FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Most of the information contained in this document is available on this website, so we recommend you spend some time browsing and familiarising yourself with the structure of the site.
If your question is not answered below, or if you have a suggestion for other questions which we should include, please contact [email protected]
MEMBERSHIP
How do I join CWSC?
If you are joining us from another Swim England club or foreign equivalent, please contact the Director of Swimming, [email protected]
In all other cases please contact [email protected] to arrange an assessment.
How many Academies are there in CWSC?
There are 4 centres where Red Hats through to Black Hats swim. These are:
- Victoria (Queen Mother Sports Centre and Chelsea Sports Centre)
- Holland Park (Holland Park School)
- Kensington (Kensington Leisure Centre)
- Queen’s Park (Moberly Sports Centre)
- Chelsea (Chelsea Sports Centre)
Development, Performance, Bronze, Silver and Gold Squads swim in different pools throughout the week. These are noted on the training schedules
Can I move from one Academy to another?
If you would like to move to another centre, please email [email protected]. Where spaces are available the move may be actioned immediately. Where spaces are not available, swimmers will be placed in an internal waiting list and will be notified as soon as a space comes up.
Can I swim in two different Academies?
No. Swimmers must only swim in the sessions allocated to their own squad.
How do swimmers progress through the club?
Squad moves take place at the start of every term. Coaches will submit a list of swimmers they recommend for squad moves to the Director of Swimming. Once approved by the Director of Swimming the moves are communicated to parents and swimmers, usually around one month before the move is actioned (for example we will communicate the January moves at the start of December). For more information please see the Squad Progression Diagram.
Due to the effect of the lockdown, move ups will be smaller and focussed this term. Squad unity and consistency is the main objective and we want to ensure all members have the best skills possible before we grant a move.
Can I suspend my membership when I am away?
No. The club does not close during the holidays, so membership is not interrupted.
Can I suspend my membership if I am sick?
Yes, for prolonged illness or injury, typically lasting longer than 1 month.
How can I cancel my membership?
If you would like to cancel your membership, please email [email protected]. The notice period is one full billing month. For example, if you send a notice on May 15th, your membership will run until June 30th and you will be charged squad fees for June.
How can I add a second email to my account?
If you would like to add a second email to you TU account this can be done via your main account login. If you click here it will show you the steps to add and verify a second email to you account.
TRAINING
How can I find out where and when my squad swims?
All schedules are published online here, stating time and location of each session. Details of all the pools are also on the website here.
What is the difference between A and B squads?
The only difference is the training schedule. They are otherwise identical squads.
Is the club closed during school holidays?
No. We run a skeleton schedule from mid-July to the end of August and are closed on Bank Holidays as well as a few days over Christmas. Otherwise, sessions run as usual throughout the year. There are occasional one-off changes in the schedule, which are usually communicated to members by email.
Why are the sessions sometimes changed or rescheduled at the last minute?
Sessions may be cancelled or moved on short notice due to unexpected pool closures and other factors beyond our control. It is therefore very important that the main email address on your club account is the one you actively monitor.
How many sessions a week should swimmers do?
Red and Orange Hats - once a week
Yellow and Blue Hats - twice a week
Black Hats - three time a week
Advanced Development - 4 or 5 times a week
Regional Performance – 6 or 7 times a week
National Performance – 7 times a week
Bronze - 3, Silver -3 or 4 and Gold -5 times a week with no minimum attendance requirement
Should I notify the club when I’m sick or away?
You should inform your squad coach if your swimmer is sick for an extended period of time or if you are away. If they are only sick for a session you do not need to let us know. Performance squads may have different guidelines communicated separately by the coaches.
What are the rules regarding COVID19?
Swimmers must not attend training if they have any of the main COVID19 symptoms (fever, continuous cough or loss of taste and smell). If a swimmer experiences any cold or flu-like symptoms, it is highly recommended that they take regular Lateral Flow Tests before attending training or competitions. Swimmers must follow government rules on self-isolation and quarantine at all times.
Do I need to bring any equipment to training?
Yes. Swimmers should bring with them the required equipment for their squad. For a list of equipment please click here. You can buy all necessary equipment from our club shop at mailsports. Don’t worry if you don’t have it for the first few sessions.
COMPETITIONS
Competitions are currently on hold due to the covid19 pandemic. Swim England have published their 5 Stage Plan for the return to competition. The information below refers to a normal competition calendar. We hope this will be resumed as soon as possible in 2021.
When can I start competing?
Some competitions require swimmers to be 9 years old on the day of competition, others require them to be 10 by the end of the calendar year. Swimmers 8 years and older can participate in CWSC’s annual Club Championships and certain galas hosted by other clubs.
CWSC also holds in-house ‘Hats Galas’ for Red to Blue Hats swimmers. These are non-licensed meets which allow swimmers who are not old enough to compete in Swim England Licensed meets the opportunity to gain valuable competition experience.
Age limits as well as qualifying times will be stipulated on the promoter’s conditions for the relevant competitions. This information will also be available on the competition entry pages on our website.
What are the different types of competitions?
There are 4 levels of competitions:
Level 1 – These competitions are held in 50m pools only. Swimmers are required to achieve a qualifying time for these events based on the meet conditions set out by the meet organisers. These include National, Regional, County Championships and Open Meets.
Level 2 – These competitions are held in 25m pools only. Swimmers are required to achieve a qualifying time for these events based on the meet conditions set out by the meet organisers. These include National, Regional, County Championships and Open Meets.
Level 3 – These competitions are held in either a 25m or 50m Pool. Their purpose is to enable athletes to achieve times for entry into Regional, County Championships or other competitions that are at a Level 1 or 2 standard.
Level 4 – These competitions are typically held in 25m pools and are designed as entry level events. They are usually single club meets, such as club championships.
