BOISE YMCA SWIM TEAM
FEES, FUND RAISING, & OTHER CHARGES FOR
2008
Becoming a member of the
Boise YMCA Swim Team means fun, fitness, and teamwork. It also means a
financial obligation to pay your monthly dues and other charges in a timely
manner. The following outlines what you can expect to pay as a member of
the Boise YMCA Swim Team. At first glance, it may seem as if the swim team
is expensive. However, when taking into account the hours of coaching your
swimmer receives for his monthly dues, the swim team offers a reasonable
team experience designed to promote self- esteem, self-discipline, and good
sportsmanship.
YMCA MEMBERSHIP:
Because the swim team is a Boise YMCA program, each Swim Team member
must also be a member of the Boise YMCA. The membership fee varies
depending upon whether you have a youth or family membership. Arrangements
for becoming a YMCA member should be made at the front desk. Your
membership allows you full use of both the Downtown and West Boise
facilities. Currently, the youth membership is $19.90, plus tax, per month
if paid by monthly bank draft. If you choose not to do the bank draft,
monthly dues are $29.85, plus tax, payable in advance. There is no joining
fee required for a youth membership.
USA SWIMMING:
As the Boise YMCA Swim Team is
a member of USA Swimming, all members are required to pay a yearly
membership fee. This annual fee for 2008 is $51. The USA Swimming membership
provides secondary health and accident insurance in case of injury during
swim team practice and during swim meets.
MONTHLY DUES:
Unlike most Boise YMCA programs, the Boise YMCA Swim Team is
responsible for paying all program costs including coaches salaries, team
travel, financial assistance, and operating expenses. Therefore, the Boise
YMCA Swim Team must charge each swimmer monthly dues. The dues are
dependent upon the group which your swimmer is placed in and will change as
your swimmer moves from group to group. Our current monthly dues are as
follows: Yellow - $41.00; White/Green - $41.00; Red - $46.50; Blue - $50.00;
Silver - $63.00; and Senior - $76.00. A discount will be given at the rate of
90% for a second swimmer, 50% for a third swimmer, and no charge for
additional swimmers after three. (The swimmer in the most advanced practice
group will be charged 100%, the second highest group 90%, etc.) The
discount applies to dues only. Returning college swimmers will be
charged $25/month during the summer months. Families will receive a bill each month,
along with the team newsletter.
TEAM ADMIN FEE:
Each
January, team members are charged $12 to cover the cost of meet relay fees
for all meets except those with qualifying standards. This fee is pro-rated
throughout the year (i.e. swimmers joining the team for the first time in
September will be charged $4.)
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
Financial Assistance (FA) for
Boise YMCA Swim Team monthly dues is available. If you are in need of
Financial Assistance, the swim team asks that you apply through the Boise
YMCA for assistance with their membership fee. Applications for Financial
Assistance are available at the front desk. Once you have been approved for
assistance by the Boise YMCA, notify the Administrative Assistant of the
swim team. The Swim Team will then grant Financial Assistance at the same
percentage and in the same method as the Boise YMCA. Financial
Assistance provided by the swim team is not available for anything
except monthly dues. In addition, families on Financial
Assistance are expected to regularly volunteer and participate in Aquathon.
Please direct all financial questions to our Team Admin, Patty Stratton
(376-1135).
LEAVE OF ABSENCE:
Because of the size of
our team (consistently 150 families), it has become more and more difficult
to keep track of swimmers who take a leave of absence for a short period of
time. In addition, it is extremely hard to prepare an annual budget which
takes into consideration the income lost by swimmers who decide to take a
leave of absence of any length. Therefore, we have developed a Leave of
Absence policy. This policy is as follows: A leave of absence will be
granted for one month (31 days) with no penalty. A swimmer whose leave of
absence lasts more than 31 days will be assessed a rejoining fee of ½ their
current monthly dues.
AQUATHON:
Because of the expense of staffing two pools and providing a quality
program for up to 200 children, monthly dues are simply not enough to cover
the costs involved in running our swim team. Therefore, each year in
January, swimmers are asked to participate in Aquathon, our major
fund-raiser. The Boise YMCA Swim Team feels Aquathon is a fair and
equitable way to have everyone participate in fund raising. Swimmers obtain
pledges from members of the community for swimming a certain number of laps
(max of 200 in 2 hours). Families may want to make a cash contribution in
lieu of participating in Aquathon.
The funds raised from Aquathon subsidize the coaching fees and part of
the traveling expenses associated with swim meets outside of the Treasure
Valley. Swimmers attending these meets must participate in Aquathon to the
levels shown above or the associated coaching fees will be assessed to cover
these expenses.
There are many other team events which are also subsidized. In other
words, the team pays for part of the expense of the event only charging the
swimmer a portion of the total cost. A few examples include the retreat,
team parties and the banquet. For swimmers who do not participate in
Aquathon at the suggested level shown on their packet label and who were
members of the team during the Aquathon period, the full cost of these
events will be charged to those swimmers after the event is completed and
all costs are accounted for.
Travel Meets: Swimmers who do not participate in Aquathon at their
suggested level will be assessed a $50 coaching fee for any qualifying or
away meet outside the Snake River LSC that requires the travel of a coach
and/or a chaperone.
Senior
Meets: Swimmers attending senior meets with qualifying standards are
expected to raise $300 in Aquathon. Those who choose not to participate in
Aquathon at this level will be assessed a coaching fee of $50 for each meet
they attend other than YMCA Nationals. A coaching fee of $150 will be
charged for Y Nationals.
Exceptions:
Family Cap: $900 per family is the maximum financial expectation for
Aquathon.
New Swimmers: Swimmers on the team less than 90 days who did not have the
opportunity to participate in Aquathon will be obligated for a $50 coaching
fee if they attend YMCA Regionals.
TEAM UNIFORM:
There is no requirement to purchase the Boise YMCA Swim Team swim suit,
sweats, shorts, or t-shirts. Coaches do ask all members to purchase the
team swim cap ($3.75 each for latex, $13 for silicone) if they are
participating in swim meets. The team swim cap is not required to be used
during practice. Team suits are available through J.D. Pence. Team sweats
are ordered a couple of times a year. For questions about team clothing
items, please call Terry Bowns (939-2931).
SWIM MEETS:
The Boise YMCA Swim Team hosts 2-3 swim meets each year. In order to run
these meets, we need many volunteers. We ask each swim team family to
volunteer 3-4 hours of their time during these weekends. Volunteering is a
great way to meet new people and get involved in your child's activity.
Swim meets are also major fund-raisers for the team. Through the sale of
t-shirts and heat sheets we generate needed funds to help with our fund
raising goals. Families are asked to either contribute food items to the
hospitality room at our home meets or pay $5/meet. The hospitality room
provides food for our coaches and volunteer officials.
Fees are charged to enter any swim meet.
These charges include a per event entry fee and a swimmer surcharge. The
average meet will cost a swimmer approximately $15-25 in entry fees
depending upon the number of events entered. Swimmers are billed for these
entry fees. All relay fees are paid by the swim team . The team must pay the host club for all entry fees in
advance. A swimmer who enters a meet and does not cancel the entry
with Patty Stratton before the check is sent to the host club must pay for
his/her entry whether or not he/she ultimately attends the meet.
QUESTIONS:
If you have further questions, do not hesitate to talk to the coaching
staff (please do not interrupt practice but contact coaches before or after
practice) or any of the following:
Head Coach
Frank Burlison 377-4886 ext 426 (West Y)
Team Administration
Patty Stratton 376-1135
New Members Chair Nancy
Taylor
345-7071
