What is a swim team?

Swim team is a fun, community-based program where kids ages 5 to 18 practice and compete in swimming. Swimmers of all skill levels learn and practice freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, and participate in weekly meets against other local teams. With a focus on teamwork, sportsmanship, and enjoyment, summer swim teams help kids develop confidence in and around the water.

Who can participate?

Children aged 5-18 who are Mueller residents can participate on the swim team.

When is the swim season?

Swim season begins during the last week of April and finishes the third week of June each year.

Where will practices take place?

We will practice on Mondays at Ella Wooten Pool and Wednesdays at John Gaines Pool. These days were chosen because the pool is closed to residents on these days, so resident swim will not be impacted by swim team practices.

When will practices take place?

We are still in discussions with the neighborhood POA to determine practice times. However, if the plan to hold practices on pool cleaning days is approved, we anticipate holding four 45-minute practices on Monday and Wednesday. Children attend practices with their age group.

When will practices take place? How are practices structured?

We anticipate that swimmers will practice with their age groups. While the final practice schedule is dependent on the number of registrations per age, we expect the practice schedule to be similar to the following:

4:30-5:15 5 & 6 year olds

5:15-6:00 7 & 8 year olds

6:00-6:45 9 & 10 year olds

6:45-7:30 11-18 year olds

Practices are run by a head coach with help from a few assistant coaches. Assistant coaches are in the water with younger swimmers during their practice times.

How much will it cost to join the swim team?

We anticipate that dues will be around $215 per swimmer. There will also be a scholarship rate of $50 available to all children living in Mueller’s affordable housing units.

Will you host swim meets in Mueller?

No, we will not be hosting swim meets in Mueller. Mueller swimmers will compete in meets hosted in other neighborhoods.

How long have you been working on this project? What have the steps been to get it approved?

July 2024: idea for team hatched, Mueller Pool Committee contacted for first time

January 2025: Swim Team presents to Mueller Pool Committee

February 2025: Swim Team presents to Mueller Mixed-Use Board, board votes to delay consideration of proposal until the 2026 season in order to gather more information

May 2025: Swim Team Working Group is formed

July 2025: Majority of Swim Team Working Group votes to recommend approval of the Mueller Swim Team pilot season and pool usage agreement

August 2025: Swim Team presents to Mueller Mixed-Use Board. Board votes to advance the proposal to the Mueller Master Board, contingent upon 1) participating in a community forum and 2) investigating the neighborhood’s insurance coverage for athletic activities

October 2025: Mueller Master Board approved the swim team pilot for 2026

How does swim team insurance work?

Thanks for asking! We need something to do with the swim team insurance knowledge we’ve accumulated over the past year. In keeping with swim team best practices, we plan to carry a general liability insurance policy that names the POA as an additional insured. In the unlikely event that there was an incident during a swim practice, the swim team, not the POA, would be liable.

However, swim team programs tend to make a pool safer, not more dangerous. Under the swim team’s proposal, there would be lifeguards staffed at the pool (paid for by the swim team) at times where there currently are none. Additionally, the swim team will help neighborhood children develop strong swim skills, making them safer users of the pool both during swim season and afterwards.

Why can’t the kids swim at Patterson or Bartholomew instead?

We hope most children will choose to participate in the Mueller swim team and a city swim team! The two schedules minimally overlap, meaning families can certainly participate in both. More swim team options mean more kids can learn to swim safely.

The Mueller swim team will differ from the City of Austin swim teams in two notable ways. First, the City of Austin swim teams require children to be proficient in two strokes in order to join the team. The Mueller swim team will require that children know how to swim, but they do not need to be proficient in any strokes in order to join. Second, the Mueller swim team will follow a different schedule than the City of Austin swim teams. The Mueller team will practice and compete in May and early June. The City of Austin teams practice and compete from mid-June to mid-July. This allows families to participate in both or choose the schedule that fits them best.