Waterdogs Swim Team

What is the cost for swimming? What is covered in the registration fee?

The one-time fee covers all practice 5 days a week with exception of Waterpups who have lessons two times a week. The season runs from May 26^th to July 12^th. In addition to daily practice, there are six dual meets, one fun meet with the other Cleveland team and a 2-day City Meet (large meet with all teams from the three Chattanooga Area Swim League divisions). Following that, we have a banquet/celebration to conclude the season.

We are excited to expand our coaching staff to four coaches this season. Registration fees help cover the coaching salaries.

We also cover individual and relay entry costs for City Meet and encourage all swimmers to participate in this exciting end of season meet. Registration fees also cover the fee per swimmer we pay to the Chattanooga Area Swim League to cover official costs, insurance and other administrative expenses.

The team does offer discounts for multiple siblings registering from the same family. We do not pro-rate based on attendance.

Team Fees:

1st swimmer = $130

2nd swimmer = $120

3rd swimmer = $75

Each additional swimmer $50

Waterpups = $50 per swimmer

You can pay for registration fees online (for a slight service fee) or you can choose to pay in person with cash or check (made out to Waterdogs Swim Team).

What is Waterpups?

Waterpups are an opportunity for our youngest swimmers to get more confident in the water.

How do I know what group my child should be in?

There are three practices each morning and a separate practice day/time for Waterpups. New to the program swimmers are evaluated at one of the evaluation days prior to the season beginning. Coaches will assess swimmers during the first week and ensure they are in the appropriate group. Coaches are unable to accommodate practice requests as it is based on skill level and what works best for the team.

Does my child need to know how to swim?

New swimmers must be evaluated before registering in order to make sure the swimmer is ready for a competitive team. Team members must be able to swim at least one length of the pool (25 yard) without stopping or touching the bottom. They should also be comfortable swimming in water over their heads. Swim team instruction is geared toward helping children who know how to swim refine their strokes and become stronger.

What are swim evaluations?

New swimmers must attend one of the two swim evaluation sessions. Each swimmer will briefly be in the pool to demonstrate their current swim comfort level/ability, and our coaches will use this time to determine where to slot them for the morning practices. Please bring towel and goggles for each swimmer being evaluated. Drop in any time during the evaluation. Registration can also be finalized/paid for at the evaluations and the Waterdogs Board will be available to answer any questions.

How can I order Waterdogs gear?

To order the optional Waterdogs swimsuits, place your order directly with Swim and Tri. They will ship directly to you.

For shirts, tanks, etc., you can order directly from Express Athletics. When the team order is ready for pick up, a member of the Board will have your order at a morning practice for pick up. 

We are also setting up a team store with Swim Outlet.  Once our roster is finalized, we will send out a notice.  This will allow you a free membership to their website and great pricing on all your swim basic gear!  

What does my swimmer need for practice?

• Goggles
• Towel
• Water
• Sunscreen
• Cover-up/dry clothes
• Tennis shoes for first practice swimmers (7am practice)

Do parents/guardians need to stay during practice?

For the 1^st and 2^nd level practice, it’s optional to stay. For the 3^rd practice and Waterpups, we prefer that a parent or guardian be at practice. You may want to bring a camping chair, as seating is limited. Please note that parking is limited around the Community Center. Please do not drop kids off more than 5 minutes before your scheduled practice as there's no one there to watch the kids that are not swimming and parking is very limited at the Community Center.

Does my child need to be at every practice?

It is recommended that swimmers attend as many practices as possible, but we understand that summer is scheduled full of fun things to do such as camp, family vacations, etc.

Does my child need to attend every meet?

Your swimmer should make every attempt possible to be at all swim meets. Swim meets help to reinforce the hard work they have put in at practice is paying off with faster times at the swim meets. When a swimmer does not attend a swim meet, it affects the entire team, as it limits our relay teams, especially.

How long are the meets?

Meets will begin at 5:30 or 6pm and last about 2 -2.5 hours.

How much do the swim meets cost to attend?

Meets are free to attend and covered as part of the registration fee. Some pools do have a concession stand, and you may choose to buy a drink or some food. For several home meets, the Kona Ice truck will be set up at the gate.

What do you bring to a swim meet?

• Swimsuit (red preferrable)
• Girls one piece, no ties
• Boys jammers or briefs
• Red team cap
• Goggles
• Towel
• Sharpie to write child’s events on their arm along with name/age on their shoulder
• Families may prefer to bring lawn chairs, bug spray, sunscreen, extra towels, coolers and snacks

If it is raining, will practice or swim meets be cancelled?

Rain alone will not cancel practice or swim meets. In the event of thunder or lightning, all swimmers will exit the pool and wait 30 minutes from the last thunder or lightning event prior to getting back in. In some instances, this may lead to cancellation.

What are the volunteer requirements for swim meets?

Parent volunteering is required. These volunteer positions include but are not limited to timers, set-up and take-down, and runners. Volunteering is tracked on our website.

• Lane timers: Records the swimmer's time. Each timer is provided with a stopwatch and assigned a lane. If there are enough timers, each timer will only work half the meet. If we have even more timers, there will be two assigned to each lane and the times will be averaged as the swimmer's official time. This job gives you the best view of the pool and the swimmers during their races.
• Age Group Coordinator: Supervises the waiting area for a particular age group during meets, makes sure swimmer's arms are marked with their name/age along with events, keeps track of swimmers (as best as they reasonably can) between events, gets swimmers to the staring block area on time with caps and goggles, and contact a coach if alternates need to be declared for any events. For most age groups, several parents will share this job. This position is obviously more important for the younger swimmers, and the coordinators for the youngest ages (6&U, 8&U, 9-10) are especially critical to the timely running of the meet. This job keeps you with your swimmer during the whole meet.
• Runner: Responsible for obtaining the completed scoring sheets from the Meet Recorder and DQ forms from the officials and delivering them to the scoring table. This job keeps you moving around the poolside and the time passes quickly.
• Data Entry: Responsible for entering times from the timers and verifying data entered. With this job, you see the race results before anyone else. Works closely with the scorer.
• Scorer: Enters the places for each swimmer for each event into the computer system (along with the Scorer from the other team) and verifies the computer results.
• Set Up: Sets up the pool area for the swim meet. Moves deck chairs, starting blocks, sets up canopies, announcer stand, etc. Also, places parking signs at home meets. This position requires time on Monday and Thursday afternoons before meets.
• Take Down: During the last few minutes of a meet, the crew begins taking down and storing items in preparation for vacating the pool immediately after the meet. Away meets may also require transporting the equipment.
• Meet Recorder: Home meets only. Record the places of all swimmers in points heats.
• Volunteer Coordinator: Recruits volunteers for the meets and insures all positions are covered for each meet.
• Announcer: Announces calls for each event. This position works closely with the starter to keep the meet running smoothly.

Who do we swim against?

For the 2026 season, Waterdogs are in the Red Division and will swim against 3 teams:

What is City Meet?

This is the last meet of the season. The meet is all day Friday and Saturday with prelims in the morning and finals in the evening. All 14 teams in our Chattanooga Area Swim League (CASL) group come together the last weekend of the season.