Hello Rockshire Sharks!

Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather this week!

A quick reminder: Registration is open, (only 1 slot left for preteam! In the 5:30-6pm slot!) see below for a fun Shark trip this summer to Hershey, and junior and preteam coach applications due soon!

1. Registration is open! See below for details
2. Team trip to Hershey Park- Mark your calendars for July 6
3. Volunteering guidelines: what should I volunteer for?
4. Preteam and junior Coach applications
5. Become a sponsor for the Rockshire Sharks!
6. Shark Gear and Suits links
7. Officials clinics
8. Detailed instructions and info on registration

1. Registration is open on the team website! We will send detailed information on how to complete registration in an email prior to its opening. Please remember that in order to participate in the swim team, your family needs to be a registered member of the pool. All Rockshire members who pay HOA dues can register for free, as it is included with the HOA fees, and outside memberships this year will be posted on the Rockshire HOA website HERE.

If you register for the team prior to May 9, and are not in the HOA, your pool fee will be $875 for the summer. The price after May 9 will be $900.

****REGISTER EARLY- OUTSIDE MEMBERSHIPS THIS SEASON ARE LIKELY TO FILL UP DUE TO OTHER POOL CLOSURES IN THE AREA****

***A reminder about registration: You will be required to fill out your volunteer hours prior to completing registration. All swim team member families are required to volunteer for at least 18 hours. If you cannot fulfill the hours during swim meets, please consider the volunteer positions listed below!

For preteam families, volunteering is optional (but highly encouraged for our fun Friday night events!)***

As a reminder: You may register for the regular team if your child is able to swim unassisted the length of the pool in one stroke.

The preteam will only have two sessions in the evening from 5:30-6pm and 6-6:30pm. These spots are limited, so please be sure to register when it opens to assure you can get the time you need. REGISTER SOON-ONLY 1 SLOT for the 5:30 session is left!!! We will start a waitlist for anyone who registers after preteam sessions are full

Have a question about registration fees or finances? Contact Elena Belyaev, the Rockshire Sharks treasurer, at [email protected]

2. Looking for something fun to do during the long weekend? We will be taking a team trip to Hershey Park on July 6! If you commit and pay for your ticket by April 25, you can get the park ticket at a low price of $37/ ticket. Please sign up by completing this survey and paying the $37 to @RockshireSharks or by check to Elena Belyaev, our treasurer, by April 25. Families will be responsible for their own food, parking, and accommodations if desired. Further details will be forthcoming.

3. Volunteering guidelines: confused about what to volunteer for when registering for the team? Here are some helpful guidelines to help you decide: Years on team: 0-1- help working concessions during a meet or team event, ribbon writing (or sticking more accurately), or timing at a meet. Concessions are low key, and neither requires prior experience . Getting ice, helping with meet setup, and volunteering at social events also require no previous experience. Years on team:2-4- consider in addition to concessions/timing volunteering in one of the officials roles and complete officials training. You would also be a great runner at meets, or working as a clerk of course years Years on team:4+ consider taking on one of the more major volunteer responsibilities of helping the operations behind the scenes. We are looking for a B rep to shadow this years rep and someone to shadow and help with the banquet this year. We are also looking for a concessions chair to help with concessions. Like computers and technology and staying cool during meets? Complete automation training! We are always in need of additional hands for automation.

4. Preteam and Junior coach applications are available on the website and in the email and will be DUE May 1.

***This year, we are focused on building up future leaders from within. To this end, we will be paying selected junior coaches (based on applications and a review process) a salary for the summer. All additional junior and preteam coaches will receive SSL hours.

Please fill out the application here: Preteam and Junior coaching application.

