Membership and Costs

Why join RC swimming club?

A swimmer wishing to compete at any officially run swimming meet is required to be a member of a swimming club such as Ryde Carlile. 

Do I need to pay pool entry fees for Friday Night races?

A discounted pool entry fee is paid upon arriving at Ryde Aquatic Centre’s front counter.

Do I need to buy a uniform?

All Ryde Carlile swimmers are minimally required to have a RC shirt, shorts and cap when competing at swim meets such as Mini Meet, Challenge Cup, Metros, etc.  One cap is included upon joining the club, so a shirt and shorts are required to be purchased soon after joining.  You can purchase items at Friday Night Races.  Check out our Gearing Up page for more details.

How many parents/guardians must I register?

Only one parent/guardian is required to be registered.  RC do provide a discount of $10 if you wish to register two parents/guardians.

Do my children need to be in swim squads before they can join the RC Club?

No, just a desire to swim will suffice.   

Are there any parking fees at Ryde Aquatic Centre?

No fees, but there is a ‘rear to kerb’ requirement and 2hr limit Mon-Fri between 9am -5pm.  Parking officers are known to patrol the carpark.

Friday Night Races

Can we bring our own food/drinks to Friday Night races?

Ryde Aquatic Centre’s café is open until 6:30pm, so we do recommend you definitely bring water and [healthy] food, or alternatively you can purchase BBQ food provided by Ryde Carlile.  The revenue generated from the BBQ goes back into the running of the club.

My children have a School carnival coming up and aren’t members.  Can they get some racing practice in by coming along to Friday Night Races?

Ryde Carlile do allow one trial night.  If your children enjoy swimming we encourage you to consider the benefits of joining a swimming club, which extend beyond obtaining race experience for school carnivals.  Our race night program caters for both competitive and social swimmers of all ages and abilities.

If you wish to attend a trial night, please arrive at Ryde Aquatic Centre at approximately 6 pm.  You and your children will be required to pay the standard pool entry fees to Ryde Aquatic Centre.  Then go to the eastern end (scoreboard end) of the competition pool to the glass windowed room.  One of our Committee Members will greet you, arrange for your child’s entries, familiarise them with the race marshalling process and answer any questions you have. 

Apart from food/drinks, what else should we bring?

During the cooler months, we recommend several towels and/or a long swim coat for your swimmers.  

Can we take photos?

Ryde Carlile welcome parents to take photos of their swimmers, preferably from the seating area.  We request you keep clear of the pool deck to allow for the smooth running of the meet by our officials.

Do I need to pay pool entry fees for Friday Night races?

A discounted pool entry fee is paid upon arriving at Ryde Aquatic Centre’s front counter.

When are swim results available and from where?

Results are immediately viewable after each race on the Scoreboard or alternatively on the Meet Mobile app available for download to smartphones; both of these are unofficial times.  Official times are available ~48hrs after the meet on our website and also NSW Swimmings.

Volunteering and Officiating

Are parents required to volunteer?

The club’s success relies entirely on volunteers.  As an example, to run a Friday Night race as an official race night, 16 volunteers are required to timekeep.  This is in addition to 10 committee members performing technical official roles around the pool.  As such, one of our conditions of membership is to volunteer when possible.  We recommend you read our Adults ONLY incentive program page for motivation.   

Can parents become officials?

Parents can become officials, and you don’t need to become a committee member, though we would encourage you to.

We recommend you visit NSW Swimmings Technical Official site to learn more, and/or feel free to approach any of the Ryde Carlile Committee Members on a Friday Night; they’re the adults wearing the RC shirts.

Carlile Clubs and Businesses

Who is CST and Carlile Swimming?

Carlile Swimming Team (CST) is a club formed in 2017 and provide an alternative competitive pathway for Ryde Carlile club swimmers as they advance their swimming abilities.  CST’s ‘home’ is on the Northern Beaches and hence fall under the Metro North East area, whereas the Ryde Carlile Club fall under the Metro North West area.    

A key service provided by CST is coaching services for performance squads across the Carlile swimming centres including Ryde. 

Carlile Swimming is a business providing learn to swim services across multiple swimming centres across Sydney.

For more details, contact one of the Ryde Carlile Committee Members and/or CST and/or Carlile Swimming.

Miscellaneous

How do I submit a complaint or dispute?

To lodge a complaint, contact the Club Member Protection Information Officer. Contact details can be found in Our Committee. The complaint will be tabled at the next committee meeting.

For disputes, contact the Club President and in the event of their unavailability then one of the Club Vice Presidents to discuss the matter.  The decision of the Club President or in their absence one of the Vice Presidents is final.