NCAP Locations - Different programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this topic, can anyone give feedback on NCAP Tysons Bronze program? I have a 9 year old who is not the most competitive swimmer. Our goal for him to join a swim club is fitness and continuous exercise to work on his techniques and strokes. Would that be a good fit for NCAP Tysons or any swim club? I have an impression that all swim clubs have very intense training and are full of competitive kids.

NCAP is a competitive club, so not all 9 year olds are going to make it. If my kid was not competitive and didn’t have an interest in becoming a competitive swimmer I would not go with NCAP. That said, Tyson’s has a Bronze 2 program for kids 9 and under that he can try out for, and if he makes it see if that is a good fit or fosters a desire to be more competitive.

We are at Tysons and in Bronze 1. Practices are 4 days a week and its competitive. I would also recommend looking at Bronze 2 or maybe even Silver 2. Give the location a call and schedule a try out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this topic, can anyone give feedback on NCAP Tysons Bronze program? I have a 9 year old who is not the most competitive swimmer. Our goal for him to join a swim club is fitness and continuous exercise to work on his techniques and strokes. Would that be a good fit for NCAP Tysons or any swim club? I have an impression that all swim clubs have very intense training and are full of competitive kids.

Talk to the parents on his summer team. There are plenty of clubs that are fine with slower swimmers

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Also following - when does the focus on distance get pushed at GP? Are the younger levels ok/still good for a variety of strokes and distances? And where do the sprinters in this area go (other NCAP clubs or otherwise)? [/quote]

Asking because we literally just made this decision to go to GP with an 11 and now I am spinning out. Someone help! [/quote]

GP bronze doesn't focus on distance. They develop all strokes and technique. You do not need to worry![/quote]

Have a 12 year old and trying out with NCAP Tysons and Fish this week, hoping there are spots left. Any thoughts on either program? Worried about too much distance freestyle since I keep hearing that NCAP pushes free like what’s being said here. [/quote]

We’ve been in both programs. My kids liked FISH (depending on the group) but prefer NCAP. Either is a good choice - I’d go with whichever is closer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thx. Do any of the sites have groups that require less of a commitment than others, or at least a Sep - May program only? How do swimmers with ncap travel in the summer or even go to camps if they are required to swim 11 months a year?

No, NCap is a centrally-run team despite all the different locations, so they all practice the same amount. However as a 9 yo, they won’t be swimming after June. They are expected to join a summer swim team, however. The 11 month commitment is for 11 yos and up. A lot of 11/12 yos will go to a few weeks of camp here and there but they too go summer league + NCap.

When you get to around 13, you can choose your commitment level- there are two different groups, one that practices 3 or 4 x week so that kids can do outside sports, and one that practices 5-6 x week with early morning practices and has a lot of meets (the kid has to be fast to get into this group, tho.) High school is same thing- but the highest group is a big time commitment including travel and very few days off- but most kids quit by then!

There are other teams in the area that are less intense- Sea Devils and Tollefson (sp?) come to mind. It will be easy to tell if your kid is a fit for NCap- they’ll either love it or they won’t, and the ones that do, well, the parents seem to make it work.

At our NCAP location everyone swims until the end of July (including my 8 yr old). Only one group for older kids is 9 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thx. Do any of the sites have groups that require less of a commitment than others, or at least a Sep - May program only? How do swimmers with ncap travel in the summer or even go to camps if they are required to swim 11 months a year?

No, NCap is a centrally-run team despite all the different locations, so they all practice the same amount. However as a 9 yo, they won’t be swimming after June. They are expected to join a summer swim team, however. The 11 month commitment is for 11 yos and up. A lot of 11/12 yos will go to a few weeks of camp here and there but they too go summer league + NCap.

When you get to around 13, you can choose your commitment level- there are two different groups, one that practices 3 or 4 x week so that kids can do outside sports, and one that practices 5-6 x week with early morning practices and has a lot of meets (the kid has to be fast to get into this group, tho.) High school is same thing- but the highest group is a big time commitment including travel and very few days off- but most kids quit by then!

There are other teams in the area that are less intense- Sea Devils and Tollefson (sp?) come to mind. It will be easy to tell if your kid is a fit for NCap- they’ll either love it or they won’t, and the ones that do, well, the parents seem to make it work.

