Piranah FAQ

Why Should My Child Be a Swimmer?

Swimming ...

• promotes fitness & teaches a child to strive for physical achievement.
• is an exciting individual and team sport.
• is a healthy "lifetime" activity.
• is relatively injury free.
• teaches sportsmanship including learning to deal with winning and losing, as well as working with officials, teammates and coaches.
• motivates participants to strive for self-improvement and teaches goal orientation.
• cultivates a positive mental attitude and high self-esteem.

Ready to start your swimming experience? The questions below may help you with your decision to start swimming. We hope you are interested in the Piranhas! Want to jump in without waiting? Call 707-524-4363 or visit H-Pool today!

• How do I join the team?
• What is preteam?
• What happens after I agree to join?
• How much does it cost to be on the team?
• What are the group levels and descriptions?
• Any other obligations?
• More Questions?

How do I join the team?

We'd love to have you! First, you need to schedule a tryout with the team. Make tryouts by appointment with a call. Our times are still switching around and we are not sure what days and times exactly things will happen. It seems best to make it flexible. We can tell you over the phone what the current schedule is.

There is no cost to tryout.

From this tryout, we determine whether you would be qualified to join one of our Pre-team classes and from there have the opportunity to be invited onto the team (don't worry, we haven't "cut" anyone yet - the tryouts are mostly so we can place you at the appropriate starting point).

What is preteam?

Pre-team is a learn-to-swim program that progresses the student through a series of skills, which teach the fundamentals necessary for a swimmer to compete. Once a swimmer completes the pre-team goals, he or she may be invited to join the team at the appropriate group level. If a swimmer has previous competitive experience, pre-team classes may not be necessary.

What happens after I agree to join?

First off, there are some fees to pay. Then you'll start coming to practice in one of our practice groups. When you're ready, you start to join the team at swim meets and other events. We also expect that your parents might want to get involve and held us with the many, many volunteer tasks that are needed to keep the team going.

How much does it cost to be on the team?

There is no cost to try out.

We offer a four week pre-team session each month for those swimmers that are not quite ready to join the team. Pre-team monthly fee is $70.

Once you make the commitment to join the team the initial Family Commitment Fee is $65.00 for one swimmer or $80.00 for a family. Thereafter, the Annual Commitment Fee is $45.00 for one swimmer and $60.00 for a family. There is also a Pacific Swimming annual registration fee of $60.00 per swimmer. There are also monthly dues.

Dues are due on the 1st of each month and delinquent on the 15th.

• Group 1 - $80.00 monthly
• Group 2 - $85.00 monthly
• Group 3 - $90.00 monthly
• Junior - $100.00 monthly
• Seniors - $110.00 monthly
• Maximum per family $220.00/month.

What are the group levels and descriptions?

• Age Group 1 is generally made up of swimmers aged 8 and under learning fundamental competitive racing skills. Occasionally older beginners are put in Age Group 1 for a short time. Emphasis is on stroke technique through drills and fun. This group swims 45 minutes a day, Monday thru Friday.

• Age Group 2 is generally made up of swimmers aged 7-10 who can demonstrate adequate executionof fundamentals in competitive racing skills. Again, occasionally older swimmers may pass through Age Group 2 quickly. Emphasis is on stroke technique through drills and fun. Introduction to Aerobic Training principles and elementary stretching. This group swims 1 hour, Monday through Friday.

• Age Group 3 is generally made up of swimmers 9-11 who have previous competitive experience with demonstrated competency of stroke technique and conditioning. Emphasis is on stroke technique through drills and fun with introduction to Aerobic Interval Training. This group trains 1 hour and 15 minutes, Monday through Friday.

• Juniors is generally made up of swimmers aged 11-14 with solid competitive experience who have demonstrated higher levels of stroke technique and conditioning with a commitment to a more intensive track. Emphasis is on progressive Aerobic Interval Training with inclusion of stroke technique drills, introduction/progression to Anaerobic Interval Training and regular Stretching with Land Training. Swimmers are training to reach Regional Competition. This group trains 1 1/2 hours a day, Monday through Friday with Land Training two days a week.

• Senior is generally made up of swimmers of 14 and over who are: 1) novice level and would benefit from a more learning oriented approach before moving to the senior level, and 2) less committed to a more competitive track. Emphasis is on stroke technique through drills with introduction/progression to Aerobic Interval Training & Land Training. This group trains 1 1/2 hours, Monday through Friday with optional morning practices. Seniors is generally made up of swimmers aged 15 and over who have achieved an advanced level of competitive experience and have demonstrated superior levels of stroke technique and conditioning with a commitment to a continued higher standard of dedication and intensive training leading to competition on the Senior level. Emphasis is on an advanced level of Aerobic & Anaerobic Interval Training with Land Training, Two-A-Day practices, Stretching, and introduction to Weight Training. This group trains for 2 1/2 hours a day, Monday through Friday with Land Training two days a week.

Any other obligations?

Yes, we need parents (or other volunteers) to help out with the many tasks needed to run a successful swim program. There is a $45.00 annual commitment fee and also a requirement to work at least 25 hours during the year. The work hours can be at swim meets, fundraisers or other ongoing club activities. (To report volunteer hours, click here) If you don't want to put in the hours, they can be "paid off" at the end of the year (@ $10.00 per hour). There are also fundraising obligations.
Other costs?

We attend many swim meet competitions, most of which have entry fees. Most of the competitions are optional and which ones you go to and how much they cost may differ depending on your practice group. There are several major team meets per year, however, where attendance is strongly encouraged. Some of our competitions are "dual meets". Most meets are local to this area within an hour's drive. Once in a while we may travel to an "away" meet, requiring transportation costs, hotel rooms, etc. - especially for the older swimmers.

Then, of course, there are the costs for swim suits, goggles, caps, and other miscellaneous equipment and gear.

More Questions?

Call us at (707) 524-4363 and leave a voice mail message -- we'll return your call as soon as possible. Or, stop by the Honeybee Pool Monday through Friday from 3:30-7:00. Ask for one of the coaches.
Click here for a map to H-pool.