ROW Swim Club FAMILY PARTICIPATION PROGRAM (Updated Sept 2025)
What is the FAMILY PARTICIPATION PROGRAM? Why is it required?
The Region of Waterloo (ROW) swim club is a member-run, not-for-profit organization. The club relies on its members to volunteer to run it and support activities such as hosted swim meets, events, and ongoing operations. Volunteers are essential to:
- Club operations (Board of Directors) - Coordinating events and fundraising (e.g., committee members)
- Planning and officiating at swim meets (Meet Management, Officials)
By volunteering, families help minimize costs (which directly impact fees) while being active participants in their child’s swim career. The FAMILY PARTICIPATION PROGRAM (FPP) is a points-based system that fairly distributes the workload across the membership.
How many FAMILY PARTICIPATION POINTS (FPPs) are required?
- First-year families (regardless of group) who have never been a part of a competitive swim team are exempt from the FPP requirement if they (1) attend a New Parent Orientation and (2) sign up for the Introduction to Officiating (Timekeeper) and Safety Marshal e-modules during the season (information is available on the ROW website and at Swim Ontario Level 1 Certification).
- Failure to complete the offered training for first-year families will result in a season-end charge of $200 per family.
- For member families with multiple swimmers, FPP obligations are based on the swimmer group requiring the highest number of FPPs.
- Families are encouraged to volunteer on-deck at least one meet per season.
- Point requirement will be prorated if a swimmer joins or leaves the club part way through the season based on number of membership months.
Table 1. FPP POINTS by Group
| Group |
FPP POINTS |
|---|---|
| TOPs 1 |
4.0 |
| TOPs 2 |
4.0 |
| TOPs 3 |
4.0 |
| TOPs 4 & 5 |
4.0 |
| JD2 |
8.0 |
| JD1 |
8.0 |
| RSA Age Group |
4.0 |
| RSA Competitive |
8.0 |
| Age Group Development |
8.0 |
| Provincial Dev 3 (PD3) |
8.0 |
| Provincial Dev 2 (PD2) |
10.0 |
| Provincial Dev 1 (PD1) |
10.0 |
| Senior Development |
10.0 |
| National Development |
12.0 |
FPP requirements are prorated if a swimmer joins or leaves mid-season.
How are FAMILY PARTICIPATION POINTS (FPPs) earned?
- Member families earn FPPs during the official swim season (Sept–end of season).
- Members must meet the minimum job requirements to be accepted for a volunteer position as an Official, as outlined by Swim Ontario Becoming an Official.
- Members may recruit family members (grandparents, high school-aged siblings, etc.) to volunteer provided they meet the minimum job requirements. At sign-up, the family name for which the points are to be awarded must be specified.
- Members can earn points on behalf of another member provided they indicate that intention in writing at signup. Points cannot be transferred after an event.
- FPPs have no cash value and expire at the end of each season.
- Members are not permitted to carry over points to the following season.
What if my family does not earn the required FAMILY PARTICIPATION POINTS (FPPs)?
- A member family that does not meet their points requirements by the end of their season will be charged $50 for every FPP below the required number. For example, should a family with a 12 FPP obligation finish the season having earned 8 FPPs, there will be a charge of $200 (4 x $50).
- Penalty will be applied to each account at the end of each season.
NOTE: Currently, ROW does not charge a fee for families who do not work at meets, although many other clubs do. Some clubs even charge mandatory meet-working fees in addition to their FPP requirements if families do not volunteer. We are hopeful not to go down this path.
For reference, those policies often state: A member family that does not work at least one meet during the season will be charged an additional $200 flat fee. This is in addition to the points requirements and charge of $50 for every point not earned.
Examples of ROW-hosted meets include Fall First Try, ROW Novice #1, Dean Boles, Cunningham Classic, and ROW Novice #2.
Tracking and Transparency
Starting this season, a new system will track and make FPP progress visible:
- Group Parents and the FPP Board Lead will set up a Google tracking form per group.
- Families will submit earned points via the link.
- Group parent will approve the points submitted in their group.
- Group Parents will approve submissions and provide monthly updates.
- These training-based FPP requirements will be reflected in the official tracking tables.
A workflow will be issued by the group parent upon kick-off each year. This system ensures fairness, transparency, and easy monitoring for all members.
