Frequently Asked Questions
Swim Meets | Swim Practice | The Swim Team
Swim Meets
How do I enter my swimmer in a meet?
What happens if I've entered my swimmer in a meet and they can no longer swim in that meet?
What if I have to show up late to a meet?
Why is it so important that I notify the coaches
if my child has to miss a meet?
Where are meets held?
Do I have to volunteer at the swim meets?
What are the various volunteer positions?
What time does my swimmer need to arrive at swim
meets?
What do I do when I arrive at a meet?
Where do I find heat sheets and results?
What happens if meets are canceled due to weather?
Where can I find my swimmer(s) results after a swim
meet?
Where can I buy the team suit?
Who can swim in the All Pool Meet?
Who is required to swim at the All Pool Meet?
Swim Practice
When do practices begin?
How often are swim practices held?
What if my child has to miss practice?
Where is the practice pool located?
What equipment will my swimmer need?
Where can I buy required equipment such as caps,
goggles, and swimsuits?
The Swim Team
What are the registration fees?
Who can join the team?
How do the Stingrays communicate with the parents?
Where can I buy Stingrays merchandise?
Swim Meets
How do I enter my swimmer into a meet?
The Stingrays use a teamwide standard of weekly meet attendance declarations. Click here for full meet-entry instructions.
Coaches select swimmer events throughout the season. Events will become visible to parents on the app by the morning of the meet.
What happens if I have entered my child in a meet and they can no longer swim in that meet?
Our coaching staff will be completing each meet's seeding based on meet entries received for that meet. Please make every attempt to notify the coaching staff if your swimmer is unable to attend a meet, even if it is after the Sunday at Midnight deadline. We understand that plans can change quickly and unexpectedly and that emergencies do occasionally arise at any given time. In such cases, please do the following:
- If it is before the Sunday at Noon deadline, log into your SwimTopia account, and update your swimmer's meet attendance status for the meet (more info).
- If it is after the Sunday at Noon deadline, we ask that you immediately e-mail the team administrator at [email protected].
What if I have to show up late to a meet?
If your swimmer will be arriving late to the meet, you need to do TWO things. First, when you declare your swimmer's events for that meet, select the relay option that says you are NOT available for early relays. Second, please leave a note for the coaches as to the reason you expect to be late and an estimated arrival time so coaches can enter your swimmer in the appropriate events.
Why is it so important that I notify the coaches if my child has to miss a meet?
Our coaching staff will be completing each meet's seeding based on meet entries received that week.
Our coaches must start seeding the swimmers - that is, deciding who will swim which event(s) - at the beginning of each week and will assume that all swimmers who have submitted a meet declaration will be participating in that meet. Simply not showing up at a meet without warning is not only inconsiderate; it is unfair to other swimmers. No-shows can and do cause relays to be canceled. Our computer-generated heat sheets (lists of swimmers by the events and heats they are swimming) are produced prior to the meet.
We understand that plans can change quickly and unexpectedly and that emergencies do occasionally arise. In such cases, at the earliest possible moment, either log into your SwimTopia account and edit your swimmer's meet attendance status for the meet (if before the Sunday at Noon meet declaration deadline - more info), or e-mail the team administrator, if it is after the Sunday at Noon deadline, to notify our coaching staff at [email protected].
Home meets are always held at Fuller Pool, our 8-lane outdoor pool is located in the back of the campus (32 Breakneck Hill Road). Away meets are held at the different NSL member pools. To find out where a particular meet is being held visit the Meets page, addresses of all pool locations in the league are also located here.
Do I have to volunteer at the swim meets?
Yes, the Fuller Stingrays swim team as a whole could not operate without the generous work of parent volunteers. All the work of putting together a team of volunteers, keeping within a financial budget, arranging all of the schedules, and running the swim meets is up to all of us.
For this reason, we require every Fuller family to work a minimum number of shifts throughout the summer swim season. A shift is usually defined as one swim meet. This means we are asking each family to help in a volunteer position for one swim meet, a number of times throughout the season. Read our Family Participation Policy for more details.
None of the jobs are difficult and simple training is provided as needed but you can easily learn how to do most of the tasks in a few minutes. If you are brand new to the summer swim league, the jobs of bullpen, timer, runner, and concessions are pretty good places to start. Read more about the job descriptions here. One thing to remember: as a volunteer, you will definitely feel a part of the team, and it actually does make it feel like the meets go a lot faster.
What are the various volunteer positions?
We're glad you asked! Volunteer positions range from bullpen to timer to runner to concessions. The Volunteer Position Description document, which has detailed information about the volunteer positions, is available here. If at any time you have questions about your volunteer position, please contact the team administrator at [email protected].
What time does my swimmer need to arrive at swim meets?
Swim meet check-in and start times are always listed on the Meets page. As meet starting times are subject to change, always check there for the most up-to-date information regarding an upcoming meet. We will also send out a notification prior to the meet through email via SwimTopia with arrival time, warmup time, start time, and other helpful information.
What do I do when I arrive at a meet?
The first thing you should do upon arrival at any meet is get your swimmer(s) set up in their team area and grab yourself a spot somewhere in the area as well. It is important to bring your own chair since there are not a lot of chairs, and most of the time, no chairs are available at the pools. Once heat sheets are available in SwimTopia please mark your swimmer's arm with their event, heat, and lane number. (Ask a bullpen parent if you need help with this.) Wait for a member of the coaching staff to call your swimmer's age group for warm-ups.
