Gators Swim Club - Parent Handbook

2025-2026 EVOLUTION RACING CLUB PLAYBOOK

Welcome to the 2025-2026 season. We can’t wait to get started and look forward to a fantastic year of swim! Below you will find information about the upcoming season. Most of the information is final but there will be some parts of the handbook that may be updated as the season progresses.

Coaches

We have assembled a fantastic team of coaches for the 2025-2026 season. Learn more about them below.

Santa Margarita Catholic High School

High Performance Group

Felipe Delgado – Felipe Delgado is a two‑time Olympian who represented Ecuador in the sprint freestyle events at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Felipe was named Team Captain of Ecuador’s Olympic Team in 1996 and carried the Ecuadorian flag during the opening & closing ceremonies of the Atlanta Games. Felipe is the Founder of Evolution Swim Academy, a learn-to-swim school in S. Orange County, which currently has two locations. Felipe is also the Team Director at Evolution Racing Club, a distinguished USA Swimming Club with multiple Club Excellence recognitions.

High Performance Group

Sungmo Cho – Coach Cho participated at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics for his native South Korea. Cho was a distance specialist, specializing in the 1500 m freestyle. Coach Cho currently coaches one of our high performance groups and had a remarkable 2024-2025 season. Amongst his most notable accomplishments included coaching Aaron Deng to a 13-14 year old SCS record in both the 200 yard and 200 meter breaststroke events. Coach Cho also coached Matthew Lanskikh to the fastest 400 m IM time in the country in the 13-14 year age group as well as one of the fastest times in the 800 and 1500 meter free. Coach Cho qualified 5 swimmers to Futures and 2 swimmers to Junior Nationals.

High School Prep Group:

Ron Blanc – Coach Blanc brings 38 years of coaching experience to Evolution Racing. Coach Blanc coached at Mater Dei School for 9 years, winning the 1990 CIF swimming title and a school-record 40 dual meets in a row. Coach Blanc has coached at Santa Margarita Catholic High School for 30 years and has won 42 Trinity League titles, 17 CIF titles, 9 California State titles, and 7 National Team championships coaching the boys and girls varsities.

Ladera Ranch

Navy & Orange Development Groups

Alicia Thornton – Since 2023, Coach Alicia has been coaching at Coeur d’Alene Area Swim Team (CAST) and prior to that, she coached with Evolution Racing Club from 2012 to 2021. Coach Alicia has coached swimmers ranked in the USA Swimming National Top 10 rankings and has coached multiple Junior Olympic champions. Coach Alicia was a scholar-athlete at the University of Southern California (USC) where she majored in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, minored in Business Administration and has a masters in Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Health Behavior Research. Coach Alicia returns to Evolution and is excited to start the 2025-2026 season as the head coach at Ladera Ranch.

Jorge Ferrero – Coach Jorge brings extensive experience cultivating young talent in competitive swimming. As assistant coach at the Coeur d’Alene Area Swim Team from 2023–2025, he guided seven age‑ and skill‑based groups encompassing 125 athletes, spearheading training programs that grew membership from 101 to 143 swimmers in just 18 months. Under his leadership, the team captured second‑place finishes at Inland Empire LSC Championships for three consecutive seasons, achieving eight high‑point individual winners and multiple record‑breaking performances while producing two USA Swimming National Top 10 athletes in 2024. Jorge also launched new initiatives like a lake‑based open‑water program, a seasonal summer camp that attracted 35 newcomers, and “Intro to CAST,” a six‑week prep program that successfully brought 45 more swimmers into year‑round competition. Coach Jorge also served as an assistant coach with Evolution Racing Club (formerly Gators Swim Club), where he designed introductory programs that smoothly transitioned swimmers from lessons to competitive teams.

Nellie Gail Ranch

Navy & Orange Development Groups

Krasimir Petkov - While studying civil engineering, Krasimir (Coach Krasi) coached swimmers of all ages in his hometown of Varna, Bulgaria and has remained an active Masters swimmer, competing and training whenever possible. His love of the sport led him to join Evolution Racing Club, where his son now trains, and he draws on decades of coaching experience across both swimming and ballroom dance, in which he was a professional competitor for more than 20 years. Beyond the pool, he works part‑time as a paramedic and enjoys skiing, surfing, mountain biking, and spending time at the beach with family and friends.

Daria Chebotareva – Coach Daria launched her swimming career in Irkutsk, Russia, where she earned the title of Master of Sports before relocating to California and training with Rose Bowl Aquatics, capturing the CA/NV Speedo Sectionals title in the 200 backstroke in 2018. After a six‑year break, she returned to the pool as both coach and athlete and now competes for Evolution Racing Club, reaching finals in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly at Speedo Sectionals. In 2024 she graduated with honors from the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in Business Economics. As a coach, Daria blends her high‑performance background, technical expertise and deep passion for the sport to help young swimmers grow in and out of the water, fostering a positive team culture through thoughtful instruction.

Communication

Evolution Racing Club (EVO) uses the following as primary forms of communication.

