Dragon Swim Team
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Anonymous
| Ot’s based out of Herndon and seems to be affiliated with PVS. Anybody know about them? DS is curious because kids on his swim team attend. |
Anonymous
| It's fine. Their main coach can be a little intense, but some kids like that. Most of their swimmers are Chinese-American (or half), but certainly not all. |
Anonymous
| Don’t know too much about the team other than my observations at meets. I’d recommend going to a few meets or practices to see how the coach acts. I’ve witnessed him be fairly abrasive on deck and he has been reported to meet officials for his behavior. |
Anonymous
| OP here: thanks! DS said it was ‘invite-only’. Is that true? |
Anonymous
| We swim them a lot. Coach is very intense but they have a strong following. A parent told me there is a van of kids who drive up from Richmond on the weekends to train with them. |
Anonymous
This. I watched him make a kid who couldn’t have been older than 7 crying on deck. |
Anonymous
| I believe the coach was an Olympic swimmer from China and has connections in that circle. Kids reported immediate time-drops after joining the team. And there are several very fast swimmers on the team. However, I don’t think the coach is for every kid, especially a younger kid who is still developing an interest in swimming. But for a mature kid, who is resilient and works well with stricter coaching and harsh feedback (typical with Asian or Russian teachers/coaches), it might worth trying. These are based on my observations, research and stories shared by current team member families. |
Anonymous
They don't really advertise and there's no sign up links or information, so maybe? There's a 'contact us' email if you're serious about giving it a try. |
Anonymous
Another +1 for this. This coach is definitely not going to be for everyone. His behavior at meets stands out, it’s not just run of the mill intensity. |
Anonymous
| I have watched the female coaches behavior as well on deck when I was a Marshall and she was equally as intense. My kid doesn’t respond well to be screamed at so wouldn't be for us. Even some of the parents on that team were equally as intense. |
Anonymous
Aren’t all clubs? |
Anonymous
Most clubs post when try outs are going to be and anyone can sign up for them until they are full. Clubs of course don't have to take everyone who tries out, but everyone has the chance to come. Dragon doesn't have any posted try out days/times. |
Anonymous
Likely it’s because they are a smaller club. I’d imagine you just need to send the coach an email if your kid is interested in joining. |
Anonymous
+2 |
Anonymous
|
They also push kids to take on longer distances (4IM, distance freestyle, 2Fl) at young ages.
Not good for growing bodies. Against current thinking in growth in sport. |