2023-2024 EVOLUTION RACING CLUB PLAYBOOK

Welcome to the 2023-2024 season. I hope that this document helps you and gives you insight regarding our racing club. I encourage you to read it and to ask as many questions as you need to. The new season is going to be our best yet. Go EVO!

TECHNOLOGY

Evolution Racing Club (EVO) uses technology to communicate. We use the basics, email, text messaging and social media, but we also use a Team Unify website, which allows us to maintain a robust database of information. We use the GroupMe app, which may be downloaded at the Apple or Google store. EVO uses the GroupMe app for most day to day communication.

SWIM MEETS

EVO will be participating in an age-group swim meet series and a senior swim meet series. These series are promoted by a group of swim teams that would like to see shorter swim meets, with more excitement.

Orange County Age-Group Swim Series

The Orange County Age-Group Swim Series, a shorter and more exciting swim meet experience, is for novice swimmers and up to our SCS (Southern California Swimming) Championship time standard swimmers. Senior coaches for Orange 3 and the National Team may choose to include some of their swimmers in this series. Families should anticipate spending either the morning or afternoon at these swim meets. The official schedule will come out in early August. Here are the swim meet dates:

September 16-17, 2023 (meet 1) Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – EVO HOSTED EVENT Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am
Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

October 7-8, 2023 (meet 2) San Clemente, CA

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

Oct. 28-29, 2023, sprint meet - 25/50’s for 10 and under - 50/100’s for 11 and over Rancho Santa Margarita, CA EVO HOSTED EVENT

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am

November 18-19, 2023 (meet 3) Costa Mesa, CA

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

December 2-3, 2023 (meet 4) - Last Chance WAG Irvine, CA

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

January 20-21, 2024 (meet 5) Host TBA

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

Championship Month

February 3-4, 2024, Leaderboard Meet (prelims/timed finals/finals) Irvine, CA
February 24-25, 2024, Best of the Rest (prelims/timed finals/finals) Rancho Santa Margarita, CA EVO HOSTED EVENT

March 9-10 (meet 6) - Last chance SCS Age-group) Anaheim, CA

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

April 20-21 (meet 7) San Clemente, CA

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

May 18-19 (meet 8) Costa Mesa, CA

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

June 8-9 (meet 9) Anaheim, CA

Meet 1 8:00-11:00 am Meet 2 12:00-3:00 pm

July 13-14 (meet 10) Leaderboard Meet (prelims/timed finals/finals) Host TBA

Orange County Senior Swim Series

The senior series was developed for SCS Development time standard swimmers and up to Olympic Trials Time Standards. This series will consist of 5 swim meets reserved for swimmers in the Orange 3 group and the National Team. The swim meets will take place at the same location as the Orange County Age-Group Swim Series.

September 16-17, 2023 (meet 1) Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - EVO HOST Meet 3 3:30-5:30 pm

October 7-8, 2023 (meet 2) - San Clemente, CA

Meet 3 3:30-5:30 pm

November 18-19, 2023 (meet 3) Costa Mesa, CA

Meet 3 3:30-5:30 pm

December 2-3, 2023 (meet 4) - Last Chance WAG Irvine, CA

Meet 3 3:30-5:30 pm

January 20-21, 2024 (meet 5) - TBA Meet 3 3:30-5:30 pm

In addition to these series, EVO will also be participating in the following swim meets in 2023.

Kevin Perry Sr. Invite - La Mirada, CA. November 2-5, 2023

Winter Age Group Championships - TBA December 8-10, 2023

Toyota U.S. Open – Greensboro, NC November 29-December 2, 2023

Speedo Winter Junior Championships Westmont, IL. December 6-9, 2023

Groups, Coaches, Training Times, Monthly Dues

Evo will continue to use three practice sites and following ,you will find the group alignment, coaches, training times, and monthly dues for each group.

Ladera Ranch

FALL SWIM TEAM

This seasonal program is for families that cannot commit to year-round swimming but would like to continue swimming beyond the summer swim team. Swimmers in the fall swim team will be invited to participate in the Orange County Age Group swim meet series (optional swim meets) and can attend up to 2 practices per week,
M-TH.

