Cedar Park Typhoons

WELCOME To The Cedar Park Typhoons! 

Now that you have joined the TYPHOONS family, here is some important information to help you become more familiar with our policies and help our team succeed!

Typhoons Policy Highlights

1. Every swimmer is required to have one parent/guardian at every meet at all times for safety reasons. 
2. Swimmers and parents must be checked in on time at meets. 
3. Every swimmer is required to have a minimum of one volunteer person to work an entire shift at every meet. Families with multiple children are encouraged, but not required, to volunteer for more than one shift per meet.
4. Swimmers can be scratched from the current or future meets if items one, two, and three are not met. 
5. A refund policy is now in place. See details below.
6. Swimmers must have the appropriate equipment to be successful. See below.
7. Minimum skill requirement: swimmers must be able to swim the length of the pool using any stroke. 
8. Have Fun!!! 

Meet Safety

Swimmers are not to be left unattended at meets. During meets, there must be a legally responsible adult present for each swimmer. Although lifeguards and coaches are trained in first aid, it is always best if parents are nearby in case of an emergency. For practice, we strongly encourage parents of younger children to be at or near the pool. We also ask parents to refrain from interfering with practice, the general policy is parents are to stay off of the “pool deck” and let the coaches handle the kids unless a coach requests parental assistance. 

Meet Check-In

Swimmers and parent volunteers are to be checked in on time. There is considerable pre-meet work before each meet, scheduling 400+ swimmers into five events each. For the meet to start on time, a deadline is set for last-minute changes and scratches. If swimmers and parents are not checked in by the deadline, they will be scratched from the meet.

Volunteer Positions

Our swim club is a non-profit organization and our registration fees only cover coaching salaries, facilities, and insurance. We are run entirely on volunteer support. Find out more below on the hows and whys of summer swim volunteering and the options available to help us have a successful season for all Typhoons swimmers.

Why do we need so many volunteers?

The process to take a swimming facility and transform it into a tiny tent city at 4am to accommodate hundreds of swimmers is a monumental task, and that’s before anyone even gets in the pool! In all, it takes over one hundred and twenty volunteers to successfully run a home meet. Tri-meets? You guessed it. We’ll need even more. Every position during the meet is handled by a volunteer (excluding coaches) and there are dozens positions to fill. It’s a lot of work. It’s very early in the morning. It’s also an extremely rewarding way to support the swimmers and our community.

What are the volunteer requirements for the swim season?

Every swimmer must have a volunteer present and assigned to a position during every swim meet. The volunteer can be any person willing to come and support the swim club, though some positions do require prior training. The volunteer must be present at check-in with the swimmer and must stay and complete their whole shift.

How long is a volunteer shift?

Shift length varies based on position. Some positions are completed before the meet begins (set-up) and after the meet is over (tear down) while some positions are for the whole meet (tent volunteer, team photographer, starter, announcer). Most positions are half the meet, which is usually a three hour commitment. All positions allow for volunteers to step away and watch their swimmers compete in their events!

What positions are available and do they require special training?

All of the volunteer positions can be found HERE. Some do require training that will be provided at the beginning of the season by a certified Board Member.

How are the volunteer assignments handled?

The Volunteer Coordinator is a Board Member position in charge of the whole of the volunteer duties for all swim meets. There are a handful of volunteer positions that are pre-assigned and last the entire season. Any job that requires advanced training will only be available to those who have completed the training with a certified Board Member.

How does one select a volunteer job?

Each week, the volunteer job sign-up post will open and all available positions and shifts are first come, first serve. There are a limited number of positions and all selections must be submitted by the swimmer declaration deadline. If no volunteer position has been selected, the declared swimmer will be dropped from the upcoming meet.

Please note: We try very hard to be as flexible as possible with regards to volunteering. We respect your time and want to be accommodating. We are also running a very large swim club and it takes everyone involved to be patient and willing to step in for others. There will be a week you will work a shift for a position you did not request. There will be a week where we are short-handed due to vacations and we will need to scramble for coverage. There will be a week when your own swimmer is out, and we’ll also cover your commitments. There will be a week when you are a flex volunteer and you don’t work a shift at all! Please be open to all options during the six week season. We appreciate it!

What happens if a swimmer does not have a volunteer?

Swimmers will not be able to check in for a meet without a volunteer present. If the volunteer is not present, the swimmer cannot swim. If the volunteer does not complete their volunteer shift, the swimmer will be suspended from the following meet. Again, please respect that it takes hundreds of people to successfully run swim meets for all swimmers in the Northwest Swim Circuit. Without volunteers, we would have no swim team. In order to ensure all volunteers are equally contributing, suspensions are necessary for volunteers who are unwilling to support the swim club.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

The Volunteer Coordinator is always available to chat! Please reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns to [email protected]

Refund Policy 

First-time swimmers: 6 & under, 7/8 age groups: after 2 weeks of practice, if coaches determine the swimmer is not ready for summer swim league, the swimmer will be refunded the original registration fee minus a $75 fee. The fee covers insurance fees, processing costs, and coaching services. 

All swimmers: may withdraw from the team and request a refund on or by the end of the second week of practice. Swimmers will be refunded the original registration minus a $75 fee. The fee covers insurance fees, processing costs, and coaching services.

After the second week of practice has concluded; absolutely NO refunds will be granted. 

Minimum Skill Requirement

Each swimmer must be able to swim the length of the pool without stopping, holding onto the side, holding onto a lane line or touching the bottom of the pool. The swimmer can use any stroke. The Typhoons coaches are not staffed for one on one swim lessons. If the swimmer is not able to meet this minimum requirement we recommend lessons at area swim schools. Our coaches are often available to provide one on one private swim lessons outside of normal Typhoons practice time.

Equipment

What will my swimmer need? 

• Practice Suits (Girls One Piece/competition Tankini - no bikini’s please, Boys: jammer competition) 
• Swim Meet Swim Suits: A solid black, one-piece competition suits for girls or solid black competition jammer/short suits for boys.
• Goggles 
• Swim Fins Kick boards 
• Official TYPHOONS swim team cap 
• Lime green practice cap 

**PLEASE LABEL ALL OF YOUR SWIMMER’S EQUIPMENT. THE TYPHOONS DO NOT HAVE A LOST AND FOUND. YOU WILL NEED TO VISIT BUTTERCUP OR MILBURN POOL LOST AND FOUND IF YOUR SWIMMER LOSES SOMETHING** 

Most Importantly, Remember To Have FUN! 

We strive to provide a safe, healthy environment in which our swimmers learn the value of competition, sportsmanship, teamwork, and individual achievement. We view the fundamentals of hard work, regular practice, self-discipline, and goal setting as important life skills. And we firmly believe that we can have FUN while we achieve this!

Updated 2024