Swimming Team
Frequently Asked Questions

Bayside Swimming Club is located at 502 Clarke Road in Bellingham, Washington. A map and directions to the pool are located on the Directions page.

You can register your child for swim team by using the Registration Form on our website. Select the appropriate age group, fill out the other required information, and click Add to Cart. Note that you can repeat this process to sign up additional children. Once you have finished this step, click the View Cart button. You will be redirected to PayPal and must complete the checkout procedure using PayPal in order to complete your registration. Once you complete the checkout procedure, you will be redirected to a page confirming your registration.

Competition is based on the grade your child will be entering in the fall. So children in elementary school in the fall should be signed up to compete in the Elementary School Age group while those attending middle school or high school should be registered for the High School/Middle School team.

Absolutely. Yes. We are a teaching swim team. While the competition aspect is fun, the focus of our team is on teaching your child how to swim faster, how to swim all the strokes, and so on. So even if your summer schedule means that your child cannot attend all of the practices or meets, he or she can still participate on the Bayside Swimming Team as your schedule permits. Please note, however, that we cannot pro-rate the fees.

It can be tough getting up early and getting into a pool first thing in the morning. To make things fair, we alternate our schedule. So the Elementary School age team practice starts at 7:15am on Mondays and Wednesdays and at 8:15am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And the Middle School/High School team practices at 8:00am on Mondays and Wednesdays and at 7:15am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

All swim team participation fees are paid at the time you register your child. There are no other fees for participation. You may be responsible for providing transportation for your child to participate in any swim meets not held at Bayside Swimming Club. The coaches may make arrangements for swimmers to purchase shirts, sweats, and other team logo merchandise. The purchase of these items is entirely voluntary. The costs for these items is separate from and in addition to any swim team participation fees.

No. Practice takes place rain or shine (this is the Pacific Northwest, after all). The pool is a very comfortable 86-degrees and the kids hardly notice the rain. Parents on the pool deck watching their children during practice are advised to bring umbrellas, however, because there may not be enough covered areas to accommodate everyone. We'll also try to have hot beverages available from the vending machine to help parents take the chill off. The only bad weather that prevents practice is lightning (which is rare in the Pacific Northwest).

In the event of a lightning/thunderstorm that poses a safety risk, no one will be allowed in the pool until the danger has passed.

If your plans change or your child decides that swim team just isn't their thing, swim team participation fees may be refunded, less a $25 registration processing fee per child, if you contact us and cancel your registration before the date designated on the website (see the Important Dates on the Swim Team page). After that date, however, no refunds will be made. (Note that if you need to change your plans for valid medical reasons, we will do our best to accommodate your particular situation.)

Yes. If July 4th falls on a weekday practice day, practice will occur.

In the unlikely event that the pool is temporarily shut down for health reasons, no one will be allowed in the pool until the pool is once again cleared for use.

If swim team is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, if the cancellation occurs before the first day of practice, your entire fee will be refunded. If the cancellation occurs after the start of the session, your refund will be prorated.

NO! Since we require a liability waiver from the parent or legal guardian at the time of registration, each family must complete its own individual registration. If you include other people's children on your registration, your registration may be subject to cancellation. Separate registrations and liability waivers must be completed for each family.

NO! You will have to pay the non-member rate. The only way you children can be registered at the member rate would be if your children were physically residing in your parent's home. Membership includes everyone residing in the member household. But membership DOES NOT extend to adult children of members and the children of those adult children unless they reside in the parent's home.