www.duncanstingrays.com

Terms and Conditions for Participation
& Fees Structure 
2019 / 2020

1)      Proof of Age: All Swimmers must submit their BC Care Card Number to the Duncan Swim Team for proof of age and in case of emergency.  Please ensure that this is declared annually.

2)      Updated Contact Information: It is important that you keep the Team updated with your most current contact information.

ALL MEMBERS MUST RESPOND to the Swimming Canada validation email.  This MUST BE COMPLETED for your Swimmer to be insured

3)      SwimBC Registration and Insurance Fees: These fees are mandatory and cannot be prorated throughout the year, nor are they eligible for any sort of discount or rebate.  As such, they are payable at time of Registration.  Please see Appendix A for applicable definition(s). 

4)      Membership Fees:  Team membership fees FOR FULL SEASON (Oct – June) ARE DUE AT TIME OF REGISTRATION.  Please see Appendix A for each group’s specific information.

ALL members submit their full annual payment either in a single payment OR monthly payments on file at point of Registration:
NO PAYMENT ON FILE = NO WATER.

a)         Payments are to be dated for the 1^st of every month.  No exceptions.

b)        Families withdrawing prior to 27jun20 can request, in writing, their payment either returned or destroyed by following the DST Withdrawal Process – see Point 5 below. 

c)         If the participant has applied for funding, then a payment on file must be received in lieu and will be held in trust with a maximum 3-month participation window. 
If funding is not received at the end of this 3 month period, payments held in trust will be deposited 

                          ii.          One day of Swimming in a month constitutes swimming in that month.  September and October’s dues are rolled into one complete month; 1 day of swimming in Sept and/or Oct is swimming in that ‘month’.

                         iii.          No partial months will be billed or credited nor will adjustments to fees be made ‘after the fact’.  Stat holidays, scheduled Winter & Spring Breaks, year end date, etc. are calculated into your monthly dues.  Daily attendance is taken by Coaches and will be used to verify each month’s billing obligation. 

                         iv.          The Duncan Swim Team does not pro-rate fees, fees may not be transferred between members and the team requires a minimum of 30 days’ WRITTEN notice for withdrawal – please see point 5 below.

                          v.          Refunds will be taken off the last month(s) of the season working backwards to present date OR provided as an August refund.

                         vi.          Members in the A – D groups are invited to continue their Swimming into July provided:

a)           Member is focused for this time frame with the goal of a mid summer racing opportunity

b)           Expression of participation is received by DST prior to 01jun20 with July 2020 dues paid in full

5)      Withdrawal & Downgrades from the Duncan Swim Team: Notification of withdrawal / group downgrade, whether temporary or permanent, must be submitted in writing prior to the first day of withdrawal / group downgrade. 

From date of written notification received, there will be an obligatory 30 day’s notice + the remaining number of days in that said month i.e. withdrawal on March 15^th means financial obligation until Apr 30^th.

                            i.          The only exception for consideration is medical reasons confirmed by a Physician’s note for which the monthly fees will be prorated to the full month or half month basis based solely on the calendar date.  Backdating will not be considered – please express your intent in writing ASAP.

6)      Returned Cheques: All cheques payable to DST that are returned NSF shall result in the following:

                            i.          Payment of a $30.00 service fee

                          ii.          Ten business days to replace the payment with cash, money order, certified cheque, or online payment

Failure to comply will result in the following:

                         iii.          IMMEDIATE suspension of swimming privileges until payment is received

                         iv.          If two cheques are returned NSF in one season, only cash will be accepted

7)      Officiating Certification & Volunteering Bonds: The Duncan Swim Team is a Parent supported organization and your involvement, as a member of your team, is necessary to support our Swimmers in succeeding.  It is our goal to inspire our members to be lifelong active participants and, what greater way but for YOUR knowledge to grow by becoming a Swim Official.  No prior knowledge of Swimming is necessary.  

Please refer to appendix B for the expectation per level of swimmer Volunteer Amounts need to be received at point of Registration. 

Please note: it is the responsibility of the member to claim their Volunteer credit via the DST website www.duncanstingrays.com   To receive the credit, each member must sign up for a volunteer position prior to the meet via the DST website and sign in on the day.

Failure to do so results in nil record towards Volunteering Amounts.

