Welcome to the Tsunamis Parent Page

 

Welcome, Swim Parents!

So your swimmer has joined the team — now what?

Whether you’re new to the sport or just new to our team, welcome! We’re excited to have you join the Tsunamis family. This page will help guide you through the first steps as a Swim Parent and point you to key information and resources.

 

Getting Started

As a Swim Parent, your role is incredibly important. From making sure your swimmer gets to practice on time, to helping them stay prepared for meets, you’re now part of a team too!

We’ve outlined the essential info below, and you’ll also find helpful links throughout the page to dive deeper into each topic.

 

Timeliness:
Swimmers should arrive 15 minutes early for practice and 20 minutes before warm-ups at meets. This helps ensure they are ready—physically and mentally—to start on time. We believe in teaching responsibility and readiness; it all starts with our youngest and newest swimmers and developing good habits early on, this includes pre-practice and meet stretching.

Practice times:

The start time is the time a swimmer should be ready to physically get in the water.

  • Bronze: 4:30 – 5:15
  • Silver: 4:30 - 5:45
  • Gold: 5:30 – 7:00
  • Blue: 5:30 – 7:30
  • Green: 5:30 – 7:30
  • Senior 1: 5:30 - 7:30
  • Senior 2: 4:30 – 6:30

     - Being on time for a swim meet is also important. Being late could result in your swimmer being switched on a relay, missing warm up, feeling rushed, and potentially being physically and/or mentally not ready to compete.


Attire:

Swimmers should come to practice and swim meets dressed appropriately.

Female swimmers must be in tight fitting one-piece suits for practice (solid color, team suit or tech suits for meets). 

Male Swimmers should be in a tight-fitting brief style suit (preferably) or a tight-fitting jammer (no jammers at swim meets). 

  • Board shorts and rash guards/swim shirts are NOT permitted at practice. All swimsuits should be tight as to eliminate drag and help the swimmer learn proper technique without their suit dragging them down.

Swim Caps – female swimmers must wear a cap for practice and swim meets. Boys must only wear swim caps for swim meets – unless they have long hair that gets in their face when they swim, then they should also wear a cap at practice.

Other attire: Parkas for cold weather, sandals, sneakers for swim meets and dry land, extra set of dry workout clothes (this stays in a swimmer’s dry bag at practice in case we need to do dry land).


Training Equipment:

Each training group has specific equipment that swimmers are required to bring to every practice. Having the correct gear helps swimmers stay engaged, learn properly, and avoid falling behind.

General Equipment Expectations

  • Mesh Bag: All gear should be stored in a mesh "wet bag" and kept at the side of the pool during practice.

  • Goggles: Swimmers must bring a pair of good-quality goggles to every practice. We strongly recommend keeping a backup pair in their bag.

  • Group-Specific Gear: Each training group has its own list of required equipment.

Everything can be found in our team store: CLICK HERE - Our team is proudly sponsored by Arena. Every swimmer must have at least one piece of Arena-branded equipment (preferably more) in their swim bag.


Communication: 

Staying informed is key! Our team communicates primarily through email and the Remind app. This is how we share important updates about:

  • Practice changes or cancellations

  • Swim meet details and deadlines

  • Billing reminders and account info

  • Team announcements

.

Remind App (for quick updates):

We use the Remind app to send short, text-style messages — perfect for last-minute updates or quick reminders.

  • Download the app from your phones App Store

  • Join with our class code: @tsunamisw

  • Enable notifications so you don’t miss anything important

Please keep messages within office hours (before 7:30 PM). Once practice begins, coaches may not respond immediately, as phone use is limited on deck. For anything non-urgent after hours, please send us an email instead.

Email (for detailed communication):

It’s very important to check your email regularly. We use email to send:

  • Practice calendars

  • Meet entries and RSVP requests

  • Team Unify billing reminders (e.g. failed payments, expiring cards)

If you're not seeing emails, be sure to check your spam/junk folder and mark team messages as safe.

 

Team Website:

Our team website is your go-to resource for everything you need throughout the season. We update it regularly with important information, so we encourage you to get familiar with it early on.

Tip: Be sure to log in to your account when browsing. Some content is only visible to logged-in members.

What You’ll Find on the Website:

  • Training Calendars

  • Weather Policy

  • Team Store + Equipment List

  • Fee Schedule

  • Swim Lesson Information

  • Time Standards & Meet Info

 

Weather:
 

When the weather looks questionable, here’s what you need to know:

  • Please check our Weather Policy (posted on the team website) for full details.

  • If we need to cancel practice, we will send a message through the Remind app.

  • If you receive a message saying “we’re getting in” and no further updates follow, practice is on.

    • Please avoid sending individual messages asking if practice is canceled.
      There are more of you than there are of us — and when we receive too many one-on-one messages, it can delay or block our ability to communicate with the full team quickly.

