It is the policy of the BLAST Swimming Club to provide the very best opportunity for each of the swimmers. This commitment requires the investment of significant funds for the pool rentals, coach/coaches’ salaries and other necessary items for practice. To continue to responsibly manage the financial affairs of the team, each club member must assist in those efforts by keeping their accounts in good standings.

ANNUAL USA SWIMMING REGISTRATION FEE

Every swimmer must be a registered member of USA Swimming. No swimmer may work out or compete unless their USA Swimming registration is current. You will be billed annually for the USA Swimming and Border Swimming registration fees.

USAS/Border registration is good from date of registration to December 31 of the year after registration. (For example – Sept.6 – Dec. 31, 2024). This is a non-refundable annual fee.

PAYMENT POLICY

1. Financial obligations are due on the 10th day of each month. Accounts become delinquent after 10 business days.
2. Monthly dues must be paid by electronic transfer (EFT) from your bank account or by credit card, check or money order.
3. If a swimmer is leaving the program, an advance notice of 45 days must be provided. Otherwise, the family will be responsible for all dues.
4. If a swimmer requires a medical leave of absence, notice must be provided as soon as feasible.

ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS

Swim Meet Responsibilities

Throughout the season, swimmers will have at least six opportunities to participate in meets against other swim teams. Swimmers have  an  obligation  to  attend at  least  4 (four) of these meets in  addition  to End  of Season Championship.

To ensure that   the   swimmer is attending the   meet   and   to foster a   growth   and understanding for the sport, the coach will suggest events that the swimmer is prepared to swim based on the swimmer’s abilities and performance during practice.

Practice Attendance

Swimmers are expected to attend 90% of the practices. Attendance and punctuality are expected from both parents and swimmers. Practice makes perfection and therefore attendance is critical to the success of the swimmers and the team.

Volunteering Responsibilities

Our Local Swim Club (LSC), Border Swimming, sponsors the Border Championships (Border Champs) at the end of each season and each of the El Paso teams must help run 1 session. The meets are run by our volunteer efforts. We require at least one volunteer per family to participate and help with the session assigned. Those who do not/cannot help out at these meets can pay an “Opt Out” fee; the fee amount will be determined by the BLAST Board, and is a minimum of $50 per assigned session, or other volunteer opportunities.

In addition to Border Champions Swim Meets, BLAST hosts its annual Artic BLAST Swim Meet and it is run entirely by BLAST Parents. Therefore, we must participate and help to make it a success.

SWIM MEET FEES

Meet Entry Fees

Each family is responsible for paying their swimmer(s)’s meet entry fees. These meet entry fees vary depending on the sponsoring club, the number of events a swimmer will participate in, and other additional fees. There are no refunds of the meet entry fees.

Payment of the meet entry fees will be due within 7 days of the meet.  If the member has not paid their dues within this time, they will not be able to sign up to swim for the next meet. If you choose to pay with checks, please make check payable to BLAST.

Meet entry fees vary depending on the sponsoring club. Generally the fees are $6 to $8 per event. For example, if your swimmer is signed up for 7 events, and the sponsoring club is charging $8 per event your meet entry fees would be 7 x $8 = $56

Team Relay Fees are assessed additionally.

User Fees

In addition to the meet entry fee mentioned before, the host team generally charges a user fee, water usage or facility usage fee. It is generally a fixed fee per swimmer of around $10.

Estimated Total Fees

For example, if your swimmer is signed up for 7 events, and the sponsoring club is charging $4 per event plus a one-time user fee of $5 then your meet entry fees would be 7 x $8 = $56 +$10 = Total  of $66