About F.A.S.T |
Objective:The Friendswood Area Swim Team provides a competitive summer swim program for youth ages 6 - 18. The team strives to provide a quality program where swimmers can improve their aquatic skills, and promote teamwork and good sportsmanship, and of course to have lots of FUN! We hope that your children will come away from this experience with improved swimming skills, increased self-esteem and fond memories. Season Overview:The Fast season begins with a practice and a parents meeting at the end of April and ends the first week in July with the Clear Creek Swimming League Champ series meet. Practices will be held in the afternoons until school is out. Beginning in June, some swimmers will switch to morning practices. Meets will be on Saturdays. Practice schedules can be found here. Information on Meets can be found here. Related Organizations:The Friendswood Area Swim Team is part of the Clear Creek Swimming League, Inc. (CCSL) More information about CCSL can be found here. Eligibility:Swimmers are eligible to join FAST if they are between 6 and 18 years of age by May 1 of the current year. To join the team for the first time, a swimmer must be able to swim one length of the 25- yard pool without holding on to the lane ropes or touching the bottom of the pool. New swimmers must be able to demonstrate this ability by the end of the first week of practice. First Year Member Try-Outs:New swimmers must try out by the end of the second week of practice. The registration fee must be paid and the registration/medical release form must be completed and signed prior to tryouts. Should a swimmer not be able to make meet the eligibility requirements, the registration fee will be refunded minus a $5.00 pool usage fee. Registration Fees: 2008Registration fees must be paid and registration forms completed prior to trying out or practicing. There will be a $10.00 late fee for registrants after April 1, 2007
Note: Fees reflect a City of Pool usage fee of $5.00 per child. Refunds: Full refund, less the $5.00 City of Friendswood pool usage fee will be given only if the swimmer does not meet the eligibility requirements by . Partial refunds will be given ONLY on the basis outlined below:
Late Registration:If space is available in their age group, swimmers may register late, even after the regular season meet have begun. However, CCSL rules require swimmers to register by Monday preceding a Saturday swim meet to be eligible to compete in the swim meet. Full fees plus a $10.00 late registration fee are required for late registrants. To qualify for the end of the season meets (Novice, Reserve and Championship), a swimmer must swim in at least two regular season meets. Each age group will be size limited. If the age group fills, a waiting list or that age group will be started. Swim Meet Duration ( How long does it last? )Regular CCSL swim meets held on Saturdays, are from 7:00 AM until around 1:00 PM. When swimmers are tardy, or when we swim against a very large team, meets may last until as late as 2:00 PM. Assume the mind set that these events are routine Saturday picnics. Make them fun outings for the whole family. Sponsorship:Sponsorship is an important part of the existence of FAST. It helps buy and maintain the equipment, provides donations for our concessions and keeps our registration fees as low as possible. Parent Participation:Because there are so many jobs to be done, parent participation is essential at a swim meet. It takes around 110 volunteer parents to "run" a home swim meet, and we must furnish 100 or so volunteers at away swim meets. The more volunteers we have, the less time each parent must work at a particular meet. Don't worry if you have no experience, we will train you! A parent from each family is expected to work five volunteer shifts during the regular season meets. Go here for more specifics on parent participation at meets. Social Event (Year End Party)The FAST primary social event of the year is the year end party. This event also serves as our annual general membership meeting to elect new board members. You will want to be sure to attend this event, exclusively for FAST members and families, held at the pool. Kid of all ages love this event and it has been a great success in past years. Trophies and wards for the swimmers are also presented at this function. See the bulletin board at the pool or the main page of the web site for confirmed date. Coaches:Head Coaches:Katie Raterink is a former swimmer and tri-athelete. Kristi Bertelsman swam for the University of Texas Longhorns and was a member of two National Championship Teams and was a three-year college All-American. For more information on our coaching staff please go here. Instructors / JuniorAssistantsWe have four instructors and four junior assistants. The junior assistants are hired in the first two weeks to help with training and safety. In an attempt to maximize the benefits of the practice sessions, each instructor is assigned responsibility for a particular group. This will enable the instructors to better get to know the swimmers in their groups, to identify their strengths and to work on their weaknesses. The instructors will also assist in placing swimmers in the appropriate events at the swim meets. Due to potential legal liabilities, and restrictions in our insurance policy, please do not ask or expect the coaching staff to transport your children to or from the swim practice and swim meets. Practice Schedule and Rules:Swimmers will benefit greatly by regular attendance at practice sessions. At practice, they will receive instruction on proper swim stroke techniques and will build physical endurance. To join the team for the first time, a swimmer age 6 - 10 must be able to swim 1 length of a 25 yard pool. Children age 11 and up must be able to swim 2 lengths of a 25 year pool. all age groups must be able to swim the designated pool length without holding onto the lane ropes or touching the bottom of the pool. Regular practice Please go here for specific practice information by age group. We will attempt to have volunteer board members at each practice. The volunteer board members are expected to help keep swimmers in order and enforce practice rules: For specific rules please go here. What to do if you want to speak to a coach or an instructor: The coaches and instructors are responsible for a large number of swimmers during practice sessions. They must provide training development, swimming evaluation, and supervision for all swimmers. For these reasons, please do not hold conferences with the coach or instructors during practice sessions. If you need to speak with the coach or instructor, please try to do so during the last 10 minutes of the practice session. Coaches are willing to schedule longer discussions at a more convenient time. If you have any converns about the instructors, Coaches? Any concerns about the coaches or instructors may also be addressed by contacting the FAST President, Mike Watson at 281-996-5357. For contact information for the Board, please go here. Personal Equipement:Swimsuit Requirements:
Team swim suits are not mandatory. FAST always selects two-year suits for the team suit. A two year swimsuit is one the manufacturer has indicate will be produced and available at swim shops for two consecutive years. This is the second year for our two year suits. Swimsuits are available for purchase at regustration and at the parent's meeting. Please contact the swim suit coordinator. We recommend that the team suit be worn only during swim meets to preserve the life of the suit. Paracice suites tend to take a beating. Caps and Goggles:Wihle neither caps nor goggles are mandatory, you will find that both are essental to a productive swim swason and are desired by the coach.
Team T-shirts for swimmers are included in the registration fee and will be given out at the photo shoot. To promote team spirit, T-shirts are availbe for purchase for $10.00 each. The T-shirts are usually available at practices and meets. Please contact swim suit coordinator for more information. |