Practice time: 3:15-4:00 pm
Coach:Wendy Theders
Season Dates: August 14 – November 2, 2023
Price: $490 (12-week season) + $30 flex or $80 premium USA Swimming membership

NAVY 1

10 & under novice swim group that meets M-TH. Swimmers may attend up to four practices per week.

Practice time: 4:00-5:00 pm Coach: Wendy Theders Season start date: 8/14/2023 Monthly dues: $185

NAVY 2

11-14 year old novice swim group that meets M-TH. Swimmers may attend up to four practices per week.

Practice time: 4:00-5:30 pm Coach: Barrett Tester
Season start date: 8/14/2023 Monthly dues: $200

NAVY 3

11 & over swim group that meets M-F. Swimmers may attend up to five practices per week.

Practice time: 5:30-7:00 pm M-TH, and 4:00-5:30 pm on Fridays Coach: Barrett Tester
Season start date: 8/14/2023
Monthly dues: $225

ORANGE 1

10 & under swim group where swimmers are proficient in the four strokes, and can-do legal starts, turns, and finishes for each stroke. This swim group meets M-TH and Saturday. Swimmers may attend up to 5 practices per week. Swimmers should have Nat BB time standards and will work to achieve WAG, JAG, or SCS Spring Champs time standards for their respective age group.

Practice time: 5:00-6:30 pm (M-TH) & 8:00-10:00 am (Saturday). Saturday practice is at Nellie Gail Ranch Coach: Wendy Theders
Season start date: 8/14/2023
Monthly dues: $225

ORANGE 2

9-12-year-old swim group where swimmers are proficient in the four strokes, and can-do legal starts, turns, and finishes for each stroke. This swim group meets M-TH and Saturday. Swimmers may attend up to 5 practices per week. Swimmers should have WAG or JAG time standards and will work to achieve SCS Spring Champs time standards.

Practice time: 5:00-7:00 pm (M-TH) & 8:00-10:00 am (Saturday) Saturday practice is at Nellie Gail Ranch Coach: Wendy Theders
Season start date: 8/14/2023
Monthly dues: $250

Nellie Gail Ranch

FALL SWIM TEAM

This seasonal program is for families that cannot commit to year-round swimming but would like to continue swimming beyond the summer swim team. Swimmers in the fall swim team will be invited to participate in the Orange County Age Group swim meet series (optional swim meets) and can attend up to 2 practices per week,
M-TH.

Practice time: 3:15-4:00 pm
Coach: Olga Proskura
Season Dates: August 14 – November 2, 2023

NAVY 1

10 & under novice swim group that meets M-TH. Swimmers may attend up to four practices per week.

Practice time: 4:00-5:00 pm Coach: Olga Proskura
Season start date: 8/14/2023 Monthly dues: $180

NAVY 2

11-14 year old novice swim group that meets M-TH. Swimmers may attend up to four practices per week.

Practice time: 4:00-5:30 pm Coach: AJ Littiken
Season start date: 8/14/2023 Monthly dues: $200

NAVY 3

11 & over swim group that meets M-F. Swimmers may attend up to five practices per week.

Practice time: 5:30-7:00 pm Coach: AJ Littiken
Season start date: 8/14/2023 Monthly dues: $225

ORANGE 1

10 & under swim groups where swimmers are proficient in the four strokes, and can-do legal starts, turns, and finishes for each stroke. This swim group meets M-TH and Saturday. Swimmers may attend up to 5 practices per week. Swimmers should have Nat BB time standards and will work to achieve WAG, JAG, or SCS Spring Champs time standards

Practice time: 5:00-6:30 pm (M-TH) & 8:00-10:00 am (Saturday). Saturday practice is at Nellie Gail Ranch Coach: Olga Proskura
Season start date: 8/14/2023
Monthly dues: $225

ORANGE 2

9-12-year-old swim group where swimmers are proficient in the four strokes, and can-do legal starts, turns, and finishes for each stroke. This swim group meets M-TH and Saturday. Swimmers may attend up to 5 practices per week. Swimmers should have WAG or JAG time standards and will work to achieve SCS Spring Champs time standards.
Practice time: 5:00-7:00 pm (M-TH) & 8:00-10:00 am (Saturday)

