Ahh...the summer. It’s on everyone’s mind right now....and many are looking forward to it because of summer swim team. If they are not year-round swimmers, they may be brushing up at stroke school (it’s not too late - Active Alex has them under Sports & Activies/Swimming) or just anticipating the enjoyment of weekly meets. But who is doing it, what’s so great about it and is it something you should consider?

Who Swims Summer Swim Team It’s for everyone ages 6-18. While each swim club is different, most welcome the younger swimmers as long as they can swim one length. From there, they only improve. You’ll find returning summer swimmers and year-round swimmers who are looking to improve or just to have fun.

What’s So Great From a parent’s perspective, the exercise and improved swimming is unbeatable. And with almost daily practice, who wouldn’t improve! Siblings can all participate and many swim teams allow kids to compete in most events including relays so the meets are worth the time.

From the kids’ perspective, the top answers are: friends – both on their team and those they compete against on other teams; improvement; competition; and that it’s just fun. Many swim teams will have a Fun Friday or an activity during the week, and during the meets the kids hangout with their friends and know their parents are there as well. It’s a family event (even if they won’t admit it!).

Should You Consider It While it’s not a swim lesson, the almost daily practices only serve to make your swimmer stronger. Swimming is a life-long sport – now is the best time for them to learn. May finds some tired swimmers and some blue lips (the water’s still a bit cold) but by July, the improvement is amazing. If you’ll be at the pool anyway, or if you need a reason to be at the pool, consider it.

What To Expect Encouraging coaches, once-a-week meets with possible rain-outs rescheduled for the next day, volunteering in some capacity for half a meet and hanging out with your family and/or friends for the rest. Practices begin in late May and the once-a-week meets wrap up in mid-July. Don’t expect perfect form by the end of the summer – summer swim team is more about doing it than perfecting technique. But it will tell you a lot about your child – if they like practicing, competing, improving and/or the social aspect – in a low stress environment.

What’s Next If your child wants to keep going after the summer season, there are several year-round swim teams in our area as well as other programs without the year-long commitment. ActiveAlex.com has all these listed.

And while your child is in “swimming” shape, give a triathlon a shot! Kids In Training (KIT) has several summer youth triathlons in our area that are timed well with the summer swimmer’s peak. Link to KIT through Active Alex under Sports & Activities/Triathlon to get all the details.

Above all, summer swim team should be fun! The coaches should be positive and encouraging, the meets should be enjoyable and not overly-competitive, and the kids should enjoy it. The YMCA, Triangle Aquatic Center (TAC) and local swim clubs offer summer swim team – you just have to figure out which will be the most enjoyable for your family.

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