Experience the health benefits of swimming while enjoying the fun, excitement and character lessons that come with being a member of a competitive swim team.
The Athol Area YMCA swim team has a motto, “One Pool, One Team, One Family”. That motto
embodies the experience your young athlete will have with our program. Our swimmers have a diverse
range of skills, but all are treated like family by coaches, captains, and teammates.
Swimmers ages 4 and over who can successfully swim 25 yards without a bubble are welcome to sign
up. There is a 2-week trial period that fees are waived while you decide if our program is a fit for your
family. Our athletes range from early developmental, to elite national level competitive swimmers.
Coaches will work with your swimmer where they are in terms of ability and goals.
There are three main seasons for our program. The largest group of swimmers will participate in the
regular season while the Worcester County early season and summer season tend to be smaller in
number as some athletes travel for the summer or play a fall sport with their school.
Practice schedule: While we understand the changes we have made to the practice schedule may be
frustrating to families that have swimmers in multiple age groups, the way we plan to break this down
will be much better for all swimmers. It will allow the littles to spread out and get more instruction in a
safe way. The older practice will be intense. It will be an hour and 15 minutes of hard practice on
MWF. We will not allow younger swimmers to attend the later practice. In some circumstances If an
older swimmer feels they are not ready for the intense workout in the second practice, they may choose
to attend the earlier practice to work on stroke development. We kindly ask that the older swimmers
who are coming to the second practice do not arrive in the pool early. This will distract our youngest
athletes. (We will be asking for older swimmers and captain leaders to be on deck/in the water at
times. Volunteer hour sheets will be signed for helping)
Frequently asked questions:
Does my child have to compete in the meets? While the short answer is no, we strongly encourage
meet participation. We offer a ribbon/reward incentive program not just for placement, but for
improvement. The best way to document improvement is through times and stroke development. Your
young athlete will have ribbons each time they improve an existing time.
What happens if we can’t make a practice? Each athlete has their own goals, and while attending
practice is the best way to improve performance, we also want your child to have a fulfilling childhood.
Sometimes that means attending a Friday night dance or football game etc. We do take attendance at
practice, but it is certainly ok to miss on occasion. If your swimmer needs to make up a practice, that is
fine too.
I have an older and a younger swimmer, can my younger swimmer come to the later practice
with their sibling? We understand the busy lives of families and try to make accommodations where
we can. However, we will not allow younger children to participate in the older kid practice until they
are ready. Having similar ages and abilities grouped together allows for the most growth and
development in each age range. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
Other questions? Our swim family is just that—a family. Our coaching staff have diverse backgrounds
just as our athletes do. Having different coaching styles and methods allows your swimmer to find a
perfect fit amongst our team. Coaches are always available to meet with athletes and parents to work
on individual goals and needs and to help your young athlete become the best version of themselves.
If you are interested in learning more or have questions, please reach out to Erin Kimball at ekimball@ymcaathol.org