Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Asa tryouts have passed and they are a small club without space. Unless your 8 year old is winning all their A meet races they won’t take you

And like PP said, winter swim is a different beast than summer. It’s not fun for kids or parents. You do it to improve and to crush summer swim and maybe swim in high school. But just because your child likes A meets doesn’t mean winter swim is for them

I hate when people spew this nonsense. Winter swim is not for everyone, just like volleyball or lacrosse or basketball isn’t for everyone, but there are plenty of kids that love club swim because they love the sport. A stroke program can be good for kids new to swimming, but if part of what your kid likes about swimming is the competition, a stroke class probably isn’t what you’re looking for. There are plenty of clubs in this area for kids of all abilities that also participate in meets. So much is dependent on what your kid likes about swimming and what they want to do with it.

PP was right though. We saw lots of kids join club swimming bc of how fun summer swimming is. Our summer team: has meet themes (dress up), social events (pancake breakfast, decorate the pool before home meets, potluck dinners, game nights, team outings like to the movies), team cheers, team sponsored body paint (all kids can participate on the team), a team photographer, a team slide show, etc. our club team does none of that.

My kids love swim BUT they don’t in any way have the same “fun” that summer swim provides. Over the years, we’ve seen lots of kids join and quit club swim bc it is not the fun they thought swim was.

OP should know this.

+1. Winter swim isn't even social: it's all business, and most of that business is solitary, in the pool. A little friendly conversation at the ends of the lane and that's it. I was shocked when my DC came up with a few kids they consider friends, although they don't see each other outside of swim. The good news is that the kids obviously share an enjoyment of the sport and treat each other decently.

Make sure that DC knows this and that there is nothing explicitly wrong with it. Summer is the reward for winter in some ways.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Asa tryouts have passed and they are a small club without space. Unless your 8 year old is winning all their A meet races they won’t take you

And like PP said, winter swim is a different beast than summer. It’s not fun for kids or parents. You do it to improve and to crush summer swim and maybe swim in high school. But just because your child likes A meets doesn’t mean winter swim is for them

I hate when people spew this nonsense. Winter swim is not for everyone, just like volleyball or lacrosse or basketball isn’t for everyone, but there are plenty of kids that love club swim because they love the sport. A stroke program can be good for kids new to swimming, but if part of what your kid likes about swimming is the competition, a stroke class probably isn’t what you’re looking for. There are plenty of clubs in this area for kids of all abilities that also participate in meets. So much is dependent on what your kid likes about swimming and what they want to do with it.

PP was right though. We saw lots of kids join club swimming bc of how fun summer swimming is. Our summer team: has meet themes (dress up), social events (pancake breakfast, decorate the pool before home meets, potluck dinners, game nights, team outings like to the movies), team cheers, team sponsored body paint (all kids can participate on the team), a team photographer, a team slide show, etc. our club team does none of that.

My kids love swim BUT they don’t in any way have the same “fun” that summer swim provides. Over the years, we’ve seen lots of kids join and quit club swim bc it is not the fun they thought swim was.

OP should know this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Asa tryouts have passed and they are a small club without space. Unless your 8 year old is winning all their A meet races they won’t take you

And like PP said, winter swim is a different beast than summer. It’s not fun for kids or parents. You do it to improve and to crush summer swim and maybe swim in high school. But just because your child likes A meets doesn’t mean winter swim is for them

I hate when people spew this nonsense. Winter swim is not for everyone, just like volleyball or lacrosse or basketball isn’t for everyone, but there are plenty of kids that love club swim because they love the sport. A stroke program can be good for kids new to swimming, but if part of what your kid likes about swimming is the competition, a stroke class probably isn’t what you’re looking for. There are plenty of clubs in this area for kids of all abilities that also participate in meets. So much is dependent on what your kid likes about swimming and what they want to do with it.

+1

No one would argue that winter swim is as fun as summer, but at the end of the day, swimming is swimming. If your kids favorite part of summer swim is the swimming and competition, then they will most likely like year-round swim. And there are other positive intangibles on many 8&under winter teams (swim friends and camaraderie, winning ribbons and medals, many 8&u teams do some social events throughout the year, etc).

Anonymous wrote:Asa tryouts have passed and they are a small club without space. Unless your 8 year old is winning all their A meet races they won’t take you

And like PP said, winter swim is a different beast than summer. It’s not fun for kids or parents. You do it to improve and to crush summer swim and maybe swim in high school. But just because your child likes A meets doesn’t mean winter swim is for them

I hate when people spew this nonsense. Winter swim is not for everyone, just like volleyball or lacrosse or basketball isn’t for everyone, but there are plenty of kids that love club swim because they love the sport. A stroke program can be good for kids new to swimming, but if part of what your kid likes about swimming is the competition, a stroke class probably isn’t what you’re looking for. There are plenty of clubs in this area for kids of all abilities that also participate in meets. So much is dependent on what your kid likes about swimming and what they want to do with it.

