Frequently Asked Questions

Below is ABSC's Preseason Prep Email sent 8/2/2023 for the upcoming season!

Our 2023/2024 season begins at the end of this month! Hope everyone has a smooth transition back to school, and we are so excited for our next season to get underway!

START DATES FALL 2023!!!

  • Monday, August 28th: Gups, Pups, Superpups, Dawgs Flex, Senior Flex, Homeschool, Masters
  • Wednesday, August 23rd: Dawgs 2, Dawgs 1, Senior 2
  • Senior 1: Check with Coach Adam

Gear and Equipment

  • Team Vendor. We are happy to once again order gear, team suits, and caps through our friends at Reddiset!
  • Free Shipping: They will open a free shipping window in just a couple of weeks, and are once again offering bundle discounts for required practice group gear. I'll send the shipping window dates as soon as I have them!
  • Cap and Shirt. We'll provide the complimentary ABSC cap and T-shirt before the Red & Black Meet.
  • Last Name Caps. Order window opening soon for last name caps. 
    • Cap note: We've worked with Reddiset to pick out a different third party cap vendor this year, and expect the quality of caps (Color, thickness, etc.) to be back to the standard it was at in previous seasons). 

IMPORTANT LINKS TO BOOKMARK (Also on ABSC Website)

Annual Registration Fee

  • Returning member: we will bill you for the annual registration fee coming up later this month! Originally we had planned on August 1st, however we'll push that date back until later this month. We'll make sure to give fair warning before it arrives.

Re-enrollment for the new season

  • If you haven't completed the 2023/2024 Re-enrollment, please do so ASAP! 
  • If you have, PLEASE DON'T Fill it out again. 

Thanks everyone, and we can't wait to get back in the pool soon! Go Dawgs!

FAQS

What is Athens Bulldog Swim Club (ABSC)?

We are a club swim team registered with USA Swimming, located in Athens, Ga. Think of us as the swimming equivalent to club soccer, travel baseball, AAU basketball or a competitive gymnastics gym. 

Is ABSC a year-round team?

Yes, but... you don't have to swim year round! Especially in our adult group, our developmental groups (Gups, Pups and Superpups), and our Flex Groups (Dawgs Flex for middle schoolers, Senior Flex for High Schoolers). We offer monthly billing so swimmers can come and go as they please.

Does ABSC take any breaks? 

Yes! We take off most of August, and don't bill in August. We also take off for Spring Break each April, and a few days around holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, and the 4th of July.

Does ABSC offer lessons? 

We teach small group lessons through our Bulldog Swim School! We teach everyone from babies to adults the basics of learn-to-swim and safety and survival skills. For swimmers who are already independent swimmmers, we teach the competitive strokes to get them ready for competitive swimming like summer league, or our own competitive team.

What are the main differences between long course and short course?

Short course is the 25-yard format. 

  • Used by summer leagues, high school swimming, and NCAA swimming.
  • 1 length of the pool = 25 yards
  • We swim short course September - March.

Long course is the 50-meter format. 

  • Used by USA swimming teams like us in in the summer months
  • this is the internation and Olympic format used everyone globally except for the US.
  • 1 lenght of the pool = 50 meters.
    • Note the use of the metric system, meters instead of "yards." Meters are slightly longer than yards, so times do not convert directly from short course to long course.
    • Long course times are not as fast due to the extra length of meters vs. yards, and the fact that there are fewer turns and underwaters to speed up the swims.