DIVING IN STYLE

Our emphasis at Ly Swimming is long-term development with the focus on the individual. We will be teaching our swimmers appropriate techniques and skills before we worry about our swimmers swimming fast. We want our swimmers to look good first. A swimmer that does the strokes correctly will have a better chance of developing over the long run. The youngest swimmers, our Blue Group, will work exclusively on mechanics and technique. Proper pull patterns, kicking, streamlining, racing starts, circle swimming, reading the clock, breathing patterns, are all part of the beginning swimmer’s introduction to competitive swimming. Constant repetition helps these young swimmers improve during their basic motor learning period. Their endurance will develop through regular practice attendance.

Gold group swimmers will work on perfecting stroke mechanics and then increasing their training workloads. Sometimes swimmers will have slower racing times while they are working to correct flawed strokes, but correct mechanics now will contribute to successful, fast swimming later. We believe in this long-term approach to success and development. Please trust our very experienced coaching staff to look out for the best interests of your swimmer and please don’t encourage them to go faster at practices when the coach may be telling them to slow down and do it right.

Also, try not to compare your swimmer to any other swimmer. Every child is different and has different talents, abilities, and needs. In addition, studies show that a child’s biological age (measuring physical maturity) may vary plus or minus two years from their actual, chronological age. We will work with every swimmer to find a pace of progress that is enjoyable, natural, and not overwhelming to them. Of course regular practice attendance will help your swimmer advance more quickly, but we also recognize that swimmers may not make all the practices available as they may be involved in many activities outside the pool. Don’t worry. We will try to work with everyone’s goals and expectations surrounding their competitive swimming career. At the same time, Senior swimmers - those swimmers who are committed to swimming at a sectional and national level and hope to move on to college swimming - will need to make a commitment to practice time that will allow them to pursue their lofty goals. Training in this group will progress to demanding levels that will require regular practice attendance to keep up and to avoid injury.

If you are new to USA and YMCA Swimming, you are entering a world unlike any other, with a different language (short course pools are 25 yards and long course pools are 50 meters, swimming in drag does NOT mean you have to wear a dress in the water, and you don’t need a broom for three sweep) and a demanding, consuming schedule of practices, meets, and bills. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t have a clue what is going on for a while. But please DO ask questions! No question is too silly. Feel free to call or email the coaches.

Regular information such as newsletters, meet sign up sheets, practice schedules, etc. will come to you via your family folder at the pool. You may also receive emails from committee chairs or board members seeking help for various activities. If you want to find additional information about year round swimming and our team, check out our website at www.swim4ly.com There are some useful articles in the "Parents" and "Swimmers" sections of the website. A meet schedule will be coming soon!

Competition for your swimmer will be available about once a month. Before each meet you will receive a "meet sign-up sheet" in your folder. If your swimmers wishes to participate, they will need to return this sheet to TJ or Lisa’s folder by the date listed on the sheet, along with a check for the swimmer’s meet entry. The coaches will select the events in which the swimmers will compete. Meet entry fees vary based on the meet hosts. An average weekend meet will run about $45, but championship meets are more and YMCA meets are less. We will encourage swimmers to participate in competition, but obviously the decision to attend meets will be up to swimmers and parents. You will receive more information soon about how to qualify for championship meets as well as those confusing time standards, how meets work, what we look for at meets, books you should bring for entertainment during meets, etc.

But for now, try to relax and let your child see how she/he feels about swimming. Let the coaches help your swimmer with her/his cap and goggles to allow your swimmer to start developing trust with the coach and to begin to learn to do these things for themselves. Regular information will be coming your way through newsletters like this one, and again, please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have. WELCOME TO LY SWIMMING!