Capital City Athletics Swim Team Information
Welcome to the team! Capital City Athletics is organized as a nonprofit corporation. The club structure consists of a Board of Directors, professional coaching staff, swimmers and parents. As with many nonprofit organizations, the core jobs (coaching) are paid positions. All other job functions and responsibilities depend on the efforts and work of our Board of Directors and member volunteers.
There is a lot of time, effort and information that goes into running a USA Swimming program. Please do not hesitate to ask if you don’t understand something or need help. Our coaches, Board of Directors, and volunteers are here to answer your questions.
Team Website Video Tutorials
Capital City Athletics uses our team website for all team communication, billing, and meet entries. Please be sure to watch the video tutorials for how to use the On-Deck Parent, Understanding Your Events/Meets, and Understanding your Billing. Log in to the website using your primary Email & password. Click "My Account" and then click "My Tutorials". You can then select the video tutorial for any of these topics.
Free Trial
We offer a year-round no-obligation FREE one-week trial period for our competitive team. All free trial periods are based on a calendar week.
Registration
All registration is conducted online; we strongly encourage you to attend a tryout session prior to registration. See the registration link on the home page. Registration is finalized once your swimmer has been placed in a training group and the team receives the initial fees.
USA Swimming Registration Fee
Each competitive swimmer (including pre-comp swimmers) is required to join USA Swimming on an annual basis. This fee must be paid at the time of registration prior to the swimmer entering the water. The fee covers USA swimming registration and insurance.
Swim Meet Entries
All swim meet entries are completed on-line. BEFORE you enter a swimmer in their first meet we strongly suggest reading over the "Meet Signup 101" under “My Account”, "My Tutorials" and also reviewing the Meet Information Sheet on the event page. If you have any further questions please direct them to one of the coaches or Board members.
The coaching staff is always available to discuss what events swimmers should swim at meets.
Keep in mind the entry deadlines for each meet! USA Swimming has a rule that no meet session can run longer than 4 hours. Once a meet session has reached 4 hours in estimated length, the meet director will close that session to future entries. It does not matter when the entry deadline is, once that session reaches 4 hours the meet is closed.
Meet fees are charged in addition to your monthly dues and include a pool surcharge fee as well as per event fees. Fees are billed to your account and are paid monthly by the 5th. Meet fees can add up quickly--please read the meet information and understand the fees before signing up for a meet. Meet fees are non-refundable.
Billing & Payments
The team bills electronically in advance for monthly dues.
Families are responsible for payment of dues if their swimmer is registered for the month regardless of whether the swimmer attends practice or not.
The balance on the account is due by the 5th and is considered late after 6:00PM on the 5th.
Although we prefer electronic payment through a checking or savings account (ACH) or Credit Card processing, we will accept checks and/or cash.
CCA Scholarships
Capital City Athletic financial aid is available to any applicant who shows willingness and commitment to participation as an active member of the Capital City Athletics (CCA) and who would be unable to participate without financial aid.
Scholarships will be awarded to offset the cost of monthly dues. Additional funds are available for needs not described that might prevent or hinder a swimmer's ability to practice or compete. Additional funds are subject to approval by a scholarship committee each time. Contact Capital City Athletics (CCA) at [email protected] if you would like to request additional financial aid.
The CCA Scholarship Sub-Committee (a sub-committee of the CCA Board of Directors) awards funds based on financial need and demonstration of commitment to swimming. Families must complete a separate application for each swimmer requesting scholarship money. In completing this application, please only request what you think that you need. Scholarship awards are applied as a credit to your CCA account.
CCA scholarship funds are limited and are awarded on a first come, first serve basis, beginning Aug. 15th. The applications will be reviewed first by the Scholarship Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee will then give their recommendations to the Board of Directors as the next Board meeting (held monthly). The board will then give final approval of any scholarship dollars. All applicants will be notified by email as soon as possible. Awarded scholarships are valid for one season (September through the following August). Misconduct, as defined by the CCA Code of Conduct, is grounds for loss of scholarship.
How to Apply
All applicants must submit:
- Capital City Athletics Scholarship Application
- Laramie County School District #1 Free and Reduced Lunch application, or the most recent completed parent(s) 1040 tax return form
Online registration with Capital City Athletics, including the required USA Swimming membership must be completed after applying for the scholarship. Free and Reduced Lunch qualified recipients receive a discounted USA Registration fee. If the scholarship is approved, a coupon code will be given for registration.
Email documents to [email protected]
Scholarship recipients are expected to write a brief letter of thanks to be shared with our generous donors. Consider sharing why swimming is important in your life and what it means to you.
What if my swimmer wants to take a break?
Swimmers can take time off from swimming to pursue other sports and interests. You must email [email protected] by the 15th of the preceding month to suspend your swimmer's registration for the next month and have the electronic billing de-activated. Unless approved by the Board, we will not suspend a swimmer’s account for only one month at a time due to administrative fees.
How often are practices and how many are required?
Practice times are Monday – Thursday, 5:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. There are time swhen practices may run long, please notify a coach if your athlete needs to be out of the pool by a certain time.
Swimmers should make every effort possible to attend all of the weekly practices for their training group with the exception of extenuating circumstances.
What does my swimmer need at their first practice?
Practice suit: Boys should wear some form of competition or training suit and girls must wear one piece training or competition suits.
Goggles: You may need to try different brands and styles before you find the “right” goggles. Prescription goggles can be purchased on-line at the same price as regular goggles.
Swim Cap: Recommended for swimmers with longer hair. Swimmers can wear any cap at practice. Swimmers who wear caps are required to wear a Capital City Athletics swim cap during swim meets.
What should I expect from the coaches?
Our coaches are registered with USA Swimming and are required to be excellent at teaching current competitive swim technique.
Coaches encourage your swimmer using positive motivational techniques.
Your coach will provide "sets" (different routines during practice) and instruction to continually improve your swimmer's strokes and speed.
Coaches are available after practice to talk with you and can be contacted via email. Please do not attempt to interact with the coaches while their practice is in session.
What is expected of me?
Each family and swimmer is asked to commit to the club. The commitment consists of participating in team activities and participating in volunteer efforts.
Capital City Athletics requires volunteerism by parents. In addition to the day to day administrative needs, we also have social events, swim meets, and fundraisers where we need volunteers. All families are expected to commit to the club by helping with volunteer efforts.
Are swim meets mandatory?
As a competitive swim team, we have scheduled swim meets for each season. Swim meets are a fun and exciting part of swimming on a competitive swim team. They are also the primary method to determine developmental success by the coaching staff which makes them a key component of the season plan.
Although not required, athletes and their parents are encouraged to attend meets. Coaches are available to consult about what events your swimmer is ready to compete in and they may also sign up the athletes for events depending upon the season plan and training expectations.
Communication
E-mail - CCA relies heavily on e-mail to communicate with CCA membership. Please be sure to give us your most updated information and update any changes.
Website – www.ccacutthroats.com The website contains a calendar of practices, events, parent information, pictures of the swimmers and coaches, and more.
Newsletters - Newsletters will be on the website.
Calendar – The calendar will be available on the website. It includes practices, reschedules, swim meets, and special events.