8)      Meet Entry Process & Fees:

                            i.          Swimmers must confirm online via the DST website > specific competition prior to the DST INTERNAL DEADLINE stated on the website.  NO CONFIRMATION = NO PARTICIPATION

a)      Our Staff have limited administrative hours dedicated to this aspect of our program.  Calendars & Invitations are provided to the membership well in advance of the event.  Please help us streamline this process.  Late requests MAY be accepted with a penalty and are at the DST Staff discretion to accept and / or penalize:

·        1^st offense: nil penalty

·        2^nd offense: $20 penalty

·        3^rd offense(s) and beyond: $50 penalty

                          ii.          Competition participation along with events selections are at the full discretion of the DST Coaching Staff

                         iii.          Swimmers are responsible for entry fees at Swim Meets paid online or cheque into the DST Drop Box (CAC lobby) – please see page 4 for visual instruction.

                         iv.          To ensure that appropriate DST Staffing is available to all competitors, the cost to send Staff will be divided equally amongst all participants of that specific competition EXCEPT for Championship style competitions.

                          v.          Once confirmed online via www.duncanstingrays.com, members have until the Host Team’s entry deadline to decline participation.  Once this deadline has passed, each participating member is obligated to the Duncan Swim Team for the expressed fees amounts and are payable upon notification. 

a)      If your swimmer is entered into a meet and does not attend, the meet fees and Coach Meet Cost are still your responsibility. 

i.     The only potential exception is if a Physician’s note is received in a reasonable period of time AND a refund is provided by the Host Team.  Please note that this refund is wholly and completely dependent on the decision of the Host Team.

b)      Confirmations received online will be followed through upon.  To rescind your confirmation for a competition, please do so in writing PRIOR to the HOST TEAM’S DEADLINE.  Failure to do so will result in member financial obligation.

                       ii.         The Team will pay entry fees for Relays.  Relay Team selection is determined by the DST Staff.
 

9)      Training Groups’ Practice and Meet Schedules: It is the expectation that each member be proactive about knowing their swimmer’s schedule(s). 

Regular practices are not held on statutory holidays, Winter Break and Spring Break; coinciding with the SD79 school year, unless special arrangements are made.  These interruptions & additions to our Regular Weekly Schedule are factored into each month’s cost.  Each group’s regular weekly schedule is distributed at point of Registration and posted online at www.duncanstingrays.com > About DST > regular weekly schedule

                            i.          Makeup sessions for illness, vacation, statutory holidays, etc. are available upon request and dependent on space available for specific skill levels to maximum of 1 session at a time.  Extraordinary and extenuating circumstances are at the discretion of the DST Staff.  
Please contact your Swimmer’s regular Coach to coordinate PRIOR to the missed session and the make up session. 

                          ii.          All workouts are delivered by the DST Staff.  Each group’s workout is only available during the specified practice time.  No written workouts will be given in lieu of absence(s).

CHANGES ARE POSTED ONLINE AT www.duncanstingrays.com > Calendar

Appendix A: outline of costs per group

We encourage participation by all but spaces may be limited in each group and as such Sessional Swimmers i.e. less than full season and those who register at a less than full program may be placed on a waiting list. 

Preference will be given to those who have elected to participate for their specific group’s full program along with the full season registration vs partial season.

Payment(s) MUST BE RECEIVED IN FULL PRIOR to entering the water!

* Multi Swimmer Family Rebate: SwimBC offers a rebate for families who have more than two swimmers registered.  The member must request a Family Rebate Application form within the application period between Sept 1, 2019 – Mar 31, 2020 to the DST Registrar to submit on their behalf:

·        $10 for 3^rd family swimmer

·        $20 for each additional swimmer

^ SwimBC Insurance category: Non Competitive: May participate in one and only one sanctioned competitive opportunity (excluding SwimBC Championship meets and all SNC designated meets); prior to competing in their second competition, swimmers must upgrade to the Competitive category (see above) which corresponds to their age as of December 31^st, 2019

Payment MUST BE ON FILE IN FULL PRIOR to entering the water!

Appendix B: Volunteering Amounts & Officials Bond

The Duncan Swim Team is YOUR Parent run organization and your assistance is necessary for our Swimmers to succeed.

We highly encourage all families to assist at DST hosted functions and also at those competitions where we visit other facilities (goal: equivalent to your child’s participation).  By doing so, this will provide us with the opportunities of requesting reciprocation from other Teams when needed.

Between 50-55 volunteers are needed to host each session of a sanctioned swim meet. A system of has been established to ensure that DST has enough volunteers to deliver the designated meets that it hosts in the season. DST hosts annually  three sanctioned competitions and two to three unsanctioned time trials each season.

By joining the Team your swimmer is a member of a larger swimming community and thus it is expected that all members of this community be qualified and volunteer at their designated level – irrespective of competitive / non competitive intentions.  It is our recommendation that families work towards these guidelines:

• Non Competitive: SwimActive & E Groups: volunteer at any capacity – no experience, nor knowledge of Swimming necessary
• D group:Timer
• C group: Stroke & Turn
• B & A groups: Senior Official ie electronics, starter, referee, etc

 How it works: upon registration, members give a post-dated cheque(s) dated 01mar20 to the team to be held until the conclusion of the 2019/2020 season.  Throughout the season, families are given opportunities to volunteer thus avoiding cashing of their cheque at the conclusion of the season. 

