RMSC tryouts for 2025-26 season

[Anonymous]

Just got an acceptance from olney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just got an acceptance from olney.

Which age group?

[Anonymous]

8 and under

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have experience with the RMSC Germantown? We're trying to get a sense of how strong the program is, especially for the Junior and Advanced Junior groups. How are the coaches and the overall environment?

My 12-year-old daughter recently tried out for a few teams and we've already heard back from another one, so now we're trying to decide between RMSC (if she gets in) and the other option. Any insights would be really appreciated!

I’ve heard it described as a swim farm, with less attention paid to the weaker swimmers. The cost is far cheaper than swimming elsewhere.

That is true. For younger swimmers who need consistent corrections, other clubs may be better to start with. Private lessons are generally needed in addition to practice in RMSC to be not weak.

+1 Transferring into RMSC as a fast swimmer is much easier than trying to make it at a young age with only summer swim times (unless your kid has All Star times as 8&U).

It’s the opposite. Best time to make RMSC is as an 8&u. You can’t just “transfer in” as a faster older swimmer- the club does not operate that way. There is intense competition for the small number of open slots at the 9+ age groups.

+1000. The earlier kids try out, the better. New families with kids of Minis age often think that they need to wait until their kids are another year stronger or more skilled before they try out, and in reality they should just make the attempt as soon as they can, and keep trying out at as many different sites as possible. It gets harder to get in with every passing year of a kid's age.

Agree with this. We tried out when my kids were 7 and turning 9. We signed the 7 yo up to try out only because sibling was going to. 7yo made it, older kid did not. Took several more years of try outs until older kid finally got a spot in one of the advanced groups in 7th grade.

9 seems to be a difficult time to get in. It somehow gets easier when kids turn older.

Getting into the mini's at 5-6-7 is the easiest. Getting into Juniors and Seniors is much harder as the slots are full as the first go to kids moving up, then what ever is left over goes to new kids. Hopefully once KSAC (and maybe if they use silver spring for MLK renovations) they will open up another one at Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have experience with the RMSC Germantown? We're trying to get a sense of how strong the program is, especially for the Junior and Advanced Junior groups. How are the coaches and the overall environment?

My 12-year-old daughter recently tried out for a few teams and we've already heard back from another one, so now we're trying to decide between RMSC (if she gets in) and the other option. Any insights would be really appreciated!

I’ve heard it described as a swim farm, with less attention paid to the weaker swimmers. The cost is far cheaper than swimming elsewhere.

That is true. For younger swimmers who need consistent corrections, other clubs may be better to start with. Private lessons are generally needed in addition to practice in RMSC to be not weak.

+1 Transferring into RMSC as a fast swimmer is much easier than trying to make it at a young age with only summer swim times (unless your kid has All Star times as 8&U).

It’s the opposite. Best time to make RMSC is as an 8&u. You can’t just “transfer in” as a faster older swimmer- the club does not operate that way. There is intense competition for the small number of open slots at the 9+ age groups.

+1000. The earlier kids try out, the better. New families with kids of Minis age often think that they need to wait until their kids are another year stronger or more skilled before they try out, and in reality they should just make the attempt as soon as they can, and keep trying out at as many different sites as possible. It gets harder to get in with every passing year of a kid's age.

Agree with this. We tried out when my kids were 7 and turning 9. We signed the 7 yo up to try out only because sibling was going to. 7yo made it, older kid did not. Took several more years of try outs until older kid finally got a spot in one of the advanced groups in 7th grade.

9 seems to be a difficult time to get in. It somehow gets easier when kids turn older.

Getting into the mini's at 5-6-7 is the easiest. Getting into Juniors and Seniors is much harder as the slots are full as the first go to kids moving up, then what ever is left over goes to new kids. Hopefully once KSAC (and maybe if they use silver spring for MLK renovations) they will open up another one at Silver Spring.

I’ve heard kids got into RMSC first time at age 13 and trying out since age 9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just got an acceptance from olney.

Which age group?

NDG

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just got an acceptance from olney.

Which age group?

NDG

Olney NDG is a solid group but that'd be a kid who has already been swimming at a high level for a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just got an acceptance from olney.

Which age group?

NDG

Olney NDG is a solid group but that'd be a kid who has already been swimming at a high level for a few years.

Right. So they are either transferring from another club, or were previously RMSC and just took a little break (know a few of those).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have experience with the RMSC Germantown? We're trying to get a sense of how strong the program is, especially for the Junior and Advanced Junior groups. How are the coaches and the overall environment?

