About Us
The Bear Creek Swim Team was formed 25+ years ago in the Bear Creek Subdivision. BCST fosters a team environment, yet still focuses on improving the skills of each individual swimmer. This combination results in strong, confident swimmers of all ages and abilities and a true team spirit.
As a member of the Northwest Aquatic League (NWAL), BCST is a competitive summer swim team for swimmers aged 4 to 18 years old. Our team is open to swimmers living in Bear Creek as well as those living in other neighborhoods that do not have a swim team in NWAL. Please contact the team president to find out more information.
Swim Season & Practices
Swim practice is critical to creating a successful team. Swim Team Season is short (only lasting about 12 weeks) and in order for individual swimmers and the team to improve and be truly successful, practice must be a priority. The Barracuda’s summer swim season typically starts in early April and runs through the end of June.
Swimmers practice five days a week throughout the season at a set time for their skill level. The practice schedule starts with after-school practices and switches to morning practices after school is out because the neighborhood pool is open to the public in the evening. We know swimmers won't be able to attend practice every day, but the more they attend, the more they improve. During the first few days of practice, swimmers will be tested, then assigned a group and practice time for the remainder of the season
Swim Meets
Team competitions, swim meets, are held on Saturday mornings and begin in early May. Meets are held each Saturday through the middle of June. Invitational swim meets will be held throughout the season and sometimes run on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Invitational meets are optional, some requiring minimum stroke times and costing additional.
The team will also have a Mock Meet meet typically held the first Saturday of May. The mock meet is important because it allows each swimmer to have an official time recorded for each stroke and event they’ll swim that season. The mock meet also allows new ‘Cuda families to see how a swim meet is run.
Swim Team Registration
Regular registration runs through April 10th, with late registration open until May 1st. Registration is online only, but will have 2 in-person registration events on March 20th and April 10th at the Bear Creek Clubhouse.
Parent Volunteers
BCST is a volunteer organization that is completely parent run. The only paid positions of the team are the coaches.
In order to have a successful swim team season, we must all give of our time. We need a variety of volunteers to serve in a variety of jobs, most of which are filled at our Saturday swim meets by working a specified volunteer job on a specified shift. We also need volunteers willing to fill jobs outside of swim meets. All volunteers will have the opportunity to see their child swim in every meet, regardless of the job they are working. Volunteering allows you to learn new skills, meet new people, and become part of the well-oiled machine that is swim team! We appreciate you as volunteers and as part of our swim team family.
Every family is required to pay a volunteer deposit to BCST in the form of a check. All families are required to earn volunteer points during the swim team season by volunteering at swim meets and/or by performing other swim team-related volunteer jobs. Volunteer points will be tallied weekly by the BCST volunteer coordinator and all families who accrue required points during the season will have their check returned to them at the end of the season. Those that do not accrue required points during the season will have their check cashed by BCST at the close of the season.
Volunteer points earned by BCST families will come from points attributed to each volunteer position available. Point values will vary according to job difficulty, hours spent on job, etc. Remember, we do not want to cash your check. We wants your help, not your money.
There is a new parent meeting held prior to the start of practice that addresses all the questions new swim team families might have about the upcoming season.
Team Gear
The Barracudas have their own team colors, which are black and green, and each family will have the opportunity to purchase a Barracuda team suit before the start of the season. However, swimmers are not required to purchase or wear a team suit when competing, but it is highly recommended to at least have a competition swim suit. Swimmers and parents will also be able to purchase other Bear Creek swim team related items like shirts, kick boards, swim caps from the merchandise tab on the website.
Team suits can be purchased directly from D&J Sports located at 617 Mason Road. www.djsports.com/katy Be sure to tell them you are with the Bear Creek Swim Team for a discount and to find the exact suit for our team.
NWAL Parent Code of Conduct
All team members and their families are required to follow the league (NWAL) rules and regulations (get more information on the Parent Code of Conduct at www.nwal.org) or view it on our website.
