Swim Dogs In A Nutshell

 

 

Considering joining a year-round competitive swim team? Here is a (not so) brief FAQ about Swim Dogs to help you in your quest.

 

  1. Where do you practice?

We practice at George Washington High School during the school year and at both GW and Lowry Pool (near Great Lawn Park) during the summer. Most of our summer practices are held at Lowry and are a mixture of morning, midday, and evening practices. School year practices at GW are on weekday evenings.

 

  1. When are practice times?

You can find our current practice times on our team website.

 

  1. What are your practice groups?

You can find a general breakdown of our practice groups on our team website. Typical age ranges for each group are included in the descriptions. https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/cosd/page/practice-groups 

 

  1. What is the meet schedule?

We typically attend 1-2 meets a month. A complete meet schedule will be sent out to families at the beginning of each season. Meets will be posted on the team website once we receive information from the host team. If you are new to a swim team click here for more information.

 

  1. What are your practice requirements?

Our younger, novice groups do not have a practice requirement, but we definitely encourage a minimum number of practices per week. Swimming is a sport in that you are really only getting better at it if you are doing it. There is a certain level of “feel” of the water that must be maintained on a weekly basis, as well as overall swim fitness. Riding your bike or going for a jog, unfortunately, won’t make you a better swimmer. 

 

In general, for 8 & under swimmers we recommend 2-3 practices per week, for 10 year olds and up we recommend 3-4 practices per week, and 4-5 practices a week for our more serious swimmers.

 

Big Dogs are required to attend two practices a week and Top Dogs are required to attend three practices a week.

 

  1. What is your meet requirement?

We do not have any mandatory swim meets for our younger novice groups, although we will always encourage swimmers to participate in meets. Racing and doing meets are truly the only ways to know if you are improving. It also helps give a better sense of purpose and meaning to practices. 

 

Big Dogs are required to participate in at least three meets per season. Top Dogs are required to participate in at least half of the meets offered plus any championship meets they qualify for.

 

  1. Do you accept new members throughout the year?

We take on new members throughout the year as long as there is room on the team. Our Swim Dogs coaches work very hard to offer individual attention during every practice, and that can only be maintained at certain group sizes. When there is limited space, we will prioritize swimmers that are committed to swimming with us year-round through the summer (Sep~Aug).

 

  1. How do you become a new member?

The only way to become a new member is to email Coach Eriko or use our Contact Us button on our website to let us know of your interest. From there, you will be asked to come to a practice for a tryout— simply to make sure that our program is the correct fit for everyone involved! The only way you can register to become a Swim Dog is through a private link sent to you via email. Please do not try and register through the website - it will not work.

 

  1. What is your team philosophy?

Our mission statement is: Swimming is a FAMILY SPORT, and that is why you will see Swim Dog parents and their children swimming together in practices and at swim meets. Our goals are:

  • Swimming improvement through technique first and conditioning second

  • Encouraging parents and their children to practice and compete together

  • Enjoying life through swimming!

  • Building a solid relationship with Denver Public Schools and the local community

 

We always want to maintain a love for swimming and will foster the most competitive athletes.

 

  1. Who will be coaching my swimmer(s)?

We do not have coaches assigned to any particular group. All coaches will work with all practice groups throughout the season. All of our coaches are certified with USA Swimming and we will be following a season plan set by the Head Coach and Head Age Group Coach.

 

  1. Do you have a Masters program?

We do; however, the majority of our Masters swimmers are parents of kids that would rather not sit in the stands and watch their practice - they’d rather swim it! Each practice offers a Masters lane for its members. Our Masters swimmers' typical goal is to get a good workout in. Beyond that, they enjoy being left to adjust practice as they like.

 

  1. Do you offer swim lessons?

We do! We do not have a large lesson program but we do offer lessons for kiddos 3 and up that are comfortable in the water with an adult. We offer three different lesson levels. These are spread out where we can fit them in our schedule so lesson times will change from season to season. Please reach out to Coach Eriko for details and availability.

 

  1. Are parents allowed at practices?

Parents are always welcomed to sit in the stands during practices! We ask, though, if you would like to speak with one of the coaches to do so before or after practices.

 

  1. What are your equipment requirements?

Each practice group will be required to have certain equipment with them at all practices. Everyone in the water should have goggles, extra goggles, a swim cap, and a good practice swimsuit (no sunshirts or wetsuits). You can visit MI Sports brick and mortar or we will have an online store available through MI Sports for those who would like to purchase both equipment and apparel. We have extra equipment at GW for swimmers to borrow but not at Lowry.

