Advice for entering the swim scene

[Anonymous]

I would love your ideas and feedback for my girls, 7 and 9. They are confident open water swimmers and snorkelers. They did dive team this year and 10 or so private lessons at our summer pool. Other than that, they have had little instruction and no team experience. Both are in dance and one is in gymnastics. They enjoy sports like tennis and soccer.

I'm looking for a way to build their skills for double sided breathing, stroke skills, and flip turns over the school year so they can improve over this time. We are in NW DC but are willing to drive. Not seeing anything available through DC DPR. Would do lessons together if there's not a good option for a class.

My hope is that they will really enjoy swimming and be interested in joining a team within the next 1-2 years.

[Anonymous]

summer swim team is the best place to start and you need to get a on a wait list now, believe it or not. Most club swimmers start in summer swim. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

FINS or Tollefson’s stroke clinic type programs at Georgetown Prep. Also look to see if there is any space in the MoCo Stroke and Turn program that runs a October-May.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:summer swim team is the best place to start and you need to get a on a wait list now, believe it or not. Most club swimmers start in summer swim. Good luck!

DP
A wait list for summer swim? Who has a wait list for summer swim? Just curious as I've never heard of that.

[Anonymous]

Tollefson is at St. Albans, some of the best stroke instruction around. Sea Devils used to be at Wilson and might be back. DCPR is supposedly not starting up until really late for their team. Otherwise, you're looking at going out to Bethesda/Silver Spring/PG Co. NCAP did a stroke and turn type class at various of their locations but stopped during COVID. They have a site at AU as well as Holton Arms so you might check at those sites for stroke school. If UMD isn't too far (depends on where you are in NW), Machine does a Saturday stroke class. Some of the clubs at Fairland in Laurel also run stroke type classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:summer swim team is the best place to start and you need to get a on a wait list now, believe it or not. Most club swimmers start in summer swim. Good luck!

DP
A wait list for summer swim? Who has a wait list for summer swim? Just curious as I've never heard of that.

I think PP means a waitlist for a pool membership

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:summer swim team is the best place to start and you need to get a on a wait list now, believe it or not. Most club swimmers start in summer swim. Good luck!

DP
A wait list for summer swim? Who has a wait list for summer swim? Just curious as I've never heard of that.

I think PP means a waitlist for a pool membership

I think the outdoor GW Pool has a summer swim team that anyone can join (but I forget the name). Otherwise it is hard to get on summer swim teams if you live in DC since you likely aren't going to have neighborhood preference at a summer pool and so many wait lists are crazy long. Sea Devils is great if you are looking for a year-round program.

[Anonymous]

Tollefson stroke classes at STA

[Anonymous]

Although this sounds crazy, it will be hard to join a team in 1-2 years, at least for your older child. Most teams are fairly full by then and expected to swim 100s at meets. My daughter was in year round lessons as well as a strong summer swimmer and the clubs simply didn’t have room.

Just a thought that you may want to look into a team now.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Although this sounds crazy, it will be hard to join a team in 1-2 years, at least for your older child. Most teams are fairly full by then and expected to swim 100s at meets. My daughter was in year round lessons as well as a strong summer swimmer and the clubs simply didn’t have room.

Just a thought that you may want to look into a team now.

Good luck!

I was going to say the same team. Lots and lots of kids (most?) kids in the DC area start summer swim at 5 and club swim by 6 or 7. It’s hard to break in later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Although this sounds crazy, it will be hard to join a team in 1-2 years, at least for your older child. Most teams are fairly full by then and expected to swim 100s at meets. My daughter was in year round lessons as well as a strong summer swimmer and the clubs simply didn’t have room.

Just a thought that you may want to look into a team now.

Good luck!

I was going to say the same team. Lots and lots of kids (most?) kids in the DC area start summer swim at 5 and club swim by 6 or 7. It’s hard to break in later.

For Virginia both your kids are fine and if they swim over winter will be great for summer. Summer swim in Virginia starts 4-7 years of age. But club? You can have 12 years old that are athletic summer swimmers join. Unless DC is radically different. A lot of kids will winter swim one day a week to keep their skills their but true competitive swim can be later unless you want burn out. There are a million threads on this.

[Anonymous]

OP here: thanks all for the feedback! I am inquiring about the fall/winter clinics as a buildup for skills and assess interest/fit for summer pool team this coming year. It's amazing and not too surprising to think that my kids can already be behind (LOL, gotta love DMV).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:summer swim team is the best place to start and you need to get a on a wait list now, believe it or not. Most club swimmers start in summer swim. Good luck!

DP
A wait list for summer swim? Who has a wait list for summer swim? Just curious as I've never heard of that.

I think PP means a waitlist for a pool membership

Oh, ok. That makes sense. Thanks. We don't have a membership waitlist so it didn't occur to me and my mind went to swim team specifically.

[Anonymous]

Be prepared to volunteer. Get onto the volunteer wait list now so by the time your DC is read to swim you can sign up for something and not get shamed later because you couldn't volunteer for something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Although this sounds crazy, it will be hard to join a team in 1-2 years, at least for your older child. Most teams are fairly full by then and expected to swim 100s at meets. My daughter was in year round lessons as well as a strong summer swimmer and the clubs simply didn’t have room.

Just a thought that you may want to look into a team now.

Good luck!

I was going to say the same team. Lots and lots of kids (most?) kids in the DC area start summer swim at 5 and club swim by 6 or 7. It’s hard to break in later.

For Virginia both your kids are fine and if they swim over winter will be great for summer. Summer swim in Virginia starts 4-7 years of age. But club? You can have 12 years old that are athletic summer swimmers join. Unless DC is radically different. A lot of kids will winter swim one day a week to keep their skills their but true competitive swim can be later unless you want burn out. There are a million threads on this.

Maybe it's Virginia, but DD made divisionals and relays and got really into swim as an 11 year old. She tried out for three teams and two offered her a slot. Neither implied that she would be behind.