Membership
Welcome to the Rockford Riptide Membership Page! We know you have questions about the club, so we've done our best to make this journey easy for you.
How do I become a Rockford Riptide team member?
Aspiring team members must pass a swim assessment; i.e., swimming 25 yards repeatedly without stopping or using lane lines demonstrating the basics of the Freestyle and Backstroke to become a Junior Riptide Team Member. United States Swimming (USAS) Team Members are also assessed after a consultation with coaching staff for approximate group placement. New USA Team members may have to complete USA Swimming Transfer Form to compete. All swimmers who compete in USAS meets will have a USA Swimming membership for eligibility and insurance. This is an annual fee assessed to members in December.
Registration and tryout information is placed on our home page prior to the beginning of each session and on the JR Riptide tab of our website as well.
Please submit any additional questions or inquiries to [email protected].
Junior Riptide Enrollment
The Junior Riptide Swim Team is a tiered program based on swimmer skillset, where session size is limited and enrollment is on a first-come first-serve basis. Registration will be in two phases for these sessions, where existing team members with have an early access period for pre-enrollment.
Should enrollment reach maximum capacity, a waiting list will be created in the order of sign up and assessment, and members notified. As evaluations progress and openings in the team occur, individuals on the waiting list will be notified that a spot is open.
New swimmers and swimmers who did not participate in the previous session of Junior Riptide Swim Team and Level I/II need to attend swimmer evaluations for group placement and to complete team enrollment.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the Junior Riptide program, we cannot conduct a full evaluation of swimmers within a practice to ascertain group assignment. A refund or credit will be applied if the Junior Riptide team fills and your swimmer was not evaluated.
Practice & Meet Information
Practice Schedule & Changes
Please refer to the Group Calendars page for practice schedules. Last minute updates will be sent out via email to the team. To ensure you receive these emails, please check that the email address you use for your member account on the website is up to date.
Practice Cancellation Policy
As with all weather or facility situations, we will post a notice to the website and also send an email out in the event we have a cancellation.
Practice Status Notification Policy
Unless previously notified, practices will run as scheduled. If there is a cancelation it will be posted on our website, emailed, and texted. If you suspect a possible misprint or error, please contact a coach or board member.
Illnesses
If your swimmer is too sick to go to school, they should not attend practice. Please email or contact the coaches to let them know of the illness so they know that your swimmer will not be at practice(s). Attendance records will be updated.
Injury
If your swimmer experiences an injury, please connect with his or her coach at the earliest convenience. Please let the coaching staff know the nature of the injury, treatment plan and prognosis. A note from a health care professional should accompany any specific practice directives or restrictions. Please keep coaches posted when a follow up appointment occurs. This helps to ensure that practice plans can include any revisions to previous treatment advice.
Picking Up Swimmers from Practice
Parents and guardians, we need you to pick up your swimmers within 5-10 minutes of the end of practices. This is especially important during inclement weather or in the winter when it gets dark earlier.
Team Registration, Meets & Events
Swim meets and events where entry or head count is required will be posted for sign up under the Events tab on our webpage. Team registration will be available on the home page with command buttons available to start the team registration process. New swimmers joining Riptide after meet registration sessions close may connect directly with the coaching staff for information.
Parent Information
Riptide Policies
In compliance with USA swimming, Riptide has developed policies for Travel, Bullying, and Electronic Communications, utilizing the templates provided by USA swimming. Copies of these policies can be found on the Documents page of our website.
Riptide Post Office Box
PO Box 382, Rockford MI 49341 is available for Riptide correspondence, registrations and invoice remittance.
Text Notification Sign Up Information
If you wish to receive text announcements follow these instructions to sign up for RIPTIDE USA groups. To do so, just make sure your mobile number is correct in your account information and your carrier has been included and verified in the SMS Field. HERE are the steps for SMS verification. You will need to upload the "On Deck" TeamUnify app to your mobile device and turn on notifications.
Swim Suits and Riptide Merchandise
Rockford Riptide is a Speedo Team and is pleased to offer Rockford Riptide team members team discounts from our dealer Making Waves. When ordering items, especially Tech Suits, it is best to call them directly to speak to a sales representative and let them know that you are a Rockford Riptide team member. You may also access our online team order options at the Making Waves website: https://makingwavesusa.com/. Click on the Team Stores site and search for Riptide to place your order.
Apparel and Equipment
Rockford Riptide Swimmers are encouraged to show their team pride. Rockford Riptide team apparel can be purchased through HS Fan Stand. You can access this online store from the Team Apparel link on our Home page.
USA Swimming (USAS)
There is an abundance of great information for swimming parents and swimmers on the USA swimming website: www.usaswimming.org. There you can learn more about the role of a parent, swimmer growth & development, and your child's training, nutrition and health.
Michigan Swimming (USAS)
Our Local Swim Committee (LSC), Michigan Swimming, Inc., has a website that hosts a great deal of information for our state. Visit the page at www.miswim.org to learn more about events for short course and long course season, time standards, governance, and safety. Additional information regarding programs such as diversity, para-swimming, and open water can be found on their site as well.
Rockford Riptide (ROCK)
Our Swim Club, Rockford Riptide (ROCK at USA meets) uses this website to host a great deal of information for our club. Junior Riptide swimmers have a special tab for team info. Level I swimmers receive a team handbook to help them navigate into United States Swimming (USAS), West Michigan Swim League (WMSL) and the next level of swimming at Rockford Riptide. Please feel free to email our Board members at [email protected] with any additional questions.
College Eligibility
In collaboration with TeamUnify, Rockford Riptide has provided links to available tools and resources of Next College Student Athlete, https://www.ncsasports.org. Many of these tools are free, but some do have a fee associated with them.
