FAQs

Swimmer Placement

Can my swimmer move to a different practice group? I think he/she was placed wrong?

Our RAC coaches have spent years placing swimmers into groups of similar ability because it is the optimum method for swimmers to train. It is important that swimmers are placed in groups with children of similar abilities in order to maximize their development. Please trust our RAC coaches… They know what they are doing!

Practice groups can not be designed to cater to carpools, seeing friends or other similar requests.

 Any requests for group changes need to be submitted to the Head Coach 

How will I know if my child moves up from Barracuda to the Varsity Team?

The head coach will notify children and their families about any group changes. 

Swim Lessons

Does RAC provide swim lessons?

In the Spring, RAC runs a Spring Stroke Clinic that concentrates on technique. All ability levels are targeted. For registration information on upcoming sessions, please monitor the RAC website at www.radnoraqutic.org. Sign-up information is typically posted in late February.

Cut Off Dates

What date do you use as a birthday cutoff for assessing swimmers' age?

Sal uses the age of a swimmer as of October 31 of the current year.

USA Swimming uses the age of the swimmer on the date of each meet.

USA Swimming (more info here)

Why does RAC participate in both SAL and USA meets?

When RAC began it was an SAL club only. SAL meets are great for building a sense of team, a feeling of unity and camaraderie in general. The kids love nothing more than starting a meet with a rousing cheer, rooting on their teammates in a relay that goes head-to-head, or pushing their coach in the water after winning a close meet. Because of the supportive and fun environment at dual meets, SAL provides a wonderful introduction to the swimming world for our newer and younger swimmers. In addition, SAL meets offer our older swimmers the opportunity to step up and serve as leaders and role models for their teammates.

Through USA Swimming swimmers have the opportunity to choose from a much larger number of events than what is offered at SAL league meets.  By swimming a greater variety of events, our swimmers develop more fully and gain confidence.  Over the years at RAC, it has become apparent that to attract the best coaching staff and help our swimmers achieve their full potential, it was important to have a USA offering.

The SAL and USA offerings are complementary. By offering both, RAC is able to develop its swimmers more fully and maintain a strong sense of team spirit. RAC is 100% committed to running both programs concurrently.

Which events should my child swim at USA swimming meets?

USA meets are a great opportunity for swimmers to try new events and different distances. Contrary to SAL meets, our coaches do not prepare the line-up for USA meets. Swimmers select their own individual events.

How do I enter a USA meet after the RAC deadline has passed?

Some meets accept deck entries on the day of the meet. There is no guarantee that your swimmer will be accepted. The best course of action to guarantee your swimmer's entries is to submit them on time through RAC.

What fees are associated with USA swimming?

Swimmers typically pay $5 to $10 per event to swim at a USA meet.