Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does it work? If you even get into a summer pool club do they teach your kids swimming or do you have to be already “legal” ? Kids are 5,7,8.

Usually they have to be able to swim 25m without drowning, but some pools require more and some require less. You don't usually need to be legal.

Unless there is a minis program, the amount of instruction will be limited. Practices are big groups with lots of kids in a lane. Get a private instructor if you want more instruction.

Ok so it’s not as demanding as year round swim. And they teach you how to do strokes other than free style so they can compete?

Not really, unless they are in the mini program. For most pools anyway. If you want to be on the team, your kid should at a minimum be able to do back and free legally. You need private lessons to learn the strokes. Many HS coaches offer them between practices.

At our pool, the swim team coaches absolutely teach the kids stroke technique. Difference is they’re coaching from the deck / pulling kids out for technique instruction rather than being in-water like for minis. Head coach is also a club coach. OP talk to other families in your neighborhood that belong to the club (and have kids on swim team) to find out what their experience has been like.

This describes our pool too. Swim team got my kids proficient in all four strokes and they have a ton of fun too. When they decided they wanted to be one of the fast kids, we started doing year round swim (stroke and turn, then club). One of mine started on pre-team being able to swim across the pool but with no real technique at just turned 6 and was swimming in B meets by the end of the summer. He could have done swim team from the start but wasn’t emotionally ready - it can be overwhelming for some of the little ones. The other started right in swim team at 7, looked like a drowning cat the first couple weeks, but did great (and is now a high school swimmer). As another PP said, there’s a big social/fun aspect as well.

I'd add to get them in quickly. The pre-team membership is usually younger than 8, since there is an 8&under category for regular events at meets. A DC who is 8 and on pre-team might get self-conscious; a 9YO might not want to do it at all. It's great that you are considering now, and I'd strongly encourage going ahead this summer with whatever you can get them in for so that your oldest can get involved.

Swim team is hit or miss at a lot of pools. Your kid probably needs to be able to swim 25 meters. They likely won't get any instruction. If you really want your kid to learn good technique, pay for private lessons or small group lessons. The biggest take-away is that it's a lot of work for parents. Do lots of research on how much will be required of you before you decide to take it on. We don't do swim team anymore because it's freakin cold in MD early summer, we'd rather play around and have fun at the pool, and I don't want to spend half my summer working my tail off at swim meets.

OP- thanks for the replies. Is anyone a member of Fox Mill Woods Swim and Tennis in Reston? How is the swim program/ facilities/ and vibe?

If your kids can’t swim at all, try a get some rec center lessons before summer starts. Plenty of parents have their mini aged kids also get private swim lessons from the teens on the team to become legal in the s strokes and improve stamina.

At our pool, you have to be able to get across the pool without drowning. They teach you how to do the stroke legally. If they don't teach you, the DQ notes from meets will.

But every pool is different, so check with your team rep.

--Parent of a kid who started at age 9 with zero knowledge of any strokes, and made it to all stars three years later.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does it work? If you even get into a summer pool club do they teach your kids swimming or do you have to be already “legal” ? Kids are 5,7,8.

Usually they have to be able to swim 25m without drowning, but some pools require more and some require less. You don't usually need to be legal.

Unless there is a minis program, the amount of instruction will be limited. Practices are big groups with lots of kids in a lane. Get a private instructor if you want more instruction.

Ok so it’s not as demanding as year round swim. And they teach you how to do strokes other than free style so they can compete?

Not really, unless they are in the mini program. For most pools anyway. If you want to be on the team, your kid should at a minimum be able to do back and free legally. You need private lessons to learn the strokes. Many HS coaches offer them between practices.

At our pool, the swim team coaches absolutely teach the kids stroke technique. Difference is they’re coaching from the deck / pulling kids out for technique instruction rather than being in-water like for minis. Head coach is also a club coach. OP talk to other families in your neighborhood that belong to the club (and have kids on swim team) to find out what their experience has been like.

Once you join a pool, most teams are an additional fee. To be on the A team, the kid must be able to swim strokes legally or they are on the B team until they can. Get private lessons from the coaches. Attend practices daily. It helps.

For new 8 and unders at our pool they have to demonstrate at least a basic proficiency in both free and back. Not necessarily pretty, but at least legal and comfortable getting across the pool. Kids who aren't ready are referred to the summer swim lesson program.

We have a mini or pre-team that is mostly 5-6yr olds. They work on strengthening those strokes with the goal of swimming in the last B meet of the year, but again they are starting with kids who have basic swim skills.

Kids will improve over the summer just by being in the water every day but kids who want to gain solid proficiency in the harder strokes take lessons on the side. There are too many kids and the season is too short to expect a swim team to be a lessons program.

Our pool has a pre team for younger kids where there is some minimal instruction, mostly by the older kids on the team.