Ladd Park Sharks

PARENT HANDBOOK 2026

Welcome to Summer 2026!

We look forward to spending this summer with you as we kick off our season! Our mission is to experience summer swim team competition in a fun and healthy way in a team environment while striving to achieve each swimmer’s personal best. We are a member of the Williamson County Swim League (WCSL). The WCSL aims to learn about sportsmanship, team camaraderie, and competitive swimming while enjoying a fun and healthy summer activity.

Our membership fees, fundraising projects, and donations from individuals and corporate sponsors cover our expenses. As with other youth sports, there is a need for parents to fill positions at swim meets. Swimming needs more staff than most other sports. Every family needs to share the responsibility of filling parent job positions.

We are pleased to serve you as your board of directors. We are here to answer any questions or help with concerns.

Go Sharks!

Swim Team Board Members

Swimmers Eligibility

To be eligible for the Sharks, swimmers must be between 5 and 18 years of age. Swimmers must turn 5 by June 1st. Swimmers cannot be over 18 years old unless they turn 19 during their senior year of high school and have not been in high school for more than four years. 

In addition, the swimmer must be able to demonstrate the ability to swim one length (25 years) of the pool without stopping or any assistance.

Our top priority is to ensure the safety of our swimmers. All swimmers under the age of 14 must have a responsible adult present 15 minutes prior to the conclusion of every practice.

Swim Team Fees

Registration fees for the upcoming season are as follows:

$220 for Per Swimmer

Note: All fees include, Championship Fees, County League Fees, 1 swim team t-shirt, 1 swim cap for each swimmer and a Ladd Park Sharks yard sign.

Practice Schedule

• Practices will be Monday through Friday
• Practice times will be determined once registration is complete. 

• Bring your swimmer to as many scheduled practices as possible
• Arrive no earlier than 10 minutes prior to practice time. A responsible adult must be present 15 minutes prior to the end of practice.

  * Practices are designed to not only teach the individual strokes, but also to refine the strokes being taught. Each swimmer’s attendance is not only valuable to their stroke development, but is also important for their overall confidence as a swimmer.

  * In the instance of storms or heavy rain, practice will be canceled. We will try to send an email and post on the Facebook page before practice begins, but please use your best judgment. If you notice lightning, hear thunder, or the rain is coming down really hard, you can bet we won’t have practice.

Apparel for Practice

• Swimsuit of choice - preferably racing style suit
• Goggles (whatever style is preferred by the swimmer)
• Swim Cap
• Towel

Basic Facts About Swimming

- Our pool is 25 yards long. (A “25” is swimming one length of the pool, and a “50” is swimming one lap down and back.)

- There are four competitive strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. (Otherwise known as “free,” “back,” “breast,” and “fly.”)

- There are two types of relays in swimming- the freestyle relay (all swimmers will swim freestyle) and the medley relay (backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle.)

- The individual medley is an event in which one swimmer swims all four strokes. The order of the strokes is as follows- butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

Swim Meets

Please add all swim meet dates to your calendar. The week prior to any swim meet, log on to your Swimtopia account and declare your swimmer available or unavailable for the meet. If your child is swimming in a meet, you must then choose a Parent Job position, or one will be assigned to you. We will need one job position per family swimming in the meet. If you have an unexpected schedule change, please contact one of the board members ASAP! ONE CHILD CAN AFFECT SEVEN OTHER CHILDREN’S RACES. Relays will have to be changed or dropped at the last minute, creating added confusion and possibly hurt feelings. Thank you in advance for respecting this request.

• PARENT JOBS!!! We need everyone!!! Grandparents, Older siblings (not swimming in meet and at least 15 years old), or hiring someone to do it for you. Everyone is welcome. We just need one person per family. If your child/children are signed up for a meet. You will need to sign up for a Parent Meet Job. If you do not select one, you will be assigned a Parent Job position. If you are not able to fulfill the position, you will be fined. REMEMBER YOU MUST FILL A PARENT JOB, OR YOU WILL BE CHARGED $100.00 PER JOB MISSED. After being fined, your child will not be able to swim again until the fine is paid. This also includes practice times.
• When you are assigned a position, you may fill it by performing the task yourself, hiring someone to do it for you, Older siblings (15 years or older), or Grandparents. You can split the time between 2 people from this list.
• Look for the designated team area.
• Please set your child up in his/her age group area.

