Are you looking for something to keep the kids busy this summer? Consider having them join the Villa Park Mariners Swim Team, which will not just keep them busy but will provide them with a lot of great physical activity.

The Mariners swim competitively in the DuPage Swim and Dive Conference, a group of 14 west suburban swim teams, including Addison, Bensenville and Lombard. Boys and girls ages 6 to 18 are part of the team, which holds its home meets at Jefferson Pool.

The season includes 10 meets — five on Wednesday evenings and five on Saturday mornings — and a season-ending conference meet. Practices take place each morning at Jefferson Pool, and swimmers are expected to attend each practice.

The Mariners recommend that beginning swimmers take swim lessons prior to the start of the season. All swimmers musts successfully swim one length of the pool using a legal stroke in order to be on the team.

Registration is $95 per child and $85 for additional children. A new parent orientation is scheduled for Thursday, May 22, to give new families an opportunity to learn more about the swim team.

Children ages 5-8 can participate in the Mini Mariners, which is a team for those swimmers who don’t have previous team experience. These swimmers will practice three times per week and compete in five of the meets and the end of season conference. Kids need to swim one unassisted length of the pool to be a Mini Mariner and can be on this team for one season. The fee is $49 per child.

Pool passes for Jefferson and Lufkin pools are on sale at the same low price as last year. Register for a pass through Saturday, May 10, and pay only $25 per pass for residents and $35 for nonresidents. Resident seniors pay $10, and nonresidents pay $15 per pass. After May 10, the price goes up to $29 ($39 nonresidents). The senior resident rate stays at $10, but the nonresident rate goes up to $19.

If you have previously purchased a photo ID pass, you just need to complete a renewal application and bring it along with your old pass to either the Iowa Community Center or Community Recreation Building, and a 2008 sticker will be applied. The pass will not be valid for this season until the new sticker is affixed. If you don’t have last year’s pass, you can buy a replacement for $5. It’s recommended that children have new photos taken if their photo is more than two years old. These are taken at no cost at the Iowa Community Center.

An option with the regular pass is a 15-use pass, which lets you save on the daily admission prices without purchasing individual pool passes.

This is a good option if you will have friends or family visiting from out town because any number of people can use the punch pass, and it does not require a photo. Just present the card at the pool, and it will be punched according to the number of people using the pool. The cost is $55 for residents and $69 for nonresidents.