General Description of the Swim Program

The Fort Wayne Summer Swim League involves twelve (12) teams from Fort Wayne and the surrounding area.  They are broken down into two "leagues" based on last season’s finish in the City Swim Meet. The teams are:

  • Arlington Park
  • Autumn Ridge
  • Blackhawk
  • Columbia City
  • Fort Wayne Country Club
  • Glenaqua
  • New Haven
  • Orchard Ridge Country Club  
  • Pine Valley Country Club
  • Pocahontas
  • Sycamore Hills

The swim clubs are assigned to leagues based on team strength as measured by performance at the previous year’s City Swim meet; League I consisting of the higher placing teams and League II consisting of the lower placing teams. The leagues are organized in this manner so as to ensure that the swim meets are as evenly matched as possible.  Boys and girls 19 years old and younger (up to summer after high school graduation) are eligible to compete in the swim program. All meets include both male and female competition during the summer and at the City Championship Meet. Events alternate girl-boy at the meets, and the total combined club score determines the winning team.

 

Swimmers will be expected to be in the water during practice and participating appropriately. Those unwilling to cooperate will be sent home. We cannot supervise on deck and in the water simultaneously.

 

The only time practice will not take place is in the event of severe weather conditions. This may include, but is no limited to: lightning, heavy rainfall, cold temperatures, etc. The coaches make the final decision on whether practice will take place or not. This will be communicated through a text alert and team e-mail. Be sure to sign-up to receive the text alerts each season (see links at the bottom of the "Registration" tab at the top). Assume practice is on unless communicated otherwise. Please be aware that if one practice session is canceled, others may still be held if the weather clears. When temperature is the only weather concern, the coaches will be present to determine on deck conditions. It will be up to the parents to decide if their child will practice. If the child is present and chooses not to get into the pool, he/she will be sent home. Discuss a plan to follow in the event of a storm or cancellation, and be sure that your children knows where they are to go and with whom, or that they know how to contact you.

 

The Swim team communicates mainly thru email, our team website and Remind text alerts. There are file folder "mailboxes" for each family that will be out during practices on the lifeguard desk where ribbons, pictures or other items will be distributed. Check your mailboxes after each meet. Check your email regularly.

 

 

PREP TEAM

Prep swimmers should have completed swim lessons successfully before joining the team. The prep team is for stroke development, technique and building endurance. Swimmers should be able to swim 10 yards independently with some degree of stroke awareness and be comfortable with their face in the water. We hope that we can take everyone, but to maintain safety, we must place this restriction. If a swimmer cannot perform at a safe level consistently, a parent will be contacted by a coach to recommend swim lessons. A refund will be given. More than likely, a summer of lessons will enable your child to participate on the Prep Team the next year.

Prep swimmers will be assigned a time slot for practice by the coaches, either 8:45-9:25, 9:25-10:05, or 10:05-10:45am. The coaches will communicate the assigned sessions prior to the first practice. Swimmers will be expected to attend at their scheduled time unless a special request is made. This will help ensure that each swimmer is being instructed at their level in the best possible environment for their success.

As the summer progresses, there is the possibility of moving him/her to the Big Team (swim team). An athlete needs to demonstrate legal technique in 3 of the 4 strokes and be close in the 4th to be ready for swim. The coaches will be in contact with parents when they feel that this is a possibility. We do this whenever they are ready in an ongoing basis.

Prep team parents need to sign-up for volunteer commitments for prep meets and other functions.