Joining FAST: 

FAST offers two types of programs:
  • USA Swimming competitive Swim Team
  • Participation-oriented USMS program for adult Masters
Each has its own signup requirements. Be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions.

We also can refer you to Learn-to-Swim Lessons for ages 4 to adult.

 FAST's USA Swimming Competitive Swim Team 

Parent: ** Note: Our team is a year-round program; in 2007 we are offering a special Summer-Only Membership for developmental swimmers and for High School Students **

Tryout opportunities are offered about once a week throughout most of the year. We list upcoming tryouts on our website homepage "This Week At FAST" announcements and on our calendars.

There is no cost or obligation for a swimmer to tryout with FAST. We do ask that you email fastswim@fastswimming.org a day or two ahead of time to let us know that you plan to tryout and to confirm schedules. You can come in at any time during the tryout session.

We will ask that the parent sign a "Hold Harmless" waiver before the tryout begins.

To join FAST, parents must complete all registration paperwork and pay initial fees before the swimmer can participate in any practices. In order to register with USA Swimming we need to collect a simple photocopy of the swimmer's birth certificate or other legal ID showing birthdate, gender, and legal birthname. We will also collect paperwork from the parent including emergency medical/insurance/contact information, credit card information, and initial fees.

We recommend that you jot down a list of questions you have and bring something to write a few notes on.

If your swimmer is currently registered with USA Swimming, please bring proof of registration such as a photocopy of the swimmer's USA Swimming ID card. A birth certificate is not required for proven currently-registered North Texas swimmers. If the swimmer has been a member of another USA Swimming team, we will need to know the last date of competition with their former team.

If your swimmer is transferring from another local team, we ask that you talk to your former team about the issues prompting your change before making a decision to join FAST. While we believe that we offer an outstanding program, we also wish to be good citizens of USA Swimming and maintain our good relationships with the other teams.
Swimmer: A parent or legal guardian should bring the swimmer to the pool and remain in the spectator area during the tryout.

Swimmers will do a short in-water demonstration of their stroke technique to a FAST coach. The swimmer will swim about 25 yards in each of the four competitive strokes (backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle [crawl]. The coaches are looking for proficiency more than speed. It's OK if the swimmer isn't able to swim all of the strokes.

Swimmers who have been members of FAST in the past year and are returning to the team may not need to do an in-water tryout by coach discretion.

The swimmer should come to the pool with their swimsuit, cap, goggles, and towel.


 FAST's USMS Adult Masters Swim Team 

Swimmer: While there is no requirement for an in-water tryout to join Masters, swimmers must complete paperwork on a "tryout" night when we have a team volunteer available before participating. Tryout opportunities are offered about once a week throughout most of the year. We list upcoming tryouts on our website homepage "This Week At FAST" announcements and on our calendars.

We do ask that you email fastswim@fastswimming.org a day or two ahead of time to let us know that you plan to come in and to confirm schedules. You can come in at any time during the tryout session. Please allow at least 20 minutes to complete paperwork if you plan to swim that night. We require that all paperwork be completed before you can swim. Please bring emergency medical/insurance/contact information and credit card information. At this time USMS does not require proof of legal birthname and birthdate, so we do not require a birth certificate like we do for our USA Swimming athletes.

See FAST Info About United States Masters Swimming (USMS) for more details of USMS and FAST's program.

 Frequently Asked Questions: 

  1. Tell me more about your club? See About FAST

  2. Where does FAST swim ? Our primary pool is at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center in south Fort Worth. We have Directions and Maps on our website. Our team does make use of other pools when WGAC is not available and for summer morning practices.

    Most of the meets are in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex. A few meets will be a little farther. As the swimmers progress and qualify for state meets and beyond, there will be additional travel to provide quality competition. Our website has a metroplex map in the Directions and Maps showing the various pools where we compete.

  3. How often are the meets ? FAST selects meets for our swimmers to attend so they are competing about once every 3-6 weeks during the main part of the season. Meets are generally "classified" for swimmers of a particular ability level, with novice swimmers beginning as "C" swimmers and progressing to "B", "BB", and "A" classifications as they achieve time standards. The meets FAST will attend are listed on our Calendars through the end of the year.

    Our Masters swimmers may compete as often as they desire, based on meet availability. FAST Masters who choose to compete typically attend 4-7 meets a year as a team with a coach present.

  4. What is the tryout for ? The coach will determine which of our practice groups will provide the best environment to develop your swimmer based primarily on their demonstrated proficiency, but also on their endurance and size. See About our Practice Groups for more details. On tryout days we have a "pool parent" volunteer available to assist with the tryout, answer questions, and help you complete paperwork if you decide to join the team.

