View commonly asked questions on a range of topics. If you have a question that is not listed, send us corrections, comments, and suggestions to info@kingaquaticclub.com, membership@kingaquaticclub.com, or coaches@kingaquaticclub.com!

FAQ Topics

General Swim Team Questions

Q: Why should my child swim on a team?
A: The USA Swimming (USAS) age group swimming program is America's largest program of guided fitness activity for children. Age group swimming builds a strong foundation for a lifetime of good health by teaching healthy fitness habits.

  1.  Physical Development
    • Many physicians consider swimming the ideal activity for developing muscular and skeletal growth. Why do doctors like it so much?
      • Swimming develops high-quality aerobic endurance, the most important key to physical fitness. Unlike other sports where an hour of practice may yield as little as 10 minutes of meaningful exercise, swimming practices provide sustained aerobic conditioning.
      • Swimming provides proportional muscular development by using all the body's main muscle groups.
      • Swimming enhances children's natural flexibiltyk at a time when they ordinarily begin to lose it by exercising all of their major joints through a full range of motion.
      • Swimming helps develop superior coordination because it requires combinations of complex movements of all parts of the body, enhancing harmonious muscle function, grace, and fluidity of movement.
      • Swimming is the most injury-free of all children's sports.
      • Swimming is a sport that will bring fitness and enjoyment for life. Participants in Master's Swimming programs still traing and race well into their 80s and 90s!
      • Swimming is the only competitive sport that inherently provides a life-saving skill.
  2. Intellectual and Emotional Learning
    • In addition to physical development, children can develop greater intellectual and emotional competancies by participating in a guided program of physical activity. Learning and using swimming skills engages the thinking processes. As they learn new techniques, children must develop and plan movement sequences. They improve by exploring new ideas. They learn that greater progress results from using their creative talents.
  3. Preparation For Life
    • One of the greatest values of swimming as a sport is that it prepares one for life. The total swimming experience is made up of people, attitudes, beliefs, work habits, fitness, health, winning and losing, and much more. Swimmers learn to deal with pressure and stress, success and failure, teamwork and discipline.
    • Swimming is both a team and self-achievement activity. There is only 1 person in the water in a given lane in any rance. The responsibility for performance ultimately lies with the individual. How well the individual has prepared physically and mentally determines the performance.
    • By learning how to handle frustration and disappointment, swimmers gain confidence. They learn dedication to commitment. Through perseverance, swimmers learn to overcome adversity. All of these experiences tend to develop indivduals who are better able to handle life's hardships and face problems.
    • Swimmers must learn that not all people are born with the same natural talents. They learn to improve their given talents and skills while gaining new ones.
    • Swimmers learn that if they do their best, there are no failures. They learn to set realistic goals for themselves which they will achieve through hard work.

Q: Who can answer my questions about the swim team?
A: Send your email questions to info@kingaquaticclub.com or click here. Your question will be answered or direct you to the right person.

Q: What strokes do the swimmers use in competition?
A: Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

Q: I just want my child to learn how to swim better. Do they have to swim in competition?
A: You should discuss this with the coach.

Q: I see that there are different age groups for the swimmers. How does that work?
A: The age groups are 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18. Every other year your child will have an "up" year when they are the oldest in their age group and a "down" year when they are the youngest in their age group. The system generally works well.

Q: What entities regulate the sport of competitive swimming for the team?
A: Pacific Northwest Swimming (PNS) and USA Swimming (USAS) are the governing bodies of competitive swimming in our area and the U.S.A. respectively.

How to Join KING Aquatic Club

Q: What swimming strokes does my child need to know to join the team?
A: Minimally, they will need to be able to demonstrate knowledge of all 4 competitive strokes.

Q: What is an evaluation and what should I expect?
A: Our coaching staff conducts evaluations to place swimmings in the most devleopmentally approrpriate group. Unlike a "tryout", which suggests a pass/fail outcome, an evaluation assess a swimmer's skills in relation to the minimum entry criteria for each group. Meeting these criteria is a starting point, but it doesn't automatically guarantee placement in a specific group.

