The WGV Fighting Turtles offer recreational, competitive swimming for swimmers ages 5 to 18 with individual events in four strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly), individual medley (all four strokes in one event), medley relay, and freestyle relay. There are six age groups: 6 & under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18. Besides offering swimmers the opportunity to develop their skills in competition, the Fighting Turtles Swim Team provides a great way for kids to make friends and build self confidence!

General Swim Team Questions

1. What is the swim team and why would I want my child to participate? It's fun. It's great exercise. It builds confidence. It's a great way for your child to meet other kids in the neighborhood. It's a great way for you to meet other parents.

2. Who can answer my questions about the swim team? Hopefully, most questions are answered in this FAQ, but if not you can contact any Board Member to ask any additional questions. We will have a Meet & Greet on March 6th at the Murabella Amenity Center from 6:00-8:00pm, where we'd be happy to answer your questions.

3. When does Registration open for swim team? Registration for 2024 will open on March 6th for Murabella, Turnburry, and Royal Pines neighborhoods and then on March 20th for other neighborhoods.  Registration will close on April 30th. Check our News section for information on how and when to register.

4. What are the registration fees? For 2025 the fees are $200 for your 1st swimmer, $180 for the 2nd swimmer, and $160 for each additional swimmer. Your registration fee includes a team t-shirt, and a team swim cap. Additional team shirts and caps can be purchased for family members after registration.  Registrants who live outside of MuraBella, and/or Turnbull and 9 Mile Creek CDDs will be charged an addition $20 for facility fees.  There is a family cap of $60. There will also be a $30 St. Johns Summer Swim League fee for every registered swimmer. League fees include costs associated with swimmer insurance, volunteer background checks, Champs Meet, and other administrative related items.

5. When does the season start? The swim season (including practices) runs April 15th- July 14th. See the website calendar for more details.

6. What strokes do the swimmers use in competition? Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Swimmers ages 8 and Under will only swim 25 meters or one length of the pool while swimmers 9-18 will swim 50 meters or more for their events.

7. What swimming strokes does my child need to know to join the team? Your child does not need to know any strokes to join the swim team. They do, however, need to be able to swim the length of the pool (1 lap or 25 yards), without assistance. 

8. What is SJSSL? SJSSL is the St. Johns Summer Swim League. This is the league that WGV Fighting Turtles participates in. Their website is http://sjssl.swim-league.us/.

Swim Team Practices

9. How often and when is practice? The practice schedule is available on the website. Practices, while school is in session, are in the afternoons. Once school is out, swim practice will be available on select days in the mornings.

10. What happens if we have a conflict and my child is not able to attend practice? Practices are offered 3-4 times a week. It is at your discretion how many practices your child attends. You will see the most progress if your child attends 3 or more days.

11. Does my child need to wear the team swimsuit during practice? During a meet? What brand, and where do I buy it?

No, special swimsuits are needed during practice, except that girls must wear a one-piece swimsuit. Boys are encouraged to wear jammers, which are tight-fitting shorts that go just above the knee. You will be able to purchase a team swimsuit to wear during swim meets from Williams Athletics off CR-210 St Johns County.

Swim Meets

12. When are the meets, and where are they held? The meets are on Saturday mornings - the schedule is posted on our website under Swim Meets. We have home meets at the Murabella Swimming Pool and away meets throughout St. John's County. All sites are within a 20-25 minute drive, depending on traffic and lights.

13. How long does a meet last? Meets usually last about 3-4 hours. They usually start around 7:00 AM with Warm-ups then the first event is at 8:00 AM.

14. Do swimmers have to attend every swim meet/practice? We know things come up, so we try to make swim team as flexible as you need it to be. Attending all meets and practices is beneficial, but please do not rearrange schedules or move vacation plans. Summer swim team should be a fun, supplemental summer activity, not a burden for your family.

15. What is a dual meet? And tri-meet? A dual meet is held between two swim teams and tri-meet is held between three swim teams. One swim club is the host team and the other(s) is the visiting team. The schedule is posted on the website under Swim Meets. There is a championship meet in July.

16. Are there any parent volunteer requirements? Yes, each swim family must volunteer at least 4 sessions (each meet is divided into 2 sessions). The swim meets are entirely volunteer run so your participation is vital to making the season a success.

17. How can I check if I have RSVPd for an event? Go to Swim Meets on our website. Select RSVP for the meet you are questioning. Type in your email, the email where you are currently receiving our emails. It will bring up whatever you have already signed up for. You can leave as is or change. Just hit save when done. NO CHANGES CAN BE MADE AFTER THE MEET SIGN UP DEADLINE HAS PASSED.

18. How can I check if I am volunteering for an event? Sign in to your account and click on Manage My Account. Once you click there it will tell you what job/session/ and swim meet you are signed up to volunteer for. If you would like to sign up for additional Volunteer jobs, go to Swim Meets on our website. Select the swim meet you want to sign up for and click on Job Sign Up. From there you will be able to see what jobs are still available. You can add your name to available positions but you cannot delete any once you have saved your selection. We do ask though that you find a replacement and advise us of this change should you need to cancel.

19. How can I help the team? It's an all-volunteer effort, and there is always something more that can be done. Consider becoming a starter or stroke & turn official. The officiating is all volunteer, and it always helps to have more people trained to step in when others have scheduling conflicts for a meet. You may also enjoy the meet more when you know the rules well, in addition to being able to help in your child's swimming development. Some positions such as Timers and Stroke & Turn Officials have a front row seat to the swimming events and will have an unlimited supply of cold water brought to them throughout the meet. Visit here for a brief description of the various volunteer positions.

It takes approximately 50-60 volunteers to run a home meet some of which include:

• Starter (league training required – once a season)
• Stroke & Turn Officials (league training required – once a season)
• Head Timer
• Timers
• Set Up/ Breakdown
• Computer Data Entry
• Runners
• Announcer
• Heat Ribbon distributors
• Event Flippers
• Concessions
• Ready Bench

20. What does the writing on the swimmers mean? Each Friday before a swim meet you will be sent a Heat Sheet letting you know which events your swimmer(s) will be competing in along with the specific heat and lane numbers. In order for everyone to remember, swimmers should write their events on their shoulder and arms. Here is an example of the way that most swimmers do it:

E = Event #, H= Heat # and L = Lane assigned
the rest is the length of the event (meters) and the stroke.

FR = Freestyle, BK=Backstroke, FL/FLY= Butterfly and BR=Breaststroke.