Mission:

The Strawberry Seals is a non-profit organization that exists to help children thrive as confident, fit, and technically proficient swimmers.  We nurture a life-long love of swimming by creating a community where competition, team spirit, and personal growth flourish.  We maintain a commitment of providing a safe, healthy, and positive environment for all our athletes.

Philosophy:

Our organization helps children develop the technical skills and physical fitness necessary to  become more proficient swimmers,, while providing increased confidence and an understanding that consistency in effort – both physical and mental – combined with a supportive community, drives long-term personal growth. 

Programs exist throughout the year, with a primary focus on the Marin Swim League (MSL) season.  The team cultivates returning families, while continuing to welcome new swimmers as the foundation for the future.  Our 10-year swimmers receive special recognition and honor.  We strive to be ranked among the top third of MSL teams and are proud to frequently be mentioned as the most fun and nicest team.

Formula:

Attendance + Effort (physical & mental) + Enthusiasm = Positive Outcomes

Practice:

Practice is a central focus of the swimmer’s experience with the Strawberry Seals.  Consistent and focused practice is the single most important thing a swimmer can do to improve their swimming skills and physical capacity.  We believe that talent is not a fixed characteristic, and that attendance, effort and enthusiasm are a successful formula to help swimmers achieve positive outcomes.  We emphasize a long-term process to alleviate anxieties related to short-term goals.  There is no short-cut to the results we seek.  Attempts to circumvent the process lead to diminished enthusiasm and “burn-out”.  For new swimmers, our coaches focus primarily on developing physical coordination and foundational technical elements through consistent repetition of core skill sets.  More intense physical training occurs as swimmers develop.  At every level, we strive to provide a fun and growth-oriented environment.

Community:

Being a member of the Strawberry Seals is a unique opportunity to be part of a close-knit community. Our community’s strength is shaped by the consistent contributions of its stakeholders: families, swimmers and coaches.  Parents have an opportunity and obligation to model good behavior and participate by sharing the workload of running the meets and other team functions. Older swimmers are expected to be role models for younger swimmers through a variety of programs.  All swimmers exhibit Seals Spirit through their behavior and attitudes.  The stronger the individual contributions, the more robust and meaningful our community becomes.