Frequently Asked Questions: 

Who are we and what are we about at BSC?

The goal of Bixby Swim Club is to foster the quest for excellence by  creating an educational and competitive experience within an atmosphere of sportsmanship. Our program focuses on the enhancement of each individual’s  potential and promotes high standards in the areas of character, commitment, and competitive success.

When is swim season?

Swimming is actually a year round sport. That doesn’t mean you have to participate year round, it just means the team never stops training except for two weeks in July/August and March between summer and fall/winter seasons.

Where are you located?

The pool is located at W.E. Mckinney Pool at 109 N. Armstrong St. Bixby, OK 74008. It is on the Bixby High school campus. Turn into the second entrance south of the intersection of S. Riverview Dr. and E. Stadium Rd (football stadium is at that intersection).

What about swim meets (i.e. competition)?

There are two types of competition. The first is Park & Rec. meets which are the first exposure to competition. The second type is the USA sanctioned swim meets.

Park & Rec. Meets:

These meets are designed for the beginning swimmer. They are very informal with the idea of getting kids exposed to competition without too much demand on technique or style. Usually there are no officials watching that the strokes are done correctly and some swimmers will either start in the water or just jump in the pool at the start of a race (as opposed to diving in). Each meet will run 2&1/2 to 3 hours including warm up and have a limited selection of events to swim (one event of each stroke per age group, one relay and sometimes an Individual medley). Park & Rec. meets are all local, within Tulsa and the surrounding towns. Park & Rec. meets run in a three month (quarterly) season that will usually have about four meets in the season with the last one being a ‘championship’ meet. The cost for the P&R meets is ONE low fee for the whole season. It doesn’t matter if your child is just starting out on the swim team, if they want to RACE at a swim meet this is the place to do it. They may not know all the swim strokes yet, but they don’t need to either.

USA Swim Meets:

These meets are sanctioned by United States Swimming, (the governing body of swimming that tie into the US Olympics). These meets will be judged by officials who will be watching that the different strokes are swum correctly. The meets will usually last two days or more and consist of ‘sessions’ where half the age groups will swim in a session that lasts about half a day. The bigger meets will actually have a ‘finals’ session in the evening for the older age groups (the 6 to 16 fastest swimmers come back and race again). They take place year round in different cities in our region and associated with each meet is a general meet fee along with a ‘per event’ fee as well. Commonly swimmers will have the opportunity to swim three events per day along with a relay and have several events to choose from including different race distances of each stroke. 

What are the age requirements to join the team?

Standards:

• 25 freestyle

• 25 backstroke

The swimmer must be 6 years old at the date of enrollment. They must be able to complete the lengths with out stopping or grabbing on to the lane rope and are comfortable in the water on both their front and back.

How do we get my child started on the swim team?

First: we need to get your child in the pool to make sure they are ready for the team: You have two options:

Option 1: Come to one of our tryouts. We have tryouts three times a year, early September, late January/early February, and in May. We will be posting those tryout dates as we approach each one. If a tryout date is not occurring anytime soon then you have...

Option 2: Contact Bixby Swim Club to set up a time to try out at [email protected]. These sessions typically take about fifteen minutes from start to finish.

What about swim equipment?

Depending on the level that your swimmer is placed in during tryouts will determine the equipment that is needed. For the beginner (Red Team) the only items needed are a suit, goggles, cap, fins, and waterbottle.

Swim suits:

Sounds easy, but competition swim suits can get pretty confusing with the many styles and brands available. Swimoutlet (www.swimoutlet.com/bixbyswimclub) generally has the best prices. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask the coaches. They get these questions all the time. 

Notes:

For girls who are just beginning two piece suits are OK, but as their careers progress you will want to get the one piece suits. Please DO NOT GET regular board shorts for boys: They are too long and restrictive for proper swim technique.

Goggles:

Finding the right pair of goggles is going to be a journey of trial and error. You are most likely going to go through several pairs of goggles before your swimmer finds the right pair that works for them. Be patient with the process. Start off with inexpensive pairs first and let your swimmer find out what they do and don’t like about them. Some straps are thin and not very elastic (and tend to break easily) while others are more stretchy but wear out sooner. Many beginners like the speedo vanquishers for comfort (see www.swimoutlet.com/bixbyswimclub).

Swim Caps:

Swim caps are important for protecting your hair against the abuse of pool water. Swimming in chlorinated pool water for several hours each week wreaks havoc on your hair. A swim cap will help protect it. Latex swim caps are the cheapest but they wear out very fast. Silicon will last longer but do cost more. In either case you want to rinse them after you swim and even use a mild soap if you have time. Bixby Swim Club caps are available for purchase (Latex $5 and Silicone $15).

Other Gear:

Paddles, bouy, fins, kick board, and snorkel. These items can be found on www.swimoutlet.com/bixbyswimclub . The link to the store can be directly accessed by clicking on the links tab above and then the swim store.