General things coaches look for in the evaluation process include: 

  • To be placed in one of our competitive groups, swimmers MUST have knowledge/understanding of all 4 competitive strokes + flip turns, open turns, diving, and backstroke starts. Swimmers also must be able to swim at minimum 100 yards of competition legal freestyle and backstroke.
  • For our non-competitive Novice groups, we will be looking for the ability to swim at least 50 yards freestyle (with bilateral/rotary/side breathing) and at least 50 yards of backstroke without stopping and without assistance. We will also evaluate their knowledge of the other competitive strokes, starts, and turns.
  • Coachability: is the swimmer able to take feedback and apply it during the evaluation? Is the swimmer engaged in instruction? Is the swimmer open to trying new ways of doing things? Our coaching staff will conduct these evaluations in their typical "practice" style which includes applying coaching strategies to help swimmers be the best they can be.

If you are a senior level swimmer, please send us an email at info@kingaquaticclub.com.

Q: What to wear?
A: Swimmers must come to the evaluation session ready to swim. This includes:

  • Proper swim training attire. Baggy shorts or ’beach wear’ are not acceptable. Call or email if you are unsure what this means.
  • Goggles and a swim cap if the child needs one.

Q: How do I schedule an evaluation?
A: Please click HERE

Q: My swimmer(s) has been evaluated by a current KING coach. How can I join King Aquatic Club?
A: Congratulations on your decision. Here are the steps to follow:

1) After receiving the coach's recommendation on which group is right for your swimmer, click the "Registration" button on the hompage and follow the directions for registering online. You must electronically sign agreements contained therein; you may print copies for your own records for each of the agreements and you may pay via the shopping cart, or mail a check to. Registration will not be approved until payment is received. If mailing a check, send to:

KING AQUATIC CLUB
PO BOX 26656
FEDERAL WAY, WA  98093-3656

2) When the KING Team Administrator processes your registration, your account will be made ’Active’ and you will receive an email acknowledging approval of such. Use your primary account email address as your login ID to sign-in to the website to view areas not accessible to the general public.

3) If you’ve trained/competed under a previous USA Swimming-affiliated club, you must transfer your membership via your USA Swimming account.

4) Our website, www.kingaquaticclub.com, is updated on a regular basis with information on the front home page. Please check the NEWS and/or EVENTS section of our website as it will contain information about practice schedule changes, meet information, team fundraising, and other important information. Additionally, for swim news, educational articles and fun stuff follow KING Aquatic Club on Facebook or twitter.

We also provide social networking communication through the official KING Aquatic Club Facebook, Instagram, and X pages. Follow, Share, or Tweet with us throughout the swim season!

There are also a couple KING Boosters pages to follow.

If you have more questions, always feel free to ask one of the Coaches, Pool Representatives, Board Members, or Committee Chairs. We are all available to help.

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Billing & Registration Questions

Q: What do I do after I submit my registration?
A: Once your registration has been approved (you will receive an email notifying you of this), use your primary email address and password to log  onto the website. Depending uopon your swimmer’s start date, you may also have training fees associated with your account. If you have chosen to mail a check in for your registration, your registration will not be approved until payment is received, after which you will receive "approved" notification by email. Mail payments to:

KING AQUATIC CLUB
PO BOX 26656
FEDERAL WAY, WA  98093-3656

Q: When will I know that I am registered for KING?
A: You should receive email notification within a few days of submitting your registration. Please log into the website to review your information and consider signing up for the "auto-pay" feature which will charge credit/debit card your current invoiced amount automatically on the 1st of each month.

If you wish to pay your registration by check, your registration will be confirmed after we have received your registration check. If you have not received login instructions within 5 days of submitting your registration, please email us at billing@kingaquaticclub.com.

Q: When and how do I receive my bill?
A:  Invoices are system generated each month on the 1st. All current charges or unpaid balances will appear on your monthly invoice. All invoices are available to view in your account 24/7. Billing estimated summaries are emailed approximately 7-10 days before invoices are generated, but these may change before the 1st due to swim meet entry fees, travel fees, and/or other fees you have incurred.

