New to the neighborhood or considering the swim team for the first time? We know you probably have a lot of questions, so here are a few that we get all the time. If you have any more, feel free to email us any time at [email protected]. 

Q: Does my child have to know how to swim to join the team? 

A: No! We are a ‘learning to swim’ competitive team. What that means is we are instructional in write and most often to children who have little to no swim experience. The only hard requirement we have is that your swimmer not be afraid of the water, or becoming overly clingy during practice. If you are unsure, just go ahead and register. If your child is not happy or you or we feel the team might be a better fit next year, we offer a one week full refund so we can find that out! 

Q: How old do you have to be to join the team?

A: As mentioned above, if your child meets the parameter of a safe student swimmer, they are welcome to be a member of the team. For some kids that can be as early as 3 years old! In most cases, 5 years old is the start age, but if the swimmer has had lessons, they can often swim earlier. The oldest age is 18 before June 10th if that summer season. 

Q: Does my child have to participate in meets? 

A: Yes and No. In order for each swimmer and the coaches to measure progress in each swimmer, the meet races are the best way to do that. In addition, especially for younger swimmers, they are an immense confidence builder. Therefore, if your child is ready to swim in the meet in the opinion of the head coach, we are going to try to strenuously convince you to let them swim the meet. 

Q. When are practices and how long is the season? 

A. Practices start the day following Memorial Day at the Mill Pond pool, and continue five days a week until the last week of July or first week of August. Practices are generally in the afternoon while WJCC schools are still in session, 4-5PM for older swimmers and 5-6 for younger swimmers, and then shifts to mornings for the remainder of the season from 730-830AM for the younger swimmers, and 8:39-9:30 for the older swimmers. 

Q. It says we must volunteer in order for our child to compete in meets…what would we have to do? 

A: A full list of meet volunteer positions is listed in a link contained in the team registration paperwork. Duties range from simply help move tables and chairs all the way to serving as the head official responsible for proper conduct of the entire meet. 

Q: If my child competes in the meets, who will they be competing against? 

A: Meet Events are organized by age groups: 6&under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15&up, male and female.

Q: Are there any additional expenses aside from the registration fee? 

A: All swimmers who are meet ready should have a meet suit which will be set each season and communicated to the team. This suit will run $60-70 for girls, and $40-50 for boys. Additionally, a solid pair of googles is highly recommended and will run no more than $20. Both of these are available in the team Swimoutlet store. 

Q: When are meets and how long do they last? 

A: There are 5 meets on consecutive Monday nights that start at 6PM, and usually last no later than 10PM. There is also one final all league meet for anyone not achieving a championship qualifying time on a Saturday, and a leaguewide championship meet one week after that also on a Saturday. 

Q: We may have to take a few weeks off during the season for planned vacations. Are we still allowed to join the team? 

A: Absolutely. The philosophy of our team is that we will work hard to help improve your child’s swimming skills for as long (or as little) as they are available to practice. 

Q: How can I help? 

A: Thank you so much for asking that question! Running a 100+ swimmer swim team is a huge undertaking, but many hands make light work. If you have a particular skill you can share (accounting, past swim experience, party planning, fundraising, volunteer coordination, etc) or are willing to learn on the go, please reach out to [email protected].