Swim Team FAQ

Who Can Join?

All swimmers participating on the Inwood Shark's team must be from 5 to 18 years as of June 1st to join the team. However, if your child turns 5 in May, they must wait until their 5th birthday before they can attend practice or participate in a swim meet. The Swimmer’s age for the entire season is determined by their age as of June 1st of the current season.

If your child is 5 to 18 years old, you must be a a member in good standing of the Inwood Swim Club to join as a Resident. We also accept Non Resident "guest" swimmers who have a Inwood Swim Club member as a Sponsor Family.

Is My Child Ready For Swim Team?

Our emphasis in summer league is to have fun while introducing your children to the world of competitive swimming. However, in order to ensure the safety of each swimmer, there are basic skills that a child needs before becoming part of the Inwood Sharks Swim Team.

To join our team, your child is NOT expected to know every stroke, however, the requirements for all new swimmers must be able to swim unassisted for 12.5 meters (1/2 the length of the pool) on the first day of practice and the full length of the pool after the second week of practice. You may always speak to the Head Coach to evaluate whether your son/daughter is ready.

What is the Cancellation Policy?

Cancel for a full registration refund two weeks after the first day of practice.

No refunds after the first two weeks of practice.

What Equipment is needed?

A team suit is suggested to purchase (available for purchase at our swim team kick off event through SwimFreak). Swim suits are one piece for girls and either a jammer (knee length) or racer brief for boys. A solid black suit is acceptable should you choose not to purchase the team suit.
Goggles are required.
Swim fins during practice are required and will be available for purchase at the season kick-off party.
Team Caps are required for ALL meets.

How Can We Get More Instruction?

Swim clinics and private lessons are available and highly suggested throughout the season to help hone skills. Each is provided at an additional cost and is outside of regular practice times. Swim Clinics (9 and up) cover specific strokes, starts, finishes and walls in a small-group setting. Please see a coach for more information.

Private lessons are also available and typically last 30 minutes. Please contact one of our coaches to schedule a time and cost.

Do Parents Need to Volunteer?

Yes. Every family plays an important role in the success of the team and is expected to fulfill 3 volunteer assignments throughout the regular season, regardless of the number of meets attended.

***Some information in this FAQ can also be found in the parent handbook. For more detailed information, please refer to Handbook.

Marking Your Swimmer for a Meet

Please have your child's name (last name at a minimum) written on their shoulder. This will help the volunteer parents identify the swimmers when they are lining them up for their events.

Each swimmer should also arrive with the events marked on their leg or arm. The heat and lane assignments can be filled in once a final heat sheet is received. Normally, heat sheets are emailed out the night before a race which gives time to review and mark.

Below is an example of how I mark my kids. Everyone does it a little different but the essential information is still the same.

Event / Heat / Lane (Relay swimmer #) stroke

E	H	L	What these abbreviations mean (I only write the E - H - L columns)
3	1	4 (4) FR	Event 3, Heat 1, Lane 4, swimmer #4 in a relay, freestyle
15	1	3 FR	Event 15, heat 1, lane 3 freestyle
35	1	2 IM	Event 35, heat 1, lane 2, individual medley
55	2	1 FLY	Event 55, heat 2, lane 1 butterfly
65	1	2 (1) BK	Event 65, heat 1, lane 2, swimmer #1 in a medley relay, backstroke