Email – used to update families on general team information
GroupMe app – daily communication and last minute updates
Social media – team highlights
Website – updated regularly to provide team information

EVO Age-Group & Senior Calendars

EVO will participate in the Orange County Age-Group & Senior Swim Series and Southern California Swimming (SCS) swim meets as part of its calendar of events. Please note, additional swim meets may be added to either calendar at any point throughout the season.

EVO REGISTRATION

$325 – New Swimmer Registration
- Team backpack
- Team swimsuit
- Team hoody
- 2 team shirts
- 3 team swim caps
$225 – Returning EVO Swimmer Registration (for 2025-26 Season)
- Team suit
- 2 team shirts
- 3 team swim caps
Mandatory USA Swimming Membership Registration (EVO will register and bill your team account after team registration is approved)
- $90.00 Premium USA Swimming Membership (Required for all 13 and older athletes and any swimmer training at SM)
- $30.00 Flex USA Swimming Membership (allows 2 SCS swim meets outside of racing at our OC Swim Series meets)
*Paid before the season starts and is non-refundable

USA SWIMMING REGISTRATION

$90.00 Premium USA Swimming Membership (Required for all 13 and older athletes and any swimmer training at SM)
$30.00 Flex USA Swimming Membership (allows 2 SCS swim meets outside of racing at our OC Swim Series meets)

FUNDRAISING

We raise funds for our club by hosting swim meets, swim clinics, and by offering three seasonal swim team options. We also raise funds through team sponsors.

*Tax deductible – As a 501 c3, all donations are tax deductible.

SWIM MEET SURCHARGES – surcharges help cover additional costs associated with swim meets that require travel or extended stays.

Age-group & senior swim meet series $0.00 surcharge
Local CHAMPIONSHIP SCS spring & summer champs, JAG, WAG - $40.00/swimmer
3-day or more travel CHAMPIONSHIP swim meets – swimmers will divide the costs associated with coaches travel, inclusive of per diem, air, ground, and hotel travel accommodations.

VOLUNTEER

Volunteer Requirements

Each family is required to contribute at least 16 volunteer hours per season.
Each family must volunteer at least 4 hours at each hosted event.
Families unable to volunteer may fulfill their requirement through snack bar contributions or monetary donations. Volunteer hours are valued at $25 per hour.

Hosted Events

Evolution Racing Club will host at least 3 events throughout the year. Each family must volunteer at least 4 hours at each hosted event.

EVO will host three swim meets on the following weekends. Please plan on volunteering at these events:

September 20-21, 2025
November 15-16, 2025
March 7-8, 2026

Non-Hosted Swim Meets – Timing Chair Requirements

To ensure smooth operations at swim meets, we require families to sign up to fulfill our timing chair obligations. If all assigned spots are not filled by the Wednesday before the meet begins, timing assignments will be made as follows:

Families with a swimmer participating in the meet who have not yet signed up to time will be assigned first.
Assignments will be rotated based on prior meet participation, with families who have not volunteered at previous meets given priority

If a family cannot fulfill an assigned timing shift, it is their responsibility to find a replacement. If a swimmer withdraws from a meet, it doesn’t remove the family’s timing responsibility. The person who signed up for the shift is still responsible to time or find an appropriate replacement. In either case, failure to do so will result in the following fines.

First infraction: $25 fine
Second infraction: $50 fine
Third infraction: $100 fine and potential exclusion from future swim meets

ADMINISTRATORS & REFEREES

USA Swimming has released a new referee and administrator training course (R9) and families are encouraged to participate and become certified swim meet referees and administrative officials. Our goal is to host swim meets where most of our officials and administrators are volunteers. This allows the Club to keep more of the funds raised at these events. USA Swimming has made the training commitment very manageable and has updated its policies to allow swimmers ages 16 and over to officiate. Swimmer volunteers will accrue volunteer hours that may be used towards fulfilling school volunteer hour requirements. Parent referees will not need to volunteer in any other capacity during the swim season, so long as they referee EVO hosted swim meets.

BILLING

We operate our program on a 48‑week schedule but spread the tuition evenly over 12 months for your convenience. Because there are 52 weeks in a year, some months include a fifth week; rather than billing extra for those sessions, we use them to offset our annual breaks (two weeks in August and one week in December). This way your monthly tuition stays the same each month, and the total you pay covers 48 weeks of instruction over the course of the year.
EVO bills on a 12-month cycle and starts the new swim season with the August billing cycle. EVO will also bill midcycle for misc. activities like swim meets, travel, registration, amongst other things.
For families to remain in good standing, any billing discrepancies must be resolved prior to the next billing cycle. If an account's billing issue is not resolved within 30 days, the account may be suspended, and a swimmer may not participate in organized practices until the account is restored to good standing. Families that have an outstanding balance greater than 30 days may not participate in swim meets until the billing issue is resolved.
A balance from the previous season must be paid in full prior to registering for the new season. If a family registers a swimmer and there is an outstanding balance on the family account, the registration will not be approved until the balance has been paid in full.
Please note that Evolution Racing Club does not issue refunds for monthly dues once payment has been processed.
All dues, whether monthly, swim meet, or apparel related, are collected via bank withdrawal (ACH) or credit card processing. ACH withdrawals include a $1.25 convenience fee and credit card processing includes a 2.95% + $.30 processing fee.
The EVO registration fee is paid by credit card.
Swimmers may pause their membership for of up to 2 months one time per season without needing to re-register. If the absence exceeds 2 months, re-registration will be required. This policy does not apply to high school swimmers who take a break to compete with their school teams