    For our Masters, there is no requirement for an in-water skills assessment. Masters swimmers must join or return to the team on tryout evenings when a parent volunteer is available to assist with paperwork and to collect fees.

  5. What days and times are practice ? Each of our practice groups meet at different days and times as appropriate for their level. As a guideline, most groups will swim sometime between 5 and 7:30 pm on weeknights. Schedules for the individual practice groups shown on our Practice Group Schedules page. Please note that these schedules are subject to change.

  6. How much do the swimmers practice ? FAST has several different practice groups based on the swimmer's age, maturity, skills, conditioning and goals. Our philosophy is to allow for an organized progression that allows younger swimmers to be successful and learn skills while still allowing participation in other activities and "being a kid". As they grow and become more committed to the sport, their practice duration, frequency and intensity gradually increase over the years for continual improvement. Our goal is to produce swimmers prepared for competition in college or beyond when they have physically matured. There are no 8-year-old swimmers at the Olympics, but all Olympians were once eight years old and were learning fundamental skills and having fun in swimming. Most also developed their aerobic capacity while 10-14 years old.

  7. How much does it cost and why ?

    For lessons, please see our Learn-to-Swim Lessons information.

    All of our swim team members must register with USA Swimming each year. Our adult swimmers register with US Masters Swimming. There is a one-time fee to join FAST to cover our administrative costs, a team T-shirt, bumper sticker, handbook, etc. Each month we bill the family for training fees. The training fees will depend on which practice group a swimmer is assigned to, ranging from $55 to $100. Our Philosophy, Policies, Fees, and Other Stuff webpage details these fees.

    Training fees cover our pool rent, coach salaries, and other operating expenses. The FAST Board of Directors sets an annual budget and calculates training fees and plans fundraising accordingly. We are a year-round program, so training fees are a 12-month average of annual costs. Fundraisers are used to balance the budget without requiring an increase in training fees. Some are mandatory participation; others are optional.

    If you have been a member of a different USA Swimming Team in North Texas, you will need to have been in good financial standing (no outstanding bills) on your former team. Swimmers returning to FAST must bring their accounts to good standing.

    Swimmers pay their own expenses for most swim meets. This includes meet entry fees, any travel to competitions, meals, lodging. Most meet entry fees are "splash fees" and are about $2.50 for every event a swimmer enters at a meet. You will need to look at the meet information sheets for each meet for exact fees.

  8. What do I need to buy ? Your swimmer is required to wear a FAST competition suit to participate in meets. Younger swimmers can also use their team suit for daily training. Goggles are pretty much a necessity. Your swimmer may choose to wear a swim cap. We require a FAST swim cap to be worn at meets IF the swimmer wears a cap. These items are all available from our FAST Swim Store at the pool. [ See our Calendar for specific days and times. ]

    Additionally, some practice groups may use fins, hand-paddles, or other gear in training. Your swimmer's coach will advise you which equipment to purchase from our Swim Store.

    Swimmers in our more advanced groups [Gold; Seniors II, I, and Elite; Masters] who train at pools other than Wilkerson-Greines may need to purchase a kickboard and pull-buoy as the other pools do not have equipment.

    We strongly encourage [but do not require] purchase of a team warm-up suit, parka, swim bags, and other gear. These items available as special orders for those swimmers who want them.

  9. Is my swimmer "good enough" to be on a swim team ? FAST has programs for children of all ability levels. We have learn-to-swim lessons for those who cannot swim 25 yards of freestyle [crawl] and backstroke. Our Marlins and Barracudas fundamentals groups prepare pre-competitive swimmers who can swim but not in all competitive strokes. Our coaches determine which kids are ready to compete and will advise them to enter them meets accordingly.

    Our adult Masters swimmers should be able to swim 25 yards freestyle comfortably. We offer learn-to-swim lessons to adults also.

    Please check our Learn-to-Swim Lessons page for details.

  10. My child has some special concerns; can my child still join ? If your child has a medical condition such as asthma or diabetes, please make sure you let us know. Our coaches do have experience working with swimmers with these conditions. The swimmer's safety is our first priority; we may require a doctor's release to participate in swimming activities.

    If your child is extraordinarily talented, we will recognize this and provide appropriate challenges to develop them.

    Other issues should be discussed with us.

  11. How do I contact FAST ? Phone us at 817-874-5655 or email fastswim@fastswimming.org

  12. What other teams are in the area ? Check out the North Texas Swimming website and view their "Teams" page for a list of other USA Swimming teams in this area. We do hope you will join FAST but also want you to find the team that is the best "match" for you. Likewise, Masters swimmers should check the North Texas Masters Swimming website.