Practice Group Expectations

Hello Swim Families!

As we are about to begin our new swim season, I want to lay out the expectations for each practice group. Let’s get to it.

Minnows Group

Practices offered per week: 4 practices.

Expected practice attendance: 3 practices (but the more the better).

Foundations of stroke techniques and the ability to swim up to 100 yards without stopping is the goal of the Minnows group.

Swimmers are highly encouraged to attend as many meets as possible, with a minimum of 1 swim meet per month required for the best results.

The Minnows group is a not a swim lessons program, therefore, swimmers must know the basics of the four strokes and be able to swim at least 25 meters unassisted to be a member of this group.

The Minnows group exists to make beginning swimmers’ strokes better and introduce them to competitive swimming.

Swimmers will learn to use equipment including kick boards and snorkels.

Team building and a love for the sport begins at this level. Relays and games are a vital part of the Minnows Group, but not a crutch. Swimmers will be introduced to the basics of aerobic swimming.

White Group

Practices offered per week: 4 practices.

Expected practice attendance: 3 practices (but the more the better).

Advanced stroke techniques and racing strategies comprise the foundations of the White Group. Swimmers are introduced to the 100s of stroke as well as the 200 and 500 freestyles. 

Swimmers are highly encouraged to attend as many meets as possible, with a minimum of 1 swim meet per month required for the best results.

Goal setting begins in the White Group, with the coaches’ guidance.

The White Group is where swimmers will get more involved in the competitive aspects of the sport while keeping training fun, though there will be challenging days. Swimmers are introduced to aerobic and sprint conditioning, and will regularly use equipment such as snorkels, kick boards, and pull buoys.

Blue Group

Practices offered per week: 5 practices.

Expected practice attendance: 4 practices (but the more the better).

Advanced stroke techniques, racing strategies, and training methods comprise the day-to-day of the Blue Group. Swimmers are introduced to the 200s of stroke as well as the 400 IM and the 1000 and 1650 freestyles.

Swimmers are highly encouraged to attend as many meets as possible, with a minimum of 2 swim meets per month required for the best results.

Goal setting will become more specific in the Blue Group with swimmers learning the difference between performance and competition goals.

The Blue Group is the jumping-off point for swimmers to determine if they are a swimmer or a person who swims, with the former being a whole-hearted embrace of the sport and all it has to offer. Swimmers who wish to become members of the Platinum Group identify with the former, whereas individuals with a more recreational approach to the sport identify with the latter. Learning which group one belongs to is a process that takes time, and the coaches are here to help swimmers figure out how far they want to go in their swimming careers.

Platinum Group

Practices offered per week: 6 practices.

Expected practice attendance: 6 practices (and all dryland days… dryland schedule TBD).

Advanced stroke techniques, racing strategies, training methods, as well as video reviews of stroke technique make up the training routine of the Platinum Group. Swimmers will swim every event in competition throughout the course of the season.

Swimmers are expected to attend as many meets as possible. To be a better competitor, swimmers must compete.

Swimmers will learn the finer points of goal setting, building off what they learned in the Blue Group. Here, swimmers will continue with their performance and competitive goals, as well as determine both long-term and short-term/intermediate goals.

It is in the Platinum Group that swimmers will determine whether they want to swim in college or continue with the sport via another path, such as Masters.

This is the most serious training group and swimmers are held to high standards in and out of the pool. At this point, swimmers are also role models to the younger swimmers on the team and are expected to demonstrate that behavior every day in practice.

Thank you, and I'll see you at the pool!

-Coach Reid