Welcome to Competitive Swimming at the Northwest YMCA. Swim Team is for the advanced youth swimmer who has achieved the flying fish level in the YMCA youth swim lessons. We are a competitive swim team that focuses on teaching the technique and skills necessary for competition.

We compete in swim meets in and around the Wichita metro area. We strive to foster an environment that integrates teamwork and the YMCA’s four core values of caring, responsibility, respect and honesty.

The swim team is comprised of novice swimmers and very competitive swimmers. Each group has a specific training regime that is dedicated to improving the swimmers' ability. Physical conditioning, sound technique, mental strength and fun are the desired outcomes of our program.

Thank you for your interest and participation in the team. We are looking forward to getting to know you and your family better and helping you to either get started in competitive swimming or raise your swimming to a higher level at the Greater Wichita YMCA.

We feel that our team offers you more than any team in the community. We are committed to ensuring that our program fits your needs whether you are just getting started or aspiring to compete at the highest level in this sport.

Practice/Training Groups
Practice is scheduled according to swimmer's levels. It is the swimmer's responsibility to attend practices regularly and be on time. Swimmers should arrive on deck a few minutes before practice time starts for stretching and preparation. Parents are welcome to observe practices from the designated observation areas. To ensure quality time with all swimmers, parents are not allowed on the pool deck during practices. Questions and concerns can be directed to the coaches before or after practice. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

There are five training groups to accommodate all of our athletes’ ages, abilities and varying levels of interest:

Future Champions: $50/month (Y members), $75/month (non-members)
Fall - Spring: Mon/Tue/Thu: 6:35—7:30 PM
Summer: TBA
Emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of freestyle and backstroke with the addition of breaststroke and butterfly as swimmers progress. This group teaches proper stroke technique and works towards the goal of swimming the length of the pool (25 yards) in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and 15 yards of butterfly.

Juniors:: $60/month (Y members), $85/month (non-members)
Fall - Spring: Mon/Tue/Thu 5:20—6:45 PM
Summer: TBA
This group can swim the four competitive strokes and focuses on improving stroke technique and learning the fundamentals of competitive swimming: starts & turns, reading pace clocks, structured practices and entry level meets. Coaches encourage progression of swimmers aerobic endurance through increased conditioning.

Junior Elite: $70/month (Y members), $95/month (non-members)
Fall - Spring: Mon—Fri 5:20—7:00 PM
Summer: TBA
This group is proficient in all four competitive strokes and swimmers exhibit a commitment to self-improvement and have a drive to perfect thier strokes, starts, turns and finishes to reach both individual and team goals. The primary emphasis is on stroke technique and increased conditioning as well as an introduction to dry-land conditioning. Swimmers at this level have started to make more of a commitment to the sport or understand that their rate of improvement may be compromised.

Senior/Senior Development: $85/month (Y members), $115/month (non-members)
Fall - Spring: Mon—Fri 3:50—5:30 PM, Tue/Thu: Weight Training
Summer: TBA
This group focuses on swimmers transitioning from age group to senior level swimming or high school swimmers looking to supplement their high school training. Focus continues to be placed on stroke technique and improving conditioning and speed even as the swimmers learn to develop race strategies. A desire to improve one's technical abilities and endurance is a prerequisite to be promoted to this group. Mandatory weight training will be introduced at this level. Swimmers are expected to commit to this portion of the program and exhibit safe behavior while in the wight training areas.

Senior Elite: $100/month (Y members), $125/month (non-members)
Fall - Spring: Mon—Fri
Swimmers in this group prepare for top age group competitions and develop a strong training base to transition to high school or senior elite swimming. These swimmers are expected to have a good work ethic and a desire to improve one's self technically, physically and mentally. This group will work on goal setting, race strategy, increased weight/dry-land training, and must have the ability to handle more challenging practices up to 2 hours. Athletes are encouraged to choose swimming over other activities and meet the 90% attendance requirement.

National:
Swimmers will be invited to join this group based on their commitment to swimming and the team. Swimmers in this group must be physically and mentally ready to handle the intense training. The program emphasizes training specialization, geared toward individual abilities and goals. The group is design to allow swimmers to mature physically and emotionally while challenging them to compete at thigh levels at the local and regional levels and beyond. Swimmers are expected to be committed to their goals and maintain high attendance. The Coach will assume swimming is the athlete's preferred sport and require they choose swimming over all other extracurricular activities.

* A swimmer is moved up or down from group to group based on several factors such as , attitude, trainig habits, maturity, attendance, and improvement. It is at the discretion of the coaching staff to decide when a swimmer is to change groups.