For other helpful information about what to expect/bring/do at swim meets, see Helpful Tips for Meets.
Where do I find heat sheets and results?
The morning of each meet be sure to check the Meets page. There, you will be able to see what individual events your swimmer(s) are entered into. Heats and lanes will not be available yet as coaches need to enter any scratches prior to the start of the meet. Relays will also NOT be posted at this time as they may be impacted by potential scratches. Unless you noted that your swimmer(s) were not available for a relay, assume that your swimmer(s) are entered into a relay. The coaching staff will notify swimmers of their relay, heat, and lane.
Results are usually posted within a day or two after the swim meet. Again, check the Meets page.
What happens if meets are canceled due to weather?
The Home Meet Coaching Staff will make the final judgment on the postponement or cancellation of a scheduled meet due to inclement weather. Such decisions will be communicated to the Visiting Team Coaching Staff as soon as possible. As information becomes available, we will relay it to parents via email through SwimTopia and/or SwimTopia notifications. (Be sure that you have enabled notifications on the SwimTopia app).
If a swim meet has been canceled entirely, a decision will be made as to whether it will be made up.
Where can I find my swimmer(s) results after a swim meet?
After a swim meet, meet results, including final scores and individual results, will be posted on the Meets page of our Website.
Where can I buy the team suit?
Team suits for the 2026 season are available through our SwimOutlet Team account.
For any other apparel: Team Store
Username: fuller
Password: stingrays
Who can swim in the All Pool Meet?
To be eligible to participate in the All Pool Meet, a swimmer must meet the eligibility requirements of the NSL bylaws and must have competed in a minimum of two Dual Meets of the current season. Swimmers must have an official time in an event from the current swim season to be entered in that event in the All Pool Meet. Also, families of those who swim in the All Pool Meet must volunteer at the All Pool Meet.
Who is required to swim at the All Pool Meet?
To be eligible to participate in the All Pool Meet, a swimmer must meet the eligibility requirements of the NSL bylaws and must have competed in a minimum of two Dual Meets of the current season. Swimmers must have an official time in an event from the current swim season to be entered in that event in the All Pool Meet. Also, families of those who swim in the All Pool Meet must volunteer at the All Pool Meet.
Swim Practice
Swim practices generally begin on the last Monday in June, provided the weather cooperates. Check the practice schedule for up-to-date information.
How often are swim practices held?
Practices are held five days a week, Monday through Friday. You can choose to either practice in the morning or in the evening between depending on your practice group. However, you cannot switch (flip-flop) between morning and evening practice sessions.
What if my child has to miss practice?
If your child must miss practice for an extended amount of time (family vacation etc.), please email the team administrator at [email protected]. If you need to miss a practice here and there for whatever reason there is no need to contact the coaching staff, we know things come up, especially in the Summer.
Where is the practice pool located?
The Fuller Stingrays Swim Team swims out of the MacColl YMCA. Our practice pool is located at the back of the campus. You may drop off and pick up for both morning and evening practices down at the Fuller pool as parking permits. Please drive carefully as patrons may be walking on the access road:
- Fuller Pool at the MacColl YMCA Campus (32 Breakneck Hill Road)
What equipment will my swimmer need?
During practice, it is important for all swimmers to have the following items:
- Competition style suit (a practice suit, NOT the team suit)
- Swim cap for swimmers (boys included)
- Goggles
- Towel
Where can I buy the required equipment such as caps, goggles, fins, and swim suits?
Many sports stores carry swimming equipment, including DICKS Sporting Goods, SwimOutlet and Amazon.com.
The Swim Team
What are the registration fees?
Swim team registration fees are determined each swim season and will be posted in the parents' information packet. In addition to the swim team registration fees, each swimmer must also be a member of the MacColl YMCA. These registration fees are the team’s primary source of financial support.
Registration fees and YMCA membership fees cover the following:
- Swim insurance
- NSL dues
- SwimTopia
- Coaches salaries
- Miscellaneous administrative expenses
- All Pool Meet fees
The cost of the team swimsuit and other equipment (such as goggles, swim caps, etc.) is NOT included in the registration fees. These items must be purchased separately.
Swimmers must be 16 or younger on July 1st of the current year. The Fuller Stingrays is not a learn-to-swim program. The swimmer should already have the basic swimming strokes before joining the team. Prior to the first day of practice, new swimmers will be evaluated on their swimming ability.
How do the Fuller Stingrays communicate with the parents?
We communicate with parents via the following means:
- Email (via Swimtopia).
We’re all busy with summer activities, work, and life beyond the swim team, so please trust that when we take the time to send an email, it’s worth your time to read it. Also, make sure to provide a current email address for your family and to check your emails for updates. Please also make sure that notifications are enabled on the SwimTopia app as we may push cancellation notifications to parents/guardians in lieu of an email (for important messages).
The latest meet information will be posted on the Meets page of our website.
Where can I buy Stingrays merchandise?
We encourage all Fuller Stingray swimmers and their families to show team pride and spirit. Swimmers are encouraged to wear their team suit and cap at the meets. Family members can also purchase team spirit wear on the Team Store.
Username: fuller
Password: stingrays
At most home swim meets the concession stand will be available for the purchase of food and drinks. Sales from the concession stand help raise money for the team.
