The Sharks uses Swimtopia's mobile app to send practice updates and cancellation alerts so be sure to download the app and allow notifications! Learn more.
In addition to getting the Swimtopia app on your mobile devices and allowing notifications, PLEASE check your emails on a regular basis so that you don't miss important information from us.
Important communications are also posted here: https://www.bccsharks.
Rules and policies for swim practices:
These rules are to help the practices run smoothly, especially for the younger swimmer groups:
1. Parents of swimmers of 6 years and younger must remain on the premises and available to attend to their children during practice as needed (e.g. take them to the restroom).
2. Please have your swimmers use the restroom before going to practice.
3. Swimmers need to be ready to swim before they enter the gate. Please put on goggles and caps, sunscreen, and whatever you want to put on your swimmer before they enter the pool area. Swimmers can bring their bags inside the pool area but keep them close to the fence, away from the immediate pool area and walkways, so that coaches, board members, swimmers, and staff have space to walk around the pool.
4. Parents, please remain outside the gate and pool area at all times. Only swimmers, coaches, board members, and staff are allowed inside the gate.
5. Please stay outside the pool area until your swim group is called to enter. We need to give the earlier group time to leave the pool area before another group enters.
6. Please encourage your swimmers to be good listeners so they can learn what the coaches have to teach them.
7. We do not take attendance at practice, so you do not need to notify us if your swimmer is going to miss a practice.
8. Swimmers must wear appropriate swimsuits that fit them (and will not fall off in the water). They can also wear rash guards.
9. The coaches may switch swimmers to different groups as practice progresses.
10. As the weather gets hotter and hotter, please provide a full water bottle for your swimmer and use sunscreen.
11. Please make sure that you and your swimmers have all your items before you leave the pool (googles, swim caps, fins, shoes, backpacks, swim bags, shirts, shorts, pants, watches, etc).
2023 Practice Schedule
- After-school practice is 5/1/2023 to 5/26/2023.
- Summer practice is 5/30/2023 to 7/7/2023.
- Practice dates, times, and locations will depend on your swimmer's practice groups. The team has seven practice groups: Great White, Hammerhead, Tiger, Thresher, Whale, Bull, and Megalodon.
- There is no practice attendance requirement. There is no need to notify us if you need to miss a practice. However, we encourage swimmers to attend practice as much as they are able in order to improve skills and technique, build strength and endurance, and increase speed.
- Evening practice is on a limited basis. Evening practice is intended for parents who work and cannot bring their swimmers to morning practices. Only those who have previously requested evening practice (returning Sharks who fulfilled their volunteer requirements and then on a first come serve basis) and have been assigned an evening practice on Swimtopia may attend evening practice. Swimmers are not allowed to switch between groups without prior permission.
Please pay special attention to the pool location. We practice at two different pools:
BCC Pool (BCC): 8600 Balcones Club Dr, Austin, TX 78750 (BLUE)
Spicewood Pool (SPW): 11210 Spicewood Club Dr, Austin, TX 78750 (YELLOW)
Summer Morning Practice Swimmers (5/30/2023 - 7/7/2023)
Summer Evening Practice Swimmers (5/30/2023 - 7/7/2023) Only families/swimmers who registered for evening practice are allowed to attend evening practices. Evening swimmers are indicated as "Summer Evening" in their Swimtopia group assignment. Swimmers are not allowed to switch between groups or practice times without prior permission.
Swimmers will need these items for practice:
1. Swimsuit
2. Goggles
3. Swim fins (It's okay if you don't have fins for the first week or two of practice)
4. Swim cap preferred for short hair, required for hair longer than 2 inches. It's important to keep hair out of swimmers' eyes. Your registration includes a Sharks swim cap. Caps will be distributed as soon as we receive them from the vendor.
Kickboards will be provided at the practices so no need to have your own.
Inclement Weather Practice Cancellation Guidelines:
Here are some guidelines Sharks coaches will use when determining whether or not to cancel practice:
- If there is thunder and/or lightning, practice definitely will be cancelled.
- Practice will not be cancelled due to rain alone; we will swim in the rain unless the amount of rain makes it difficult to see the swimmers in the pool.