FAMILY PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES & POINTS VALUES
| Category |
Assignment |
Minimum Requirements |
FPP Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-Deck Roles (Meets) |
See Swimming Canada Officials’ requirements for Officiating https://swimming.ca/en/certification/ All positions are on approval of the Chief Officials Coordinator |
||
| Swim Meets – Meet Manager |
Attends all sessions |
Level II |
Full FPP |
| Competition Coordinator |
|
Level IV |
5 FPP per session |
| Session Referee |
|
Level III |
4 FPP per session |
| Starter |
|
Level II |
3 FPP per session |
| Chief Finish Judge/Electronics |
|
Level II |
3 FPP per session |
| Clerk of Course |
|
Level II |
3 FPP per session |
| Chief Timer |
|
Level II |
3 FPP per session |
| Volunteer Coordinator/Announcer |
|
Level II |
3 FPP per session |
| Stroke Judge |
|
Level I |
2 FPP per session |
| Inspector of Turns |
Level I | 2 FPP per session | |
| Head Lane Timer |
|
Level I |
2 FPP per session |
| Timer and/or Safety Marshall |
|
Level I |
1 FPP per session |
| Marshalling |
|
Level I |
1 FPP per session |
| Runner/Awards |
|
N/A |
1 FPP per session |
| Officiating at a Non-ROW Meet |
|
Relevant Clinic and Level |
FPP as per ROW swim meet position |
| Off-Deck Roles |
Board of Directors |
Steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, as well as by making sure the non-profit has adequate resources to advance its mission. Experience: Strong commitment to ROW and requisite professional experience in the fields of sport, finance, media, and/or fundraising. |
Full FPP |
| Group Parents |
|
Manage all Group communication from Board down, escalate questions, concerns, track and manage group FPP’s, support getting Social Media committee content from group at swim meets (real time) |
Full FPP |
| Committees |
Working Committee Member (approx. 4 meetings per year plus work between meetings). Communications External Relations Fundraising Human Resources (HR) Social Events |
|
½ of Full FPP |
| Officiating |
Clinic Teaching |
Level III and above |
|
| Officiating Dinner/Picnic/Gala |
Attend Officials Clinics |
|
1 FPP |
| Swimathon Volunteer |
Raise at least $50 / Raise at least $500 |
|
1 FPP if at least $50 and less than $500 was raised.* Full FPP if at least $500 was raised. *note: this is 1 FPP total, not 1 FPP per $50 |
| Equipment & Merchandise |
|
|
½ of Full FPP |
| Website development and web admin |
|
|
Full FPP |
| Photographer & photography coordinator |
|
|
Full FPP |
| Social Media Manager and Content Creation |
|
|
Full FPP |
| Chaperone |
|
|
½ of Full FPP |
| Off the Blocks Meeting |
1 FPP | ||
| Events & Other |
|
As determined by the lead. Other can be many needs that may come up during the season. |
TBD |
Group Parent Responsibilities
As a Group Parent, you’ll play a key role in keeping your training group connected, organized, and motivated.
Responsibilities include:
- Tracking Family Participation Points (FPPs) for all athletes in your group through a Google portal.
- Approving FPP points that parents enter or that are passed along by meet management.
- Hosting a group chat (most use Signal) to keep coaches updated and share important info.
- Arrange at least 2 team building events through the season (ie) team breakfast, team social event (coach should be invited to events).
- Acting as the main communicator between parents, coaches, and the club.
- Take primarily videos and some photography through the season at swim meets/social events etc for social media submissio
- Arrange 1 bottle drive, toy drive, or similar fundraising activity for donation to a children’s charity as selected by Head Coach
- Passing along group photos to the Social Media Committee so they can be shared on ROW’s official channels.
Structure & Commitment:
- Each training group will have one Group Parent.
- Groups with more than two training sub-groups will have two Group Parents.
- Because this role requires heavier lifting and a full-season commitment, Group Parents are eligible to receive credit for their full FPP requirement for the season.
Requirements:
- Download and use of the Signal messaging app.
- Join a Group Parent chat room
- Start a Signal chat room for swim parents on your team to join
- Follow a non disclosure swimmers list before submitting any videos or photos for social media or newsletter use
- Follow all Swim Ontario policies and guidelines on photography & videography
- Submit a list of your completed responsibilities in January and again in June to your Social Media Board rep to receive credit for FPPs
- use head coach submission guidelines for swim meets
If you’re organized, communicative, and excited to help strengthen the ROW community, this is a great way to contribute while making the season more fun for everyone!
