Swim Team

The Frederick County YMCA Tidal Force swim team participates in both a summer and a winter league. We compete as a team in scored, dual meets as well as optional invitational meets throughout both seasons. In between the seasons, the Team offers a competitive stroke clinic.

Information and Updates

WINTER TEAM SIGN-UP

Thank you for your interest in the Frederick YMCA Tidal Force winter swim team! The following is the process for registering for an evaluation.

Current Team Members and Siblings: (This group includes anyone who has been a member of the team, summer or winter, and their siblings.)

Registration begins on August 16th. We encourage you to register on-line to keep lines at the front desk at a minimum. Current summer swimmers are given first priority when filling available spots on the team, then returning winter swimmers, then siblings. This group must register before August 30 to receive priority placement. You must be a member to register. (Please note: Registration from any returning member who has an outstanding balance from a previous season will not be accepted.) The program and session is: Session 1005   Program 5Y36RETURN.

Current YMCA of Frederick County Members:

Registration begins on August 20. We encourage you to register on-line to keep lines at the front desk to a minimum. This group is next in priority when filling available spots on the team. Registration must be made before August 30 to receive priority placement. The program and session is: Session 1005  Program 5Y36MEMBER.

We will be checking the rosters. If you are registered in the wrong group BEFORE your start of registration date, you will be removed from the list, notified, and you can then register on the correct date. If you are on the wrong list AFTER your start of registration date, we will move you to the correct list.

The process for joining the team is as follows:

No money is required for the initial registration. When you register, you will need to sign up for an evaluation time. Walk-in registrations will be able to sign up for an evaluation time at the front desk. On-line registrants will need to call Diane @ 301-663-5131 ext. 1259 in order to schedule one, or come into the Y to sign up for a time at the front desk. Evaluations will be available the week of August 30 to September 2. If you are a returning member who swam for the Y this summer, you do not need an evaluation. If you are a returning member who did not swim for the Y this summer, please contact Coach Diane or Coach Christine at 301-663-5131 ext. 1259 to find out if they would like you to be evaluated. At the evaluation, the coach will have available information on practice times for the group your child qualifies for, the team fee for your child’s practice group, and our meet schedule. You will also be given all paperwork needed to complete your registration. If you decide at this time that your child will be unable to join the team, please let the coach know.

Once all evaluations are completed, we will assign children to practice groups with the following priorities: Current summer team members, returning winter team members, siblings of the above, YMCA members new to the team, and then non-members. If we do not have enough spots, we will look at the day/time of the initial computer registration, and prioritize from the earliest one on down according to the above group priorities.  When this process is completed, you will receive a call from a coach notifying you of acceptance or placement on the wait list. Once you are on the team, we require a $50 deposit BEFORE THE FIRST PRACTICE. This applies to ALL team members. We do have a 2-week free trial, after which you may withdraw from the team with a refund of your $50 deposit. After the 2 week trial, the deposit is credited toward your team fees.

If you have been given a spot on the team, but do not complete the required paperwork and pay your $50 deposit by the first practice, your spot will be offered to a swimmer on the wait list.

We make a tremendous effort to find room for every swimmer who has signed up and been evaluated.  We have been able to accommodate almost everyone who signed up in the past few years, but please keep in mind there is a possibility your child could be placed on the wait list. We will move wait-listed children onto the team as space becomes available.

We are currently working on the practice schedule, but may have to adjust it to accommodate large numbers in some of the groups. Depending on the level of the group your child practices with, he or she will have 2 to 6 practices a week, at different times of the day. We try to make sure each group has at least one evening and one weekend practice, and most will have at least one in the late afternoon. We utilize Frederick High on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for some of our practice groups. We lose Frederick High on the 15th of November due to the start of High School swimming, after which all practices are at the YMCA.

Once again, thank you for your interest in our team. If you have any questions, please contact our swim team office at 301-663-5131 ext. 1259. Our swim team staff is not full time, so please leave a message and a coach will return your call.

We hope to see you all at the pool!

The following document outlines the process for registration for the upcoming Winter Swim Team.

If you have any questions, please contact the swim team office at 301-663-5131 ext. 1259. If we are not available to take your call, please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible.

Rules and Requirements

All swimmers are required to participate in all dual meets, and are encouraged to compete in invitational meets. Please read the General Team Handbook and the Seasonal Team Handbook for more information.

Coaching

Our head coaches are YMCA certified Level 1 and/or Level 2, and receive training in the latest techniques and trends in competitive swimming through the Eastern States Coaching Clinics.

Practice Groups

The Team is divided into five practice groups. For swimmers that are YMCA members and 13 and older, cross training practices are available at no extra cost. These groups are based on swimmer skill level. Please see the General Handbook for a more detailed description of each level.

  • Ripple Our younger (8 and under), developing swimmers practice twice a week and focus on improving their freestyle and backstroke technique. They are introduced to breaststroke and butterfly.
  • Waves This group is made up of swimmers who have solid freestyle and backstroke technique and may be legal in butterfly OR breaststroke. This group will have swimmers who are totally new to swimming but are too old for the Ripples. This group has three 1-hour practices per week.
  • Low Tide The swimmers in this group are legal in all four strokes. This group will have a greater emphasis on building endurance than the Waves group. Swimmers in this group practice 3 times per week.
  • Force Prep Swimmers in this group are more mature and ready for a more challenging workout. They have a greater understanding of stroke techniques for all four strokes. The swimmers in this group must have the endurance to consistently complete repeated 50s during practice. These swimmers will practice at least 3 times per week.
  • The Force Group These swimmers must be adept at the proper performance of all four strokes. Swimmers must have a high degree of endurance. They must be able to do multiple repetitions of 100s and be able to compete in the 200 IM and 500 Free. Swimmers in the Force group may attend 5 to 6 practices a week.

All practice groups participate together in dual meets and most of our invitational meets.

Spring Stroke Clinic

Each Spring the YMCA offers a Spring Stroke Clinic to help swimmers get ready for the summer season. It is a 6 to 8 week intense instruction of all of the competitive strokes, turns and starts. All the elements for competitive swimming are broken down and rebuilt thought demonstration, instruction, practice and drills.

Each clinic meets 2 to 3 times a week for 1 to 1 ½ hours with low instructor to swimmer ratios. We offer three levels: Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced.

Site Update | Board Login