5. Become a sponsor for the Rockshire Sharks! Own a business or know someone who does? Consider a sponsorship for the Rockshire Sharks! Sponsorships keep our registration fees low and our coaches salaries competitive, and we are looking for sponsors! Here is the form to fill out as a sponsor: Sponsorship Form

6. Shark Gear! Don’t delay! In preparation for summer, we will have the same suits as last year. You can buy them HERE. we also have shark gear available via squadlocker here

7. Officials Clinics: If you are thinking about getting certified as Stroke and Turn, Referee, Starter, or Automation, please find registration information HERE. Please make sure to scroll down when looking at the page to see all of the clinics available***We really need these volunteers to run meets. Please consider completing a clinic to help with volunteering this summer:)***

8. Registration instructions:

To register, please visit: https://rockshiresharks.swimtopia.com/

Please read through the step-by-step instructions below, as they contain important information / updates about registration for 2025 (key points are in bold and underlined).All Rockshire members who pay HOA dues can register for free, as it is included with the HOA fees, and outside memberships this year will be posted on the Rockshire HOA website HERE. If you register for the team prior to May 9, and are not in the HOA, your pool fee will be $875 for the summer. The price after May 9 will be $900.

Fees for 2025 Swim team and Preteam are as follows:

$230 per swimmer on the regular team or preteam

$220 for each additional sibling on regular team or preteam

**Fees are non-refundable**

In order to participate on the swim team:

Each family must have a current, paid membership to the Rockshire Pool.

Each swimmer on the regular team must be able to swim one (1) length of the pool, legally and unassisted, in 1 of the 4 swim strokes (i.e., Freestyle, Back, Breast or Butterfly). If you are uncertain about this requirement, please contact the A-Reps at [email protected] prior to registering.

Each swimmer on the pre-team must be at least four (4) years of age but not older than eight (8) years of age by June 1.

If you know of a new family that is interested in joining the team, please give them our email address so that we can walk them through the registration process ([email protected]).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Sessions of Pre-Team fill up very quickly. Also as it relates to Pre-Team, we cannot accommodate requests to switch your child between sessions. The one you sign up for is the one your child must attend.

Step by step instructions:

1 – Access the Rockshire Sharks website (here’s the link.)

2 – Click on “Registration” underneath the “Home” tab, or on the homepage. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CLICK THE CORRECT LINK- preteam has its own registration form!

3 – Read the welcome message and note the participation requirements (also listed above). You will need to enter in your email, create a password, and enter in all athlete information. On the first page, scroll all the way down to read all of the release forms and check all of the boxes. This will include: Medical Release & Liability Waiver, Membership & Ability, Swimmer Responsibility Agreement, and the Parent Responsibility Agreement.

At the very bottom, Click “Next step”. If you do not get brought to the next page, check the above for any errors you may have made in entering your information.

4 – You will be brought to the athlete groups page. Verify the information that you see is correct for your swimmers you are signing up, and click “next step”.

5 – Volunteer hours! You must sign up for a minimum of 18 volunteer hours before going to the next step. For more information on volunteer roles, please go to the website under the “meets and events” tab, there is a subsection labeled “volunteer roles”. Please make sure to RECORD all of the roles you have volunteered for throughout the summer. You will be held accountable for all of your signups. When you fulfill the requirement, scroll to the bottom and click “Next step”.

6 – If you are registering more than one swimmer, make sure to enter the promotional code “SIBLING” for each additional swimmer to receive the $10/swimmer discount. Click on “Checkout.” Payment may be made via Venmo @Rockshire-Sharks. You may also send a check. Checks should be sent via US Mail to Elena Belyaev at the following address:

2305 Sherbrooke Way

Rockville, MD 20850

If you wish to drop off your check at Elena’s house instead, please DO NOT place the checks in the mailbox. Use the cooler by the front door. Registration is not complete until Elena receives your check. It usually takes a few days for Elena to activate your account once payment is received.

Registration is not verified until your payment has been received.

Any questions? Please contact us at [email protected].

Congrats on making it to the end:) Have a wonderful week! Spread the word and help grow our Shark family!

Your A-Reps,

Kat and Patrick Hussmann