Marlbank Mudtoads

Now that you have joined the MUDTOAD family, here is some important information to help you become more familiar with our policies and help our team succeed!

MEET POLICIES

1) Every swimmer is required to have one parent/guardian at every meet at all times for safety reasons.

2) Swimmers must be checked in on time at meets unless previous arrangements have been made.

3) Every swimmer is required to have one parent/guardian volunteer for a minimum of three meets. Families with multiple children should expect to volunteer for at least 3 shifts per swimmer.

4) Refund policy is now in place. See details below.

6) Minimum skill requirement: swimmers must be able to swim the length of the pool using any stroke by Time Trials.

7) Have Fun!!!

MEET SAFETY

Swimmers are not to be left at meets unattended. Although lifeguards and coaches are trained in first aid, it is always best if a parent is nearby in case of an emergency. For practice we strongly encourage parents of younger children to be at or nearby the pool. We also ask parents to refrain from interfering with practice unless a coach requests parental assistance.

MEET CHECK-IN

Swimmers and parent volunteers are to be checked in on time. There is considerable pre-meet work before each meet. In order for the meet to start on time, parent volunteers must arrive on time.

PARENT POSITIONS (VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS)

Parent involvement on our swim team is not only important, but also a necessity.  When you commit your child to swim with the MARLBANK MUDTOADS swim team you are also committing yourself to the team as a “Volunteer” parent/guardian. To meet this need, each family will volunteer on a point system to be determine each season by the number of registered families. 

Points per job

Points per swimmer

*Volunteers will have the opportunity to sign themselves up for shifts. If they have not signed up for a shift within three days of the shift signup date, the volunteer coordinator will fill in your shifts for you. The volunteer coordinator will also adjust shifts-taking away points or adding points to the system as needed to ensure there are enough volunteers to run the meet.

*Points are for the season meets only and do not include any special meets. If your child is involved in a special meet you are expected to volunteer as needed.

*Why do we need parent positions/volunteers? We are members of a summer swim league. While we do charge a registration fee, we are a non-profit organization. Our fees are only intended to cover the cost of equipment and coach’s salaries.

*How does the volunteer system work? We have a great number of positions available. You get to select your preferred position and register on a first come, first serve basis.*What about the other team? When we are at a meet, all teams competing bring volunteers. Each team provides timers, recorders, stroke and turn judges, sweeps judges, etc. This provides fairness so that neither team is accused of favoritism.*Isn’t this an excessive number of volunteers? If every family attends every meet we would probably have spare volunteers. However, summertime is vacation time! Even with every family providing the minimum number of shifts we occasionally come up short. Extra volunteers are always appreciated.

REFUND POLICY

First time swimmers: 6 & under, 7/8 age groups: by Time Trials, if coaches determine swimmer is not ready for summer swim league, the swimmer will be refunded the original registration fee minus a $40 fee which covers cost of team t-shirt, processing costs and coaching services.

ALL swimmers: may withdraw from the team and request a refund on or by Time Trials. Swimmers will be refunded the original registration minus a $40 fee which covers team t-shirt, processing costs and coaching services. After Time Trials; absolutely NO refunds will be granted.

MINIMUM SKILL REQUIREMENT

Each swimmer must be able to swim the length of the pool without stopping, holding onto the side, holding onto a lane line, or touching the bottom of the pool by Time Trials. The swimmer can use any stroke. The Mudtoad coaches are not staffed for one-on-one swim lessons. If the swimmer is not able to meet this minimum requirement, we recommend lessons. Our coaches are often available to provide one-on-one private swim lessons outside of normal Mudtoad practice time.

Most importantly remember to have FUN! We strive to provide a safe, healthy environment, in which our swimmers learn the value of competition, sportsmanship, teamwork and individual achievement. We view the fundamentals of hard work, regular practice, self-discipline, and goal setting as important life skills. And we firmly believe that we can have FUN while we achieve this!