THE TRYOUT PROCESS
THE FAMILY PICTURE
When we talk about accepting new swimmers onto our team, we usually talk in terms of accepting families. When a swimmer joins our team, it is not just the child that becomes an important part of our program. The parent/s, other supporting family members, and/or friends of the family have a huge impact on our team. They determine how much commitment the child will be able to give to the team. They determine how often the swimmer will get to practice. They control whether the child can get to practice on time or not. They decide whether or not to support the team with a positive attitude. They decide whether or not to support the coaches, even behind the scenes. They decide whether the swimmer will have the opportunity to do the minimum or the maximum to be great at this sport. In other words, the success of our program doesn’t just rely on the swimmers.
THE TYPE OF MEMBERS WE LOOK FOR
We look for young, athletic, hard-working athletes with a positive attitude. We look for committed parents with a supportive, can-do attitude.
THE EVALUATION PROCESS
Prospective Swimmer Questionnaires
To start the team evaluation process, the parent must fill out the initial tryout questionnaire on this website. The tryout questionnaire includes very basic questions regarding the child’s age and availability for training. Parents will also share their contact information so they can be reached when Fitness Test dates are approaching. The team fitness test comes before the swim assessment. A swimmer between the ages of 4 and 10 does not need strong swimming skills to make the team, but they do need to perform well on the team fitness test.
The exception to the no-swimming-skills-needed allowance for children between the ages of 4 and 10 is during our winter evaluations. All swimmers joining during winter months will at least need to be able to pass a deep water skills test. Swimmers over the age of 10 will also need to pass timed swim standards.
Fitness Test and Swim Assessment
Fitness Test
Our team Fitness Assessment is designed to measure each prospective swimmer’s current fitness levels and athletic ability. The Fitness Assessment will test and measure speed, strength, and endurance. The athletes’ effort levels and responses to fatigue will also be assessed during the Fitness Test. The fitness assessment generally consists of 6 different exercises including running, jumping, a medicine ball throw, hanging from a pull-up bar, an isometric core exercise.
The fitness assessment is usually conducted in sessions with children of similar age groups. Performances in the fitness tests will be evaluated based on standards for the swimmer’s particular age and gender. In other words, the standards for a 12 year old boy won’t be the same for a 5 year old girl for the athletic measurements.
Swim Assessment
Swimmers that make it past the Fitness Assessment will take the team Swim Assessment next. During the Swim Assessment, the athlete demonstrates their current swimming skills. The main purpose of the swim assessment is to determine what training group the swimmer belongs in based on their current swimming ability. Swimmers between the age of 4 and 10 that pass the Fitness Assessment don’t have to worry about the swim assessment affecting their chances of making the team during the fall, spring, and summer evaluations.
Acceptance Standards
As mentioned before, spots on our team are limited. We focus on quality growth over fast growth. It usually takes an above-average level of athletic ability to make it through the Fitness Test. Not everyone passes. We also like to focus on the long-term development of our swimmers. This means we offer more new spots on our team to younger athletes. So standards are more challenging for swimmers over the age of 10 to make the team.
2-month Trial Period
After swimmers have gone through the Fitness Test and Swim Assessment, they begin their two-month trial period with the team. New members pay the standard membership rates during the first two months of training. During the trial period, we will mainly be assessing the new family’s attendance record, punctuality, and the swimmer’s attitude toward training. As long as we are not seeing any red flags, the swimmer will go from “Prospective RAZOR” to “Official RAZOR” after two months.