summer Swim Teams

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are new to swim. Can anyone explain swim and summer swim expectations? DC9 is joining a bridge program (between lessons and competitive swim team). Practices are listed as 3x/week preseason in May, and then 4x/week over the summer. Each practice is over 2 hours! Are kids expected to join all 4 practices each week, or is that just when practices are available? What about vacation weeks when we are out of town for 1 week? We are signed up for an info session next month, but wondering what is common.

What pool OP? Most pools have junior/pre-team (younger swimmers and those still learning, often age 5-8) and the team. Summer swim at our pool is both competitive and inclusive. Competitive swimmers might be picked for Sat morning A meets and non-competitive swimmers, plus some competitive swimmers, swim in weeknight B meets. A and B meet swimmers are on the same team. They practice together. They cheer for each other. They attend the social activities together. The parents volunteer at meets and they cook and attend team dinners. They talk to their kids about good sportsmanship. Put phones away. Don't get out of the pool after your race, wait until the last swimmer touches the wall and everybody gets out together. Cheer and congratulate other swimmers. Don't be a sore loser. Focus on dropping time, and stay positive.

No pool I know of runs a 2 hour practice. At our pool, many summer swim families delay vacations until the season ends (late July). It's not a requirement. Many swimmers attend all four practices. At some pools like ours, there's a morning and afternoon option and some swimmers attend both in the same day. Attending all the practices is not a requirement. Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much does it cost to join these teams?

I don't see pricing for example on the Bethesda Barracudas.

Registration is through Montgomery County, because Bethesda is one of their public teams. The others are the Glenmont Gators, Germantown Torpedoes, Long Branch Water Wizards, Poolesville Pirhanas, and Upper Country Dolphins.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec/activitiesandprograms/aquatics/competitiveprograms.html

County registration was $200 last year. Plus teams may have nominal dues on top of this to cover social events, team-building activities, swim caps, t-shirts, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much does it cost to join these teams?

I don't see pricing for example on the Bethesda Barracudas.

Registration is through Montgomery County, because Bethesda is one of their public teams. The others are the Glenmont Gators, Germantown Torpedoes, Long Branch Water Wizards, Poolesville Pirhanas, and Upper Country Dolphins.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec/activitiesandprograms/aquatics/competitiveprograms.html

County registration was $200 last year. Plus teams may have nominal dues on top of this to cover social events, team-building activities, swim caps, t-shirts, etc.

$400 here but not in DC. Includes swim cap, T-shirt too.

[Anonymous]

I don't know much about the details, but MVP is a DC-based summer swim team that doesn't require actually joining a pool and they compete in PMSL. You'd have to go to NW for practices though.

[Anonymous]

The Montgomery County Public Pools are a pretty miserable experience. Yes they are cheap to join, but you will not get an enjoyable swim team community at one of those sites. Join a neighborhood pool if you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Montgomery County Public Pools are a pretty miserable experience. Yes they are cheap to join, but you will not get an enjoyable swim team community at one of those sites. Join a neighborhood pool if you can.

Totally disagree with this. My son has been on one of these teams for several years and absolutely loves the team and the friends he has made. The community is warm and friendly, with great team spirit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Montgomery County Public Pools are a pretty miserable experience. Yes they are cheap to join, but you will not get an enjoyable swim team community at one of those sites. Join a neighborhood pool if you can.

Which one did you or your kid swim for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Montgomery County Public Pools are a pretty miserable experience. Yes they are cheap to join, but you will not get an enjoyable swim team community at one of those sites. Join a neighborhood pool if you can.

We’ve had a great experience at both the Bethesda and Glenmont swim teams. Both had some social events too. I would not expect the same experience for paying $200 vs $1,000 for a private swim club