About US

WHAT IS CARDINAL AQUATICS?
Cardinal Aquatics is a competitive swimming team affiliated with USA Swimming that employs a staff of highly skilled professional coaches to offer a program for swimmers of all ages and levels of development, from five years old to the Olympic medalist. Cardinal Aquatics is a co-ed swim team, open to the public, from various cities and schools.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF CARDINAL AQUATICS?
Cardinal Aquatics views swimming as an important part of the overall development of a young boy or girl. It is our goal to provide a positive experience, for both parents and swimmers, which will instill a lifelong love for the sport of swimming. Besides the tremendous benefits of physical conditioning, swimming fosters the personal discipline required to set goals and persevere, the confidence building through goal achievement and competition, the social growth from being a valued team member, and learning to accept winning and losing with equal grace. It is important to our staff to provide an environment that promotes and encourages high self-esteem, personal accountability, self-motivation, positive role modeling, and a sense of value gained from competing as both an individual and a team member.

WHAT ARE THE FEES AND COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH MEMBERSHIP?

* Registration fee:
First year swimmers $90 (per year) *includes 3 team shirts
Returning swimmers $60 (no shirts included)

*Monthly membership fees are:
Cardinal White Group $100
Cardinal Red Group $110
Cardinal Gold Group $115
Cardinal Performance Group $125
Cardinal Performance II Group $125
Cardinal Elite Group $135

*Monthly fees are determined based on an 11 month cycle. All bills will be due by the 10 th of each month. This is the amount required for the year round operation of the team. When there are short breaks (Christmas, end of winter season, end of summer season, etc.), the fees will NOT be adjusted . Although we will swim a few days in August, there will be no training fee due until September, only registration fee and USA Swimming fee will apply in August.

Other associated costs include USA Swimming Registration, KYLSC Fee, meet entry fees, travel expenses, team uniform, and training equipment. Cardinal Aquatics is sponsored by TYR. All suits and apparel will be made by this company. A team equipment and apparel package will be made available through Pannell Swim Shop. These expenses are minimal for beginners. There is also a fundraising requirement of $100 per year, per swimmer (amount subject to change).

WHAT IS USA SWIMMING?
USA Swimming is the governing body of competitive aquatics in the United States. This organization provides our rules and regulations, officials, and insurance. All members of Cardinal Aquatics must complete a USA Swimming Registration Form and provide a copy of their birth certificate. The cost is $43 per year. Each registration is valid until December 31 st of that year. Please return form with team registration form.

WHAT IS KYLSC?
This is our local governing body of competitive aquatics. The cost is $22 per year. There is no form to fill out.

ARE THERE DISCOUNTS FOR SIBLINGS?
Yes!!! Each additional swimmer will be given a $20 discount off the monthly training fees.

WHAT IS AN ESCROW ACCOUNT?
An account of $50 per swimmer will be held in an escrow account to pay entry fees for the swim meets. For younger swimmers these charges are nominal or nonexistent. All swimmers competing in meets must keep this account up to date and though the minimum is $50, you may exceed this balance if you feel it necessary. Each month your bill will reflect any funds used and the meet for which they were used, when the account drops below $15 it will be necessary for the account to be brought back up to $50.

WHAT IS MY ROLE AS A SWIM PARENT?
Parents are the backbone of any successful swim program. You will play an important role as part of the Cardinal Aquatics. Just as your children commit to the sport and their teammates, we encourage you to take a proactive role in participating in your child's success. Besides the obvious financial support, your biggest role will be to be your child’s #1 fan!! Refrain from coaching your child from the deck or the bleachers. Communicate often with your child’s coach about progress or concerns. When you leave the coaching to the coaches, you build the coaches up in the eyes of the child. Therefore, they will continue to respect and listen to the coaches, thus, increasing the rate of progression in your child’s swimming. A strong partnership among parents and coaches is important to the success of the children and team. Please do your best to get the swimmers to practice on time. Also, it is very important that when we host our own meets that we have all parents participating in running the meet. This is CRUCIAL!!! It can not be successful without your help. Lastly, each child will be responsible for raising, at the least, $100. This can be done in a variety of ways: swim-a-thon, selling meet advertisements, and other options to be discussed throughout the season. Thank you in advance for all your support!!!!!