting club. This anti – recruiting policy shall prohibit a USA Swimming member club employee or coach from directly contact with an athlete from another USA Swimming member club in Maryland Swimming, Inc., or the athlete’s family, with the intent that the athlete join the soliciting club.

The intent of this anti – recruiting policy is to prevent organized and club-sanctioned efforts to persuade a member of a one USA Swimming member club to leave his or her member club to join the other club.

It is not the intent of this anti-recruiting policy to prevent athletes or parents of athletes of one member club from initiating contact with coaches, officials or athletes of another club for the purpose of inquiring about joining the other member club. Once such contact is initiated, the restrictions of this anti-recruiting policy shall not apply to any contact with that athlete of another member club.

Nothing in this anti-recruiting policy shall prevent a USA Swimming member club from conducting any self-promotional activities such as advertising, team tryouts or camps for the purpose of recruiting athletes as there is no direct solicitation of athletes of another member club.

It is also not the intent of this policy to prevent athletes or parents of athletes from different clubs from discussing any aspect of their respective USA Swimming member clubs, or incidental contact, such as may occur at a competition when a coach, parent or athlete of one club offers to congratulate an athlete from another club. However, any such activities which have been shown to have been promoted, encouraged or facilitated by a USA Swimming member club officer, employee or coach with the intent of recruiting shall be in violation of this anti-recruiting policy and subject the member club and/or its coach to the sanctions of this anti-recruiting policy.

Violation of this anti-recruiting policy shall be reported to the Maryland Swimming, Inc. Board of Review, which upon receipt of the complaint shall conduct hearings under the by-laws of Maryland swimming, Inc. Any USA Swimming club or USA Swimming coach found to have violated this anti-recruiting policy will be suspended from Maryland Swimming, Inc. for up to 1 year for a first offense and for up to 2 years for a second or subsequent offense. Suspension of a member coach for a violation of this anti-recruiting policy shall prohibit that coach from being on deck for any USA swimming competition sanctioned by Maryland swimming, Inc. during the period of the suspension. Suspension of a USA Swimming member club for a violation of this anti-recruiting policy shall not prohibit the registration of the club, athletes or coaches, but shall prohibit the member club from competing as a team in USA Swimming competition sanctioned by Maryland swimming Inc. Athletes registered with any such suspended club my compete in any USA Swimming competition sanctioned by Maryland Swimming, Inc., but do so only as an unattached athlete.