SWIM FOR LIFE - life skills, life
friendships and life health.
It is the goal of the
London Aquatic Club to develop, support and promote competitive
swimming for all ages and abilities in a positive, caring and safe
environment. Competitive swimming encourages fitness,
friendship and health, and produces people who are a
credit to their sport and their community.
Our competitive swim team
offers high quality professional coaching for all ages and
abilities. Our team consists of approximately 275swimmers (divided
into 9 different groups) from Development to Senior Gold. Swimmers
range in age from 6-18 and from beginner to world champion. Our
swimmers train and compete for 11 months each year from the middle
of September to the beginning of August.
Under the direction of
our 5 full-time and 17 part-time coaches, new swimmers to the club,
after an individual pool assessment, will be placed in the group
that best suits their ability and age. At a minimum, we
require that a potential swimmer be comfortable in the water and
have the ability to complete one continuous length of a 25-metre pool (any stroke at any speed) as well
as be at least 6 years of age. The majority of new swimmers
aged 12&under who register with us will begin in our first
group, Development.
The first few years
(starting in Development) focus on stroke development and learning
competitive swimming basics. Many children improve rapidly and it
is not unusual to see tremendous growth in these first few years.
It is important to remember that each child will develop
at their own rate and is on their own path. Swimming should be
fun and pressure free, especially at the younger levels. As your
child progresses, their group placement will be re-evaluated to
ensure continued training and competition challenges are provided
to enhance their development.
GROUP
STRUCTURE
Development &
Intro
Ages 6-11. Introduction
to basic concepts of training & competition in a fun and
encouraging environment. Swimmers compete in club-hosted and
regional meets. Practices are usually
60mins, 3x per week. Primary Coaches: Dev1
Emma Taratacca & Kim Charteris; Dev2 Nick Mitchell & Lexi
Meklensek; Intro Meggin Moffatt
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: FUNdamentals
Age Group
Orange
Ages 8-11. Main
objectives are the refinement of the basic strokes, introduction to
a group training environment and basic training and competition
principles. Swimmers compete in club-hosted and regional meets.
Practices are usually 60mins, 4x per week. Primary Coach: Emma
Taratacca
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: FUNdamentals
Age Group
Blue
Ages 11-14. As with Age
Group Orange, but for children a bit older, the main objectives are
the refinement of the basic strokes, introduction to dryland training, and basic training and
competition principles. Swimmers compete in club-hosted and
regional meets. Practices are usually 60mins, 5x
per week, including some dryland. Primary Coach: Rebecca
Quirie
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: FUNdamentals
Age Group
Bronze
Ages 9-11. These are our
stronger 9-11 year olds who, in the estimation of the coaches, have
demonstrated a good grasp of the main techniques in all 4 strokes
and the ability to handle a slightly higher training level.
Swimmers in this group have regional time standards and are aiming
for the provincial level. Practices are usually
60mins, 5x per week, including some dryland. Primary Coach: Donna
Moskal
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: Learn to Train
Age Group
Silver
Ages 11-14. Swimmers in
this group have advanced from any of the previous Age Group levels
and are ready to handle an increased water and dryland
training program. They will have attained regional times and should
be aiming for the provincial level. Practices are 1-2hrs, 6x
per week, including some dryland. Primary Coach: Liz Moskal
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: Train to Train
Age Group
Gold
Ages 12-14. Swimmers in
this group are our top Age Group swimmers (pre-high school), are
competing at the provincial and aiming for the national
level. These swimmers are capable of handling an increased
workload in all 4 strokes, and will start some training specific to
their primary stroke(s). Practices are 1-2hrs, 7x
per week, including some dryland. Primary Coach: Liz Moskal
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: Train to Train, Train to Compete
Senior
Blue
Ages 14+ (high school).
Swimmers in this group are interested in fitness and fun, with less
emphasis on racing commitment. Competitions include club-hosted and
regional events. Practices are 60 mins, 5x per week, including some
dryland. Primary Coach: Jonathan Korchuk
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: FUNdamentals and Active for
Life
Senior
Bronze
Ages 14+ (high school).
Swimmers in this group are interested in fitness and fun, with a
higher emphasis on training and racing commitment than Senior Blue.
Competitions include club-hosted and regional events, as well as
provincial events for those who qualify. Practices are 60-90mins,
5x per week, including some dryland. Primary Coach: Jonathan
Korchuk
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: Learn to Train and Active for
Life
Senior
Silver
Ages 14+ (high school).
Swimmers in this group are competing at the regional level and
striving toward the provincial level, and are working on both
aerobic and anaerobic development in all 4 strokes with some stroke
specialization. Practices are 1.5-2hrs, 7x per week,
including dryland. Primary Coaches: Andrew
Craven & Kelly Steeves
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: Train to Compete
Senior
Gold
Ages 14+ (high school).
Swimmers in this group are 100% committed to swimming. It is their
primary focus other than school, and these swimmers are striving to
compete at the national level. Training in this group is
focussed on aerobic and anaerobic development and refinement,
stroke and event specificity, and race execution at a championship
level. Practices are 1.5-2hrs, 9x per week, including 4 dryland sessions. Primary Coaches: Andrew Craven
& Kelly Steeves
Long Term Athlete
Development Stage: Train to Compete, Compete to Win
Intro to Para Swimming
Program
The Intro to Para Swimming Program
aims to introduce individuals with physical disabilities to
competitive swimming, starting at whatever level of experience and
skill a swimmer may possess. To participate in the program,
swimmers must be comfortable in the water and have a desire to
improve their swimming skills. If necessary, and whenever possible,
we strive to provide in-water support to help swimmers build
confidence, strength, and have a positive swimming experience.
Water sessions are structured more like a traditional competitive
swimming practice than like a swimming lesson, with swimmers
participating in warm up, technique development, aerobic
conditioning, and warm down, all scaled to meet individual swimmer
needs.
Over the past 8 years of the
program we have seen swimmers grow and develop into independent,
confident lap swimmers, while developing friendships with "other
children like them", and we have seen 5 swimmers build their skills
and confidence to a level where they were able to transition
smoothly and confidently into other intergrated programs within the
London Aquatic Club.
If you or someone you
know is interested in learning more about the program please
contact Darda Sales, Head Coach and Co-founder @
[email protected].
For more information on
any of our programs please contact: 519-857-SWIM or
[email protected]
