Practice groups are tailored to the needs of swimmers in three different age/ability groups:
Beginner (elementary school)
Age Group (upper elementary, middle school)
Senior (high school)
All groups train from September through August with the exception of our developmental groups (Tide 1, 2, 3) which finish in July. The Power group is the only practice group that offers both a year-round and a Sessions program.
Equipment listed for each group (and gear listed for Senior group) can be purchased at Aquawear, our team supplier, at special Tide pricing. See the Equipment page for more information. Some items (fins, paddles) need to be fit to the swimmer, so please be sure to bring him/her along when you shop for equipment.
Beginner:
Tide 1
Our entry level group. Swimmer must be at least 5 years old. Development of efficient technique in freestyle and backstroke is the focus for this group. Build upon your summer league experience to continue developing technique and knowledge to enhance your overall swimming performance. Two practices offered per week. Practice is not mandatory but swimmers will improve technique, feel for the water, and make more friends with consistency in practice attendance.
Equipment required: Kick board, Mesh Bag, Fins, Goggles
Tide 2
Builds on skills learned in Tide 1 with the addition of breaststroke and butterfly. Development of efficient technique in all four competitive strokes in this group. Build upon your summer league experience to continue developing technique and knowledge to enhance your overall swimming performance. Two practices offered per week. Practice is not mandatory but swimmers will improve technique, feel for the water, and make more friends with consistency in practice attendance.
Equipment required: Kick board, Mesh Bag, Fins, Goggles
Tide 3
Continues training in all four strokes with the objective of preparing the athlete for Age Group swimming. The focus of this group is to continue to develop efficient technique in all four competitive strokes and to begin developing good racing habits. Build upon your summer league experience to continue developing technique and knowledge to enhance your overall swimming performance. Three practices offered per week. Practice is not mandatory but swimmers will improve technique, feel for the water, and make more friends with consistency in practice attendance.
Equipment required: Kick board, Mesh Bag, Fins, Goggles, Fingertip Paddles
Eight and under swimmers will have the opportunity to participate in monthly 8& under competitions. These meets are fun and serve as a fantastic introduction to competition both as an individual and as a TIDE team member. Nine and older swimmers compete in Age Group meets.
Age Group:
Age Group Blue
The introductory group to our Age Group program, athletes build upon their four stroke technical base and start working on developing great practice habits and race strategy for successful Age Group swimming. Four practices per week offered with the addition of an introductory dryland program. Athletes are encouraged to attend at least three practices a week to see improvement in stroke technique, feel for the water and race speed development.
Equipment required: Kick board, Pull Buoy, Mesh Bag, Fins, Goggles, Snorkel, Paddles
Age Group White
Age Group White places a strong emphasis on training and developing focused, efficient race habits. The goal is to give athletes the tools for success to transition into our Regional, Senior or Power programs. Six practices per week offered with an integrated dryland program. Athletes are encouraged to attend at least four practices per week to see improvement in stroke technique, feel for the water and race speed development.
Equipment required: Finis Snorkel or Jr Snorkel, Speedo Fins, Speedo Power Paddles, Small Pull Buoy, Kick Board, Mesh Bag, Goggles
Regional
Designed for athletes who aspire to compete at the state and (regional) zone levels with the goal of taking their swimming to the highest level possible. 90% attendance is strongly encouraged. Six practices offered per week with an integrated dryland program. The Regional group will be specifically working towards seasonal goals which include developing a good work ethic, continued stroke and technique development, goal setting for meets, and a love for racing! Athletes are strongly encouraged to work to set goals and score points for Tide Swim Team at Virginia Swimming’s Age Group Champs.
Equipment required: Finis Snorkel, T2 Hydro Tech Fins, Speedo Power Paddles, Kick Board, Small Pull Buoy, Mesh Bag, Goggles, Nose Clip
Age Group swimmers are introduced to several important concepts. Specifically:
· Individual progress is related to the amount of effort put forth by the athlete. This translates into practice attendance as well as practice behavior.
· Parents can support practice attendance.
· Swimmers influence practice behavior in each other by encouraging teammates and by putting forth their best effort for the team.
· Coaches further develop the concept of team behavior, instilling in the swimmer the notion that while they race as an individual, they compete as a valuable part of a larger group: Tide Swim Team.
Age Group swimmers compete monthly at local Virginia Swimming sanctioned competitions. If qualified (by meeting time standards), they can also attend Regional, State, and Eastern Zone level competitions. Team competition begins at Age Group level meets and continues through Senior level swimming.
Senior:
Power (for Middle and High School athletes)
Practice time designed to meet the scheduling needs of multi-sport athletes and swimmers whose high school schedules prevent them from attending a 3-6pm practice. This group will serve as an excellent training and conditioning program to give athletes tools for success to swim at every level (high school to preparing athletes for college swimming). Five practices offered per week and an integrated dryland program. No attendance requirement. Members are encouraged to attend as many practices per week as possible to maximize the benefits of training.
Equipment required: Finis Snorkel, T2 Hydro Tech Fins, Speedo Power Paddles, Kick Board, Small Pull Buoy, Mesh Bag, Nose Clip, Goggles
Power group registration is available in sessions in addition to year-round. Session registration is perfect for pre-high school season training, winter conditioning for fall and/or spring sport athletes, and pre-summer league training.
Senior
Practice offered 9 times per week with 100% attendance strongly encouraged. Minimum attendance requirement is 7 of 9 practices, 12 months of the year. Comprehensive dryland program in addition to in-water training is offered at the Senior level. Our Senior program is structured to produce outstanding swimmers and leaders through intensified training and competition at the State, Sectional and National levels. Senior Group swimmers, by definition, represent the most dedicated, focused, and skilled swimmers in our club. Athletes are encouraged to be regular participants in Virginia Swimming’s Senior Champs and the highest qualifiers for meets beyond Senior Champs, in both short course and long course seasons. Many use the group as preparation for swimming in college.
Equipment required: Finis Snorkel, T2 Hydro Tech Fins, Speedo Power Paddles, Kick Board, Small Pull Buoy, Mesh Bag, Nose Clip , Goggles
Team Gear: Guys Practice Suit: Speedo Reverb Blue Brief/ Female Practice Suit: Speedo Atomic Dots Blue, Speedo Male/Female Fleece Hoodie (w/logo), Speedo Male/Female Tech Short (w/logo)
Senior swimmers are the leaders of Tide Swim Team. Tide Senior swimmers should be a positive, hard working representation of the program and strive to set high standards and expectations for Tide’s Age Group athletes. Senior swimmers compete monthly at local Virginia Swimming sanctioned competitions. Many of our senior athletes also compete for their respective high school swim teams from December – February. Top performers can also attend state, sectional, and national level competitions.
