Your child needs to be at least 6 years old and have passed the Pool Swim Test (purple band). It is recommended that swimmers have completed Swimmer 3. New swimmers need to attend Swim Club Tryouts prior to joining so the coaches can assess their ability. At the end of Swim Club Tryouts, the coaches will let you know if your child is successful and which group would be the best fit.

The season runs from September to the end of June for the Beginner, Intermediate and Senior Competitive groups. For the Novice group, the season runs from September to April with an optional session in May/June.

Yes! We will be holding a Parent Information Meeting for both new and returning families in September 2025 after tryouts are complete. Attendance is mandatory for all families.

If you don't fully complete the volunteer requirement, you will be required to pay the difference. You will receive an email letting you know how much you owe before the end of the season. You can then choose to pay by credit card or e-transfer.

Unfortunately we cannot offer this option this season. However if finances are a barrier to registration please speak with our Board of Directors President (Kerry) for potential options (email: edsonorcaswim@gmail.com)

As a club, we strive to keep fees as low as possible. This season we are asking competitive swim families to participate in our Bottle Drive to help offset the cost of coach travel to meets. This will means we do not have to charge extra for swim meets beyond the entry fee. Our home swim meets are simply not possible without the support of all our parents as there is so much work that goes into hosting a great meet for our swimmers. Our swimmers do not pay an entry fee for our home meet, instead we ask for your help volunteering for a shift during the swim meet weekend.

You can ask friends or family to help out in your place, they just need to be over 16 years of age. We are asking for one parent per family (and swimmer if possible) to help with the bottle drive. If you cannot attend, there will be a $100 penalty. For our home swim meet, we are asking for one shift (one day) per swimmer that attends the meet. If you cannot attend, there will be a $100 penalty.

The Edson Orcas are a competitive swim club. For our Novice group, swimmers are encouraged to attend one swim meet. For our Beginner Competitive Groups, we ask swimmers to attend a minimum of 3 swim meets during the season. For the Intermediates and Seniors Competitive groups, we ask for attendance at a minimum of 4 swim meets during the season.

After much thought and discussion, the club has made the decision to require the Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced groups to be competitive swimmers. This fits with the club vision of providing an environment where all swimmers can reach their maximum potential. By attending swim meets, swimmers can see their progress and improvement. This helps motivate them to work hard every practice and gives them goals to strive for.

Each swim meet will have a Level attached to it. The level will determine whether your swimmer is eligible to attend. As well some swim meets are for qualified swimmers only. Refer to the levels or ask your coach for more clarification.

The Edson Orcas Swim Club, along with all Canadian Sports Clubs, follow the Canadian Sport for Life philosophy - Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Model. This guides our coaches to provide age and developmentally appropriate training and goals for each swimmer. The coaches have developed evaluation criteria for each group and these evaluations are ongoing throughout the season. You can speak to the coaches if you have questions about how your swimmer is progressing at any time during the season.

If you choose the FULL fundraising option when you register, you can complete volunteer/fundraising to help lower your fees. Each group has a maximum amount of volunteer credit they can earn (see the Volunteer Requirements tab for more details). Any unearned credit will need to paid at the end of the session/season. If you choose the NO fundraising option when you register, you do not have the option to complete volunteer/fundraising to help lower your fees. Regardless of the fundraising option you choose, there are mandatory volunteer events for families to participate in during the season. Please see the Volunteer Requirements tab for more details.