ABOUT WBCB SWIMMING

 

Mission Statement

The mission of the Waterbury YMCA’s Barracuda Swim Team is to prepare young athletes for success both in an out of the water.  This is achieved by providing a positive, stimulating learning environment for age group swimmers; a challenging, individualized training environment for senior swimmers; and promoting the four core values of the YMCA of the USA in all team activities.

 

 

Competitive Opportunities

The Barracuda Swim Team is first and foremost a YMCA swimming program.  The team participates in the Yankee Cluster Swim League, which includes teams from 13 YMCA’s across the state.  The teams are from as close as Ansonia, Torrington, and Southington, and as far away as Brookfield, Mystic, and Granby.  Many members of the Barracudas also participate in USA Swimming competitions.

 

Winter Season

The Barracudas participate in at least 8 league dual meets.  The dual meets, which take place on Saturdays, are non-scoring, and the emphasis is upon individual improvement and enjoyment of the sport as opposed to promoting a cut-throat, winner-takes-all mentality.  There are also two league-wide invitational meets annually.  The season culminates in February with the Yankee Cluster Swim League championship meet, in which all swimmers can participate provided they have met meet participation requirements.  Further opportunities for competition include the New England YMCA Championship Meet, held annually in March in Boston; as well as the Short Course YMCA National Championship, held in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

 

Swimmers who choose to participate in USA Swimming usually attend one USA-S sanctioned meet per month, on a weekend with no dual meets.  Some also attend long distance competitions on Friday evenings throughout the season.  Opportunities for competition in the postseason include the CT Swimming Regional, Age Group, and Senior Championship series, as well as Zones, Sectionals, and other high-caliber meets.

 

Summer Season

The Barracudas participate in 4 league dual meets, which take place on Friday evenings throughout the summer.  The emphasis is again placed upon individual improvement and enjoyment of the sport.  There is a long course (50-meter format) invitational open to all swimmers in mid July, and the season culminates at the end of July with the Summer Cluster Championship meet, hosted annually by the Northern Middlesex YMCA.  Swimmers who attain qualifying times and meet minimum participation standards continue on to compete at the Long Course YMCA National Championship, held at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.

 

Swimmers participating in USA Swimming will usually attend two to three USA-S sanctioned long course meets throughout the summer.  Further competitive opportunities include CT Swimming’s long course championship series, as well as further regional and national championship meets.

 

 

Practice Sessions

There are four levels of training offered by the Barracudas.  Unlike many swim clubs, the training groups are not necessarily static, and swimmers may move between groups if it is in their best interests for any particular practice session.  We strive to offer the best opportunities for our swimmers to improve, and recognizing that not all swimmers will fit precisely into only one group is part of our method to achieve this goal.

 

·        NOVICES: Typically swimmers 8/under, and first-time competitive swimmers from 9-12.  The focus is on the instruction and development of each of the four competitive strokes and meet skills (such as starts and turns).

·        AGE GROUP:  Typically swimmers ages 8-12, and first-time competitive swimmers from 13 & up.  The focus is on the fine-tuning of meet skills, developing good training habits, setting goals, and developing good teamwork.

·        SENIORS:  Swimmers age 12 & up with previous competitive experience.  The focus is on conditioning and meet strategy, as well as goal setting and team building.  Swimmers in the Senior group are typically training for competition in meets beyond the local league level, such as New Englands, Age Groups, and Seniors.

·        NATIONAL TEAM:  Swimmers age 12 & up with at least one YMCA National qualifying time standard.  Practices run concurrent with the Senior practice group, but National Team members have extra responsibilities and team contributions to fulfill.

 

Any further questions or comments? Send them to Coach Ryan and he'll be happy to address them!