Fall Swim 2024

Fall Swim is a conditioning- and technique-focused program with no swim meets. For the 2024 season we are thrilled to offer a Fall Swim program for tadpoles (pre-team) as well as team-ready swimmers ages 5-18.

Qualifications

The fall swim season is open to children ages 5-18. We do sometimes accept 4-year-olds into the tadpole program if they meet the assessment criteria.

All NEW 8 & Unders, or swimmers who have participated as tadpoles, but have not yet been told their swimmer is 'team ready' must register for an assessment before we can complete their registration onto the team. There is a $10.00 fee for the assessment. In the event that your child is assessed as "ready" for the team, we will move your child into the 8 & Under group and apply the assessment fee toward the registration fee.

If your swimmer is assessed as 'tadpole ready' we will complete their registration into tadpoles as space allows. Registration into sessions is given based on date/time of registration for the assessment. Qualifications to be Tadpole-ready are as follows:

• Able to join group activities unaided
• Able to follow instructions in a group
• Deep water safe (confident)
• Able to swim with a few arm strokes approximately 10 yards

Qualifications to be 'team ready' for 8 & Unders:

• All of the above tadpole-ready criteria, plus able to swim 25 yards of the pool with consistent side breathing

Since the pandemic, we have had an increase in inquiries about program readiness for swimmers ages 9 and above.  In general, we do not require assessments for swimmers ages 9 & Up, however, we also know that many kids are currently behind in their swim skills due to pool closures over the 20/21 years.  We want our program to be a good experience for all kids who participate.  If you are not sure your 9 or 10 year old meets the team-ready criteria, we recommend registering into the group that represents their age and then signing up for an assessment (there will be a sign-up genius link at the conclusion of registration).  Coach Marie can better advise on proper placement once she sees your swimmer in the water. 

When/Where

Fall swim is held at College of Marin, Kentfield, Monday - Sunday. With practice time seven days a week, we have been able to come up with a practice schedule that offers each 'team level' group at least 4 - 6 practice opportunities a week and each tadpole group 3 practice opportunities a week. Swimmers may come to as many or as few practices within their group as they would like.  If a group has several lines in the below table, it is only because the times vary depending on the day.  This schedule is a bit of a Tetris game!

Program Dates:  9/3/2024 - 11/15/2024

* We know that our pool time for 8 & Unders starts early given dismissal times for some schools in our area.  We are very understanding of those who will need to get to the pool a bit late. A 30-minute practice is plenty for this age group, so if arriving at 3:30 sounds feasible given your child's dismissal schedule, our coaches will start swimmers when they get there.

** If you are unsure which group to register your 11-year-old into, please reach out to Coach Marie at [email protected]. She will advise based on best group fit.

Fall '24 New 8 & Under Assessment Schedule

You will be asked to sign up for an assessment time slot at the conclusion of a successful assessment registration via a Sign-Up Genius link.  If you miss the Sign-Up Genius link that will be on the 'Registration Success' page (many people do), please email [email protected] and we will be happy to send the link to you. 

What to Expect

For tips about what to expect at practices, including what to bring, how often to attend, pool rules, and more, see Practice Tips.

Family Volunteer Commitment

None.

How to Sign Up

Registration for Fall swimming will open on August 15, 2024, at midnight (think 12:01 am).  Priority for program registration is based on date/time of registration submission, including registration for an assessment if the swimmer is a new 8 & under.  For 2024, due to the incredibly high demand for Fall Swim, we are additionally providing priority within the first 24 hours of registration to families who swam with us during the 2024 Spring Season.   After the first 24 hours, all registrations are prioritized only based on the date/time received. 

We strongly encourage registration to our waitlist if your swimmer's age group is full.  We do have drops and we do work to adjust swimmer placement to make room for as many swimmers as we can.  Moreover, by adding your swimmer to the waitlist you are added to our mailing list.

Cost

The cost for Fall swim is $285/swimmer. We additionally offer scholarships to those in need of financial assistance.

Tidalwaves strives to keep our registration fees low so that ALL kids in the community can have access to the sport of swimming. We firmly believe and advocate for the prioritization of access to publicly funded facilities based on principles of equity.  A large component of equity of access is based on the affordability of the programs offered in publicly funded facilities.

We are in the fortunate position of being able to subsidize our registration fees through our fundraising efforts and generous donations from those in the community who believe in the mission, quality, and inclusiveness of our program. Thank you Tidalwaves community!

Scholarships

We encourage those in need of financial assistance to request a scholarship. To do so, register through the regular registration process and select the financial assistance group ($5). Scholarship request registrants will be sent a scholarship request form and registration will be expedited. For those registering for a NEW 8 & Under assessment, scholarship request forms will be emailed after completing an assessment, please register to the NEW 8 & Under Assessment registration group.