Practice Groups

The swim team is grouped into "schools" of fish in our Big Blue Fins' Tank.  The practice groups for Summer 2026 are Mini Fins, Minnows, Dolphins, and Sharks.

Mini Fins  

Our Mini Fin Group (typically corresponds to ages 4-6), is for our less experienced swimmers who are not yet able to swim a full length of the pool.  The goal of the program is for our Mini Fins to have fun while learning to improve their swimming.  Mini Fins have to be completely comfortable in the water.  They are not allowed to wear water wings or other floatation devices.  They must be able to bob up and down freely in the water while following simple coach instructions. 

Parents should understand that their Mini Fin must be a good listener and follow coach directions.  It is important that their child not distract or disturb other children trying to develop their swim skills.   Group practices can be a very different experience for some children, and if the Mini Fin Program isn’t a good fit, our coaching staff reserves the right to ask you to hold off for another season.  Private lessons may be suggested as an alternative to the Program. 

Our practice sessions are structured so that the ratio of coaches to swimmers is no more than 1 to 3 and most sessions are a 1 to 2 ratio and will cap at 10 swimmers. We typically have two Mini Fins groups that will be announced at the beginning of each season. You can only sign up your child for one practice group, not both.  There will be six thirty-minute practices between mid-June and mid-July.  There are no makeups for missed practice sessions.  If the team needs to reschedule a practice, we will let you know ahead of time. 

Mini Fins will receive a t-shirt, lawn sign, and a team medal and are invited to participate in the pep rallies, events like the Swim-A-Thon, and the closing ceremonies.  They are considered to be part of the swim team, even though they will not be participating in Wednesday and Saturday meets.

At the coaches’ discretion, swimmers may move up to attend the regular Minnow practices as soon as they become ready (if so, we will then adjust the registration fee accordingly.)  

Minnows

Our Minnow Group (typically corresponds to ages 6 to 8/9), is expected to be able to swim across the pool unassisted, float on the back for thirty seconds and tread water for thirty seconds.  The coaching staff will assist your child in becoming legal in as many strokes as possible.  Once that has been achieved, our Minnows work on mastering their strokes.  Parents will be amazed at how much their swimmers improve their strokes and build up their endurance from the start of the season until the end of July.  The goal of our coaching staff is to make the sport of swimming fun for the Minnows and to help them build confidence in the water. 

Dolphins

Our Dolphin Group (typically corresponds to ages 9/10 up through Rising 6th graders) takes skills learned from the Minnow Group and adds in a finer technical approach, as well as trying to build the swimmers’ aerobic capacities.  It is expected that the swimmer can perform all four strokes legally to practice in this group.  These swimmers are now able to routinely complete longer distances during practice and are starting to build endurance for events that are 50 and 100 meters or yards.  Starts, turns, relays, and other important aspects start to gain more attention at this level to help the swimmers in all facets of the sport.  Coaches provide stroke advice to increase ease and speed of movement for the swimmers.  The group focus is shifting from legality of the strokes, to efficiency of them.

Sharks

The Shark Group is made up of our oldest and most experienced swimmers, typically kids who are rising 7th graders and over up through the age of 18.  This group has a more endurance-focused practice compared to the other groups with respect to all four strokes and IM.  These swimmers are given the smallest technical details to work on, as they now can understand some of the keys to stroke, turn, and start techniques.  A slightly more competitive atmosphere is introduced to the Sharks to have them compete against one another more often and hopefully bring out the best in one another.  At this point, the swimmers have put in a lot of work in learning the strokes and keys to success.  Now it is up to the swimmers themselves to take what the coaches give them and focus on using that knowledge to refine their swimming, build their strength and endurance, and repeat that process throughout the Summer.