Garden Hills Cool Sharks

2026 registration will open July 15th at noon.

If you already have a SwimTopia account (for any athlete from any team including other Garden Hills teams), please log in before registration opens to be sure you remember your password and have no issues logging in.

If you are new to SwimTopia, please create your account in advance, to save time during registration, by going to https://my.swimtopia.com/.

The Cool Sharks Fall Team is a developmental swim team focused on stroke and technique instruction and endurance training. It's a smaller more laid-back version of our Summer Team, and a perfect way to start as a new Cool Shark, keep swimming if you already miss it, or stay in shape for school swim season. There will be one end-of-season meet on Saturday September 12th at Garden Hills at 9:00 am. This is our only meet for the season.

Requirements:

• Swimmers must be 5 years old by 8/1/26. Advanced 4-year-olds may be allowed by special permission, if they meet the requirements below and have the maturity and independence required for our practices.
• NEW THIS YEAR: The Garden Hills Cool Sharks swim team is open to City of Atlanta residents only (non-residents who were on the 2025 team will be grandfathered).
• NEW THIS YEAR: All swimmers must be able to swim 25 yards of freestyle in under 60 seconds. They need to be comfortable putting their face in the water and breathing while swimming. We may allow 6&under swimmers who are close to this standard to join the team (at coach discretion), but for 7&over this is now a strict requirement.
• Older swimmers (age 11+) should already have a basic knowledge of all four strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) and be able to swim at least three of the four strokes legally in competition (newer swimmers may need private lessons to catch up).
• We will have New Swimmer Evaluations on Monday 8/3 and Tuesday 8/4 for new swimmers ages 10 & under. Families who will be out of town on those dates should email to schedule their evaluation. Swimmers who are determined by the coaches to not be ready will have their registration cancelled and refunded.
• All families will be expected to volunteer at the end-of-season meet if attending.
• Families with an outstanding balance on their account from a previous season will not be allowed to register until the balance is paid in full.
• Swimmers do not need to be a member of the Garden Hills Pool or the Cool Sharks Summer Swim Team in order to participate. 
• NEW THIS YEAR: Swimmers cannot be members of a different summer swim team, including other ASA teams or country club teams. 

Registration Dates:

7/15 - 7/31 (late registration on a space-available basis 8/1-8/15). Families should log in before registering. New families may create an account in advance or during the registration process. 

Program Dates:

8/3 - 9/12

Practice Schedule:

Click HERE. Swimmers are assigned to age groups based on their age as of 8/1/2026 (this is the ASA cutoff date).

Fee Structure for the 2026 Fall Season:

• Cool Sharks Registration Fee: $225 per swimmer
• There is no ASA League Fee this year (we are no longer participating in the ASA fall league - this is a $35 savings per family!)

*Registration fees include a non-personalized silicone Garden Hills swim cap for new swimmers. Team t-shirts and bags will be available for purchase during registration (these are the same as our Summer Team shirts if you already have one).

Wait List:

If your swimmer's age group is full, you will see a message during registration, along with a link to register for the wait list. Your swimmer's name will be added to the wait list in the order in which you register. Openings on the team will be filled according to the following priorities: (1) returning Cool Sharks members, (2) former Shark Pups members, (3) previously waitlisted families, (4) new families. If you register for the wait list and would later like your name removed (which you may do at any time before being placed in an opening), please email your request to [email protected]. Once your child has been placed in an opening and your card has been charged, you will be subject to the refund policy below. 

Refunds:

• Full refunds, minus a $25 administration fee per swimmer, will be given for voluntary withdrawal before 8/1 if we are able to fill your spot with another swimmer from the waitlist.
• Partial refunds of $100 will be given through the first week of practice (until 8/8).
• Partial refunds of $50 will be given through 8/15.
• Full refunds will be given to any swimmer who is determined by the coach to not yet be ready for the team.
• No refunds will be given after 8/15.
• Payment processing fees are non-refundable.