Tryout Information: March 2026
Our next IFLY team evaulation will take place Saturday, March 7th from 12pm-2pm. We will be accepting new swimmers to all of our training groups in the Spring.
All prospective new members of our team are required to have an evaluation with one/several coaches from our staff to assess where new athletes would best fit within our team.

 

To join our tryout information list, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/XXSBfG9SyfX5b4m39

Location and Tryout Skills:
Our staff will meet you 5 - 10 minutes before your scheduled time on the pool deck. Swimmers will be called down based on previous lesson experience.
We will be at the Campus Wellness and Recreation Center Natatorium to assess your child. 
Address: 309 S Madison St, Iowa City, IA 52245
The tryout will consist of a 10-15 minute in-water evaluation. Swimmers must be able to:
  • Tread water for 90 - 120 seconds
    • December 2025 tryouts will require a 25 yard swim of each stroke, at minimum.
  • Freestyle: Coaches will look for the ability to get a side breath / air exchange. This skill is non-negotiable, as it is a requirement for water safety.
  • Able to float on stomach and on back; comfortably rotating between the floats
  • Ability to kick with a kickboard and to kick while floating
  • A basic level of endurance to ensure swimmers can complete a practice and still have fun!
  • Swimmers must have a desire to learn all four competitive strokes.
Swimmers will need to swim in a practice suit and bring their own goggles. Caps are not mandatory for the tryout, but will be used in IFLY practices. 
 
Swim Lesson Equivalents / Pre-Requisites:
If your child is currently enrolled in swim lessons at the University of Iowa, Coralville Rec, Iowa City Rec, they must be in Level 4 (at a minimum).
If your child is currently enrolled in swim lessons at North Liberty Aquatic Center swim lessons, they must have completed Level 5 or at Diventures, they must have completed Level 3.
If your child is being given private lessons at North Dodge or other sites, they are welcome to tryout, but IFLY coaches will assess skill level based on our minimum standards.
 
No competitive swimming experience is necessary; however each swimmer must be able to complete a 10-15 minute swimming test and show an ability to finish a 60 minute practice, at minimum.
Athletes who are approved by IFLY coaching staff members will be given information regarding registration and practice schedules.
Families will receive a follow-up email in the days following our tryouts with placement information  or if athletes not yet ready to join the team, they will be directed by IFLY coaches to other avenues to continue to improve stroke technique and endurance.

 

Transfers: Joining IFLY from another USA Swimming Team

The Iowa Flyers Swim Club aims to provide a healthy, safe, inclusive, and challenging environment for swimmers to grow as people and athletes through the sport of swimming. While we are willing to help all athletes in the southeast Iowa area, we believe in honest communication and encourage swimmers to explore all avenues with their current coaches before considering a transfer to IFLY. 

IFLY will not accept new transfers who have not spoken with their current coaches about concerns or potential changes. IFLY will not accept new transfers who have not paid any outstanding invoices with their current team.  

Transfers who have no choice but to find a new team will need to discuss their current training volume, practice regularity, skills & abilities, and competition times before being placed in an IFLY training group. 

Please contact Coach Chris Freeman for more details.

 

Registration Process

Before you arrive for your tryout, please follow this link and create a free Rec. Services account. Select "Sign In" in the top right corner. Select "Sign Up" at the bottom if you don't already have an account. Fill in the requested information with your information. Add your child as your 'Dependent'. 

Once your child has tried out with IFLY coaches, we will email you with either: a link to register with our club or referrals to local lessons programs to continue developing until our next tryout date. If accepted to the team and sent the link to register, please complete the registration within the given window of time. The "Join IFLY" command button in the middle of our webpage will take you to the link described above; it is not open year-round and is not available to families who have not completed a tryout.

Finally, once you've created a Rec. Services account and filled out the IFLY registration, you'll complete another link to complete your USA Swimming registration. 

All three registrations must be completed in order to join IFLY.

 

 

Prospective Coaches:

We are always looking for motivated, energetic, and knowledgable coaches to join our staff!

Contact Coach Chris Freeman to learn which groups need assistance and how to submit an application.

 

Currently looking for:

- Part-time Masters coach

- Developmental (10&U) assistant coaches

Application Links: https://apps.studentlife.uiowa.edu/dsl_jobs/job_postings/1293