This competitive program offers children and teens an opportunity to work with trained coaches to improve swimming skills, endurance and promote a healthy lifestyle.

  • Ages: Five to 18 years
  • Requirements: Swimmers must:
    • Have a YMCA membership
    • Be able to demonstrate the following skills:
    • Can swim 25 yards freestyle demonstrating breathing to the side and good body position
    • Can swim 25 yards backstroke demonstrating good body position
    • Can demonstrate the fundamental knowledge of what breaststroke and butterfly should look like
    • Can demonstrate the fundamentals of a forward dive from the edge of the pool
    • Mastery of strokes is NOT required to join!

Swim Team Basics

Becoming a member of the YMCA Swim Team means fun, fitness and teamwork. The YMCA swim team is a developmental swim program run by trained coaches to improve swimmers' competitive skills and endurance through progression rather than intense competition. The YMCA swim team promotes healthy lifestyles while embracing the five core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility and equity.

Our trained coaches work to improve swimmers' skill level, endurance and to promote a healthy lifestyle. Our program embraces the YMCA core values and promotes progression at an individual level.

The YMCA Swim Team offers up to three practice times a week for beginning swimmers and more for advanced groups. Swimmers are encouraged to attend at least 2-3 practices a week.

There are also several volunteer opportunities to help support the YMCA Swim Team.

Registration

All swimmers interested in joining swim team are required to attend an assessment with the team’s coaches prior to registering. To set up an assessment, contact the team you are interested in joining. Please see below for locations/contact information.

Fee required to participate:

YMCA Swim Teams

We will have swim team at several YMCA locations. Check our team brochures for more information about practice locations and times.

Mariners

Practices at White Bear and Maplewood Community Center View brochure

Practice Groups Available:

  • Novice
  • Age Group
  • Senior

For more information on the Mariners team or how to join, contact: mariners@ymcamn.org.

Marlins

Practices at Shoreview View brochure

Practice Groups Available:

  • Novice
  • Age Group
  • Senior

For more information on the Marlins team or how to join, contact: marlins@ymcamn.org.

Narwhals

Practices at New Hope and Ridgedale View brochure

Practice Groups Available:

  • Novice
  • Age Group
  • Senior

For more information on the Narwhals team or how to join, contact: narwhals@ymcamn.org.

Rays

Practices at Elk River and Emma B. Howe View brochure

Practice Groups Available:

  • Novice
  • Age Group
  • Senior

For more information on the Rays team or how to join, contact: rays@ymcamn.org.

Sharks

Practices at Southdale View brochure

Practice Groups Available:

  • Novice
  • Age Group
  • Junior

Sharks are currently not accepting any new swimmers for the Fall/Winter 2023-24 season.

For more information on the Sharks team or how to join, contact: sharks@ymcamn.org.

Storm

Practices at Hudson View brochure

Practice Groups Available:

  • Novice
  • Age Group
  • Junior
  • Senior

For more information on the Storm team or how to join, contact: storm@ymcamn.org.

As of Fall 2022 our Lakers and Orcas teams have been put on indefinite hold with no re-start date.

Team Groups

The Y Swim Team is divided into several training groups, done with the consideration of the swimmers’ development of technical skills, training abilities, maturity, competitive levels, time standards and group availability. The progressive structure of these groups provides a setting in which swimmers are continually challenged yet are able to experience individual and team successes. All group placement decisions are made by the entire coaching staff and done so in the best interest of the swimmers and their long term development.

The Novice Group provides younger swimmers with the opportunities to develop the fundamental skills of the four competitive strokes, turns and starts, plus to learn basic racing skills.  Generally, swimmers will be placed in training groups based upon their age and ability.

Placement into Novice

  • 5 – 11 years of age
  • Can swim in deep water  
  • Can swim 25 yards freestyle demonstrating breathing to the side and good body position
  • Can swim 25 yards backstroke demonstrating good body position 
  • Can swim 25 yards breaststroke or butterfly is a plus 
  • Can demonstrate a forward dive from the edge of the pool

The Age Group group focuses on continued development in stroke technique and efficiency plus the introduction of aerobic training.

Placement into Age Group

  • 8 – 12 years of age
  • Has demonstrated legal technique in all four strokes

Junior continues to refine stroke technique and efficiency, plus sets a strong foundation for aerobic training with longer freestyle sets and IM sets as the staples for the workouts.

Placement into Junior

  • 10 – 13 years of age. 
  • Has demonstrated legal technique in all four strokes
  • Can demonstrate a forward dive from the edge of the pool
  • Has coaches’ recommendations

The Senior group is for those swimmers who are dedicated to improving their skills in swimming with an eye to either becoming more competitive in the sport, or to continue their competitive swimming career. Stroke technique and aerobic training are emphasized at every workout.

Placement into Senior

  • 11 years of age
  • Can demonstrate legally the following strokes and distances:  200-yard Freestyle, 100-yard Backstroke, 100-yard Breaststroke and 50-yard Butterfly. 
  • Can demonstrate a forward dive from the edge of the pool
  • Has coaches’ recommendations