This is Part Two of an editorial from SwimAtlanta, a swimming club that has remained among the top-three in the United States in terms of size and registration for decades. SwimAtlanta, among other swimming clubs in the U.S., registered many of its members with AAU in 2023 – rather than, or in addition to, USA Swimming. USA Swimming released their 2023 registration numbers in late March of 2024, reporting that enrollment fell by 18,000 members, a 4.61% decline. See Part One: SwimAtlanta Is Growing The Sport Of Swiming With AAU.
By SwimAtlanta
Financial Benefits of Transitioning to AAU
The decision to transition to AAU Swimming was not only driven by immediate operational benefits but also by significant financial advantages for both SwimAtlanta and its families. This article will explore how AAU simplifies the registration process, reduces costs, and ultimately respects the value of family time—a top priority for SwimAtlanta.
Simplified and Streamlined Registration Process
One of the most significant advantages of transitioning to AAU is the simplified and streamlined registration process. Under the previous USA Swimming system, families were responsible for registering their swimmers, often leading to delays, errors, and additional costs. With AAU, SwimAtlanta takes care of the entire registration process for all swimmers, ensuring that each athlete is correctly registered and ready to compete without any hassle for the parents.
This streamlined process not only saves time but also eliminates the stress and potential complications of managing registrations. Families no longer must worry about choosing the correct membership type or whether their swimmer is fully covered. SwimAtlanta’s automatic registration ensures that every swimmer is set up from the start, allowing families to focus on what matters most supporting their swimmers and spending quality time together.
Cost Savings for Families
Transitioning to AAU has brought about substantial cost savings for SwimAtlanta families. The membership fees under AAU are significantly lower than those of USA Swimming, with youth athlete memberships costing just $20. This reduction in fees makes competitive swimming more affordable and accessible, allowing more families to participate without the financial strain that can come with higher costs.
Moreover, the simplified registration process reduces hidden costs and the need for families to correct errors or upgrade memberships. By managing registrations internally, SwimAtlanta ensures that there are no unexpected expenses, providing families with a clear and predictable financial commitment.
Beyond just the membership fees, the overall structure of AAU meets tends to be more cost-effective. Meet entry fees are generally lower, and because SwimAtlanta handles all the logistics, families experience fewer last-minute changes or additional charges. This level of predictability and cost control is a significant benefit for busy families who need to manage their time and finances efficiently.
Valuing Family Time
At SwimAtlanta, we recognize that our swimmers’ families lead busy lives, balancing work, school, and other activities. That’s why our number one focus is to maximize the experience for our families by valuing their time and making swimming as convenient and enjoyable as possible.
The transition to AAU aligns perfectly with this goal. The simplified processes and lower costs mean less time spent on administrative tasks and more time available for family activities. Whether it’s spending a weekend together or simply enjoying the downtime between swim practices, our approach under AAU is designed to give families back their valuable time.
Additionally, SwimAtlanta’s commitment to handling the registration process and ensuring a seamless experience at meets means that families can focus on supporting their swimmer rather than dealing with logistical headaches. We believe that swimming should enhance family life, not complicate it, and our partnership with AAU helps us deliver on that promise.
A Comparison: Swim Meet Participation Under AAU vs. USA Swimming
To better illustrate the benefits, let’s compare the experience of a fictional swimmer, Sarah, under both the AAU and USA Swimming models as she prepares to participate in a swim meet.
Scenario 1: Sarah Under the AAU Model
Sarah’s parents register her with SwimAtlanta under the AAU model. The process is handled entirely by the club, and her $20 membership fee (which SwimAtlanta covers) covers everything she needs to participate. Meet fees are lower, and there are no unexpected charges. The family appreciates the straightforward approach, which allows them to focus on Sarah’s performance and enjoy the event as a family. The time saved from not having to navigate complex registrations or deal with unexpected costs is time they can spend together.