  • Swim Pups & Lil’ Dogs— recommend them to have a kick board, long swim fins, and a mesh bag to keep them in. If not, we have extras.

  • Big Dogs— required to have a kick board, swim fins (either long or short), a swim buoy, a front-mount snorkel (NOT a scuba snorkel), and a mesh bag to keep it all in. We have extras for everything except snorkels.

  • Top Dog, & HS Dogs— required to have a kick board, swim fins (either long or short), a swim buoy, hand paddles (Stroke Maker brand—see a coach for proper sizing), a front-mount snorkel (NOT a scuba snorkel), and a mesh bag to keep it all in

 

  1. What are the costs associated?

    1. Monthly dues

We have three tiers of membership: Fully Year-Round, School Year Only, and Purely Monthly.

 

Year-Round = For swimmers committed to swimming with us until Aug. Practices are at GW Sep through May, will move out to Lowry in early June and return to GW for Aug. When there is limited space, we will prioritize swimmers that are committed to swimming with us year-round.

School Year = For swimmers that will be leaving in the summer and are committed to swimming with us until the end of May. Practices are at GW Sep through May.

Monthly = Month to Month. For swimmers that would like the flexibility to start and stop as needed. However, your spot on the team is not guaranteed while taking a break. YOU MUST GIVE US NOTICE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE 1ST for any billing changes to be made in time. This is not an option for the Top Dogs group.

 

*High School Families - There will be a High School option for Year-Round and School Year for those wishing to PAUSE their membership during their high school season. These swimmers can swim up until their regular season begins and can return once their regular season ends. As always, swimmers are more than welcome to continue swimming with us through their high school season as a paying member.*

Girls Season: Payments paused in Nov, Dec, Jan

Boys Season: Payments paused in Feb, Mar, Apr

 

 

Swim Pups

Lil Dogs

(Silver & Gold)

Big Dogs

Top  Dogs

High School

Masters

Year-round

$118

$138

$158 

$158

$168

$78

School Year

$125

$145

$165

$165

$175

$85

Monthly

$140

$160

$180 

N/A

$190

$90

 

If a swimmer leaves the team before the end of their commitment period, unless it is due to a move or a medical reason, 50% of remaining dues will need to be paid before payments can be stopped.

 

  1. Registration fee

There is an annual registration fee of $200. This fee includes your team shirt and a latex cap. For returning members, this also includes your USA Swimming registration fee. Swimmers that swam the summer prior with us will have a lower registration fee of $150.

  1. Sibling Discounts

$10 off per swimmer on registration fees

        $10 off 2nd swimmer, $20 off 3rd swimmer, $30 off 4th swimmer, etc for monthly dues

  1. Meet fees

Meet fees are set by the host team and we do not have any additional team fees. We will invoice you once the meet has concluded and you will pay your meet fees with your next month’s dues on the 1st. You will be charged even if your swimmer was absent. There are no refunds for meet fees.

 

  1. Can you suspend your membership throughout the year?

We would like to think of our membership as an on-going commitment; however, we recognize that there are many circumstances in which it is simply not reasonable.

  1. Monthly Members - Two-week notice

We ask that we are given written notice at least two weeks in advance of the 1st (when accounts are charged) then we can make that billing change. With that said, upon your return there must be room in the practice group available in order to readmit.

 

  1. Year-Round & School-Year Members

If a swimmer leaves the team before the end of their commitment period, unless it is due to a move or a medical reason, 50% of remaining dues will need to be paid before payments can be stopped.

 

  1. Can my swimmer join late? (After cross-country, soccer, etc.)

We are unable to hold spots for swimmers wishing to join later in the season. Families will need to reach out to Coach Eriko when they are ready to start and make sure there is availability. You can also be placed on a waitlist.

 

  1. How does the team communicate information?

The majority of communication occurs via email through our Sports Engine account. Any account holder or member with a verified email address should receive all emails sent from the team. We also have a weekly newsletter, usually sent out on Mondays, with important information/reminders and either an educational article, a shout-out or a re-cap of a big meet. Additionally, you should register your mobile phone number in order to receive text messages as well — of which we will send in an urgent or emergent situation. We highly encourage registering all of your devices (and swimmer’s, if applicable) to ensure proper communication all the time. 

  • If your swimmer needs to text a coach, we ask that it be a group text with at least one parent included.