At a minimum, swimmers should bring a properly fitting swim suit, a pair of well fitted goggles, a towel, some slip on footwear, and a warm coat or jacket. The locker rooms are availible to use at all practices but some swimmers like to leave their things on the pool deck. Swimmers are also encouraged to bring a water bottle to stay hydrated during practice. 

We arrange the pool based on ability and experience. Newer swimmers will be grouped with swimmers of a similar ability level and we try to keep the coach to swimmer ratio lower for those lanes to ensure they get a bit more attention. Given that we have people coming in and out of the program over the course of the season, we often revisit lane structures so swimmers may move lanes based on who else is in the group. 

Workouts start with a warmup which takes around 10 minutes to compolete. The whole team will do a similar warmup and change it every month. Swimmers are expected to remember the warmup and start it as soon as they get in the pool. Coaches use that warmup time to help newer swimmers, talk with parents when necessary, and plan for the practice. Warmups are desiged to be done with minimal instruction and minimal breaks to allow everyone to get settled and mentally ready to start practice.

Following warmup, we generally perform drills or technical exercises that are meant to help swimmers focus on certain aspects of their strokes. They will often work on other skills such as turns, dives, streamlines, or racing to help add some variety. Later in the season, swimmers will add more volume and intensity to help train their different energy systems. Swimmers should expect to be challenged mentally and physically every practice!

Swimmers are allowed to take breaks and go to the bathroom as needed. We encourage swimmers to take care of these needs before practice or at a transition time during practice (during an easy recovery swim, when their group goes to line up for dives, etc). If a swimmer feels they are struggling, they should talk to their coach who can help them make adjustments or see if a different lane is a better fit. 

After the first practice or two, we ask that the parents stay off of the deck during the actual practice times. Parents are welcome to watch from the upper deck at Sand Point, the clubhouse deck at Aqua Club, or the bleachers at Meadwobrook. If your swimmers needs special medical or behavioral attention, please let us know and we will be happy to accommodate your needs. We find that parents can oftentimes distract their swimmers, especially the more nervous ones. Once they get in the pool, most swimmers feel more comfortable and will adopt a more positive headspace. 

We practice in all weather except for lightning, heavy snow, and pool air quality (over 100 on the AQI scale). Swimmers should prepare to swim in the cold, wind, and rain. All of the pools are kept around 83 degrees F so the water will be comfortable to be in for the practice.