Scenario 2: Sarah Under the USA Swimming Model
Under the USA Swimming model, Sarah’s parents are responsible for her registration. They spend time navigating the various membership options, and if they make an error, it could lead to additional costs or even insurance issues. When it comes time for the meet, they find that the entry fees are higher than expected, and any errors in registration could mean Sarah is not eligible to compete. This adds stress to an already busy family schedule, detracting from the enjoyment of the event.
SwimAtlanta’s Commitment to Growth and Development
While SwimAtlanta now automatically registers all swimmers with AAU Swimming, we remain active with USA Swimming. Our goal is to expose young athletes to year-round swimming, allowing them to grow both as athletes and individuals. By offering a streamlined and cost-effective approach, we help families support their swimmers’ development without unnecessary financial or time burdens.
We understand that family time is a top priority for our swimmers’ families. Our approach under AAU is designed to respect and maximize this time, ensuring that swimming enhances family life rather than complicating it. By making the registration process easy, reducing costs, and managing meet logistics, we help families focus on what matters most—each other.
The transition to AAU Swimming has brought a wealth of financial benefits to SwimAtlanta and its members. By simplifying the registration process, reducing costs, and valuing family time, AAU has proven to be a financially and logistically sound choice for the club. SwimAtlanta is committed to providing an experience that enhances both the lives of our swimmers and their families, allowing everyone to enjoy the sport to the fullest.
So, what are the *actual* differences in meet structures? That section of the article just seems to point back to USAS registration challenges, nothing about the meet signup, structure, or programming.
What are the governing rules and officiating requirements for AAU sanctioned meets?
AAU is taking a team from USA to Bahrain this year. Last year the trip was to Brazil. Details on this link. https://blog.swimisca.org/travel-and-compete-in-a-meet-in-bahrain-with-team-usa-in-october-2024/
Families pay, of oourse.
What about the fact that USA swimming doesn’t recognize the times at AAU meets? State records also aren’t official unless swum at USA sanctioned meets?
Teams are tending to register their lower-level swimmers with AAU, ones who won’t be going to Junior Nationals or setting State Records.
But yes, you’re right, those are downsides of AAU (if your long-term goal as an athlete is getting cuts for meets and breaking state records).
I’ll be honest this entire article stinks like a propaganda piece written for AAU and against US Swimming. With statements about more family time, it almost sounds like it was written by some PR firm that was never involved in club swimming. Registration is once a year, takes maybe 15 minutes on the computer not a big deal. Signing up for meets is on the team unify system which is easy to use. If you want to sell teams and parents on AAU list of some examples of the exact difference in fees. Give some examples of how much cheaper it would be for an average 2 day swim meet with 4 events each day.
Swimming needs to rethink… Read more »
Great god, you’ve cracked the code! Genius! Where’s a spare Nobel Prize when you need it!?
What the article does not discuss is if the coaches under the AAU program have the same credentials as USA Swimming coaches. AAU member coaches take one course and hopefully the state mandated courses and a limited background screen. Penny wise and pound foolish in this era of Safe Sport. The USA Swimming organization is held to different more costly standards by USOPC and some clubs like to circumvent those requirements. Clubs like to paint a different picture but question their true motives. Much easier to use older age group swimmers as coaches.
Am I missing something here? My daughter was a USS/USA swimmer during her career in the 80’s and 90’s, and now her daughters are USA swimmers. I don’t understand the comments about more family time with AAU swimming; what family time are we missing with USA swimming? Our son-in-law registers the girls once a year, simple process. We’ve never had issues with their memberships at USA meets. There may be other problems with USA swimming (we haven’t run into any), but the family time comments in this article seem pretty farfetched.
My guess is that these swimmers don’t want the commitment of a USA team. Maybe they’re just looking for a couple of practices a week and a handful of meets a year?
If filling out a registration form for USA swimming is too complicated for parents, good luck filling out the FAFSA in a few years!
Meet fees are set by the host club, why are they lower with aau as opposed to USA swimming?
Perhaps that there are no lsc fees with each swim for AAU meets. LSC typically charge “Splash fees” that add up if you are swimming 2-3 events per day over a 3 day meet
In our LSC, Sierra Nevada, 50% of the meet fees go to the LSC, so meet entries are quite expensive