| Mini Rays Pre-Competitive Groups: Sun Rays: Ages 5-12 - Coach Craig/Jocelyn Upon Entry: Swimmer must be able to swim 25m of freestyle with sidebreathing and backstroke without stopping, and also know the basics of butterfly & breaststroke kick. The focus of this group is to learn basic swim team skills & etiquette, while expanding on breaststroke and butterfly. Sting Rays: Ages 5-12 - Coach Craig/Jocelyn Entry: Swimmer must be able to swim 25m of freestyle AND backstroke that is fundamentally sound, along with the basics of breaststroke and butterfly. The focus of this group is to learn & perfect competition race skills such as turns, underwater streamlines/breakouts, and dives as they get ready for competitions. Eagle Rays: Ages 5-12 - Coach Raymond/Craig Entry: Swimmer must be able to swim 50m of each stroke; freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly with race skills that are fundamentally sound. The focus of this group is to prepare swimmers to train in a practice environment: understanding intervals, drills, interpreting sets, etc.. Competitive Development Groups: Discovery: Ages 7-11 - Coach Raymond This group is designed to foster the love of swimming as a competitive sport and increase their exposure through more competitions. The intention of the Discovery group is to provide the opportunity for beginning competitive swimmers to continue to develop each of the four competitive strokes, race skills, and teamwork. Continued stroke instruction is the key to their advancement, and emphasizing fun and their efforts given above all else. Expectations:
- Practice: Focus on improving the technical aspect of all four competitive strokes.
- Attendance: set a consistent schedule and do your best to commit to it.
- Meets: Compete in at least two meets per season, Compete in 50 yd. events for all four strokes and 100 yd. IM - at Coaches Discretion
- Performance; Achieve NAT “B” and “BB” USA Swim time standards.
Imagination: Ages 11-14 - Coach Hesham The mission of the Imagination Group is to continue building on the foundation of what it takes to become a competitive swimmer, and continue to grow their motivation for racing and love of the sport. Swimmers should have previous competitive swimming experience in a year-round program or multiple years in our development groups so that they are ready to commit to a year-round swimming program, including participation in competitive swim meets. Entry: 4 9-10 "B' cuts in different strokes. Practice: Swimmers in this group will begin aerobic base training and interval training. Advance technique foundation in all 4 strokes to the next level. Continue kick strengthening. Meet participation. Practice & refine race skills. Performance Goals: Achieving B cuts in their respective age groups, and aiming for committee championship placements. Exploration: Ages 13&UP - Coach Ashley Swimmers in this group should have previous competitive swimming experience in a year-round program or multiple seasons on a Pre-Comp team so that they are ready to commit to a year-round swimming program, including participation in competitive swim meets. The mission of this group is to continue building on the foundation of what it takes to become a competitive swimmer, and continue to grow their motivation for racing and love of the sport. Entry: 4 11-12 "NAT B" Times Practice: Conditioning and aerobic training will be emphasized. Practicing all 4 competition strokes. Improving starts, turns, underwater kicking, balance techniques, goal setting and race strategy. Performance Goals: The goal of this group is to prepare swimmers to ultimately be ready to graduate out of our Exploration group into their high school swim teams, or promote into our Senior 3 group program. Swimmers going into high school during the fall should aim to achieve Nat "BB" standards to promote into the Senior 3 group.
Challenge II: Ages 9-12 Coach Ashley
Challenge 2 swimmers will exhibit leadership skills in and out of the pool and represent the Manta Rays to the best of their ability. Challenge 2 swimmers should understand the importance of being on time for warm-ups and practices and have the desire to improve their swimming. The concept of mental training and race preparation are introduced in this group. Swimmer's need to demonstrate an ability to balance activities with school and swimming as well as show an increased commitment to the sport of competitive swimming. Entry: 9-10: Multiple NAT "BB" time standard. Practice: Proper stroke technique is emphasized as well as speed work; interval based training and quality aerobic conditioning. Performance Goals: To achieve Junior Olympic time standards, Nat "A" standards and beyond. Challenge I: Ages 11-14 Coach David This group will emphasize more advanced stroke technique for all strokes, including refined starts and turns. The underwater dolphin kick will be developed. Goal setting and mental training will also be introduced. All previous instruction will be continued and advanced. Dryland will become a more integral part of training. Swimmers will LEARN TO TRAIN and will be prepared for a successful transition into elite level senior swimming. Entry: 11-12 with "NAT A" standards Practice: Proper stroke technique is emphasized as well as speed work, interval based training and quality aerobic conditioning. Performance Goals; Age group champ finalists, Nat AA standards and beyond. Senior Groups Senior III High School Prep Coach Hesham This group is for junior high to high school aged swimmers that are looking to excel in swimming and compete on a year round basis and have achieved NAT BB cuts. Senior III's purpose is to begin handing over accountability and responsbility to the individual swimmer as they learn to set their own goals. We will prepare swimmers to succeed at the High School level or move towards Senior 2 - depending on the goals discussed with their coach. This group’s emphasis is on specific technique training incorporated with interval and endurance training. Practices are challenging but the group dynamic makes it fun and interesting. Senior II: High Performance - Coach David Defined by the same standards as the SR 1 group. Will consist of athletes 14&under that are championship meet Finalists, and 15+ aged swimmers that have achieved SCS SR Development cuts. The commitment requirements/standards will remain the same as SR 1 because if the goal is to transition all the way to the top group, then it is only logical to expect similar routines from this group for the future. Our purpose is to develop a cohesive training group that will allow the most dedicated swimmers to begin reaching National prominence, begin to expect more of themselves both in/out of the pool, take more ownership of their destiny, etc! Those who wish to move on to the Senior I group should plan to be at practice everyday and do not miss a set, snag a few Sectional standards and you will be onto the Senior I group. Senior I: Elite - Coach David Ambitious swimmers make up this group. Consist of kids that are 15+, have sectional cuts and, along with their families, are 100% committed to the team goal/focus for the season. Commitment of 8 water (2 morning) and 2 dry land practices per week. The coaching staff is aware that some training weeks may present unforeseen attendance difficulties. This practice schedule is very challenging, but doable for the athlete who has clearly defined goals, high aspirations, good time management skills and a willingness to give up a lot to pursue their dreams & goals. As well as providing the most comprehensive training program available to us, it can only be achieved with the development of a cohesive training group. In order to achieve International, National or State standards, everyone plays a "vital" contribution to the overall success. Athletes in this group need to be more equipped to handle longer water sessions/sets. The focus is on aerobic conditioning, developing power & speed work and stroke technique to develop sound swimming. Goals are Futures, Nationals, Olympic Trials and Collegiate aspirations. Entry into the group will be based on coach’s discretion. IMPORTANT NOTES: These are general guidelines that we use to structure the Age Group and Senior swimming programs. ALL group placements are assigned at the coaching team's discretion. MPMR group structure is designed for the athlete’s LONG TERM development. As a general rule, consistent practice and attendance will yield benefits and enjoyment for each athlete. When looking to advance up, each athlete should look at being placed in the middle of the next group rather than the achieving the minimum standards. |
