ABOUT WBCB SWIMMING
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
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
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
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
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).
·
·
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
Any
further questions or comments? Send them to Coach
Ryan and he'll be happy to address them!