• Please body mark (write all of your child’s events in permanent marker and their 3-digit ID using a black sharpie) on your child prior to warm-ups. Events will be emailed before the meet and will also be posted at the meet. (If at all possible, body mark before arriving at the pool. Trying to mark several swimmers at a time creates confusion and can rattle the nerves of an anxious swimmer.
• Please put sunscreen on your child 30 minutes BEFORE body marking. (The sunscreen may rub off the marker, but it also could rub the marker off on the chairs and anything else the swimmer comes in contact with.)
• Warm-ups: each team is allowed a 20 minute warm-up period. The home team always warms ups first. Please have your swimmer with the coaches at this time. Children should arrive at warm ups with their swimsuit, goggles, and swim cap.
• At the conclusion of warm ups, your child should return to his/her designated age group area and wait for their first event.
• Meets will begin promptly at their schedules start time. We will be moving through events quickly, so it is vital your child stay in his or her age group area. We do not want any swimmer to miss a race because team marshals couldn’t locate him/her for their event.

• Each swimmer may compete in up to 2 individual events plus the Individual Medley (I.M.). They could also be able to swim in up to two relays. Swimmers ages 6 and under only swim freestyle and back stoke plus the freestyle relay.
• Please help with the clean up after each meet. Chairs will need to be moved, trash will need to be picked up and taken out, etc. Swimmers are invited to help with clean up as well.

What to Bring to the Swim Meets

Girls- Team one-piece racing suit

Boys- Team jammer racing suit

Team Caps- Please wear your Sharks swim caps.

Goggles – consider having an extra pair for back-up

Team T-shirt - Show your team spirit and support sponsors!

2-3 Towels - One to sit on, and one to dry off with after each race

Sunscreen - We want Sharks, not Lobsters!

Sharpie - for body marking

Nutritional snacks and drinks and/or money for the concession stand.

Games, books, etc. to enjoy during the wait time

Please label all items!!!!

Description of Volunteer Positions for Swim Meets

Please see the  Volunteer Roles at the top for all descriptions of volunteer positions.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

• Head Clerk
• Parent Job Coordinator
• Sponsorship Coordinators (the more we have helping, the easier the job)

Championship Meet

• The Williamson Countywide meet is an opportunity for all the teams in the league to compete in one grand meet at the end of the season.
• Medals and ribbons are given for individual event performances and relay events.
• Trophies are awarded for overall individual performances and team performances.
• The Championship Meet is hosted by Excel Aquatics at the Indoor Sports Complex off of Concord Road.
• Any swimmer that swims in two dual season meets is eligible to swim at the county meet.
• WCSL provides most of the Parent Jobs.

• Each Swim Club in the Williamson County Swim League is assigned Parent Jobs spots based on the number of swimmers that the team has on the roster- not the number of swimming in the meet.
• Assignments are made a few weeks before the Championship meet.
• There is a fine and point penalty for Parent Jobs not provided.
• Each team is required to provide a stroke and turn judge for EACH session.

SPORTSMANSHIP!

We expect our team to show good sportsmanship. We want to instill a positive attitude among our swimmers, discouraging “trash talk” and negative comments. We will not tolerate bullying.

Please talk to your child about being a good sport and how important it is to have a good attitude and an encouraging spirit. We want all of our swimmers to have a positive experience and to feel successful in all they do.

Other Information for Parents

To have a successful program there must be understanding and cooperation among parents, swimmers, and coaches. The progress a swimmer makes depends to a great extent on this triangular relationship. It is with this in mind that we ask you to consider this section as you join the swim team.

The coach’s job is to teach swimming technique, critique the swimmer’s performance, and to motivate the swimmer to swim well in competition. The swimmer’s job is to attend practice regularly, listen to the coaches, follow directions, and do his/her best at all times. Parents supply love, recognition, and encouragement to help give the swimmer confidence.

Watching Practice: Parents are encouraged to observe practices, but please remember that practices are learning situations, and swimmers and coaches need to be able to focus to improve the swimmer’s technique and times. Please refrain from discussions with the coaches during practice.The best time to speak with a coach in person is after practice, and feel free to email them with questions.

Be Enthusiastic: Positive enthusiasm creates an environment that promotes improvement. In addition to self-motivation, swimmers need encouragement and positive feedback from parents and coaches. Be enthusiastic about taking your swimmer to practices, meets, and other activities.

The Proper Place to Complain: The coaches and board members want you and your swimmer to have a positive and enjoyable swim team experience. When something is not going well for an individual or group of people. Please discuss the problem with a board member so that they can aid in finding an acceptable solution. We are here to help!