  • We will always try to hold practice — even if it’s dry land instead of swimming. Safety comes first, but consistency and communication are key!

“OnDeck” App:

The OnDeck app is a mobile tool that connects directly to your team account. It helps you stay organized and engaged in your swimmer’s progress and team activity.

What You Can Do in OnDeck:

  • RSVP for swim meets
  • View your swimmer’s best times
  • Check practice attendance
  • Compare time standards
  • Access team communication
  • View and pay invoices 

As your swimmer grows and becomes more independent, we encourage them to use the app too — they can track their progress, sign up for meets (with your help), and start learning how to manage their swim journey.


Swim Meets:

Swim meets are competitive events where your swimmer puts their training into action!

Participation in meets helps swimmers track progress, gain experience, and qualify for higher-level competitions. Here's what you need to know:

RSVP Is Required

  • You must RSVP to each meet through the OnDeck app.
  • If your swimmer will not attend, please decline — this lets us know you didn’t miss the notification.
  • We will never enter a swimmer into a meet without a “Yes” RSVP.

Why this matters: Each meet has associated entry fees, which the team must pay whether or not the swimmer shows up. We only enter swimmers who have confirmed they can attend.

Reading the Meet Info Page

Every meet listed in OnDeck has a Meet Information Page. We strongly encourage parents to read it carefully.

You’ll find:

  • Meet type (Developmental, Time Standard, Age-Group, etc.)
  • Location & session times
  • Eligibility (age, qualifying times, group restrictions)
  • Entry list once submitted

Time Standards & Examples

Some meets require qualifying times. These are listed in the meet packet (PDF link on the meet page in OnDeck). If your swimmer doesn’t meet those times, they can’t participate in that meet.

Examples of meets with time standards:

  • Southern Zone Sectionals
  • Senior Champs
  • Age Group Champs
  • BB Champs
  • Winter Champs
  • Futures

Meets may have time restrictions, age restrictions, or both — so always check before RSVPing.


Payments:

We use auto billing for all team fees and meet charges. Here's how it works:

Auto Billing

  • Runs on the 1st of each month.
  • Your total account balance as of the 1st will be automatically charged to the card on file.
  • Be sure your payment method is up to date to avoid failed payments or late fees.

Meet Fees

  • Meet fees are invoiced after entries are submitted.
  • Fees are due before the meet begins — unpaid fees may result in a $5 late fee.
  • These fees are non-refundable, regardless of swimmer attendance. Once entries are submitted, the team is charged by the host team and must pay.

Note: Even if your swimmer doesn’t end up swimming, the entry fee still applies once they’ve been entered into the meet.

Manual Payments

Want to make a payment manually? Here’s how:

  1. Go to the team website
  2. Log in (top right corner)
  3. Navigate to My Account > Payments & Invoices
  4. Click “Manual Payment” at the top of the page

Note: Manual payments cannot be made through the OnDeck app, but you can view invoices there.


Parents on deck:

In accordance with USA Swimming rules, parents are not allowed on the pool deck during practices.

During swim meets, parents are only allowed in designated spectator areas, unless serving in an official volunteer capacity (timer, marshal, etc.).

Practice Arrival & Pickup

  • You may enter the facility to drop off and pick up your swimmer.
  • If you plan to stay during practice, please remain in the designated spectator areas (see below).

Approved Spectator Areas (practice)

  • Township – Located under the tent on the east side of the pool
  • Calypso Cove – The picnic table area on the south side of the pool

These areas allow you to observe practice without being on deck or causing distractions.

Please Avoid Disruptions

  • Do not approach or speak to swimmers during practice. Maintaining focus is crucial to their progress and to the overall flow of the session.
  • Once practice ends, allow your swimmer to gather their belongings and come to you. This supports independence and responsibility.

Your cooperation helps us create a safe, distraction-free environment for all swimmers. Thank you for respecting this policy!

 

Advancement Procedures/expectations:

Swimmer development is a gradual process, and moving up to a higher training group is based on readiness—not just age or time in the program. We evaluate all swimmers several times per year and consider multiple factors to ensure they’re placed where they’ll thrive.

 

What We Consider When Moving a Swimmer Up:

  • Age & Previous Experience
  • Maturity & Personal Responsibility
  • Level of Commitment
  • Practice Attendance
  • Performance Times
  • Space Availability in the next group

Important Reminder

When a swimmer is promoted to a higher training group, the expectations increase—in both commitment and performance. This includes:

  • Longer practices
  • More frequent attendance
  • Higher intensity workouts
  • Stronger focus on goal setting and time standards

Moving up is an exciting milestone, and it comes with new responsibilities. Our coaching staff works hard to ensure that each swimmer is ready not only physically, but mentally and emotionally for the next step.