Southwest Aquatic Team

FAQ’s

It is important that my child learn to swim…

What are the benefits of swimming?

SWAT recognizes that swimmers must learn good stroke technique, especially at the early stages of their development. We find that athletes who learn proper stroke technique will inherently swim faster and smarter races as they get stronger and mature. Year-round swimming will naturally improve physical fitness, but it will also improve other aspects of an athlete’s life. Athletes tend to take the discipline, organization, work-ethic, time management, and goal setting skills they learn in our program with them to the classroom and thereafter in their place of employment. Even more, swimmers learn to handle successes and failures, positive reinforcement and instructive criticism, which in turn fosters a good work ethic and sportsmanship.

My child participates in other activities…

What are the benefits of swimming?

Depending on the program that your child is placed in, the commitment level for SWAT varies quite a bit. SWAT is very careful about not overcommitting athletes too early on in their progress. With this, all of our swim programs are setup in a unique way that steadily increases as the child ages, grows, and matures. Whatever the interest level and availability of a child, SWAT has a place for every type of swimmer.

Is it ok if my child misses a practice?

While consistency is key to the gradual development of the swimmer, our coaches understand that things do happen and your child is bound to miss practices here and there. The best way to handle missed practices is to notify the coach, especially when you know it will be recurring, so that they are aware and can better understand your child’s situation. In general, we hope that swimmers will attend at least two practices a week in order to gain the skills and stamina needed for competitive swimming.

Can my child participate with SWAT seasonally?

SWAT has many opportunities and groups for the multi-sport athlete and those who are busy with school or other activities throughout the year. Your child can swim in one or more seasons throughout the year, whatever works best with their schedule.

Does my child need to give up other sports/activities to swim with SWAT?

It is our vision to aim to build a solid swimming foundation through all of our programming, including learn-to-swim, fitness, or competitive swimming. Our goal is to instill a love of swimming so that swimmers of all ages may utilize the sport as an opportunity for lifelong enrichment. With this, SWAT is dedicated to providing many different swim programs that will allow children of all ages and abilities the opportunity to pursue swimming alongside their other interests. To join our blue groups, we do anticipate that athletes have swimming as their first and only athletic priority.

My child is not very competitive by nature….

Is SWAT going to be too hard for them?

Our mission is to provide the finest swim instruction in the region, through an intentional process based on education, safety, proper technique, personal achievement, and fun. While SWAT has the reputation of being the team where many high level athletes have called home, the club is tailored to allow every swimmer the opportunity to get as much out of swimming that their talent and desire will allow. Swimmers are placed into the appropriate group and program where they will find the most success and be provided the best opportunity to build their swimming skills from the foundation upward. Where swimming becomes too hard is when a child is placed into a group that is not appropriate to their developmental level. This is why our coaches are adamant about all new swimmers being evaluated and then placed into the appropriate group after attending a SWAT evaulation. Additionally, the coaches are always evaluating the swimmers in their practice groups in order to determine when a swimmer is ready to move to the next level or to an alternate program.

Are swim meets mandatory?

Swim meets are highly recommended for all of our swimmers across the board. Meets are a great way for the child to build confidence in their abilities, as well as become physically stronger swimmers. What we have found over the years is that swimmers who do not participate in swim meets eventually lose interest in the sport.


SWAT also realizes the importance of quality competition for our high level athletes and the club is also known for hosting top-notch swim meets that consistently attract teams from across the state and the midwest.

Does SWAT offer learn-to-swim and/or non-competitive swim programs?

SWAT does offer learn-to-swim through our Pre-Competitive Swim America program. ADD COPY ABOUT SA.

Do the swimmers have fun?

Most children love swimming! While swim practice is very different than playing in the pool, young children still do love practicing swimming, especially when they are encouraged in their efforts and experience a sense of accomplishment from learning new skills or becoming stronger swimmers. Our coaches understand the importance of fun in practice and they also understand that fun looks different for the varying levels and ages of our swimmers. With over 40 years of experience teaching swimming, there have been many generations of SWAT families who have all been a part of the program in one way or another. These families will tell you about the many fond memories that they and their swimmer(s) had while being a part of this team. They will also tell you that swimming was a vehicle in which their child learned many life skills and built their character and drive to become the person they are today.

Do you offer practices on the weekends?

Saturday practices are offered to our blue groups on weekends that meets are not being held.

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