Who should consider joining USA Swimming?

All swimmers in levels HS, Blue and Purple are strongly encouraged to be members of our USA Swimming program. Red Level swimmers should seriously consider it. Orange and Green Level swimmers who would enjoy additional meet opportunities are a good fit for USA Swimming.

Why should I consider signing up for USA Swimming?

In short, more and bigger options, opportunities and competition.

USA Swimming offers the following options and opportunities not always available at the YMCA meets:

  • More and longer distance events: In USA Swimming, all strokes go to 200 yards, with IM going to 400 yards and freestyle up to 1650.

  • Swimmer choice of events: In USA swimming our coaches contribute to event selection at USA meets but the swimmer chooses the events they swim.
  • More regular season and post-season championship meets to swim: It's true that our core Y program offers a lot of meets. But not all of these meets will match up with every swimmer's availability, especially older swimmers competing in high school programs. It's also true that many of the meets in our core program schedule also qualify as USA Swimming meets, meaning the times swum there count toward qualification for USA Swimming post-season and championship meets - but only for those swimmers already registered as a USA Swimming member the day of the meet - not if they register after they swim. There are also several local and regional long course USA meets that are held during the summer swim season. And all USA Swimming meets, anywhere in the country, are available to a USA Swimming registered swimmer to attend. Information will be provided in each season for USA Swimming meets we will attend as a team, with coaches.
  • More events per meet: In USA Swimming, the meets typically span Friday through Sunday, with two or three age grouped sessions each day. An individual swimmer is able to compete in 4 events per session and 5 if there are long distance events. 
  • Some High School meets are USA approved:  Several championship meets in PIAA District 3 are USA approved meets.  This means that times achieved at those meets by swimmers registered with USA Swimming can be used for Y Districts, USA Championships, Zones, and Y Nationals.

The structure of the USA Swimming organization as well as the structure of meet lineups and scoring provide the opportunity for heightened competition for all levels of swimmers in the contexts of both personal and outward goals:

  • Larger geographic area means higher levels of competition: FSY is part of the Middle Atlantic LSC (Local Swimming Committee) of USA Swimming, which includes southern New Jersey, Delaware; and central to eastern Pennsylvania. Middle Atlantic Swimming is part of the Eastern Zone, which includes 11 other LSCs basically covering all states from Virginia to the north and east. Our USA season culminates in Middle Atlantic 10U Champs, Junior Champs, Senior  and Silver Championship meets, as well as Zones short course and long course Championships for the Eastern Zone.
  • Time Standards and Divisions provide added motivation and specific and aggressive goals: USA Swimmers are seeded and scored within C/BB/B/A/AA/AAA/AAAA Divisions which are based on national time standards. This gives the developing swimmer the opportunity to place high within their division, providing a greater sense of accomplishment. As a swimmer improves, the specific times to get to the next Division - culminating in Championship qualifying times - set much more specific and substantial goals than “beating my best time.”

Membership on the FSY USA Swim Team provides great opportunities for additional team building and fun.

In these ways, USA Swimming affords FSY swimmers enhanced opportunities for competition and development. The program is flexible and, aside from the annual USA Swimming registration fee, it’s pay as you go, so you choose how many and which meets you attend.