Signing up 5 questions
When does registration open and close?
It opens Monday, March 1, at 9:00 a.m. and closes Friday, May 14, or when a group fills. Last summer the 8-and-under group was full in 11 days, so don't leave it until May.
What does the season cost?
$185 for your first swimmer and $160 for each brother or sister. Two swimmers come to $345.
That covers coaching, a team cap and T-shirt, and all six Saturday meets. It doesn't cover the team suit ($42) or the championship meet entry ($15 per swimmer).
How well does my child need to swim?
Well enough to swim one length of the pool, 25 yards, without stopping or holding the lane line. Swimmers must be 5 to 18 years old on June 1, 2027.
If your child is new to the club, bring them to the swim check on Saturday, May 15, any time from 10:00 a.m. to noon. It takes five minutes. If they aren't ready yet, we refund you in full and suggest where to take lessons.
Is there help with the fees?
Yes. The parents' fund pays the full fee for 12 swimmers each summer. Tell the registrar you'd like a funded place. There's no form to fill in, and the coaches aren't told who has one.
Can we get a refund if it doesn't work out?
All of it until Friday, May 28. Half of it until Friday, June 11, the day before the first meet. Nothing after that, because by then the pool time and the coaches are paid for.
Practices 4 questions
When are practices?
Weekday mornings from Tuesday, June 1, to Friday, July 30.
| Age group | Monday to Friday |
|---|---|
| 13 and over | 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. |
| 8 and under | 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. |
| 9 and 10 | 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. |
| 11 and 12 | 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. |
If mornings are impossible, there's one practice for all ages on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Do they have to come every day?
No. We ask for three practices a week, which is enough to keep improving. Family trips are fine. Tell your group's coach if you'll miss a whole week, so a relay team isn't counting on you.
What should they bring to practice?
A suit, a towel, a water bottle with their name on it, and two pairs of goggles, because one pair always snaps at the wrong moment. Put sunscreen on before you leave home. Long hair goes in a cap.
Kickboards and fins are ours. Leave yours at home.
What happens in bad weather?
We swim in rain. Thunder or lightning clears the pool, and nobody goes back in until 30 minutes after the last of it. If the whole morning is called off, a text goes out by 6:30 a.m.
Meets 5 questions
When and where are the meets?
Six Saturday mornings: June 12, 19 and 26, and July 10, 17 and 24. There's no meet on July 3. Three are at our pool and three are away, all within a 25-minute drive.
Warm-up is at 7:15 a.m., the first race is at 8:00, and most meets finish by noon. The championship meet is Saturday, July 31.
Does my child have to race?
No, though nearly everyone does by the second meet. You sign up for each meet by Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. that week. The coaches choose the events: up to three individual races and a relay.
Before the first real meet there's a practice meet with no scores, at our pool on Saturday, June 5, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
What is a DQ?
A disqualification. An official saw a stroke, turn or finish that broke a rule, such as touching the wall with one hand in breaststroke, which needs two. That race gets no time.
It happens to every swimmer, and the coaches go over it at Monday's practice.
What do parents do at a meet?
Work, mostly. Every family takes three shifts over the season, about two hours each: timing, running result cards, selling snacks, or setting up. A home meet needs 18 timers, three for each of our six lanes, and it can't start without them.
Shift sign-up opens Monday, May 17. Timing needs no experience. You press a button when the swimmer touches the wall.
What should we bring to a meet?
Folding chairs, something for shade, two towels per swimmer, and a sweatshirt for the 7:15 warm-up. Bring a marker too: swimmers write their events on an arm so they know when to line up.
The snack table takes cash, and nothing on it costs more than $4.
Suits and staying in touch 3 questions
Where do we get the team suit?
Order it at a fitting at the pool: Saturday, May 15, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, or Thursday, May 20, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. It's navy with a white side stripe and costs $42.
The team suit is only needed for meets. Any plain suit is fine for practice, and the cap comes with registration.
How will we hear from the club?
One email every Sunday evening with the week ahead: practice changes, the meet lineup and who's on which shift. Texts are for weather only. Coaches stay on the deck for 15 minutes after each practice if you'd rather ask in person.
Who do I ask about what?
Fees, registration and funded places: Sunita Nair, registrar. Anything about swimming: Devon Marsh, head coach. Shifts: Walt Pederson, volunteer coordinator.
Reply to any Sunday email and it reaches all three.