The practice schedule is available via the website and in Commit. The regular schedule and any practice exceptions known in advance will be posted on the website. In addition, the Commit Calendar is updated with late schedule changes. We encourage everyone to subscribe to the calendars for their groups and refresh those before they leave for practice especially in cases of inclement weather for outdoor summer practices. Last minute cancellations and changes will be announced on the Slack app. Please make sure you have notifications on for Slack, or check the app regularly. See our Practice Calendar under Schedule

At the beginning of the season, the schedule is set by the head coach in an effort to provide meet opportunities for different levels of swimmers. There is an attempt to also include meets that will give swimmers experience with different meet formats as well. At Buckeye, we believe that meets are an integral part of a swimmer's development. At meets, coaches are able to observe swimmers under pressure and give more personalized feedback for improvement. They are also a great way to bond with teammates and a method of providing a focus for all those practices! The meet schedule reflects those meets that are best suited for our swimmers. A Buckeye coach will be present at each of the meets listed. Swimmers can choose which meets they want to attend. If you have questions About which meets to attend, you can always consult your child’s coach for recommendations.

Meet sign-up must be done online through the meet signup page on our Commit Swimming portal. In order to better prepare you, the “Meet Schedule” section of the website has further information and more detail about each meet. We send in our entries to meet hosts 10-30 days prior to the meet (entry date determined by the host). Most meets close within seconds of the time that they open. Thus, once we send entries, we cannot make changes.

Groups are designed to maximize coaching and meet each swimmer's needs. Swimmers are placed in a group based on many factors - ability, skills, age, goals, etc. Swimmers may move between groups at the discretion of the coaches in order to ensure the swimmer is receiving the appropriate level of training.

Plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to warm-ups and bring: swim suit, 2 pairs of goggles, 2 team meet swim caps (required), towels, BKYS t-shirt or sweatshirt and shorts or sweatpants (to wear in between events so muscles don’t tighten up if it’s cold), deck shoes or sandals, healthful snacks, drinks, and other items to pass the time like cards, games, etc.

First and foremost, new swimmers must be able to safely and comfortably swim on the surface of the pool in water that is well over their head. We expect new swimmers to have completed their swim lesson levels and have a working ability in each of the four competition strokes (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly).

YES! We ask each swimmer to come in for either a tryout during our open tryout periods or an evaluation during closed periods. This gives us the opportunity to assess your swimmer and give the best recommendation for success within our program.

In order to be removed from billing we require a 30-day notice.

When you sign up for any of our Age Group program groups, we ask that you commit to the end of the current competitive season. That is early March for the winter season and late July for the summer season. Your commitment to us has likely taken a sport from another willing season, so please be considerate when choosing our program. Senior program swimmers are asked to commit for a year (two consecutive competitive seasons).

Yes! We offer reduced fees for anyone that qualifies for Ohio Swimming's Outreach program.

Our program has been running at or near capacity over the past few seasons. We have open tryouts prior to each competitive season (July/Augst and March) in order to fill any openings we may have. Additionally, we generally will freeze our registration in January, February, and July in order to focus on our swimmer's preparations for the end of the current season.

In our Age Group Program, our fees and group sizes are determined based on average attendance in that group, pool space, and fair wages to staff the practices. We generally see 60-75% attendance in these programs. So, your fees reflect participation at that average attendance.

Besides registration and monthly training fees you can expect the following expenses: -Meet Fees ($5-6 per event plus a $5-20 splash fee to enter the meet) -Training Equipment: Suits, caps, goggles, and training gear -Spirit Wear: optional fun gear to purchase -Competitive Suits: We have a team suit that runs $40-80. Swimmers may also purchase technical suits for championship meets. Tech suits are optional and range from $75 -500.

During the initial sign-up phase, the parent and swimmer select events. Prior to submitting entries coaches will review and make adjustments based on readiness and/or what they are swimming at other meets.

If the meet is holding relays and we have enough swimmers to field relays, we will enter. Relays are formed by placing together the fastest 4 swimmers available from our team. We continue to place the fastest available 4 until we have formed as many relays as we can in each age group. Relays are designated by letters -the fastest is the 'A' Relay, next fastest the B, etc.

If we have already submitted our entries to the host, we can no longer offer refunds for missed swims.

USA Swimming is our sport’s national governing body. It is charged with the responsibility to formulate rules, conduct national championships, disseminate information, select competitors to represent the country in international competition, and insure the development of its' member clubs and age group swimmers. As a USA Swimming licensed swim club, HLA is obligated to ensure all swimmers are members of USA Swimming, Inc. It is also necessary for participation in any USA sanctioned swim meet. USA Swimming also provides its member clubs with liability insurance in the event of an accident, and the swimmers medical insurance to cover catastrophic medical costs incurred during a sanctioned activity, including team practices and activities.

Ohio Swimming is one of 59 Local Swimming Committees (LSCs) of USA Swimming. The geographic area includes all of Ohio except the Northeast/Cleveland area and includes Northern Kentucky. It is the governing body for the clubs in its geographic territory.

The swim year is divided into two seasons. The winter, or "short course", season runs September to mid-March. The meets are held in a 25-yard pool. The summer, or "long course", season runs from April to early-August. Meets are generally held outside in 50 meter (Olympic size) pools.

We ask that each swimmer attend practice with a competition-grade training suit. These can be purchased at www.swimoutlet.com/bkys Please do not train in leisure wear or suits bought for leisure wear purposes. In addition, swimmers should wear a cap and goggles, have training shoes for dry land activities and all training equipment required for their group.

A time standard is a minimum time that a swimmer must attain in order to compete at certain meet levels. In Ohio we have time standards for our State Age Group Championship Meet. We also will attend meets that utilize National BB standards as a minimum entry qualification. At the Senior level, their are several regional and national meets that require time standards, starting with Sectionals.