PARENT RESOURCES

A USA Swimming Membership is required to participate in meets as a FINS swimmer. 

If an athlete registers for a meet and does not yet have this membership, you will be responsible for registering with USA Swimming and purchasing membership within 1 week prior to the first day of the meet. 

Parents and adult members are responsible for swimmer registration with USA Swimming.

Parents will create a parent account in and then add/manage/pay for each athlete registration. 

How to Register:

Create a login: Use the FINS USA Swimming Reg Link (button above).
Create a Login, and set up your login as the parent. No athlete info in this step, just for the parent/account holder. You will link / add swimmers in the next step.  The username and password you enter will be the login for your new account.

• Already have one? Great, next step!  

If you’re not already logged in, log in to your parent account. 

• You will be asked if the membership is for you or someone else. Select “someone else” since the parent is the account owner, managing registration for the athlete.

Which Registration Type does my swimmer need?

USA Swimming Membership is $90.  USA Swimming membership is an annual fee and includes meet insurance, Splash monthly magazine and a USA Swimming Deck Pass accoun (unlimited number of USA Swimming meets during the year). 

• Who? This membership level is required for all Group II & Group I swimmers.
• When? Registration submitted after Sept 1 will always be valid through Dec 31 of the following year.  Members must renew membership for the upcoming calendar year by November 1 each year. 

USA Swimming Flex Membership (for Ages 12 & Under only) is $30.  This level of membership is only for swimmers ages 12 & Under and allows swimmers to participate in 2 USA Swimming sanctioned swim meets for the year. 

• Who? Swimmers (ages 12 & U) in Dolphins can start with this level and then upgrade to premium if/when they swim in a 3rd USA Swimming sanctioned meet during that year. 
• When?  Registration submitted after Sept 1 will always be valid through Dec 31 of the following year or until swimmer has participated in 2 sanctioned swim meets. After that, the swimmer will need to return to the USA Swimming site through our team registration link and upgrade to a full membership in order to participate in additional sanctioned meets during that year (you will be charged the cost difference between a Flex and Premium membership when upgrading through the USA Swimming website).

LA Swimmer Transfer Fee:  To transfer from another USA Swimming club to FINS, there is a $45 transfer fee. You will be prompted to complete the transfer on the USA Swimming webpage and LA Swimming will invoice FINS directly. This transfer fee will be applied to your Team Unify account once FINS is invoiced.  

Team Unify is your Member Account Management portal:  Parents can log in to view their account history, change payment methods, register for upcoming meets and more! 

Make sure to download to App to your phone for easy access, too.
(this is the correct one)

All FINS communications happen via E-mail and in the team GroupMe. 

Be sure to have GroupMe on your phone to receive quick notifications, and check the E-mail used on your account regularly. 

Fundraising

Fundraising is part of our overall budget that allows us to maintain the quality programming that we provide. Our priority is to make the sport of year round swimming affordable and more accessible. 

Swim-A-Thon 

• • Each year in April, at Franco’s. 
    • We position this event after Short Course State but just before our first Long Course meet to celebrate SC success and kick-off LC with fun! 
  • Every FINS family is required to participate with a minimum contribution of $100 per family.
    • The required $100 per family can be obtained through donations or paid directly by the member/family.

Service Hours

• All active swim families are required to complete two (2) service hours each season. Service hours are essential to the successful operation of the team and help ensure a positive experience for all families.

• Service hours may be fulfilled by, but are not limited to: timing assignments at meets and volunteering at team-hosted events. Please note that a single timing slot or volunteer sign-up counts as 1 service hour, regardless of the actual length of time.

• • Service hours will be tracked and communications will be sent out to families reminding them of service hours needed. 

• Failure to meet the service hour requirement may result in consequences, which may include loss of meet eligibility, additional fees, or other actions as determined by the team.

• This requirement reflects our shared commitment to supporting our swimmers, our coaches, and our team community.

COMING SOON!

If you wish to cancel your FINS and/or Franco’s membership, you must let coach Robby or Sue know by the 15th of the month prior to the month you wish you cancel. 

Ex. If you want to cancel your membership effective on April 1, you must make Robby or Sue aware by March 15. 

This is a Franco’s Policy.

The decisions we make about groups, meets to attend, and events to swim are designed for the long-term development of each swimmer, not short-term results. Our primary concern is with how our athletes will perform when they are senior swimmers. Because of this, our younger swimmers focus almost exclusively on mastering proper stroke technique, developing a positive attitude about competition, teamwork, and the fundamentals of competitive swimming.

Group Placement and Movements

Our coaches spend much time and effort ensuring that our athletes are in the training group most beneficial for their long-term development as a person and a swimmer.
When determining changes among training groups, our coaches will meet to review athletes in each practice group and discuss the most appropriate group for each given athlete. Specific criteria is used to evaluate each athlete’s practice/training characteristics and skills to determine group placement as well as coaches considerations of the athlete and their readiness.

Group Placement Criteria and Considerations

-Stroke and skill development.
-Practice attendance.
-Training ability.
-Level of commitment.
-Level of maturity and personal responsibility.
-Age and previous experience.
-Meet performance and best times.
-Space availability.

Our goal is for the swimmers to focus their attention on their coach during the practice session.
Please refrain from talking to or motioning to swimmers during practice.  Coaches and parents are on the same team in regard to wanting to see a child thrive in their learning environment and the skills being taught, but the coaches must be allowed to regulate a swimmer’s speed, lane placement and order, and address behavioral issues.  There are times, a younger swimmer may be directed to “sit out” with a parent or chaperone if the coach feels this is the appropriate move for the situation.

Parents are encouraged to allow their child the learning opportunities that come with group practices. 
Self-regulation to pay attention to the task at hand, successes and failures, and adapting to the learning environment are all part of the process.  Allowing your child to receive direction from the coach alone during the practice session will help strengthen the coach-athlete relationship and help build independence and confidence in your young athlete! 

The greatest contribution you can make to your swimmer’s progress is to be a supportive parent and allow them independence during the practice sessions. 
We are proud of our program and what we are teaching our athletes. We want parents to watch their children in practice only when it is not a distraction for their child and only when it does not add stressors to the environment for the swimmers, coaches, or other spectators. 

Please be sure to not sit or stand behind the blocks or in coach instruction areas. This will limit distractions to the swimmers and coaches during training.

All swimming gear can be purchased on: www.swimoutlet.com

Be sure to add FINS as your team to view our personalized team gear.

For FINS spirit wear, contact Nadia A. directly on GroupMe.