Park Village Porpoises

Welcome to the Park Village Swim Team, a Park Village tradition for over 25 years! We are excited to welcome your family to the Park Village Porpoises, and hope you and your children make friends and memories that will last a long time. Our goal is to have an inclusive team for kids of all levels, from those just starting out to those trying to break neighborhood records. 

The following page contains information for families interested in joining the Porpoises. If you have ANY questions, please email [email protected]!

We want this to be a fun, positive experience for all children and families! Our practices are structured to meet the needs of all swimmers, and some lanes will be working on different drills depending on skill level. Kids love meeting other kids in the neighborhood and enjoy swimming with their friends from school. Parents enjoy meeting other families in the neighborhood and are happy to give their children a physical outlet in the summer months (swim practice is tiring!). Throughout the season, we will incorporate fun practices and other events to encourage team spirit. The season concludes with an end-of-season awards party to celebrate the accomplishments of our swimmers.

The first two weeks are considered a trial period. If you enroll and decide that swim team isn't for you, you may request a refund, less $35 to cover expenses, until June 6th. All requests must be made in writing to [email protected] no later than June 6th. Your swimmers may keep their team shirts, if applicable.

The Park Village Swim Team is open to all children from 4-18. Their age for the season is determined on June 1. Our primary concern with all children is water safety. Children ages 11+ must be able to swim 50 yards (two lengths of the pool) in at least one stroke without the aid of floatation devices or other swim aids. Children ages 7-10 must be able to swim 25 yards (one length of the pool) in any stroke, again without the assistance of swim aids. We are not concerned about their technique - we have a whole season to develop stroke technique - but we do need them to be safe in the water. In some cases, a swimmer may be permitted to attend practices, but may not be ready to swim in the meets right away (either certain strokes or all strokes). The head coach will communicate any decisions regarding meet readiness to the parents.

For children 6 & under, we are most concerned with water safety. Children should be comfortable jumping in and be able to safely get back to the wall without the use of swimming aids and without holding on to the lane lines. They should also be able to follow basic instructions from our coaching staff. In order to participate in meets, kids 6 & under must be able to swim 15 yards without assistance. It is common for young children to start the season doing practices only - most children who attend practice regularly are able to join the meets within a few weeks. Again, our primary concern is water safety, as we do not have enough coaches to provide 1:1 instruction in the water.

If your swimmer has anxiety about swimming in meets, or is nervous about swimming certain strokes, please don't let that deter them from joining the team. We recommend talking to the coaches about your swimmer's specific needs. Coaches are committed to providing a positive experience for all swimmers and are willing to work with them to find a solution that works for them! 

The first two weeks of practice are considered a probationary period in order to assess all children for water safety. If there is a concern about your swimmer's ability to participate in practices safely, you will be notified by the head coach no later than June 6th. If the coach determines that your child is not ready for swim team this year, you're encouraged to pursue lessons and come back next year. A refund of registration fees will be initiated no later than June 10th, less $35 to cover administrative expenses. Your swimmer may keep their swim team shirt, if applicable. All decisions made by the coaching staff are final.

Commitment for Swimmers
The swim team season runs from late-May - mid-July. Summer swim team is recreational, and kids may participate as much or as little as they choose. Consistency is key with swimming, so we recommend swimmers attend practice at least 2-3 times a week to see the most improvement throughout the season. Meets are optional, but highly encouraged. The season includes a total of 6 official dual-meets where we swim against other neighborhoods (3 home, 3 away) plus a "Mock Meet" at the beginning of the season where we get initial times and get the kids and volunteers used to the swim meet formats. Please note that Park Village Pool rules require all swimmers 10 & under to have a parent or guardian present at the pool at all times. If you have a vacation planned during the swim team season, that's no problem at all. We ask that you notify the coach if your swimmer will miss a meet or will be gone for more than a few days.

Volunteering Requirements
Aside from our paid coaches, the swim team is run exclusively by volunteers. All families are required to meet volunteer requirements for the season, regardless of participation in meets. It takes around 50 volunteers to successfully run a swim meet. We require each family to volunteer a minimum 4 times throughout the season (only one credit may be earned at the mock meet). There are plenty of jobs suitable for families with no swim team experience. Please note that all volunteering jobs require your full attention - if you have small children, please plan to have another adult present at the pool to supervise your children on the days you are volunteering. If you choose not to volunteer, you may instead opt to pay a $280.00 volunteering fee (per family), which will be charged at the end of the season. 

There isn't much gear your swimmer needs to participate in swim team. Here are our recommendations:

1. Swimsuit: A Park Village Porpoises team suit is highly encouraged for the meets to show team spirit, but not required. Most swimmers wear the team suit, but if you choose not to, we recommend a competition-style suit for girls or jammers for boys (no other team logos allowed for meets). Team suits are available for purchase at Kiefer Aquatics in Cary. Swimsuits from past seasons may also be used!
2. Goggles: Optional, but most kids prefer to have them.
3. Swim Cap: A Park Village swim cap will be provided to all swimmers who register by May 10th. Other swim caps may also be worn, and any cap is fine for practices. Caps worn for meets should not display logos from other teams (YOTA, MOR, TAC). We highly encourage the swimmers to wear swim caps at least for meets, but they are not required. If your swimmer chooses not to wear a swim cap, long hair should be tied back securely. 
4. Towel, sunscreen, and water for practices, plus snacks and non-electronic toys/games to keep them occupied at swim meets! (Electronics and the pool aren't a good combination!)