Asa tryouts have passed and they are a small club without space. Unless your 8 year old is winning all their A meet races they won’t take you

And like PP said, winter swim is a different beast than summer. It’s not fun for kids or parents. You do it to improve and to crush summer swim and maybe swim in high school. But just because your child likes A meets doesn’t mean winter swim is for them

Anonymous wrote:As PP have said, most clubs have tryouts and many tryouts have passed or are full. DC Wave is a lottery system and is very hard to get into - first a tryout and then into the lottery for if there is space. Doing a clinic or lower key program could be a good bridge from summer swim into winter as they are very different!!

NCAP AU/Holton may have a 1x a week stroke class also, which could be a good bridge. Capitol Sea Devils has options in DC and at Holton and has a 1x a week clinic option. I think ASA has also had a clinic option but they are at Stone Ridge (don't know where in CC you are and how far is too far). Tollefson does some stroke classes at St. Albans as well as Prep.

Can you speak more to these options? We live near AU and my 8 year old does summer swim and passed the tryout for DC Wave, but then decided she wasn't ready for year round competitive swim. And I'm happy to avoid the commute to Takoma or time commitment for now as well! The NCAP AU stroke clinic sounds perfect for her needs/interest, and would be incredibly convenient. But Capitol Sea Devils or Tollefson could work as well. I don't know anything about any of these programs, so would love more info on whether they would be a good fit for a kid that loves to swim and enjoys the social aspect of the team, but doesn't want a ton of pressure or tough love.

OP, have your child apply to two RMSC groups. KSAC is going to multiple locations for two years so consider that when applying. lots of private groups too. Also, the county and city of rockville have stroke and turn or higher level classes if they don't get in. Its pure luck if a spot is open and they take the best of the bunch.

As PP have said, most clubs have tryouts and many tryouts have passed or are full. DC Wave is a lottery system and is very hard to get into - first a tryout and then into the lottery for if there is space. Doing a clinic or lower key program could be a good bridge from summer swim into winter as they are very different!!

NCAP AU/Holton may have a 1x a week stroke class also, which could be a good bridge. Capitol Sea Devils has options in DC and at Holton and has a 1x a week clinic option. I think ASA has also had a clinic option but they are at Stone Ridge (don't know where in CC you are and how far is too far). Tollefson does some stroke classes at St. Albans as well as Prep.

Anonymous wrote:NCAP at Georgetown Prep has a good coach for their Bronze groups. My swimmer had a good experience there as a young swimmer although it gets a lot more intense in the higher groups.

The GP Bronze Coach is great. It does get more intense beyond Bronze, but the Silver and Gold groups have some amazing swimmers (and I mean currently, I’m not reaching back to the past) so swimmers are expected to train up to that level and it’s not for everyone.

NCAP at Georgetown Prep has a good coach for their Bronze groups. My swimmer had a good experience there as a young swimmer although it gets a lot more intense in the higher groups.

NCAP-Georgetown Prep or Holton Arms and RMSC are the other big clubs (in addition to ASA) that will have sites convenient to North Chevy Chase. The caveat for RMSC is that your most convenient location is probably KSAC and that location is closed for renovation for at least 2 years so those kids are practicing at various other sites that may or not be convenient for you. RMSC is affiliated with the county, so it costs a lot less than NCAP or ASA, but as a result competition for slots with RMSC is fierce. The other clubs are competitive to be sure, but generally will have more slots available particularly for younger kids. NCAP Holton Arms also has a program for younger swimmers, Bronze 3, that isn’t available at Georgetown Prep, and the coach is fabulous.

a lot of tryouts are already happening. Keep in mind winter swim is very different than summer swim. It’s slower and there’s no candy or bring out in the sun and music.

RMSC tryout information is here. http://rmscswimming.com/rmsc-20242025-season-tryout-information-montgomery-county-sites-copy - you try out based on your age on December 6 2024. If he will be 9 then he is not eligible for minis and it may be difficult to get in.

Dc wave signups for tryouts are here https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/pvdcpr/page/events#/team-events/upcoming and they also have some sites but Takoma might be the best one for you.

Figure on a commitment of 2/3x week and see which pools fit in your comfort driving zone.

Here is the list of all the USA Swimming clubs in the region:

https://www.pvswim.org/pvs_club.htm

Tryouts are pretty much in motion now for many of them. Some have basically open enrollment at the lower/younger levels. Depending on when DS' birthday is, he may be considered either an 8yo or a 9yo right now. I'd definitely start this year and not wait: the standards get higher as kids get older.

Anonymous wrote:New swim family here. My 8-year old son is having a great summer swim season and has expressed interest in continuing year round. He’s a strong A-meet swimmer. Anyone willing to give a brief run down of the teams and the major differences? We are in north Chevy chase area. Location/convenience is important!

ASA (tryout is over but you can ask them)

New swim family here. My 8-year old son is having a great summer swim season and has expressed interest in continuing year round. He’s a strong A-meet swimmer. Anyone willing to give a brief run down of the teams and the major differences? We are in north Chevy chase area. Location/convenience is important!