Welcome to the Galveston Island Hurricanes
About GIST
The Galveston Island Hurricanes is a year-round swim club affiliate of USA Swimming; we offer both swim lessons and a competitive swim team. Newcomers may join the competitive team practices for a week free of charge. We have training and practice groups for swimmers ages 4-18 and all ability levels. It is our goal to offer age specific training for all of our athletes geared towards challenging and developing each individual to the best of their abilities.
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Announcements
Central Middle School Pool Closures and Lightning Policy:
- Central Middle School Pool follows GISD school closures during the school year.
- Central MS Pool will be closed on major holidays including the week of Thanksgiving and Winter Break.
- If there is lightning in the immediate vicinity of Central MS, all swimmers will be asked to exit the pool.
- Please plan to stay at practice at Central MS in case of pool closure.
Ball High School Pool Closures:
- Ball HS will vary from GISD school closures due to the competition team practices. Please make sure you are following "GIST" and "GIST Competition Team" on the REMIND app to stay up to date with the closures.
- Due to construction and maintenance issues at the school, there may be unexpected pool closures. Coaches will do their best to communicate in advance of any changes to the schedule due to maintenance. Please follow the REMIND app for updates.
- Please bring sneakers to practice for dryland in case of pool closures.
There will be NO January swim assessments or registrations.
Assessments will resume on February 5th at 7pm at Central.
USA Swimming Registration Renewal- Important Update:
If you were registered this year with USA Swimming prior to September, your registration will need to be renewed online by December 6th.
How to Renew:
- Go to www.usaswimming.org. (You must know your login credentials.)
- Log in to your portal.
- Click the “Renew Memberships” button on the home page.
- Follow the instructions to renew your swimmer’s registration including making payment online. (This payment is for USA Swimming only and NOT your registration with GIST- Instructions will be made for renewing your GIST annual registration.)
If you need assistance with registration renewal, you may register in person with the Registrar at Central Middle School Pool on December 11th at 5:30pm.
If you are not registered online by December 6th or in person on December 11th, you may not continue to swim with GIST.
Swim Classes
We offer five levels of classes for children ages 4-18 - from first-time beginners to more advanced swimmers.
Normally, all assessments (where new children swim for a coach so that they can be assigned to a class), will be on the 1st Monday of the month at 7:15 p.m. at Central Middle School. It is not necessary to make arrangements ahead of time - parents can just show up with their children in swim suits for a quick swim to assess their skills.
Swimmers ages 11-18 make up the Galveston Island Hurricanes. Coach Will challenges each swimmer to progress from their current level of skills, whether they are new swimmers or seasoned competitors. The team will resume competition in USA Swimming regional meets in July.
Until October 15, 2023, practices are 90 minutes long and are offered in the following sessions at Ball High School:
M 6-7:30pm
T 6-7:30pm
W 6-7:30pm
Th 6-7:30pm
Beginning October 16, 2023, practices will last 2 hrs four days a week. Periodically, practices will include a dry land workout. Please bring socks and shoes to practice on these days per Coach's announcement.
M 6-8:00pm
T 6-8:00pm
W 6-8:00pm
Th 6-8:00pm
