Year Round Swim Program Rec for Multi Sport child

[Anonymous]

SDS is the bottom of the barrel- how old is your child? If you're in Potomac I'd do Tollefson, ASA, or NCap at Holton (the only downside is that it feeds to AU and is further afoot in the later years)

We are huge fans of SDS. We actually left another swim program named above to switch TO them. I can attest that our experience with SDS has been extremely positive. From what I have seen, they treat swimmers as individuals and it’s more like a family…with flexibility to do what is best for each swimmer. The program we left was simply running a business.

[Anonymous]

We love Machine, great stroke development. DD went from slower than B to making JO cuts in 6months

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Check out JFD. Your timing is off(most try-outs are over) and requirements are narrow(want meets, want stroke instruction, but don't want to drive and and can't spend too much time due to other sports....). Further complications and limiting factor might be his age...a bit of a needle in a haystack here but JFD might work:

https://www.jfdolphins.com/

DP - agreed with this recc. I don't think they require tryouts; we have several friends who registered there for the team without them. Quince Orchard isn't far from Potomac, either.

It may be too far, but we're going with Machine in Fairland this year. The coaches seem to really enjoy working with kids - mine had so much fun at the eval they wanted to keep going! We've heard nothing but great things about them from folks we know with kids there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Check out JFD. Your timing is off(most try-outs are over) and requirements are narrow(want meets, want stroke instruction, but don't want to drive and and can't spend too much time due to other sports....). Further complications and limiting factor might be his age...a bit of a needle in a haystack here but JFD might work:

https://www.jfdolphins.com/

Isn't this in Gaithersburg? Seems far from DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Check out JFD. Your timing is off(most try-outs are over) and requirements are narrow(want meets, want stroke instruction, but don't want to drive and and can't spend too much time due to other sports....). Further complications and limiting factor might be his age...a bit of a needle in a haystack here but JFD might work:

https://www.jfdolphins.com/

Isn't this in Gaithersburg? Seems far from DC

OP is unlikely to get all her "wants" checked off so there will be some tradeoffs. I don't know all the locations but they are in more than one and are at Prep for some of their sessions.

[Anonymous]

can't agree more. even from tryouts, i can see they treat simmers as individuals. i have never seen a tryout coach following just one swimmer back and forth at the deck and taking notes. i remember there was a girl ranked top 3 or 5 in maryland started at SDS before switching to NCAP in high school. also they told you the placement right after tryout. we almost went to one of their sites close to our home last year, but they changed schedule last minute. so had to go to another club fit to our schedule. huge fan too.

Anonymous wrote:
SDS is the bottom of the barrel- how old is your child? If you're in Potomac I'd do Tollefson, ASA, or NCap at Holton (the only downside is that it feeds to AU and is further afoot in the later years)

We are huge fans of SDS. We actually left another swim program named above to switch TO them. I can attest that our experience with SDS has been extremely positive. From what I have seen, they treat swimmers as individuals and it’s more like a family…with flexibility to do what is best for each swimmer. The program we left was simply running a business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
SDS is the bottom of the barrel- how old is your child? If you're in Potomac I'd do Tollefson, ASA, or NCap at Holton (the only downside is that it feeds to AU and is further afoot in the later years)

We are huge fans of SDS. We actually left another swim program named above to switch TO them. I can attest that our experience with SDS has been extremely positive. From what I have seen, they treat swimmers as individuals and it’s more like a family…with flexibility to do what is best for each swimmer. The program we left was simply running a business.

My kid swims out of south run, but I’ve been very happy with SDS. My other child was swimming for another team for various reasons this year and it felt like a factory, at SDS my son flourished and improved. He went undefeated in his NVSL team, won both events at Divisionals and won his team’s high point award. If you read the swim drama thread, you’ll know how contentious that can be. My son is already looking forward to fall where he knows and likes his coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
SDS is the bottom of the barrel- how old is your child? If you're in Potomac I'd do Tollefson, ASA, or NCap at Holton (the only downside is that it feeds to AU and is further afoot in the later years)

We are huge fans of SDS. We actually left another swim program named above to switch TO them. I can attest that our experience with SDS has been extremely positive. From what I have seen, they treat swimmers as individuals and it’s more like a family…with flexibility to do what is best for each swimmer. The program we left was simply running a business.

Glad you are at a Bette place. But would be helpful to mention the program you left, to help other families. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
SDS is the bottom of the barrel- how old is your child? If you're in Potomac I'd do Tollefson, ASA, or NCap at Holton (the only downside is that it feeds to AU and is further afoot in the later years)

We are huge fans of SDS. We actually left another swim program named above to switch TO them. I can attest that our experience with SDS has been extremely positive. From what I have seen, they treat swimmers as individuals and it’s more like a family…with flexibility to do what is best for each swimmer. The program we left was simply running a business.

Glad you are at a Bette place. But would be helpful to mention the program you left, to help other families. Thanks.


You can browse the top SDS age group boys swimmers here:

https://www.swimmingrank.com/mdva/pv/scy_PVSDS_boys_5_10_50FR.html

https://www.swimmingrank.com/mdva/pv/scy_PVSDS_boys_11_12_50FR.html

https://www.swimmingrank.com/mdva/pv/scy_PVSDS_boys_13_14_50FR.html

Don't believe everything you read on the internet forums.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
SDS is the bottom of the barrel- how old is your child? If you're in Potomac I'd do Tollefson, ASA, or NCap at Holton (the only downside is that it feeds to AU and is further afoot in the later years)

We are huge fans of SDS. We actually left another swim program named above to switch TO them. I can attest that our experience with SDS has been extremely positive. From what I have seen, they treat swimmers as individuals and it’s more like a family…with flexibility to do what is best for each swimmer. The program we left was simply running a business.

Glad you are at a Bette place. But would be helpful to mention the program you left, to help other families. Thanks.

You can browse the top SDS age group boys swimmers here:

https://www.swimmingrank.com/mdva/pv/scy_PVSDS_boys_5_10_50FR.html

https://www.swimmingrank.com/mdva/pv/scy_PVSDS_boys_11_12_50FR.html

https://www.swimmingrank.com/mdva/pv/scy_PVSDS_boys_13_14_50FR.html

Don't believe everything you read on the internet forums.

They only had one 11-12 boy break 30 in a short course yards 50 free this year? That definitely makes me question what you are paying for given numerous other teams mentioned in this thread have over 50 11-12 boys that broke 30.

[Anonymous]

SDS has some good swimmers + a handful of young ones in the pipeline. The question with smaller programs like this is whether they can keep them or at least keep replacing them. They've lost some really good talent to bigger programs (Machine, look at their top 9 year old boys) or even smaller to similar sized programs (St James, look at their top 12 year old boys) over the past few years without much evidence of the flow moving in the opposite direction. The fact that they are developing some in house talent speaks well of the program overall though.

[Anonymous]

Dumb question…. What is SDS?

Also, anyone familiar with Hydrosonic Tibournes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dumb question…. What is SDS?

Also, anyone familiar with Hydrosonic Tibournes?

SDS refers to the Capitol Sea Devils Swim team. No familiarity with Hydrosonic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SDS has some good swimmers + a handful of young ones in the pipeline. The question with smaller programs like this is whether they can keep them or at least keep replacing them. They've lost some really good talent to bigger programs (Machine, look at their top 9 year old boys) or even smaller to similar sized programs (St James, look at their top 12 year old boys) over the past few years without much evidence of the flow moving in the opposite direction. The fact that they are developing some in house talent speaks well of the program overall though.

Their talented kids leave and the flow doesn’t go in the opposite direction all for the same reason…