About the Barracudas

The Greater Waterbury YMCA Barracuda Swim Team is a competitive swim program offering development, training, and competition to swimmers age 5 and up. The philosophy of our program is "Everybody swims, everybody wins." Every swimmer is given the attention and the opportunity needed to achieve personal improvement.

Practice sessions are divided into three groups, based on a combination of age and experience:

Beginners -- Swimmers 8 and under, and first-time swimmers from 9-11. The focus is on the development of each of the four competitive strokes and meet skills (starts and turns). Swimmers practice 4 hours per week.
Intermediates -- Swimmers age 8-12, and first-time swimmers from 12 and up. The focus is on the fine-tuning of meet skills, developing good training habits, goal setting, and team work. Swimmers practice 5-6 hours per week.
Advanced -- Swimmers age 10 and over who are ready to train for a high level of competition. The emphasis is on conditioning and meet strategy, as well as setting goals and contributing to the team. Swimmers practice 7 hours or more per week.

The team is open to novice swimmers as well as those with prior competitive experience. The minimum prerequisite is the ability to swim 25 continuous yards (one lap) of freestyle with rotary breathing, and 25 yards of one of the other three competitive strokes (backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly).

The team participates in the Yankee Cluster Swim League with ten other YMCA swim teams, including Ansonia, Meriden, Southington, Torrington, and Wallingford. The season consists of 10 dual meets and the League Championship Meet, which is open to every member of the team. There are also New England and National YMCA Championships at the end of the season for swimmers who attain the qualifying times.

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