The Plantation Club Porpoises offer recreational, competitive swimming 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 Plantation Club Porpoises swim team provides a great way for kids to make friends and build self confidence! Our mission is to promote physical fitness and teach our swimmers teamwork, team spirit and sportsmanship - and we hope our swimmers learn to love the sport too!

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 use the Contact Us form.
3. When does registration open for the swim team? Registration for the 2026 season will open 3/9 for returning swimmers and 3/23 for new swimmers. Check the website for more details at that time.
4. If I do not live in Julington Creek, can my child swim on the swim team? If you currently live in a community with a SJSSL team (for example, Durbin Crossing) you are not eligible to swim with the Porpoises and must swim with your resident team. If you live in an area where there is not another SJSSL team, you can swim with the Porpoises however, you must pay the JCP CDD fees to access the pool.
5. When does the season start? The season will run from late April through July. See the website calendar for more details.
6. What are the registration fees? See the website for fees, under Team > Fees.
7. What strokes do the swimmers use in competition? Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
8. 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 lap pool (25 yards), without assistance. Swimmers new to the team (any age) are required to attend the swimming evaluation.
9. What is SJSSL? SJSSL is the St. Johns Summer Swim League. This is the league that Plantation Club Porpoises participates in. The website is https://stjohnssummerswimleague.swimtopia.com

Swim Team Practices

1. How often and when is practice? The practice schedule is available on the website.
2. What happens if we have a conflict and my child is not able to attend practice? Practices are offered 3-5 times a week. It is at your discretion how many practices your child attends. You will see the most progress if you child attends 2 or more days.
3. Does a child have to swim in a particular number of practices during the week in order to swim in a meet? We encourage all children to swim in two practices to be eligible to participate in the swim meet that week, though it is not required. 
4. Does my child need to wear the team swim suit during practice? During a meet? What brand, and where do I buy it? No special swim suits are needed during practice, except that girls must wear a one piece swimsuit. Boys are encouraged to wear jammers. Swimmers are required to wear the team suit during meets. 

Swim Meets

1. When are the meets, and where are they held? The meets are on Saturday mornings - the schedule will be posted on our website. We have home meets at the Aquatics Center and away meets throughout St. John's County.
2. How long does a meet last? Meets usually last about 3-4 hours. They usually start around 7am with Warm-ups then the first event is at 8:00AM.
3. 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.
4. What if I signed up for a Swim Meet but can no longer attend? If it is less than a week before the meet, the heat sheet may already have been submitted so please contact the head coach to let them know your swimmer can no longer attend.
5. 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.
6. How can I check if I have RSVPd for an event? Read here for detailed instructions: https://pcporpoises.swimtopia.com/how-to-sign-up-for-a-swim-meet
7. What are those swimmers writing on their arms? In order for everyone to remember, swimmers should write their events on their arms or legs, etc. In the illustration below E = the event number, H = the heat number and L = the lane assigned. FR is freestyle, BK is backstroke, Fly is butterfly and included with those is the length of the swim in yards. Here is the way that most swimmers do it:

Volunteering

1. Are there any parent volunteer requirements? Yes, each swim family must meet their volunteer commitment as agreed at registration. The swim meets are entirely volunteer run.
2. 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 and 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. It takes approximately 50-60 volunteers to run a home meet, see the Parent Handbook for a list of roles and descriptions.
3. How do I know what volunteer jobs I signed up for? If something changes we ask though that you find a replacement and advise the Volunteer Coordinator of this change should you need to cancel, they will help you with a replacement if you cannot find one on your own. To view your assignments, log into the website, then click on My Account under your name (upper right side of the website). You will see all of the jobs you are signed up for on the next screen: