Developmental - Acorns Group

This group is designed for young or beginner swimmers who have basic water safety and swimming skills but are not yet ready for competitive training. Swimmers should be at least at level 3 of American Red Cross swim lessons.The focus is on developing proper technique in the four competitive strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly), learning starts and turns, and building endurance and confidence in the water. This group bridges the gap between learn-to-swim programs and more advanced training groups, laying the foundation for future competitive swimming.

Key Focuses:

• Build stroke technique

• Build confidence with the starting block

• Introduce the foundations of the sport

Junior Group

This group is for the beginning level swimmer who has passed level 4 of American Red Cross swim lessons (or equivalent) and can swim four consecutive laps of the pool and will be encouraged to attend 3 practices per week.  The major focuses in the Junior group are proper stroke technique, good swimming etiquette, introduction to goal setting, introduction to swim meets, introduction to drills, and FUN!

Key Focuses:

• Build stroke technique

• Quality over Quantity swimming

• Introduce goal setting

• Introduce the pace clock

Age Group 

Age Group swimmers must be legal in all four competitive strokes and show a willingness to make a commitment to their training and competition. The primary emphasis will be on developing stroke techniques through advanced drills. Swimmers should know how to use and read a pace clock. There is a lot of fun activities that these swimmers work on during practice to promote team unity, racing, and development into the senior level swimming. Swimmers are encouraged to participate in a minimum of 4 Practice per week. Swimmers will also be expected to attend scheduled swim meets.

Key Focuses:

• Goal setting

• Build stroke technique

• Race strategy/Pace training

• Videotaping

• Test Sets

Senior Group

Swimmers in this group have already developed their individual, technical, and racing skills in order to advance in the sport of swimming. Admittance into this group is based on dedication to the sport of swimming, Charter Oak Aquatic Club, teammates, and the pursuit of excellence in swimming  

This is the highest training group Charter Oak has to offer and it places more responsibility on its swimmers than the other groups do.  In this group, swimmers should be dedicated to the team, swimming and be willing to make swimming a priority so they can develop into the best swimmer they can be.

Swimmers in this group are 13/O and are competing at all levels of swimming. Athletes understand that being in the Senior Group makes them role models for OAK's younger swimmers and should lead by example. These swimmers commit to excellence in the sport of swimming by dedicating themselves to the highest level of practice attendance and hard work during each practice session.

Key Focuses:

• Refine stroke technique

• Goal setting

• Videotaping

• Dry Land

• Race Strategy

• Test Sets