We will occasionally use kickboards during practice, especially in the younger groups. These are provided by the team for use during practices, but your swimmer is welcome to bring their own if they prefer (subject to coach approval). We do not use fins or other swim aids for practices.

The Park Village Swim Team is part of a recreational league called TSA, which is the largest recreational summer swim league in the state. TSA organizes dual meets and other events throughout the season.

The first meet of the summer is our "Mock Meet." This is an intrasquad meet that will be held at the Park Village pool and it gives us a chance to get seed times for all of our swimmers. It also gives the kids a chance to get used to the meet format, and for families to get an idea of different volunteer roles. We are also testing out all of our equipment before the first real meet of the season.

After the Mock Meet, we will have a total of six dual-meets where we race against other neighborhoods of similar skill levels (based on results from last year). Three meets will be at home and three meets will be away, usually at other neighborhoods in Cary/Apex/Morrisville/Holly Springs. 

All dual-meets begin Tuesdays at 6pm. Swimmers will generally need to arrive by 4:45 for home meets and 5:15 for away meets (you'll get an email each week with details for that week's meet). Swimmers who do not check in by 5:30 will be removed from the meet and will not swim unless you notify the head coach prior to 5:30. The length of the meet depends on the number of swimmers. Most meets end by 9-9:30 (usually by 8-8:30 for 6 & under swimmers). 

When you commit to a meet, you will have the choice on what strokes/events you want your swimmer to swim (must have coach permission, especially if new to the team). 6 & under swimmers have the opportunity to swim freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Swimmers 7+ will also have the opportunity to swim butterfly plus relays. Due to the limited number of spots on the relay teams, not all swimmers will be asked to participate in relays on a weekly basis, but we try to find opportunities for swimmers to swim at least one relay over the course of the season if that's something they are interested in. Some advanced 6 & under swimmers may be asked to join relay teams (swimming the full 25 yards). 

Swimmers are also given the choice to participate in the super-fun, themed Cary City Invitational meet (held on a Saturday in mid-July), and the TSA Championship meet at the end of the season (held at Triangle Aquatic Center). Dates will be announced as they become available. These two special meets incur an additional charge, which is roughly $18 per meet or $6 per event (price subject to change, official details to follow).

In a typical year, we begin practices the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Practices are offered in the evenings 4-5 times per week. Once traditional school lets out, we also offer practices at least two mornings a week. The official practice schedules will be finalized in May. 

Expected Schedule for 2026 (all dates/places subject to change): 

Practices:
Tuesday, May 26th - First Practice
Saturday, June 6th - Last Day to Request Refund
Monday, June 15th - Morning Practices Begin
Friday, June 19th - No Practice
Friday, July 3rd - No Practice
Wednesday, July 15th - Last Practice for Those Not Attending TSA Champs
Friday, July 17th - Last Practice for Those Attending TSA Champs

Regular Season Meets: 
Tuesday, June 2nd - Mock Meet
Tuesday, June 9th - Away Meet @ Kildare Farms
Tuesday, June 16th - Home Meet vs. The Reserve
Tuesday, June 23rd - Home Meet vs. Park at West Lake
Tuesday, June 30th - Away Meet @ Bentwinds
Tuesday, July 7th - Home Meet vs. TCC
Tuesday, July 14th - Away Meet @ Carpenter Village

Special Meets (Not Included in Registration Fee, Subject to Team Decision to Participate): 
Saturday, July 11th - Cary City Meet (Scottish Hills)
Sunday, July 19th - TSA Champs (Triangle Aquatic Center)

Other Events:
mid-May - Swim Team Kickoff
mid-July - End of Season Party

We have several year-round swimmers on the team! Swimmers who swim year-round typically attend their club practices and join us for meets, but they are welcome to join our practices at any time. Year-round swimmers enjoy swimming with their friends in a more relaxed, social environment and can benefit from meet repetition which means more practice with starts (all ages) and turns (ages 11+). Coaches can tailor practices for more advanced swimmers to provide extra help in areas where they might be weaker. Swimmers will also get experience swimming in relays (medley and freestyle). All meet fees are included with the registration fee (except the Cary City Meet and TSA Championship, which charge a fee of approximately $6/event). 

Swimming is a lifelong skill that children can enjoy for many years to come. If your children attend practice regularly (at least 2-3 times a week), you will be amazed at how quickly they build endurance in the water. Some children who swim with us in the summer go on to pursue year-round swimming - one of our former Porpoises even swam in the 2024 Olympics! Some use it as cross-training for other sports. Some kids just want to hang out with their friends and eat all the meet snacks. There's a place for everyone!

We know trying a new activity can be intimidating. If you're still on the fence about whether your child is ready for swim team, or if you still have questions about what to expect throughout the season, please email us at [email protected]. The board members have children of all ages and we are happy to answer any questions you have. We can also direct your questions to our coaching staff, if appropriate.