LOCATION DETAILS

Nellie Gail Ranch

Nellie Gail Ranch is open to families from all local communities. Non-homeowners of the Nellie Gail Ranch community and non-members of the Nellie Gail Ranch Tennis & Swim Club must pay a monthly $30.00 family membership fee (per family). This membership entitles families to open swim hours and use of the restaurant, in addition to training priviledges during swim team hours. Nellie Gail Ranch homeowners and current Nellie Gail Ranch Tennis & Swim Club members are exempt from this family membership fee.

Ladera Ranch

Ladera Ranch is open to families from all local communities.

Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS)

Only swimmers that have been assigned to the High Performance or High School prep groups may swim at this location.

EVOLUTION RACING CLUB APPAREL – SWIM MEETS

EVO requires that every swimmer represent the Club at swim meets using the following team apparel.

EVO swimsuit
EVO navy swim cap
EVO t-shirt
EVO hoody
EVO backpack
EVO parka

EVO prohibits the use of high school, college, or other club team apparel at events where the swimmer is representing EVO.

Southern California Swimming prohibits the use of tech suits by swimmers 12 years and under.

EVOLUTION RACING CLUB APPAREL – PRACTICES EVO requires the use of an EVO team swim cap at all swim practices (for swimmers who wear swim caps at practice). We encourage swimmers to wear Arena-branded swimsuits at practice, but this is not required. Swimmers are prohibited from wearing board shorts at practice and swimmers ages 12 years and younger may not wear two-piece swimsuits at practice. Parents are prohibited from being on the pool deck during practice.

APPAREL

EVO will sell branded apparel and swimmers are required to have the following items to comply with the swim meet apparel policy. All of these items may be purchased at Evolution Swim Academy Mission Viejo and Rancho Mission Viejo.

EVO branded team swimsuit
EVO branded team swim cap
EVO branded team backpack
EVO branded team Hoodie
EVO Team t-shirt
EVO parka

EVO will also have optional parent apparel and spirit wear available for purchase.

Evolution Racing Club Swim Meet Policies:

All swim events will be selected by coaches.
Swim meet attendance is strongly recommended.
Respect and attire: We expect swimmers to respect their coaches and teammates. Each coach may set specific expectations for check‑in, warm‑up arrival times and relay participation. Team suits, caps and apparel are required at meets; coaches may scratch swimmers who are not in proper EVO gear. Swimmers must arrive on time, check in with coaches before and after each event, and compete in relays if assigned.
Relay assignments: Coaches determine relay line‑ups based on what is best for the team. Parents should not request relay changes or adjustments for personal reasons.
Communication at meets: If questions or issues arise during a meet, parents should talk to their coach rather than approach meet administrators. The coach represents the club in all meet‑related matters.
Meet selection and registration: EVO attends multiple meets each season. Families should register for meets they plan to attend; swimmers are automatically entered in meets hosted by EVO. Once a swimmer is committed and meet fees are paid, we cannot offer refunds.
Attending other meets: EVO swimmers may only compete in meets in which the club is participating. Entering meets as an independent competitor or with another club is not allowed and can lead to removal from the team. Likewise, families should not contact Southern California Swimming (SCS) directly; any issues requiring SCS assistance should be routed through a coach.
Travel meets: Some groups will travel to meets by air. For those trips, swimmers travel with a coach and parent chaperone, follow prescribed travel attire, and may be asked to sign waivers or release forms. Coaches will discuss travel plans with athletes and communicate details to families.

TRAINING INFORMATION:

SEASONAL SWIM TEAM

Required Equipment: Goggles, kickboard, and fins. Swimmers with longer hair should wear a swim cap.

Ladera Ranch & Nellie Gail Ranch
Practice time: Monday – Thursday: 3:30 - 5:00 pm (10 years and younger)

Practice time: Monday – Thursday: 5:00 - 7:00 pm (11 years and older)

SPRING: $449 (10 years and younger) / $499 (11 years and older) – 8 WEEKS (April 13 – June 4, 2026)
SUMMER: $449 (10 years and younger) / $499 (11 years and older) – 8 WEEKS (June 8 – July 30, 2026)
FALL: $649 (10 years and younger) / $699 (11 years and older) - 12 WEEKS (August 17 – November 5, 2026)

ORANGE GROUPS

Required Equipment: Goggles, kickboard, fins, snorkel, and buoy

Ladera Ranch & Nellie Gail Ranch