Masters Swimming - 2025

​The Edge Masters Swim Team is a welcoming and open community of people who love to swim and train at the Eastwood Pool location. Masters swimmers work towards fitness and competitive swimming goals through varied, fun and vigorous workouts.

Swimmers come from a variety of swimming backgrounds including fitness swimmers, former age-group swimmers, competitive high school and collegiate swimmers, triathletes, and open water marathon swimmers. Many Masters swimmers compete in triathlons, open water swims and meets, though there is no pressure to do so.

All practices are currently at capacity and we are currently uanble to accept new swimmers (though you are welcome to join the EDGE and swim). 

We are unable to have visiting swimmers at this time. You are welcome to email Head Coach Emily Mitchell with any questions. We apologize for any inconvience. 

Fees : EDGE Membership (rates vary) plus $30 per month Masters Program fee. 

Meet the Masters Coaches

Head Coach Emily Mitchell, USMS Level 3 Coach, ALTS Certified

Coach Emily Mitchell (she/her) is a USMS Level 3 coach and Adult Learn to Swim (ALTS) certified. Emily also serves on the NELMSC Board as the Coache's Chair and assists with New England DEI work. She brings 22+ years of classroom teaching experience to the pool deck, making the masters workouts fun, thought-provoking, challenging and exciting.

Emily has competed in many open water swimming events, including the length of Lake Willoughby, 10K in Lake Memphremagog, and finished Ironman Lake Placid in 2003 with a sub-hour swim. Emily teaches Art at Champlain Valley Union High School and is a locally known artist and painter. 

Coach Vicki Taylor - National Board Certified Health Coach

Coach Vicki (She/Her)  is a National Board certified Master Health Coach, Personal Trainer, and  Nutrition Coach who nerds out on how to live a healthy life without sacrificing enjoyment. Her athletic background started in the pool when she was 4 years old. Vicki swam competitively until her mid-twenties, placing in multiple events at the national level for USMS and competing in USA Swimming events. She recently came out of “swim retirement” to train long distance and endurance swim races, and placed second at the 2022 Kingdom Swim 5k! 

Coach Jared Pellerin

Jared grew up swimming in Plattsburgh, N.Y., first with his local YMCA swim team in the second grade, before joining his local USA Swimming club team, The Waves. He swam throughout high school and was a Section 7 champion in multiple events. Jared then went on to swim at St. Lawrence University, where he specialized in the distance freestyle and butterfly; capping off his collegiate career as conference champion in the 500 yard freestyle. Jared has always had a passion for the water and has been teaching lessons or coaching swimming in some capacity for over twenty years. His coaching philosophy is focused on meeting people where they are and bringing fun to the pool deck. He still believes in the motto of his first swim team, "Play Hard, Swim Fast!" and encourages everyone to always give their best but to have fun doing it. 

Coach Courtney Kutler

Courtney is well known to our EDGE members as our resident triathlon coach and TRIBE class leader. Courtney coaches our 11 am group, often from the water, and really enjoys working with adult athletes! Courtney will help you set realistic goals, hold you accountable while allowing flexibility in your training! 

Coach Janet Mara

Coach Ben Russel

Important Information:

Please note: due to limited pool space, Masters Swim Team is not a learn to swim program. Swimmers must have the endurance to swim 200-300 yards continuously. Swimmers must also be able circle swim in a shared lane with other swimmers of the same speed. 

Masters participants must be EDGE Members.

We are unable to host Visiting Guests at this time. We are sorry for any inconvience. 

Do not attend practice if you are sick. 

FAQ

Why should I swim Masters?
We think that Masters swimming is a great way to stay in shape, have fun, and achieve long term health and fitness goals. But we'll let this video do the talking! There are plenty of other reasons, too! Watch this video to learn more!

I just graduated high school/college, and I'm not sure if Masters is the right fit for me?
Humans of all ages come to Masters  from 18 to 105! Our group is very welcoming to all newcomers. 

What's the benefit of swimming Masters?
The primary benefit of swimming with a Masters Swim group is FUN, having a written workout, lane-mates to keep you going, and a coach to watch your stroke. Success in swimming, unlike cycling or running, is heavily dependent on technique and coach and teammate feedback is really helpful! 

I know how to swim, but I'm nervous I'll slow the group down or that I won't know the "swimming language?"
We design our workouts to be adjustable for all levels and you may well find a group of kindred swimmers in a lane who naturally match your pace. And don't worry about the lingo;  U.S. Master Swimming (USMS) has developed a GREAT resource guide for just that purpose. 

Do I have to attend a certain number of practices each week? 

Due to our team being full, we ask our Masters Swimmers to comit to a specific workout time. However, you can attend as many practices per week as you can manage, although most of our swimmers do attend 3 days per week. No matter what, we will make sure you have a great workout. 

What if I feel like I could use some private or group lessons before I start coming to practice? 

Not quite ready to jump into the Masters Swim Team? The EDGE offers Adult Learn to Swim lesson, both in a group and private setting. Email [email protected] to learn more about lessons. 

I have some specific questions; who can answer them? 

If you have any additional questions, Head Coach Emily Mitchell can be reached at [email protected]

Events

Below is an arbitrary list of events of potential interest to New England Swimmers. It is not all-inclusive. Also see the New England LMSC Event Calendar, the USMS Event Calendar, the U.S. Open Water Swimming Connections Calendar, the WOWSA Open Water Events Calendar, the Marathon Swimmers Federation New England Event Calendar, and the Swim Across America Open Water Events Calendar.

2025 Events: