Launch is FRST's competitive level 10 & Under group. Aptly named, this group is the launching pad for great success within the sport of swimming. Swimmers who qualify for this group are capable of swimming all four strokes (with a bit of wiggle room!) and are nearing, or qualified for their first championship meet, Divisionals!
This group is set out to challenge our young swimmers as they discover the fun to be had setting goals and striving to be top notch swimmers. In this group, they will see continued stroke instruction with a significant increase in the challenges laid before them in practice.
Coach Paul takes charge of the Launch group, and oversees athletes as they transition from learning to swim to learning to compete. Oftentimes, swimmers spend little more than a season in this group as they are able to see great success from learning the value and fun in hard work with a purpose.
In the past few seasons, this group has seen many of FRST's best young swimmers pass through its ranks and go on to achieve great things! In the past 3 seasons since Griffin has taken over, this group has seen tremendous growth, over tripling the number of swimmers in this age group representing FRST at championship meets!
Schedule
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Practice | 6:00-7:30pm | No Practice | 6:00-7:30pm | 5:30pm-7:00pm | 10:30am-12:00pm |
Launch typically practices 4 days/week.
All swimmers are encouraged to attend practice as often as possible! We understand that lives are busy, and many young swimmers are engaged in multiple sports and activities, as well as having siblings, and other priorities to take care of!
Meets
Launch members are highly encouraged to attend as many meets as they can, with each being a great opportunity to improve skills and gain the critical experience it takes to take swimming to the next level! Typically, during Short Course season, between August and March, FRST attends one meet per month, and during Long Course season, between April and July, one meet every 2-3 weeks. Additionally, several home-hosted dual meets are avaliable to enjoy the most fun part of competitive swimming!
At the beginning of each season designations are made by the coaching staff to make recommendations for which team meets will be most appropriate for members of each group. Although for swimmers in Launch most meets which we attend would be an excellent experience, these recommendations provide a guiding framework to assist in planning other family priorities in a way that supplements our swimmers' ability to be successful, rather than inhibiting it!
For more information on competition opportunities, please check out the Meet Policy section of our team handbook!
Equipment
Swimmers in Launch are expected to have their own equipment bag with at least:
- Kickboard
- Snorkel
- Fins
- Shirt
- Athletic Shorts
- Shoes
- Mesh Equipment Bag
- Water Bottle
Please note that all of this equipment is not guaranteed to be used at every practice, but can be used at any time, so make sure your swimmer always has it on hand! Particularly shirt, shorts, and shoes at EVERY practice for Warm Up to Swim and other dryland activities!
Skills and Expectations
In Launch, swimmers are expected to have a basic understanding of all four competitive strokes which we can build upon. At this level we employ many drills and techniques to reinforce fundamental skills and begin to familiarize our athletes with new concepts, all while teaching them how to approach difficult challenges and put great effort and enthusiasm into the sport and their lives!
Important skills for this level include:
- Reinforce
- Kicking
- Body Line
- Learn
- Head Position
- Breath Timing
- Reinforce
- Strong Kick
- Body Line
- Learn
- Rotation
- Connection
- Learn
- Kick Shape
(Toes & Knees) - Head Position
- Kick Shape
- Learn
- Breath Timing
- Kick Timing
- Underwater Kick
If you have any questions about Launch Group, please contact Coach Griffin at [email protected]
