YOUTH SWIMMING PROGRAMS
The Super Sharks Swim Club provides a year-round swimming program in Vancouver. Swimmers start training in the fall (called “maintenance”) and through the winter in preparation for the summer competition season.
We start training when school starts, increasing practice time in late spring. When school lets out for the summer, swimmers are able to attend practice more often as well as weekend swim meets. Compared to winter swimming, summer swimming programs are a good fit for busy families with kids who play other sports.
The focus of this program is conditioning, to develop and improve the swimmers’ skills for the summer race season. Coaches work with groups of swimmers on the four competitive swimming strokes - freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly - as well as turns and starts.
Near the end of the winter program we get the team ready for the summer season with an in-house competition (time trials). It’s designed to introduce new swimmers to the competition setting and to get returning swimmers excited for the upcoming summer season.
Practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a total of two hours a week of swimming. Swimmers are expected to attend both days in order to see improvement in their conditioning and technique.
Note: Fall & winter swim training are not swim lessons.
FALL & WINTER MAINTENANCE
SEPTEMBER 1 TO APRIL 30
SUMMER TRAINING & COMPETITION
MAY 1 TO MID-AUGUST
Training time is increased in the spring and summer in preparation for swim meets, and includes dryland conditioning sessions prior to getting in the pool.
Depending on the swimmer’s group, there will be 5-8 practices offered during the week out of Templeton, Renfrew, Britannia and/or New Brighton Pools.
Competitions are a chance to race against other swimmers your age, be a part of a team, and make new friends. Summer registration fees and fundraising covers the costs of swim meets. Note: Parent participation at swim meets is required as meets are solely run by parent volunteers from every club.
The schedule increases in May as the first swim meet of the summer is traditionally held at the end of May. Swim meet competitions are held on the weekends at other pools in the City of Vancouver and our District.
ASSESSMENTS
Interested in joining the Super Sharks? Great! While you can apply to join at any time, our biggest intake is in the fall. Assessments will be scheduled based on the availability of spots within a designated training group.
Our head coach or designated assistant coach runs the assessments and decides whether there is a spot available to suit the new swimmer. They will evaluate swimming ability, swim lesson level (i.e. SwimKids), and for older swimmers, any prior swim team experience.
DETERMINING GROUPS
After the assessment, the coach will determine which group would be the best fit for the swimmer: junior or senior.
Group assignment is loosely based on age. Exceptions are made based on skills and development progress relative to existing swimmers in the senior group.
Within the junior and senior groups are sub groups to allow swimmers to grow and develop with their peers.
