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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Eligibility - Leadership - The Season at a Glance - Parent Requirements - Weather - Meets - Pool Use - Additional Questions/Help
Q: At what age can my child join swim team? A: Children must be at least 5 years old by 6/1/2026. Q: Can my child join swim team if we are not members at RFTC? A: Your child can join the team if they are a Youth Privilege Holder. “Youth” is defined as someone who has completed the fourth grade, or has attained 10 years of age prior to April 1st of the year of application. For more information or to apply, visit rftc.org/membership. Q: Can my child join swim team if they are new to swimming? A: Maybe, but swim team should not be mistaken for swim lessons. To participate in swim team, a child should already be comfortable swimming the length of the pool and have a basic understanding of freestyle. If you’re unsure if this is a good fit for your child, email the Swim Team Chairs at rftcswimchair@gmail.com. Q: My child was placed with younger kids and not their peers in their grade. Can they swim with their friends? (i.e. child is in 3rd grade but born after 6/1 and was placed with the 7 & 8 age group not the 9 & 10 age group). A: For meets, children must race with their age groups. For practices, you may ask the coach if your child may practice with an older age group. The coach considers your child’s swimming ability and coach/child ratios when making a decision. We cannot guarantee that your child can practice with an older age group. |
| LEADERSHIP |
Q: Who are the 2026 swim team chairs?
A: Kelly and Gerard Abood, Brenna Brown, Amanda and Brendan Daly, Erin and Colin Dowdall, Katie and Brian van Meurs
Q: Who is the coach?
A: Coach Nicole Redmond. She will have 4 assistant coaches.
| THE SEASON AT A GLANCE |
Q: What does a typical swim season look like?
A: The swim season is designed to teach and/or strengthen the 4 basic strokes of competitive swimming and provide opportunities for swim meets with neighboring swim clubs. Children are assigned daily practice times by age group and all swimmers are invited to compete at the swim meets. At the end of the season, the top swimmers in each age group will be invited to compete at conference. All swimmers and their families are invited to an end of season banquet with dinner and an awards ceremony.
Q: When is practice?
A: Practice is in the late afternoon Monday through Friday from late May until mid July with 5 and 6 year olds starting at 3:30 and the teenagers finishing at 7:00
PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Applies to preseason, regular season, & conference week.
| 5 & 6 Year Olds | 3:30 - 4:05 PM |
| 7 & 8 Year Olds | 3:55 - 4:40 PM |
| 9 & 10 Year Olds | 4:30 - 5:20 PM |
| 11 & 12 Year Olds | 5:10 - 6:10 PM |
| 13 & Older | 6:00 - 7:00 PM |
Q: When are the meets?
A: There are 7 meets this season: 1 intramural meet, 1 friendly meet against OPCC, and 5 regular season meets (2 home, 3 away). All meets are on weekdays with warm ups starting at 5pm, and the away meets are within 25 minutes of RFTC.
| PARENT REQUIREMENTS |
A: No, but you are welcome to stay and watch! It would be helpful to stay on the lawn and let the child navigate practice.
Q: What is required of parents of swim team members?
A: Each family is required to volunteer during home and away meets and team events throughout the season. Volunteer roles include timers, runners (collect time sheets), ribbons, and meet set up and clean up. The Swim Team Chairs will provide more information on the minimum volunteer requirements and a SignUpGenius after registration closes.
In addition to volunteering, it is important parents accurately sign up their child for meets. Please see “Do I need to sign up for the meets?” below.
Q: How do I stay informed?
A: The Swim Chairs and Committee members communicate via email. Details on how Coach Nicole will communicate will be provided as soon as available.
| WEATHER |
Q: What happens in case of rain?
A: Practices and meets will not be cancelled due to rain alone. As is the rule for the pool all year, lightning will close the pool for a minimum of 30 minutes. If there is lightning, the children will be removed from the pool. Coach Nicole will communicate any cancellations due to weather.
Q: When is it too cold to swim?
A: If the pool is open, swim team practice and meets will continue. As is the rule for the pool all year, the pool closes when the temperature is 70 degrees. This can lead to chilly swim meets! Please check the weather before leaving for swim meets. We recommend bringing blankets, warm sweats/hat, and extra towels to chillier meets.
| MEETS |
A: Yes!! ***It is imperative that you sign your child up for EACH meet that they want to swim****. Inaccurate sign ups is one of the biggest challenges we have and the reason many meets do not start on time.
Your child will not be guaranteed to swim at a meet unless they are registered by the deadline communicated by Coach Nicole. Likewise, if your child cannot participate in a meet they signed up for, notify Coach Nicole as soon as possible.
Q: What should I do when I arrive at a meet?
A: First, find the team’s tent or gathering area and set down your things. Many families bring a blanket and/or chairs to establish their space. For home meets, our tent is on the north side of the lawn (closer to courts 6-10). Next, find a coach to check in your swimmer(s). Finally, if you are volunteering during that meet, find the volunteer coordinator to check in as well.
Q: How long do the meets last?
A: About 3 hours. Some of our youngest swimmers choose to only swim the home meets but all are welcome to swim at each meet. There is A LOT of down time between events. While the children do have fun playing with each other in between events, you may want to bring some kind of activity if you think your child will need something to keep him/her busy.
Q: Is there food available at each meet?
A: For home meets, the Grill will be open serving hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken sandwiches. For away meets, it cannot be guaranteed food will be available for purchase. It’s best to bring snacks.
Q: How do I know when my child swims? Where do I find the Meet Heat Sheets?
A: Coach Nicole will send two documents the day of each meet. The first is the Entry List which lists each swimmer signed up for the meet and the events (races) they are swimming. The second is the Heat Sheet which lists each event, heat, and lane assignments. Use the Entry List to identify the events your child is in, and then use the Heat Sheet to identify which heat and lane they are in for the event. Most children and parents choose to write this information on the child’s arm (see Why the Sharpies? below). The events are in the same order every meet.
Q: Why the Sharpies?
A: At meets, swimmers are given their race assignments according to the event # /heat # and lane number (i.e.8/2/6 would mean event 8, heat 2 and lane 6). Many children and parents write this information on their arms to remember.
| POOL USE |
Q: How does swim team affect family swim hours?
A: The pool is closed for family swim Monday through Friday from 3:30-7:00. It is also closed during home meets. For those of you who don’t end up participating in swim team, late afternoon and evening on the days of away swim meets is a great time to take advantage of family swim at RFTC. You’ll have the pool nearly to yourself!
Q: I have little ones, can I use the baby pool during practice and meets?
A: The baby pool is closed during meets. It may be open during practices if a lifeguard is present and on duty.
| ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS/HELP |
A: Join the RFTC Facebook page.
Q: How do I ask questions?
A: Email the swim chairs at rftcswimchair@gmail.com
Find a parent, older swimmer and ask questions.
They know what to do and love to help!
River Forest Tennis Club
615 Lathrop Ave.
River Forest, IL 60305
708-771-7780
Web: hello@rftc.org