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Case Study: Friendswood Area Swim Team

Texas swim club saves hundreds of administrative hours per season by using Active’s online registration solution.

Background

For over a quarter of a century, Friendswood Area Swim Team (FAST) has been helping kids get in shape, build character and have fun. Located south of Houston, FAST has become one of the most popular sports organizations in the city of Friendswood, with prospective swimmer’s parents camping out hours early for registration in hopes of grabbing one of the highly valued summer slots. FAST is open to swimmers ages 6‑18 and is completely run by local volunteers and parents who man five, day-long meets per season, as well as events throughout the summer months. As one of 22 teams in the Clear Creek Swim League, Friendswood Area Swim Team has become an iconic part of the local community that residents both young and old take pride in.

Challenges

Keeping an organization like FAST above water is a lot of work. Registration was an all-day event that took 30 volunteers 8 hours or more to process. Clerks were required to keep track of clipboards with volunteer information that needed transcription into a database every week. Worst of all, face-to-face confrontations would occur on registration day once all available spots filled up. Friendswood was in need of a digital solution that reduced the manual workload and saved parents a long morning of camping out. In 2009, Active Network, Endurance and Friendswood Area Swim Team joined forces to help make the lives of volunteers and parents easier.

Solution

Active’s easy-to-use interface and industry-leading reliability helped last year’s registration go swimmingly. Team President Steve Rockey was able to work closely with the Active team to customize an online race solution that was specifically tailored to their needs. After a flawless launch that easily handled dozens of simultaneous registrations, Active continued to demonstrate why it is the most trusted name in the business by streamlining volunteer signup and saving the clerk 6 hours per week in transcription work. Friendswood was able to accept and process payments online and forgo the process of manually handling checks.

Results

Active made an immediate impact on how Friendswood conducted business. Gone are the days of in-person registrations, long lines and even longer campouts. Now, with just a few clicks, parents can register their kids, sign up for volunteer shifts, choose which meet to participate in and more. This year, parents will even be able to purchase merchandise. Rockey estimates that Active has saved their volunteers hundreds of man hours in the past year. With outstanding reporting, worry-free registration and automatic payment processing, Active has proven to be a remarkable asset for board members, volunteers, parents and swimmers, alike.

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