FAQ
Is swim team only for fast swimmers?
Swim team is for everyone! We welcome fast and not-so-fast, new and experienced swimmers. We have a wide range of abilities, and focus not on winning, but on stroke development, racing techniques, lifelong love for swimming, and fun.
Do I have to be a Forest Lakes Resident to Swim on the Team?
All swimmers must be a Forest Lakes Community resident or Legacy Pool Member to be eligible to participate in the program.
Why do you hold evaluations for swimmers?
We hold evals to assess swim team readiness for younger swimmers and to place older swimmers in appropriate practice groups. Young swimmers should be comfortable wearing goggles and putting their face in the water. Swim team is very different than swim lessons. We want to ensure safety for every swimmer in a practice lane!
What are the requirements to be on the Hurricanes?
New 5-8 year old swimmers on the team are expected to be able to swim one length of the pool, in some basic form of freestyle. Also, swimming on their back is considered a plus but not required. For our newest swimmers, basic swim skills, swim safety, and listening skills are a must.
New 9/10 year old swimmers are expected to be able to swim 2 lengths of the pool (up and back), freestyle. Some knowledge of backstroke is helpful. New swimmers ages 11 and up are generally expected to swim 2 lengths of freestyle, and be roughly proficient in at least one other stroke.
What is Tropical Storms and how is it different from the competitive team?
Tropical Storms is our pre-swim team program for swimmers 4-10. Tropical Storms swimmers will participate in a 5 week practice program starting in June 15 (Mon, Tue, Thu 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM) with their own mini-meet at the conclusion (July 18, 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM). Practice and the mini-meet will occur at the South pool. Tropical Storms will not participate in JSL Wednesday night meets. Tropical Storms will receive a free team t-shirt and will be coached by the same FLST coaches, with junior coaches in the water to assist. Tropical Storms are encouraged to attend as many practices as they are able!
Can my child switch from morning to afternoon practices freely based on what works better with our schedule from week to week?
Swimmers can switch between morning and afternoon practices freely based on their schedule that week.
Can my child move to a different practice time that works better with our schedule?
If this is an issue for you, please discuss it with the Board by emailing [email protected]. Exceptions to age groups for practice are sometimes made if the swimmer is able to participate at the skill level of that age group. If your swimmer is not at the appropriate skill level for that practice, they may be required to continue practicing with their appropriate age group.
What if my swimmer is cannot keep up with their age group?
Swimmers are organized at practice by skill level and will swim in lanes with others of similar skill level and speed. At meets, swimmers are seeded by time and will swim against others with similar times in that same event. We seek to ensure every swimmer feels both challenged and has success throughout the season.
My child doesn’t want to swim in meets. Can they still join the swim team?
The expectation for our team is that each swimmer participates in meets (if your swimmer is not ready for meets, we suggest you consider Tropical Storms, designed as a pre-swim team program for 4-10 year olds). More specifically, we hope that all swimmers will participate in at least 4 of the 6 dual meets, and swim in the concluding Champs meet. For our new swimmers and parents, we typically hold a mock meet to help take the "mystery" out of swim meets, explain the procedures, the lingo, and the format.
What time should we expect meets to end, especially for the younger swimmers?
While exceptions happen based on format, size of teams, and weather, most meets will end sometime around 9pm. While it is encouraged that swimmers stay for the entirety of the meet to cheer on their team, we understand if the younger swimmers need to leave early, after their events are completed. It is realistic to expect that at most swim meets, swimmers 8 and under will be done sometime between 8 - 9pm.
We have a vacation planned for a week of the summer, can we still participate?
Yes! Many families have obligations or vacations that are pre-planned. It is not unusual to miss one or two weeks for vacation and/or camp. We ask that all swimmers commit to at least 3 meets. A majority of our swimmers participate in 4 - 6 regular meets and JSL Champs.
How many practices per week should my swimmer attend?
Swimmers should attend as many as they can. Practice is designed to be age-appropriate. Practice includes drills, skills, starts, finishes, relay touches, sprints. Our coaches carefully design a practice program to strengthen and improve our swimmers. Frequent practicing allows for frequent improvement. Swimmers should not feel obligated to attend practice every day throughout the season. Thursday practices often include a game or fun relay.
My youngest child is 4 and can’t wait to join the swim team. Is there space for younger swimmers?
Per JSL rules, swimmers must be 5 by June 1st in order to swim in this summer's meets. With our large team, our lanes are full of practicing swimmers at every practice. Therefore, we fill our 5-6 year old group with swimmers who are in fact 5-6 years of age. Only if we do not fully fill our Tropical Storms program with 5-8 year olds, we will consider 4 year old siblings who meet the swim requirements.
What does the swim team look like for a newer swimmer?
Joining a new team may feel challenging for beginners. The Forest Lakes Swim Team has a culture of inclusivity and comradery. New swimmers can expect to make new friends, increase their skill levels, try new things, push through their comfort zones, celebrate successes, and have fun. It is encouraged that, despite a possible 13-year age gap between our youngest and oldest swimmers, all teammates work together. You will find our oldest swimmers giving pointers to their youngest teammates and our younger swimmers encouraging our oldest teammates. The Forest Lakes Swim Team is a great way to connect with our neighbors and build spirit.
Is there any discount for Long Course swimmers?
We definitely want you to be part of our family and our team! We will offer a LC swimmer rate of $150. This is ONLY for swimmers who will regularly practice with their year-round team, but will attend Wednesday FLST night meets and occasional other practices/team events. If your LC swimmer plans to attend more than 1 FLST practice per week, please sign up as a regular summer swimmer. Email [email protected] for the coupon code needed to register as a LC swimmer.
If we register and then have to withdraw, can we get our registration fee back?
We understand changes may happen. If a swimmer requests to withdraw before the start of the swim season we will refund the registration fee minus a $40 non-refundable service charge. A request to withdraw your swimmer must be sent to [email protected]
For all withdrawal requests received after the first week of swim practice, the entirety of the registration fee will NOT be refundable.
