Joining the Team and Fees
Practice
YMCA/USA Questions
Communication
Meets
Volunteering

JOINING THE TEAM and FEES

How do I register/join the Mako Swim Team?
Contact Jason Paige, Senior Aquatic Director at (203) 775-4444 x122 or jpaige@regionalymca.org.  The coaching staff will assist in scheduling an evaluation to determine the best level for your swimmer. 

What are the fees to swim on this team?
Fees vary by age group. The fee structure can be found under the forms tab on the ""About" menu.

What are meet fees?  What do they cover and how do I pay them?
Fees are charged for most meets ranging in price from $4.00 - $30.00 depending on the meet. YMCA Dual meets generally do not require an entry fee. You can monitor your meet fees account through your profile on our website.  Statements will be issued frequently throughout the season and it is the responsibility of each family to make sure their account maintains a positive balance.  Meets fees also include a swimmers USA registration payment as well as meet surcharges that cover coaches transportation, meals and accommodations when necessary. A deposit of $75.00 into a families meet fee account is required at the time of registration.  Families that incur a negative balance in their meet fee account will be notified and asked to make a deposit into their account.  In the event that a family does not comply with this request they will be considered inactive in regards to meet participation until their account is made positive.  Payments can be made through the swim team office either by credit card, check or cash.

Is there any financial assistance available for swim families?
The Mako swim team has a discount structure for families with 3 or more swimmers.  Financial Assistance: YMCA memberships and programs are open to everyone.  When the costs of our services prevent an individual or family from participating, the YMCA will offer financial assistance, as funds are available, to those who are eligible.  See the Member Service Desk at the YMCA for more information.

PRACTICE

Where does the team practice?
The Mako Swim Team practices at the Greenknoll YMCA year round.  The team has access to Greenknoll ’s indoor 6 lane 25 yard pool, and in the spring through early fall the team trains at Greenknoll's outdoor 6 lane 50m facility.  In addition to using the Greenknoll facility the team utilizes Western CT State University's O'Neil Center pool as well as the Boughton St YMCA facility.  Practice locations can be found on the practice tab of this website.

What does my child need to bring to practice?
Swimmers should bring with them to all practices: A water bottle, 2 pairs of goggles, and 2 caps, ( if caps are worn) and their groups required training equipment. Swimmers should refrain from wearing your good “team suits” to practice as they will wear out much quicker.

How are swimmers placed in practice groups?
The Mako Swim Team coaching staff will perform new swimmer group evaluations two times during the year or privately by appointment.  The swimmers age provides the coaching staff with a starting point as to what level should be considered; however the final decision is contingent upon the swimmers skill and endurance levels.  In determining progressions within the program for current Mako swimmers we evaluate skill and endurance levels as well as commitment levels in regards to practice attendance and meet attendance.  

How often should my child go to practice? 
Consistency is paramount to a swimmers development; however we understand that conflicts will arise.  We recommend that swimmers try to  meet the following group attendance suggestions: Developmental  - 2 to 3 times a week, Age Group,  -3 to 5, Senior - 4 to 6, National - 5 to 6.

YMCA/USA QUESTIONS

What is the difference between Short Course and Long Course seasons?
Short Course and Long Course Seasons:  The Short Course (SC) Season runs from September to March with some championships in April.  The primary SC competition venue is a 25-yard or 25-meter pool.  The Long Course (LC) Season runs from April through most of July with some championships in August.  The primary LC competition venue is a 50-meter pool.

Must my child swim both YMCA and USA meet programs?
The Developmental Silver and Junior Mako levels are the only groups that do not compete at USA sanctioned competitions, therefore they are the only two groups that are not required to be USA Swimming members. 

What is the difference between YMCA swim meets and USA swim meets? 
YMCA swim meets and USA swim meets all operate under the USA swimming rules; however they differ in regards to sanctioning.  This means that results, although official, from YMCA meets may not be uploaded into the USA swimming database. 

What is an “Age Group Qualifier” meet?
An Age Group Qualifier meet is a USA swim meet that offers many of the same events that will be in the Age Group Championship meet at the end of the season. At a qualifier the swimmers earn times that can be used to make the qualifying times for the Championships.