Coach: Olga Proskura
Season start date: 8/14/2023 Monthly dues: $250

Santa Margarita Catholic High School

ORANGE 3

11-18 year old swim group that meets M-F and Saturdays. Swimmers may attend all practices offered by this group. To participate in the Orange 3 group, a swimmer must be invited and must have at least 3 SCS Summer Junior Olympic time standards in the swimmer’s respective age group. 11–12-year-old swimmers will have an abbreviated practice schedule which will include 2 dryland practices per week.
Practice time: 4:30-7:30 pm M-F, 7:00-10:00 am Saturdays
Coach: Sungmo Cho
Season start date: 8/21/2023
Monthly dues: $300

NATIONAL TEAM

14-18 year old swim group that meets M-F and Saturday. Swimmers may attend all practices offered by this group. To participate in the National Team, a swimmer must be 14 years of age and must possess at least 3 sectionals or 2 Futures or 1 Junior National time standard. Practice time: 4:30-7:30 pm M-F, 7:00-10:00 am Saturdays
Coach: Jeff Natalizio

Season start date: 8/21/2023 Monthly dues: $350

EVO REGISTRATION

• $225.00/swimmer

• Registration for the 2023-20234 season is currently open

• Registration includes 2 swim meet t-shirts, swim gear bag, and 3 swim team caps.

• Every swimmer must re-register, this includes new and returning swimmers.

  USA SWIMMING REGISTRATION

• $80.00/returning year-round swimmers (due by December 2023)

• $80.00/new year-round swimmers (due upon registration)

• $30.00 for seasonal swimmers (due upon registration)

  FUNDRAISING

• Evolution Racing Club will raise funds through various avenues which include hosting swim meets, offering seasonal swim team opportunities for non-year-round families, and selling team sponsorships.

  SWIM MEETS SURCHARGE

• Age-group & senior swim meet series meet $0.00 surcharge

• SENIOR swim meets will include a $30.00 surcharge per swimmer, in addition to the swim meet host surcharge, to attend the meet*

• Local CHAMPIONSHIP swim meets will include a $30.00 surcharge, in addition to the swim meet host surcharge, to attend the meet**
• 3-day travel CHAMPIONSHIP swim meets will include a $50.00 surcharge, in addition to the swim meet host surcharge, to attend the meet***
• 4-day travel CHAMPIONSHIP swim meet will include a $60.00 surcharge, in addition to the swim meet host surcharge, to attend the meet****

*Does not include Senior Series Swim Meets
**Includes Junior Olympics, June Age Group, Winter Age Group hosted locally to OC ***Includes any 3-day champs meet that takes place outside of OC
****Includes any 4-day champs meet that takes place outside of OC

VOLUNTEER
Swim Meets
Families will be assigned timing assignments at local and travel swim meets. A timing coordinator will assign timing chairs to families based on the swimmers participating in that session. Once timing assignments are assigned, families are expected to fulfill the timing responsibilities so that EVO timing chairs never impact the flow of a swim meet. EVO timing chairs will be assigned prior to the start of a swim meet and if a family cannot fulfill the timing assignment, the family will be required to find coverage. Families will only be assigned timing assignments for sessions in which their swimmer is participating in. Families that do not cover their timing assignment will be fined for each infraction. There is a $50 fine if a family misses a timing assignment, a $100 fine for a second timing assignment missed, and a $150 fine for a third missed shift. Fines are not levied for the Club’s financial gain but more so to make sure that everyone does their equal share to make sure that we are successful at every meet we attend. Family Requirement: 6 hours per year

Hosted Events

Evolution Racing Club will be hosting various events throughout the year. We ask that every family volunteer at our hosted events. It takes a village to put on a great event and we ask that families volunteer at our hosted events, regardless of swimmer participation. EVO will host three swim meets and we will be hosting on the following weekends.

September 16-17, 2023
October 28-29, 2023
February 24-25, 2023
Family Requirement: 12 hours per year

Unfulfilled hours will be assessed as a $50/hour fine which will be billed to the family account. Families that cannot attend all three events may volunteer for multiple shifts at each event to fulfill the required hours. Additional volunteer hours will be offered throughout the season so that all families can fulfill their volunteer requirements.

ADMINISTRATORS & REFEREES

The American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) will be releasing a new referee and administrator training 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.

BILLING

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. If an account is delinquent, swimmers may not enter a swim meet until the account status is restored to good standing.

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.

