Spark is many swimmers' introduction to our team and the world of competitive swimming! This group aims to teach all of the fundamentals and benefits that swimming has to offer for swimmers and families! Spark group can provide wonderful experiences to all as you become familiarized with swimming, meet new friends, and learn what makes swimming, and swimming for FRST so special!
Although this group is our entry level, it is not strictly a Learn-To-Swim group. Swimmers must be safe and comfortable in the water, as well as able to swim the length of the pool and be familiar with at least the freestyle and backstroke competitive strokes. If you are looking for Learn-To-Swim programming, please check out FRST's current Swim Lesson offerings!
Coach Madeline guides our Spark swimmers and families through their first encounters with the team: practices, meets, volunteering, and all that FRST has to offer! Swimmers in Spark are introduced to all 4 competitive strokes, how to navigate a swim meet, from knowing which heat and lane in which event they will swim, to what rules apply to which strokes. Although there is much to learn and it can seem overwhelming as swimmers start out, Madeline and our coaching staff have years of experience introducing swimmers just like yours to the FRST Family!
Schedule
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:30-6:30pm | 5:30-6:30pm | No Practice | 5:30-6:30pm | No Practice |
Spark typically practices 3 days/week.
It is always our recommendation that swimmers attends as many sessions as possible to maximized both their progression and enjoyment of our team and sport! If you have any questions or concerns regarding schedule, please feel free to contact Coach Madeline at [email protected]
Meets
We encourage our Sparks athletes to seek competition as much as they can. Experience is the greatest teacher! Often, swimmers are able to learn many times more about the sport and about themselves at meets than they are at practice!
However, to help our swimmers and families make the most appropriate selection of competitions based on size, competitive level, travel distance, etc. we provide clear recommendations and requirements to make things as simple as possible!
These recommendations are set out before each season as we designate each meet or team event as Required, Expected, Encouraged, or Optional. This allows our coaching staff to set common expectations that help our club operate effectively, help our athletes benefit from each other's engagement and support, and help our coaches educate new families on the more intricate details of the world of competitive swimming!
For more information on meets and competitions, please check out the Meet Policy section of our team handbook!
Equipment
Swimmers in Spark are expected to have their own equipment bag with at least:
- Kickboard
- Mesh Equipment Bag
- Water Bottle
- Shirt
- Athletic Shorts
- Shoes
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!
If you have any questions about Spark Group, please contact Coach Madeline at [email protected]