It is our hope that we will be able to return these Bonds back to each swim family uncashed at the end of the swim season. We actually need your volunteer time, not your money.

1)      OFFICIALS BOND:

Applicable to those in the DST Competitive Groups: A, B, C, and D.  Single commitment only, based upon family’s highest registered swimmer at point of initial annual registration.

Clinics are offered leading into a swim meet so newly qualified officials can practice their newfound skills and knowledge.  We endeavor to coincide this training with the Stingrays’ Time Trials and the Stingrays’ Annual competitions.  We also ensure that more seasoned officials (other parents!) are available to work alongside rookie officials to provide support and answer questions. 

By attending and volunteering at one Stingrays event (sanctioned or unsanctioned), the Officials Bond has been fulfilled and your cheque will be destroyed. 

Please be sure to SIGN UP ONLINE to ensure credit for attending both the clinic & the event.

Failure to fulfill the Officials Bond will result in the depositing of cheque on file.

2)      VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT:

Applicable to those in the DST Competitive Groups: A, B, C, D, and 2^nd year registrants of the Non Competitive program: SwimActive and E Group.  Commitment is based upon family’s highest registered swimmer and then compounded by each additional child by $100 & 1 additional session at point of initial annual registration per swimmer.

A total of 7 ‘sessions’ annually are offered to fulfill your family’s volunteer commitment.  As well, you have the option of having multiple family members volunteer at a single event to fulfill more than one ‘session’ at the same time.

Please be sure to SIGN UP ONLINE to ensure credit is applied to your Volunteer Commitment.

Failure to fulfill the Volunteer Commitment will result in a corresponding dollar amount for the ‘sessions’ left unvolunteered at a rate of $100 per session. 

*families can compound their positions ie 3 volunteers on 1 day = 3 sessions

Opportunities for volunteering include any DST unsanctioned competitions:

·        SAVE THE DATES: “Orange & Black” (2 minimum): Fri 06dec19, Wed 19feb20

And volunteering at sanctioned competition:

·        SAVE THE DATES: Sat 14dec19, 29feb20 & Sun 01mar20, and Sat 20jun20*
* DST June Jamboree date and / or location dependent upon CAC renovation – firm dates unavailable as of 15july19

Please visit www.duncanstingrays.com > calendars for more details.

Options for helping out include, but are not limited to:

*Please note that some positions require specific knowledge and training.  The positions denoted with an “*” require attendance at an Officials Clinic.

More information about certification can be found at: https://www.swimming.ca/en/certification/

TO BE CREDITED with the appropriate volunteering time / credits, it is necessary for each member to sign up for the specific events via their online account.  NIL ONLINE REGISTRATION = NIL CREDIT FOR VOLUNTEERING

This reduces the volunteer Board of Directors’ time to keep track of all members’ credits.

Uncertain how to do this?  Please refer to the DST Swimming 101 manual found at www.duncanstingrays.com > ‘About’ header

Appendix C: Fundraising

We have rolled the obligatory Fundraising Amounts into the monthly fees to make it easier on our Team’s volunteers and the Team as a whole. 

Swim fees cover the clubs operating expenses. Monies raised from BOD initiated fundraising events (Splash-a-thon, grocery bagging, raffles etc.) are used to purchase equipment and supplies to support our swimmers. The BOD welcomes fundraising proposals from the membership to reduce swim fees.  Please contact a board member if you have an idea.

Have you any other ideas for expanding this part of our organization?  Please be sure to let your DST BOD know by emailing executive@duncanstingrays.com

Appendix D: DST payments & “Drop Box”

Please DO NOT approach our Staff on deck to make payments! 

There are 2 options for our members in making payments.  When submitting payment, please be sure to include: a) Swimmer’s Name and b) explanation of payment

1)      Email Money Transfer – details to be released

2)      DST Drop Box.  There is a Duncan Swim Team secure box in the Cowichan Aquatic Centre lobby specifically for our members dropping off payments.

 
While we appreciate the greater peace of mind in handing your payment directly to a Staff member, we request you to utilize this provision.  A ‘simple’ conversation that is had with our Staff when on deck, concentrating on their Coaching, will prove to be a distraction and will take away their attention from the members they are working with.  Please be considerate to all of our members and their time by using the DST Drop Box instead of interrupting our Staff from their Coaching.