LionsGate Lions 2026

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Lionsgate Lions is to provide the young people of our community the opportunity to participate in a fun, recreational 'summer league' swim program, to teach the basics of competitive swimming skills, and to install a lifelong enjoyment of swimming.
We strive to provide a safe, healthy environment, in which our swimmers learn the values of competition, sportsmanship, teamwork and individual achievement. We view the fundamentals of hard work, regular practice, self-discipline, and goal-setting as important life skills. And we firmly believe that we can have FUN while we achieve this!

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, our Swim Team Board is comprised entirely of parent volunteers who work year-round to prepare for each season, and our summer seasons would not be possible without the full participation of our parents in running our weekly swim meets. We are also thankful for the support we receive from the broader Overland Park community, especially from our local sponsors.

SOUTHLAND SWIM ASSOCIATION (SSA)

Deer Creek (DC)

LionsGate (LG)

Loch Lloyd Country Club (LLCC) 

Mills Farm (MF) 

Nottingham by the Green (NBG) 

Nottingham Forest South (NFS) 

Wilshire Farms (WF)

Louisburg (LB)

SWIM TEAM ELIGIBILITY

June 1 is the eligibility date established by the Southland Swim Association. Therefore, whatever age your child is on June 1 is the age group he or she will swim with for the entire summer. Lionsgate Swim Team accepts all rising 1st graders through graduated high school seniors, as long as they are still 18 on June 1.

Swimmers must be able to swim the full length of the pool (25 yards in any stroke) without touching the bottom, hanging on ropes, or stopping.

AGE GROUPING

15-18 year olds 13-14 year olds 11-12 year olds 9-10 year olds 7-8 year olds

6 and under (freestyle/backstroke only)

LIONSGATE LIONS SWIM TEAM COACHING STAFF

Head Coach: 
Assistant Coaches: 

QUESTIONS TO COACHES

Please limit communication with coaches during practices or meets. If for any reason you need to communicate with a coach, please do so through e-mail, telephone or in person after all practices are over. Tying up the time of our coaches diminishes practice time for all swimmers.

LIONSGATE LIONS SWIM TEAM BOARD

Caroline Howard, Anne Dummitt, Mark Meisner, Mansai Sharma,  Erica Showalter

FEES

$190.00 for first elementary/middle school swimmer, $150 each additional swimmer
$60 for high school swimmers
$30 Iron Lion- swimmer who is beginning at least their 9th consecutive summer with LionsGate Non-Lionsgate HOA Members - an additional $100/Family or $150/Mulit-Family
$75 late registration fee if materials are not turned in by deadline.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Registration occurs online. 

LionsGate Neighborhood registration begins on  March 1.
 Out-of-Neighborhood waitlist registration begins on March 1. 
*All new out-of-neighborhood families must have a Lionsgate neighborhood sponsor to register.

Registration deadline for residents and non-residents is March 31.  A late fee of $75 will be applied after this date. Registration is subject to space available- some age groups fill very quickly, so please register on your start date. Swimmers unable to register due to group maximums being reached will be put on a waitlist.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Monday-Friday (unless otherwise noted) 

8 & unders: 8-9am
11 & up: 9-10am
9 & 10 year olds: 10-11am

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

Practice suit (not trunks), goggles, swim cap, towel.

SWIM MEETS

Good manners, team spirit & sportsmanship are required. Swimmers who regularly disobey coaches and volunteers will be asked to leave.

ALL HOME MEETS (at Lionsgate) swimmers are expected to arrive @ 4:30 in time for our 4:45-5:05 warm up and then 5:30 start.

ALL AWAY MEETS (see pool locations) swimmers are expected to arrive @ 4:45 in time for our 5:05-5:25 warm up and then 5:30 meet start.
Our swim meets typically last anywhere from 3 – 4 hours.

When you arrive at the meet:

Occasionally, a swimmer may be asked to swim up an age group to help fill a relay.

DISQUALIFICATIONS (DQ’s)

Swimmers will be disqualified for improper strokes and starts. Disqualification affects the team score and swimmers will not receive ribbons when DQ’d.

BASIC TERMS

Strokes – freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke
Event – individual or relay races of freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, & individual medley (IM)
Medley – race consisting of all four strokes
Heat – multiple races within the same event organized by age groups

WHAT TO BRING

Team suit, goggles, extra goggles, latex swim cap, extra cap, multiple towels or parka, snacks, and cash for the concession stand.

WEATHER

Inclement weather is inevitable during our swim season. Managers and League Representatives will work together using online weather apps to determine if the meet needs to be delayed or canceled. Meets will not be rescheduled due to weather. 

Coaches will determine practice cancellation and will send a message through email and/or Swimtopia alerts. Practice may have a one-hour delay and there will be an abbreviated schedule if weather is expected to clear.

TEAM SWIMWEAR

Team suits can be purchased from the team vendor. The team suit is optional, and previous years’ suits may be used. You may not wear a swim cap representing any other swim team, including club teams.

LIABILITY

LionsGate staffs a lifeguard at all of our meets to add an additional layer of safety for our swimmers. There are no lifeguards on duty at practices, so it is still encouraged for guardians of 8 & unders to stay for the practices. Older children may be dropped off and picked up however they must adhere to all coaching and lifeguard staff instructions at all times. Any child not doing so will be asked to sit out of the practice / meet and parents asked to pick up their child.

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

LionsGate parents are key to having a successful swim team! We require families to volunteer for their designated number of shifts required, or participate in the volunteer 'buy-out'.  We provide volunteers for both HOME and AWAY meets.  If volunteer fails to work their shift, they will need to pay a $200 fine prior to the next swim meet. 

VOLUNTEER BUYOUT PROGRAM

As an alternative to volunteering, you may pay a volunteer buy-out of $500 if you know ahead of time that you will not volunteer this summer. This buy-out fee is due with all registration materials, and will not be accepted at a later date.

SOCIAL EVENTS

As a swim team, we have a lot planned to celebrate the team and our season including, kick-off party, fun swim days, donut Thursdays, personal best recognition and the end of the year party, and more!