1. Is the Narwhals a seasonal team or a year-long team?
The Narwhals are a summer seasonal team, operating between the end of May and early August every year.
2. Who is eligible to be on the Narwhals?
Anyone who is 5-18 years of age as of June 1 of the swim season, who lives in University Hills, and who is "water safe" is eligible to be on the Narwhals.
3. What does "water safe" mean?
A water safe swimmer should be able to safely swim one lap, in any stroke or style.
4. Can I invite my friends who do not live in University Hills to join the team.
By contract with ICHA and the HRB, the Narwhals can only accept residents of University Hills.
5. Can children with special needs join the Narwhals?
Swimmers with special needs are welcome on the Narwhals, as long as they meet the basic requirements (5-18, live in University Hills, water safe).
6. Where and when do the Narwhals train?
The Narwhals hold practice at the Coltrane pool, between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, Monda to Friday
7. Does that mean the Coltrane pool is closed to other swimmers during that time?
The Narwhals will use up to 5 lines of the pool during these hours. Remaining lanes and facilities, including the wading pool and spa, will be available for use by the entire University Hills community.
8. Will my child attend the whole practice?
Each child will be placed in a group that will be offered practice between 45-60 minutes a day.
9. What time will my child practice?
Times of practice will be assigned late in the spring once team signups have been completed or nearly completed. Younger children typically swim earlier in the day, and older children later.
10. Does my child have to practice every day?
No. Practices are offered daily, but attendance is not required.
11. What if I go on vacation?
There is no requirement to attend every week. Each swimmer participates when able.
12. We will be away half the summer. Can we pay partial fees?
There are no partial fees. Registration is for the entire summer season.
13. When are swim meets held?
Swim meets are held on Saturdays, from about 8 am to about 1 pm.
14. How many swim meets are there?
Each season, we will typically have one time trials meet, 5 dual meets and one championship meet. See "events" tab for more info.
15. How do I qualify to participate in meets?
All swimmers are invited to participate in all meets, though participation in the ISL Team Championship Meet is dependent on having swum at least one prior meet (see next point).
16. Tell me more about the ISL Team Championship Meet.
Swimmers are highly encouraged to participate in the ISL Team Championship Meet. All swimmers will be able to swim in at least one event of their choice regardless if they meet the time qualifications, as long as they swum in at least one meet prior. Additionally it is an opportunity to swim in a world class Olympic pool with kids from all over Irvine. More participation in the event means more opportunity to win points for the team and potentially win team awards.
17. My children have other activities on Saturdays. Can they still be on the Narwhals?
Participation in swim meets, just like practices, is not required. The amount of participation is up to the family. However, we encourage swimmers if possible to participate in at least one prior meet and then the ISL Team Championship Meet.
18. What if I can't come to an event or practice? Do I have to notify anyone?
There is no need to notify anyone if the swimmer cannot come to practice. To assist with planning, the family of any child that cannot participate in a Saturday meet that week is required to email the team coach by end of the day on Wednesday. The email address will be provided to all swimmers' families before the start of the season.
19. Is a Narwhals swimsuit required?
A Narwhals suit is required for swim meets.
20. How many volunteer shifts do I need to complete each season?
If a family has one swimmer on the team, they need to complete 5 volunteer shifts per season. With 2 or more swimmers on the team, 6 shifts are required. Click here for the list of volunteer jobs available each season.
21. When does registration open?
Priority registration for the current season of the University Hills Narwhals will open March 1 to returning families. Returning families may register their returning swimmers and any new swimmer siblings. We encourage returning families to please sign up as soon as possible to secure your child's spot on the team. Please note: New swimmer siblings' spots are not secured until all required new swimmer documentation is submitted.
Registration for new families will open on March 15, if any spots remain.
All families should submit their NEW swimmer documents BEFORE completing registration.
No additional documentation is required for swimmers who participated on the Narwhals Swim Team last year.
