Swim-a-thon

The Swim-a-thon for the Iowa City Eels will be held on the morning of Saturday 26 April.  Everyone is invited to participate.  Swim-a-thon is a fundraiser in which participants earn money for their team by swimming lengths of the pool.  It’s also a lot of fun!  Here's how it works:

  1. Swimmers have a 2-hour period to swim a maximum of 200 lengths. 
  2. Participants get pledges from businesses, family members, and neighbors prior to the event.  Some choose to get pledges and money prior to swimming, while others get pledges/length and collect the money following the swim-a-thon. 
  3. Pledge forms will be passed out at practice on Monday 14 April.  Extra sheets will be available in the filing cabinet at Mercer Aquatic Center. 
  4. Pledge forms and money will be due by 30 April.  Please put them in the Iowa City Eels Drop Box at Mercer (to keep the money secure).
  5. A specific time schedule for the swim-a-thon will be posted at a later date.

The Swim-a-thon is the Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year.  Only 5% or $12 (whichever is lower) of the monies collected for the swim-a-thon are passed onto USA Swimming while the remaining amount stays in our club.  In addition, your family receives fundraising credit for the amount of money you raise (minus the 5% or $12).  The work you put into raising money will also increase community awareness of our team and the sport of swimming overall.  It’s a great way to let people know that the sport of swimming is alive and well in the Iowa City area!

In addition, swimmers can also earn prizes from USA Swimming:

  1. Swim 100-200 lengths and receive a Swim-a-thon pin
  2. Earn $500-$749.99 and receive a USA Swimming t-shirt
  3. Earn $750-999.99 and earn a USA Swimming towel
  4. Earn $1000 or more and earn a USA Swimming bag

    5. We also need parents to participate. Please e-mail Gregg Shoultz at communicator@iceels.org to sign up for the following: 
  1. Provide breakfast snacks (bagels, muffins, etc.) and drinks for the swimmers
  2. Count laps
  3. Collect and organize pledge forms
    4. Click here to see what items are still needed!

We encourage you to participate!  It’s a great way to build community amongst our club and raise money at the same time.  We hope to see everyone on Saturday 26 April!  Until then, spread the word that the POOL is the COOL place to be!

Swim-a-Thon is a fundraiser in which participants earn money for their team by swimming lengths of the pool. Swimmers have a two-hour period to swim a maximum of 200 lengths. Participants get pledges from businesses, family, neighbors, etc. prior to swimming. Some choose to get pledges and money prior to swimming while others get pledges per length and collect the money following the Swim-a-Thon. With over 500 Swim-a-Thons conducted each year, this program has proven itself over and over again as a successful method of raising funds for teams.

The exciting benefits of this program are that Swim-a-Thon is not only an excellent fundraiser, but also an opportunity for teams to combine swimming and a social event. Additionally, Swim-a-Thon can boost team spirit and increase community awareness of the team.

Since USA Swimming owns the Swim-a-Thon trademark, organizations must sign a contract agreeing to certain conditions regarding use of the term Swim-a-Thon, how a Swim-a-Thon is run, the collecting of donations, etc. Once a club completes the contract, USA Swimming supplies a detailed 30-page handbook that contains forms, promotional materials and all that is necessary for conducting a well-organized fund-raising event.

Swim-a-Thon is the only pledge for length swimming program recognized by USA Swimming and USA Swimming insurance. Swim-a-Thon® is a registered trademark owned by USA Swimming. Holding a Swim-a-Thon® without a contract would be a violation of this trademark. Any other type of swim for laps, lap-a-thon, etc. is also considered by the courts to be a violation of the registered Swim-a-Thon® trademark.