Level X – This is a new format launched by Swim England in October 2020 to enable competition within Covid19 restrictions. In this format, swimmers can take part in a series of time-trials using all strokes at varying distances, pitting themselves against others across the country without leaving their home pool.
How do I know what competitions to enter?
Our club competition calendar is listed in two different location on the website.
1 - Under Fixtures under the ‘Meets’ tab.
2 – The full list of events, with the event information, can be found by clicking on the ‘Team Events’ tab by scrolling down the Home Page. You can then click the ‘More Events’ and this will bring up the full list of events.
How can I sign up for competitions?
Eligible swimmers must be declared either as attending or not attending via the club’s website. To do this you must be logged into your club account and then you can edit your swimmer’s commitments by clicking on the specific event you are interested in. If you have any questions regarding competition entries please email Coach Alexander, [email protected]
How do I know what events I should swim?
It is best to discuss with your coach which events you should be entering into, roughly if there are 2 sessions per day you should be looking to enter no more than 2/3 events per session.
How can I help at my children’s competitions?
Competitions are run by volunteers, both technical and non-technical. Technical volunteers must be licensed Swim England officials that are qualified or in training. Non-technical volunteers can perform a variety of roles, such as volunteering with hospitality, marshaling swimmers into their heats, handing out medals or selling programs/heat sheets at the door.
How can I become a technical official?
To become a swimming official, you must attend a short course (from 2020 onward, this will be done online) followed by practical mentoring sessions. For more information please click here. If you are interested in becoming an official, please contact officials@cwswimming.com
CLUB KIT
What swimming hats should swimmers wear?
Swimmers should always wear club hats for in CWSC sessions. Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue (Royal) and Black hats should wear the silver hats with CW in the colour of their squad. Advanced Development, Bronze, Silver and Gold wear the standard CW training hat – silver with Navy CW letters.
Swimmers who enter competitions should wear the competition hat – white with royal blue club logo. This hat may also be worn in training by these swimmers. We are also now offering the Arena 3D Ultra hat, in royal blue with a white logo. This hat is for competitions only.
Where can I buy club swimming hats?
CWSC swimming hats are currently available at the CWSC club shop.
Who is our club kit provider?
Our new official club kit provider is Arena. The kit comprises of navy t-shirt, shorts and hoodie and is now available from the CWSC club shop. Swimmers attending competitions should wear club kit with the existing club logo.
ONLINE ACCESS
How can I access my club account?
Our club’s web resource is managed by TeamUnify (TU) – an online provider to many swimming clubs across the world. At the time of joining the club you will be sent an email with log in details. You can either access your account from the club’s website (the log in window is at the top to the right of the club logo) or on your phone using OnDeck, the Team Unify mobile app, which can be downloaded for free here.
How can I change my contact details?
Once you log in to your club account, you will be able to update your contact details on the main account tab.
Why am I not getting email updates?
It might be that the email has gone into your junk mail folder. Check also that your email is correct in your TU account. If you still don’t appear to be receiving emails please contact [email protected]
FEES AND PAYMENTS
How should I pay my fees due to the club?
You should have a payment card added to your online account. To add or replace the card:
- On our website www.cwswimming.com, please sign in to your account
- Once logged in click on My Account
- Then either Payment Setup or Setup Auto Pay
- Click the Add New button. Enter your card and billing information and click Next
- Keep both options – Use for Fees and On Demand Payments checked and click Save
Squad fees get charged on the 1st of every month. You may also be charged during the month for any additional invoice items in your account or any past due balance.
Can I pay by a different method (direct debit, bank transfer, cheque, cash, etc)?
Generally, no. Our club has close to 800 members. The reason for automatic card payments is to streamline the billing and payment process for both the club and its members. If we were to allow other payment methods, it would require manual processing and booking of each single payment, which would require a considerable time investment, not to mention operational and accounting complications.
What should I do if my payment fails?
No need to worry. Cards sometimes expire, get declined, account has insufficient funds, etc. You will receive an automated email advising that your payment failed and the reason. You would need to take steps to rectify the issue so that the payment could be taken with the next batch. This may mean adding funds to your card account, replacing the payment card on our system, etc.
What is your policy on past due payments?
At present we do not charge interest, penalties or late payment fees. However, if the balance is over 30 days past due, your membership account may be suspended, which means your children would not be able to attend training sessions or club events until the balance is paid. Accounts with balances more than 60 days past due may be permanently cancelled and reported to SwimEngland.
What are my options if I cannot afford monthly fees?
Limited number of bursaries is available, please see our website for more information and application forms.
What other fees may I be charged in addition to the monthly fees?
At the start of each calendar year, members will be changed a fee for renewal of their Swim England membership. These are currently £36.15 p.a. for most swimmers. Younger non-competing members pay a smaller fee of £16.35 p.a.
When entering competitions, the club will pay the entry fees up front, including coaches’ costs. These will then be billed to members’ accounts.
Similarly, when committing to take part in a team trip, the club with cover the expenses, which will then be charged to members’ accounts. Other charges may include club kit orders, camps and social events.
How can I see the breakdown of fees?
Log in to your Team Unify account and choose the Payment Schedule tab. You will be able to see a summary of your recurring changes as well as view your account invoices.
Can I speak to someone on the phone regarding membership or payments?
We do not offer phone support. The club is run by parent volunteers who will do their best to respond to your email queries.
KEY CONTACTS
Membership and Financial Administration (run by parent volunteers)
Coaching
Lisa Bates – [email protected] [National Performance]
Alexander MacDonald – [email protected] [Regional Performance]
Mo Hammad – [email protected] [Advanced Development & Black Hats]
Michele Negro – [email protected] [Red, Orange, Yellow & Blue Hats]