If a swimmer leaves the team during the season, for any reason, including high school season, and returns within 90 days, the family must pay 50% of the monthly dues during the swimmer’s absence. If the swimmer is absent for more than 90 days, the swimmer must reregister to rejoin the team.

LOCATION DETAILS

Nellie Gail Ranch

Non-homeowners of the Nellie Gail Ranch community and non-members of the Nellie Gail Ranch Tennis & Swim Club must pay a $25.00 family membership fee (per family not per swimmer), in addition to the Evolution Racing Club dues. This fee entitles the family use of
the patio areas, clubhouse restaurant, and multipurpose room during swim team practice hours. Nellie Gail Ranch homeowners and current Nellie Gail Ranch Tennis & Swim Club members are exempt from this family membership fee.

Ladera Ranch

Only Ladera Ranch homeowners can swim here. Families that are not Ladera Ranch homeowners may swim at the Nellie Gail Ranch Tennis & Swim Club or Santa Margarita Catholic High School, depending on group assignment.

Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS)

Only swimmers that have been assigned to groups Orange 3 & National Team may swim at this location. Swimmers must meet age and skill requirements prior to being considered for participation.

EVOLUTION RACING CLUB APPAREL – SWIM MEETS

EVO requires that every swimmer represents the Club at all events by using the following team apparel. 1. Team swimsuit

2. Team navy swim cap 3. Team t-shirt
4. Team hoody
5. Team parka

6. Team backpack

EVO prohibits the use of high school, college, or other club team apparel at events where the swimmer is representing EVO. EVO 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. We encourage swimmers to wear Arena branded swimsuits at practice. Swimmers are prohibited from wearing board shorts at practice and swimmers aged 12 years and younger may not wear two-piece swimsuits at practice. Swimmers must use the EVO co-branded gear bag at practice.

APPAREL

EVO will sell branded apparel and families are required to purchase the following items to comply with the swim meet apparel policy. 1. Arena branded team swimsuit

2. Arena branded team swim cap (swimmers will receive this with registration) 3. Arena branded team backpack
4. Arena branded team hoody
5. Team t-shirt (swimmers will receive this with registration)

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

EVOLUTION RACING CLUB SWIM MEET POLICIES

EVO promotes a culture of mutual respect between coaches and swimmers. Each coach has individual requirements that swimmers must adhere to when representing EVO at swim meets. Coaches are committed to enforcing the EVO swim meet apparel code and may prohibit a swimmer from swimming if the club apparel code at swim meets is not met. Individual coaches may require swimmers to check in before and/or after each event, may require swimmers to arrive at a swim meet for warm-up by a certain time, and may require swimmers to swim in relays. Swimmers must be prepared to arrive on time, wear the proper apparel, check in with coaches before and after swims, and swim in relays. There is little negotiation room on this, and most of this information is communicated before the start of a swim meet for planning purposes.

EVO often participates in relays at swim meets, and the order in which relays are swum is always at the coach's discretion. Parents should refrain from asking coaches to switch the order of a relay for personal gain. Coaches take much time and consideration in preparing relays and parent feedback is not considered during this process.

EVO requires that families volunteer at swim meets. Volunteering at swim meets includes timing, being a timing coordinator, and transporting EVO equipment to and from the swim meet, including pop-up tents, amongst other items. Every family must volunteer 6 hours at swim meets throughout the season.

EVO families are prohibited from approaching swim meet admin for any swim related issues. EVO families should always consult with the coach and allow the coach to represent the Club when dealing with administrative matters.

EVO participates in many swim meets throughout the season and declaring to participate in swim meets is the responsibility of the swimmer or parent. EVO admin will communicate swim meet deadlines, and families must declare before the deadline. Families that declare to participate in a swim meet are financially responsible for the swim meet dues once the deadline has passed.

Some of our groups will participate in team travel swim meets. If this is the case and our swimmers travel by air, the swimmers will be accompanied by a coach and a parent chaperone. Coaches will discuss travel attire prior to each trip. EVO coaches will have conversations with their swimmers and swim meet participation will be discussed. Coaches will also communicate with families, whether by private email or group email, regarding the participation of the group or swimmer in a swim meet. Coaches may also use the GroupMe app to communicate swim meet information.

Year Round Registration click HERE
Fall Swim Team Registration click HERE

Intro to EVO Mission Viejo registration click HERE