Any billing activity entered after the 1st will be on the invoice the following month.

In order to view your bill, log into the website using the email address you set up your billing account with.

Q: What does it mean when I receive an invoice email notification that says I have a balance due?
A: This means your KING account had charges posted since the previous invoice and that you need to make a payment to KING (if you have a balance of a zero or a credit, you don’t need to make any payments for that month.

Q: When are payments due to KING?
A: Invoices are always available to view on the website. Payments are due on the 1st of the month. All credit card payments are automated on the 1st. Mailed payments postmarked after the 10th of the month are considered late. The late fee is $20.00 per month

Note to credit card users: Credit card information must be on file prior to the 1st day of the month in order to process your automatic payment. If you miss getting your card information into the system by the 1st, please mail a check by the 10th of the month for your invoice balance.

Q: How do I make a payment to KING?
A: There are two options to make a payment. The easiest is to set-up the auto-pay by credit or debit card (VISA, MasterCard or Discover). To set up, logged on and click on the ’Auto Pay’ link at the top, change payment method to automatically charge CREDIT CARD. Follow instructions to enter card information. You credit card will be billed monthly on the 1st if there is a balance due. The alternative is to mail a check to:

KING AQUATIC CLUB
PO BOX 26656
FEDERAL WAY, WA  98093-3656

Please remember to mail the check ASAP to ensure it reaches the billing office before the 10th of the month to avoid late fees.

Q: Where can I see the detailed charges on my account?
A: After you’ve logged on, go to ’$ My Invoice/Payment’ tab. Under this tab, you can see current and past invoices and all payments you’ve made. You also can see any currently posted charges that haven’t yet been invoiced by going to the ’My Account’ tab as well.

Q: What kind of charges are posted to my KING account?
A: Monthly training fees (unless you are an annual paid account), meet entry fees, Team Travel charges, KING Work Share Fee (if you haven’t met your  yearly obligation), will all be posted to your KING billing account. Please note, that while it is unfortunate that a swimmer may become ill and unable to attend a meet, the member account is still responsible for those meet fees.

Q: How do I cancel my membership?
A: If you wish to cancel your membership, a written notice must be sent to billing@kingaquaticclub.com, click here, and/or click here by the 15th day of the month prior to withdrawl. A $25 administrative fee will be applied if written notification is not received by then.

Q: What if my swimmer wants to take a break from swimming for a couple of months?
A: If you wish to become inactive from the club, we need written notice by the 15th of the month prior to becoming inactive or a $25 administrative fee will be applied to the account. Send your email to billing@kingaquaticclub.com and/or click here. Note, there is a reactivation fee of $125 per swimmer when an account is inactive for less than 5 months (150 days). If you are inactive due to injury, the reactivation fee may be waived.

Q: Who do I talk to if I have a question on my bill?
A: If you have a question on your bill, send your inquiry to billing@kingaquaticclub.com and/or click here.

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Website Operation

Q: I forgot my password! What do I do? 
A: On the "Sign-In" page, click the link and your password will be emailed to you. Your password will be auto-emailed to the email address on file with your members-only account.

Q: Can I change my password? 
A: Yes. After you sign in, click on "Change Password" near the top-right corner of the home page. Then type the new password and click submit. 

Q: How can I change my email address or other contact information?
A: After signing in, Click on "My Account" and change your personal information. Make sure to click "Save" at the bottom when you are done.

Q: Why require username/password to use the KING website?
A: Members-only login protects private information. Because our website draws traffic from all over the country and around the world, each family’s username and password allows access to their specific family account. Some portions of the website are activated by signing-in and are viewable only by registered King Aquatic Club families. 

Q: Do I need a username/password for each family member?
A: No. Membership is set up as ONE ACCOUNT PER FAMILY. A family account can cover multiple swimmers in that family.

Q: How do I easily navigate around the KING website?
A: All pages are navigational from the Home Page, as well as the upper and left menus. For further assistance, go to the Site Map symbol at top left: The KING Site Map.