My 12-year-old daughter recently tried out for a few teams and we've already heard back from another one, so now we're trying to decide between RMSC (if she gets in) and the other option. Any insights would be really appreciated!

I’ve heard it described as a swim farm, with less attention paid to the weaker swimmers. The cost is far cheaper than swimming elsewhere.

That is true. For younger swimmers who need consistent corrections, other clubs may be better to start with. Private lessons are generally needed in addition to practice in RMSC to be not weak.

Do you have any personal experience with RMSC? As a parent of a younger RMSC swimmer, this has not been our experience at all. My 8&u attends practices twice a week, does not receive any private coaching during the club season, has progressed nicely (both in terms of time drops and technique improvements), and in terms of times, is among the top group of same-age swimmers club wide.

Not the PP, but my swimmer was with RMSC for ages 10-12 and we thought the coaching was fine until they tried out for different teams. So different!

Name the clubs and how exactly it’s “different”. We know kids at every MoCo club team whose parents complain about the sub-par coaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have experience with the RMSC Germantown? We're trying to get a sense of how strong the program is, especially for the Junior and Advanced Junior groups. How are the coaches and the overall environment?

My 12-year-old daughter recently tried out for a few teams and we've already heard back from another one, so now we're trying to decide between RMSC (if she gets in) and the other option. Any insights would be really appreciated!

I’ve heard it described as a swim farm, with less attention paid to the weaker swimmers. The cost is far cheaper than swimming elsewhere.

That is true. For younger swimmers who need consistent corrections, other clubs may be better to start with. Private lessons are generally needed in addition to practice in RMSC to be not weak.

+1 Transferring into RMSC as a fast swimmer is much easier than trying to make it at a young age with only summer swim times (unless your kid has All Star times as 8&U).

It’s the opposite. Best time to make RMSC is as an 8&u. You can’t just “transfer in” as a faster older swimmer- the club does not operate that way. There is intense competition for the small number of open slots at the 9+ age groups.

+1000. The earlier kids try out, the better. New families with kids of Minis age often think that they need to wait until their kids are another year stronger or more skilled before they try out, and in reality they should just make the attempt as soon as they can, and keep trying out at as many different sites as possible. It gets harder to get in with every passing year of a kid's age.

Agree with this. We tried out when my kids were 7 and turning 9. We signed the 7 yo up to try out only because sibling was going to. 7yo made it, older kid did not. Took several more years of try outs until older kid finally got a spot in one of the advanced groups in 7th grade.

9 seems to be a difficult time to get in. It somehow gets easier when kids turn older.

Getting into the mini's at 5-6-7 is the easiest. Getting into Juniors and Seniors is much harder as the slots are full as the first go to kids moving up, then what ever is left over goes to new kids. Hopefully once KSAC (and maybe if they use silver spring for MLK renovations) they will open up another one at Silver Spring.

I’ve heard kids got into RMSC first time at age 13 and trying out since age 9.

Its possible but its much harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have experience with the RMSC Germantown? We're trying to get a sense of how strong the program is, especially for the Junior and Advanced Junior groups. How are the coaches and the overall environment?

My 12-year-old daughter recently tried out for a few teams and we've already heard back from another one, so now we're trying to decide between RMSC (if she gets in) and the other option. Any insights would be really appreciated!

I’ve heard it described as a swim farm, with less attention paid to the weaker swimmers. The cost is far cheaper than swimming elsewhere.

That is true. For younger swimmers who need consistent corrections, other clubs may be better to start with. Private lessons are generally needed in addition to practice in RMSC to be not weak.

Do you have any personal experience with RMSC? As a parent of a younger RMSC swimmer, this has not been our experience at all. My 8&u attends practices twice a week, does not receive any private coaching during the club season, has progressed nicely (both in terms of time drops and technique improvements), and in terms of times, is among the top group of same-age swimmers club wide.

Not the PP, but my swimmer was with RMSC for ages 10-12 and we thought the coaching was fine until they tried out for different teams. So different!

Name the clubs and how exactly it’s “different”. We know kids at every MoCo club team whose parents complain about the sub-par coaching.

All the clubs cycle through the same coaches. Its very hit or miss at all the clubs on coaching. We've had really bad, just ok and great coaches at RMSC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have experience with the RMSC Germantown? We're trying to get a sense of how strong the program is, especially for the Junior and Advanced Junior groups. How are the coaches and the overall environment?

