The Sea Dragons Swim Club’s mission is to promote an interest in competitive swimming and to develop each swimmer to his or her fullest potential in a safe and supportive environment. We encourage good sportsmanship, enjoyment, individual integrity, self-discipline and teamwork. Swimming is one of the few sports that is both an individual and a team sport.
Swimming with the Sea Dragons allows a child to become engaged in a sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. More importantly, the emphasis is not necessarily on winning or losing - but on personal development and achievement. Participants learn sportsmanship and teamwork, achieve a level of physical fitness, and acquire skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
We pride ourselves in offering a staff of professional coaches, all of whom are certified by USA Swimming. We provide a high coach to swimmer ratio to ensure that each swimmer receives individual attention at every single practice and meet. We swim 12 months per year, with both short and long course seasons. We also offer a family-friendly atmosphere, an active and responsive Board of Directors who help promote our Safe Sport and swimmer protection policies, and many social events throughout the year.
Where, When and How Often Are Practices?
The team practices at Penfield High School Pool and East Rochester High School Pool. We offer free two-week trials starting the first Monday of each month (or the first day of the season, in September - usually the Monday after Labor Day). Swimmers can swim from 1-5 times a week. We usually swim starting at 6:30 p.m. Bronze swimmers finishes at 7:30, Silver at 8:00 p.m., and Golds at 8:30 p.m. Silver and Gold swimmers also do 30 minutes of Drylands exercise and strength conditioning from 6pm-6.30pm. There are no attendance or competition requirements (although we encourage all swimmers to participate in meets). We allow every swimmer to determine their level of commitment and what works for their family. The coaches will tell you that for a swimmer to make marked improvement, they must swim three a week. However, it is your decision.
The club swims from September to August, starting the Monday after Labor Day and typically taking a break at the end of the first full week in August.
Is My Swimmer Ready to Try Out?
Swimmers must be able to swim one length of a 25-yard pool on their front and one length on their back before joining the team. We offer free trials year round, during the first two weeks of each month. Trials start on a Monday, but you can choose which nights during the week you swim. To start a trial, please use our contact form or email to let us know your interest and your preferred Monday start date; also use the Register Banner at the top to register. If you have any questions, please reach out to us via the contact form or at our main email address, sdscpenfield[at]gmail[dot]com.
How Much Does it Cost?
The annual dues for 2024-2025 will be announced shortly. In 23-24, Bronze was $850, Silver $1050, Gold $1250. We offer discounts for families with more than one swimmer on the team, for swimmers participating on school teams, for East Rochester residents, and for those serving in key volunteer roles for the club as Officials and Board members.
Upon registration, each swimmer must also register for a USA Swimming athlete membership, currently $91. This providers your swimmer with USA Swimming insurance as well as allows them to participate in meets and offers other benefits. No swimmer can be in the water without a valid USA Swimming membership.
In collaboration with USA Swimming's Outreach program, which offers discounted memberships and support for equipment costs and meet fees for families making 200% or less than the Federal Poverty Guidelines, we offer discounted Outreach memberships in order to increase participation in this sport that builds core life skills. Please contact us at sdscpenfield[at]gmail[dot]com for further information.
Volunteering and Fundraising
Swim clubs cannot operate without swim meets, and swim meets require a large number of officials, timers, and volunteers to run. Sea Dragons Swim Club requires 24 hours of volunteer time per family, 16 of which are at our home meets in November and January; we also require $100 of fundraising per family. The club handbook provides full information about how to meet these requirements; we always welcome conversations with families who have any concerns about making this commitment and will work to find a solution that's right for both family and club.
What and When are Meets?
Most weekends from October to March, and then May to June/July, area swim clubs hosts 1 or 2 day "Meets": a series of races of different lengths and strokes. These meets are usually divided by age, and range in purpose, from Genesee Valley Swim League meets which often are designed to introduce swimmers to meets and help them build confidence, all the way up to Championship meets for those with the fastest race times. Meets are often on Saturdays or Sundays, and tend to be divided into morning/afternoon sessions, lasting up to 4 hours; Genesee Valley Swim League meets are often 2-3 hours. All meets offer swimmers a change to improve on their individual skills in a supportive, competitive environment while also being part of team, often swimming in relays and always cheering their fellow swimmers on. At Sea Dragons, we support swimmers to develop their Meet skills and offer flexibility in which Meets swimmers sign up for. Meets also help introduce family members to the world of swimming, and are often a first step for learning more about strokes, techniques, rules, and opportunities, with family members getting to watch and then to participate as volunteers, timers, and even officials.