Q: Sometimes, some of the choices on the top navigation bar of the website are missing. How do I see them?
A: Some parts of the website are visible only after you sign-in.

Q: We are using a Mac computer with Safari, Firefox, & Google Chrome browser. When I click on the practice calendars, they are all blank. Am I looking in the right place?
A: This is a common issue on the Mac computer. The practice calendars are created on Excel and converted to PDF. Try downloading Acrobat reader and setting it to be the default PDF viewer. This should solve the problem.

Q: How can I get a Member Directory?
A: First, you must sign-in with your member name and password. Then, click the "Members" tab under the main navigation bar- this takes you to the Member Search page. Here you may look up individual members or groups. Swimmer names, parent names, street address, email address and home number are visible for all members who have not indicated a preference in the "My Account" page to not be listed. Note that if you are not listed you can not see the directory either. In this section, you can also direct email any viewable KING family member. When you are viewing the member search results, click on the postal letter graphic to launch the email tool.

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Swim Team Practices

Q: How do I know which training group is right for my child?
A: Our training groups are designed to build a solid foundation and foster long-term development in our athletes. Each group is structured in alignment with our Five Pillars of Excellence to meet swimmers at their current level and guide them to their potential. To accomplish this, we aim to place each swimmer in a training group with other swimmers who are of similar age and ability levels and who have similar levels of commitment, physical and emotional maturity, and practice habits/skills.

To join KING, potential swimmers must be evaluated by a current KING coach. For returning swimmers who may feel ready to advance or desire to switch groups, swimmers must have recommendations from both their current coach and the coach of the group they will potentially move to.

Group placements are thoughtfully determined by our coaching staff to ensure that each athlete receives the support they need so they can thrive in a safe and effective training environment. While we appreciate outside input, decisions on group placement are made by coaches with the best interests of the swimmer in mind.

For a coach-to-parent discussion of your child’s needs, please refrain from approaching them on deck at a meet or practice. Instead, contact your child's coach via email: Coaches

Q: When and where are practices for my child?
A: The Practice  page shows the practice times and locations for all training groups.

Q: How do I know what training equipment my child needs?
A: Look at the Equipment Chart for a list of workout equipment that your swimmer will need. All swimmers (if wearing a swim cap) should wear the black KING logo cap that was provided to them in their Welcome Package. Please contact your pool representative ASAP to purchase KING swim caps (silicone) for your swimmer. If you have any questions, please ask the coach assigned to your swimmer.

Q: Can I stay at the pool and watch my child’s lesson?
A: We understand that you want to be involved in your child's swimming journey, and we welcome your support. Parents are welcome to watch from the designated spectator area. However, to ensure a smooth and effective practice, we ask that you do not interact or interfere. Our coaches are dedicated to prioritizing athletes' well-being, health, and safety above all else. As a parent, the best way to support your child is by encouraging them and trusting our coaches to focus on their development during practice.

Q: Why is there sometimes a delay in the posting of the practice schedule?
A: KING does not own the facilities where we train, so we must coordinate schedules with each pool operator individually. Occasionally, unexpeceted events or changes by pool operators can affect our training groups, leading to schedule adjustments. We apologize or any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience. Rest assured, we are committed to posting the schedule as early as possible.
 

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 Swim Meets

Q: Where do I find information on upcoming swim meets that my child may be eligible to enter?
A: Refer to our Meets / Events tab at the top menu for all dates, eligibility, forms, travel information, and results.

Q: How do meet entries work?
A: At the beginning of every season, our coaching staff publishes a meet schedule. We are changing the process we use to sign up for meets and events. We would like to put more of the responsibility and accountability on to the swimmers, especially National/Senior, Regional, and Power groups, to select their events and set goals for each meet.

  • From a computer:
    • Click HERE for instructions
  • Using the OnDeck mobile app:
    • Click HERE for a tutorial!

The swimmers are all expected to discuss their goals with their coach and work together to select the events online. For Novice and younger Age Group swimmers, we expect some discussion involving parents, swimmers, and coaches.

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