PREVIEW — draft for board review

Join the Burlington Aquatic Devilrays

Competitive swimming for ages 5–18 in Burlington — from first strokes with the Splash Rays to provincial and national racing. Coached pathways, a volunteer-run club, and a team your family belongs to.

How joining works

Four steps from first contact to your first practice.

Tell us about your swimmer

Fill in the Tryout Request Form (2 minutes). You'll get an automatic confirmation right away.

We'll invite you to a tryout

Tryouts run in September, November, February and June, space permitting. We reply to every request within 5 business days — even if the answer is "you're on the waitlist."

Swim for a coach

A short in-water assessment (bring suit, cap, goggles). The coach recommends the right group for your swimmer.

Get your placement offer and register

Your offer email includes the group, the fee schedule, and your registration link. You create your own account, register and pay online. Done — see you on deck.

Which program fits my swimmer?

Every swimmer is placed by a coach after tryout — this is a guide, not a strict cutoff.

Splash Rays (Pre-Competitive)

Age 9 & under

Swim 25 m unassisted, without stopping.

Development — Novice, Junior 1 & 2

Novice & Junior 2: 10 & under · Junior 1: 12 & under

25 m freestyle + backstroke; may be asked to show breaststroke and/or butterfly.

Competitive — Intermediate, Senior

Int 2: 11 & under · Int 1: 12 & under · Int 3: 13 & under · Senior: 13 & over

Prior competitive experience; endurance and technique in all four strokes.

Performance — incl. Elite Performance Team

Youth Performance: 12 & under · Senior Performance: 13 & over

Advanced competitive swimmers. Tryout by invitation — request below and select "Elite Performance."

Not sure? Request a tryout anyway — the coaches place every swimmer at the level where they'll thrive.

Not quite ready? If your swimmer can't yet swim 25 m unassisted, a learn-to-swim program is the right next step — come back to us once they've got their 25 m.

Fees & commitment

What it costs, and what it takes to be a BAD family.

Programs & fees

See the full 2026-27 fee schedule, including the sibling discount and officials' credits.

View the fee schedule (fee schedule publishing pending board approval)

Family Commitment

BAD is run entirely by volunteers. Every family earns Building Blocks during the season — most families cover theirs by helping run our home swim meets.

Read the Family Commitment policy Families earn Building Blocks by helping run home swim meets; one number per squad, reconciled August 1.

Good to know

A few things families ask about after they've registered.

Priority & waitlists

Priority goes to Burlington residents; demand is high and some groups carry a waitlist. If your group is full we'll tell you where you stand and when spots typically open (December, March, and season end).

Swim Ontario registration & waivers

After you register, BAD registers every swimmer with Swim Ontario. You'll receive an email from the REMS system — complete the waivers within 2 weeks, or your swimmer can't train. It takes about 10 minutes.

Transferring from another club?

Email registration@burlingtondevilrays.ca — we'll arrange an assessment and handle the Swim Ontario transfer request with your current club (releases can take up to 30 days).