22. What are registration documents and how do I upload them for my new swimmer?
Your registration or waitlist spot will not be held for your new swimmer until registration documents are received.
"New Swimmers" are those swimmers who did not swim for the Narwhals team last summer (including new siblings of returning Narwhals swimmers). Even if the swimmer was on the Narwhals team (or another ISL team) in past years, the swimmer is a "new swimmer" if he/she did not swim for the Narwhals team last summer.
The Irvine Swim League (ISL) requires that all new swimmers (including new siblings of returning swimmers) provide documentation verifying the new swimmer’s age and Irvine residence. To do this, please provide a screenshot of the swimmer’s IUSD Aeries Student Profile by uploading it to the Narwhals Dropbox folder.
Narwhals Dropbox link here.
Instructions for accessing Aeries profiles here.
Parents often send an incomplete Aeries Profile, often missing the school name or the birthday. Please make sure that the copy of the profile includes ALL of the following information:
- Student Name
- Birthdate
- School Name
- Student Grade
Registration is NOT FINAL (and your spot is not saved) until you provide this documentation and it is approved by the league.
Please submit this documentation BEFORE completing registration. If you fail to do so, but spots still remain on the team, you may receive a 5 business day grace period to submit your new swimmer's documentation before your new swimmer is withdrawn from the team.
If your child is not enrolled in an IUSD school, please email Narwhals' registrar, Jessica Hudak, at [email protected] for additional information.
23. How do I register my swimmer?
- Once registration is open, go to https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/isluh/page/team-registration.
- To login, you must enter the email and password that you used last season and click Continue. If you are new, create a new account.
- A blue " Add to Cart " button will appear next to the swimming groups in the gray box once registration is open.
- Select the age group of the swimmer that you are registering (either 5-14 or 15-18). And select the corresponding "Add to Cart". You may add to cart as many swimmers as you have in that age group.
- Select the returning swimmer member that you wish to register for this season or select "Add New Member," if you do not have any returning swimmers in that age group.
- If you have additional swimmers in the same age group, click on the blue "+ Add Registrations" below your first swimmer's name to add an additional swimmer. Either select (2) the returning swimmer's name or (2) "Add New Member", if you would like to register a new sibling, and provide the requested information and select "Add Member."
- Once all your swimmers in that age group are added, click "Next".
- Read and check all of the agreements for all of your swimmers in that age group and click "Next":
- Verify the information and click "Next".
- If you have swimmers in the other age group, please repeat this process from the beginning for those swimmers.
- Once all of your swimmers have been added, select the payment method (credit card only) and click "Pay Now".
You should receive a confirmation email that you have successfully registered your swimmer(s).
All new swimmers will have an additional step! See the answer to new swimmer FAQ question for instructions.
24. What does it cost?
Registration costs per swimmer a total of (1) $350 for swimmers 5-14 years of age (with $40 sibling discount) or (2) $175 for swimmers 15-18 years of age (cannot be combined with sibling discount). These fees include the $60 Irvine Swim League (ISL) Fee.
The breakdown of fees is as follows:
- Narwhals Registration Fee for swimmers ages 5-14: $290
- Narwhals Registration Fee for swimmers ages 15-18: $115
- Irvine Swim League (ISL) Fee: $60 per swimmer
- Sibling Discount for swimmers ages 5-14: $40 per swimmer
A Team Swimsuit is also required at additional cost.
We accept payment (registration costs and volunteer deposit) via credit card only, however, we do not charge any additional transaction fees for credit card payments.
25. What is the registration fee refund policy?
Please let us know as soon as possible if your plans change. We would like to be able to allow swimmers to join off the waitlist.
- $60 Irvine Swim League’s registration fee: Full refund before May 28, 2025. No refunds after May 28, 2025.
- Narwhals’ registration fees: Full refund before May 1, 2025. 50% refund between May 1 and May 28, 2025. No refunds after May 28, 2025.