My 12-year-old daughter recently tried out for a few teams and we've already heard back from another one, so now we're trying to decide between RMSC (if she gets in) and the other option. Any insights would be really appreciated!

I’ve heard it described as a swim farm, with less attention paid to the weaker swimmers. The cost is far cheaper than swimming elsewhere.

That is true. For younger swimmers who need consistent corrections, other clubs may be better to start with. Private lessons are generally needed in addition to practice in RMSC to be not weak.

+1 Transferring into RMSC as a fast swimmer is much easier than trying to make it at a young age with only summer swim times (unless your kid has All Star times as 8&U).

It’s the opposite. Best time to make RMSC is as an 8&u. You can’t just “transfer in” as a faster older swimmer- the club does not operate that way. There is intense competition for the small number of open slots at the 9+ age groups.

+1000. The earlier kids try out, the better. New families with kids of Minis age often think that they need to wait until their kids are another year stronger or more skilled before they try out, and in reality they should just make the attempt as soon as they can, and keep trying out at as many different sites as possible. It gets harder to get in with every passing year of a kid's age.

Agree with this. We tried out when my kids were 7 and turning 9. We signed the 7 yo up to try out only because sibling was going to. 7yo made it, older kid did not. Took several more years of try outs until older kid finally got a spot in one of the advanced groups in 7th grade.

9 seems to be a difficult time to get in. It somehow gets easier when kids turn older.

Getting into the mini's at 5-6-7 is the easiest. Getting into Juniors and Seniors is much harder as the slots are full as the first go to kids moving up, then what ever is left over goes to new kids. Hopefully once KSAC (and maybe if they use silver spring for MLK renovations) they will open up another one at Silver Spring.

I’ve heard kids got into RMSC first time at age 13 and trying out since age 9.

And, they are swimming at probably private clubs and just trying to transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all the RMSC rejections, please understand that it's not personal. There are hundreds of kids trying out, with far less than that in available slots. If your kid is serious about swimming, any of the clubs will help him/her develop solid technique, conditioning, etc... If your kid competes in meets and starts logging A-level times, then take another shot at RMSC.

My kid started at lesser-known club, did well at meets, then tried out again and landed a slot.

It's disappointing for me because I can't afford more than 2x a week at club- I have 2 kids doing it and it's just not affordable. I think they need more than that to ever have a shot at making it.
I feel like I failed them by not signing them up when they were younger, but covid was also going on back then, and I didn't know anything about how swimming works.
Oh well, we will try again next year.

I'm sorry you're in this financial situation, but 2x a week at a younger age wouldn't have made much of a difference. The key is getting clean, efficient strokes. A PP recommended a stroke and turn group, which is perfect for this if you're not fixated on competition at your kids' current ages. There's no shame in focusing on technique, since that's the key to getting faster as your children age.

[Anonymous]

Negatory from MLK (9-12 group)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have experience with the RMSC Germantown? We're trying to get a sense of how strong the program is, especially for the Junior and Advanced Junior groups. How are the coaches and the overall environment?

My 12-year-old daughter recently tried out for a few teams and we've already heard back from another one, so now we're trying to decide between RMSC (if she gets in) and the other option. Any insights would be really appreciated!

I’ve heard it described as a swim farm, with less attention paid to the weaker swimmers. The cost is far cheaper than swimming elsewhere.

That is true. For younger swimmers who need consistent corrections, other clubs may be better to start with. Private lessons are generally needed in addition to practice in RMSC to be not weak.

Do you have any personal experience with RMSC? As a parent of a younger RMSC swimmer, this has not been our experience at all. My 8&u attends practices twice a week, does not receive any private coaching during the club season, has progressed nicely (both in terms of time drops and technique improvements), and in terms of times, is among the top group of same-age swimmers club wide.

Not the PP, but my swimmer was with RMSC for ages 10-12 and we thought the coaching was fine until they tried out for different teams. So different!

Name the clubs and how exactly it’s “different”. We know kids at every MoCo club team whose parents complain about the sub-par coaching.

ASA
Sea Devils
Toll

All give individualized stroke instruction to all swimmers, not just the first kid in each lane. They also have safe workouts with the appropriate rest time between sets depending on the focus of the workout. They also don’t yell at practice the same way many RMSC coaches do simply because there are less people in the pool. We also received individualized emails from these non-RMSC coaches whether it was about meet event selection, practice group assignments for the following year, etc.