At our NCAP location everyone swims until the end of July (including my 8 yr old). Only one group for older kids is 9 months.

This is incorrect. The 11 month program is for Bronze 1/2 and Silver 1/2 and its generally for 9 years and older. So lots of 9 year old swim 11 months out of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thx. Do any of the sites have groups that require less of a commitment than others, or at least a Sep - May program only? How do swimmers with ncap travel in the summer or even go to camps if they are required to swim 11 months a year?

No, NCap is a centrally-run team despite all the different locations, so they all practice the same amount. However as a 9 yo, they won’t be swimming after June. They are expected to join a summer swim team, however. The 11 month commitment is for 11 yos and up. A lot of 11/12 yos will go to a few weeks of camp here and there but they too go summer league + NCap.

When you get to around 13, you can choose your commitment level- there are two different groups, one that practices 3 or 4 x week so that kids can do outside sports, and one that practices 5-6 x week with early morning practices and has a lot of meets (the kid has to be fast to get into this group, tho.) High school is same thing- but the highest group is a big time commitment including travel and very few days off- but most kids quit by then!

There are other teams in the area that are less intense- Sea Devils and Tollefson (sp?) come to mind. It will be easy to tell if your kid is a fit for NCap- they’ll either love it or they won’t, and the ones that do, well, the parents seem to make it work.

At our NCAP location everyone swims until the end of July (including my 8 yr old). Only one group for older kids is 9 months.

This is incorrect. The 11 month program is for Bronze 1/2 and Silver 1/2 and its generally for 9 years and older. So lots of 9 year old swim 11 months out of the year.

Sorry, I didn't meant to respond to you. I was responding the poster who said that 9 years don't swim after June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this topic, can anyone give feedback on NCAP Tysons Bronze program? I have a 9 year old who is not the most competitive swimmer. Our goal for him to join a swim club is fitness and continuous exercise to work on his techniques and strokes. Would that be a good fit for NCAP Tysons or any swim club? I have an impression that all swim clubs have very intense training and are full of competitive kids.

You may want to look at Machine (Gears program) at Tysons. Sounds like that would be a good fit for what you are looking for. You can pick 2x or 3x a week practices. Registration has already opened for returning families, but this site usually doesn't fill up as quickly. You'll need to schedule an evaluation as well.

[Anonymous]

Any one can you give insights in regards to Bronze program for 10 year old at GP. We are offered a spot but after reading this thread I’m confused whether I’m making the right decision or should I look out for other team/ clubs. Please help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any one can you give insights in regards to Bronze program for 10 year old at GP. We are offered a spot but after reading this thread I’m confused whether I’m making the right decision or should I look out for other team/ clubs. Please help.

I think you should be more specific - describe your swimmer. What are you looking for in a swim club? What are your concerns? Which other programs are you considering? NCAP Prep is a great program.

[Anonymous]

Are there locations that have better coaching for particular strokes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there locations that have better coaching for particular strokes?

Not at age 10, no.

[Anonymous]

We like Bronze at Prep. It is a good program, coach is very approachable, kids work hard and also have fun, and the peer group actually bonded really well. I know there are a lot of concerns about the unknowns, but in our opinion it was a good fit for our swimmer. We came from another club and there are always lots of unknowns when joining a new group. I can honestly say we are really happy with the move. If you have any questions, feel free to post them.

[Anonymous]

Another really happy Bronze Prep family (moved from another club). My child likes the group a lot. It's friendly and fun. Seems to be less intense (at least so far) than other similar clubs (RMSC, NCAP).

Yes we were super nervous, too, moving from another club. We are glad we made the move.

[Anonymous]

Oops - sorry I meant ASA as another comparable club. Not NCAP (Lol)

[Anonymous]

Our 9yo was offered a spot at NCAP AU with Coach Mary. Very excited about this opportunity. We are interested to learn from some other parents with NCAP AU experience (pros/cons) and any feedback on Coach Mary (used to be at Holton - heard amazing things). For perspective, our child appears to be focused on swimming as their primary sport and enjoys the competition at meets. That's what moved us in the direction of NCAP from another club. Thank you so much!