What does the term “aging up” refer to?
You usually swim your age as of the first day of the meet for USA swimming.

COMMUNICATION

How does the swim team communicate?
Primarily  via the website www.makoswim.org, as members of the Mako team you are responsible for staying up to date by visiting the website 2 – 3 times per week. Emails are also sent on a regular basis.  

When can I talk to the Coach? 
The best way is to send and email or call to arrange a scheduled meeting.  Coaches may also have some availability after practices. It is important not to interrupt practices and swimmer coaching time.

MEETS

What does my child need to bring to a meet?
Swimmers should bring with them: Team suit, team cap, extra cap, towel, water bottle, 2 pairs of goggles, and a healthy snack.  Deck sandals are recommended for the deck and locker rooms.  For USA meets, depending on location a deck chair, drink, and something to keep them busy.  Some bring: game boys, IPod, book etc. (Keep in mind it’s wet and there will be no secure area for valuables.)

I need a new team suit.
Suits can be ordered through Metro Swim Shop.  The apparel order form is available on the forms tab located on the Äbout" menu.  The best alternative is to purchase a plain black Speedo lycra or aquabalde suit which will blend in well with our team look.

How do I know which meets to sign my child up for?
All meets on the schedule are planned to serve as opportunities for evaluations and qualifying for other meets.  It is strongly recommended that swimmers attend the scheduled meets.  Like a soccer team or baseball team, the Mako swim team competes against other teams and strives for competitive success.  Keep in mind that some meets have time requirements and cutoffs; therefore a swimmer must qualify at a prior meet in order to compete. Event details are posted under each event on the events page. 

How do I scratch from a meet?
Email your coach as soon as you know that you must scratch – allow as much notice as you can – email may not be effective on the day of meet. Advance notice is extremely helpful. 

Whom do I contact if my child is sick or must scratch the day of a meet?
You can email your child's coach or try to get a message to the coach via another parent in your child’s age group who is attending the meet. Exchange cell phone numbers with other parents.  The Mako parent phone directory is a great help for this. 

VOLUNTEERING

Do I need to volunteer at meets?
Volunteering is a critical and necessary part of any swim program. Volunteering can be accomplished at meets or via other non meet volunteer opportunities.  If volunteering requirements are not met a fee is charged for each point not fulfilled. See section 9 in the Mako Handbook for full details.

What are volunteer hours? How many volunteer hours do I need to earn?
The team cannot run without adequate parent support. All families must earn a certain amount of volunteer hours per swimmer each season. See section 9 in the Mako Handbook for full details. Note that prior to short course 2010 our team used a "point" basis.

I volunteered at an event but was not signed up. I need help getting my volunteer hour credit – how do I get credit?
Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Peggy Regan with an email that explains the details.

How Many Volunteer hours do I have to earn? How many have been recorded for me?
Recently, the RYWC Mako Swim Team moved from a point based system to an hour based system. Timing, and many other jobs that run the full session at a  one session swim swim meet is credited at a flat rate of 4 hours, and officiating a full one session meet is credited at a flat rate of 8 hours. Other full session meet jobs credited at a flat rate of 4 hours per meet session are meet computer, timing system, runner, concession, apparel sales and others posted as such. Most other volunteer jobs will be credited based on the actual hours worked, including some jobs at swim meet that require only working for part of a session.

To view your volunteer obligation and the hours worked to meet that obligation each season, please click on the $ My Invoice/Payment line on the left hand column of the home page of our website. Each family’s obligations follows based on the level of swimming your child is signed up for.

If you have question about your seasonal obligation, please forward those questions to our Team Administrator.

Volunteer jobs and their associated hourly obligations are posted on our website for each event. In order to see opportunities to fulfill your volunteer obligations, from the main page of the team website, click on the Meets and Events tab on the top of the website and you’ll see a Job Signup for any events that require donation or job volunteers.

How do I sign up to volunteer?
Signup via "Job Sign Up" button on our Team Unify website