Teens who join and participate in a swim team can expect fun, hard work, lifelong friendships, and the dual benefit of individual and team level sports competition. Whether you are of limited previous swim experience or a seasoned athlete, the swimming community has a place for you and will welcome you. As a certified swim meet official and stroke judge, I enthusiastically encourage all teens of any ability level to seek out and join a swim team.

Let me lay to rest the most common fear experienced by many newcomers, that being the fear of not being good enough. Totally inexperienced swimmers can rest assured that the learning curve is relatively quick, especially for physically fit and athletic teens. An unexpected benefit of limited experience is that bad technique habits have not had a chance to develop. Technique training, faithfully adhered to, will translate into quick time improvements.

To ensure the best transition into swimming, teens need to honestly assess the level of competition they are comfortable with. Large swim teams will have a tiered skill level of training teams. Some new swimmers are unaffected by a highly competitive environment, while others would be running for the locker room door. Good swim programs are sensitive to not only ability, but age level. It is not fun for a 15 year old newcomer to train with a six year old newcomer.

There are also different cultures amongst swim teams. Often, summer swim programs run by recreation departments will have a less competitive orientation and a more fun and relaxed environment. Many YMCA's continue their long tradition of training swimmers. These are often a more mixed spectrum of swimming abilities with newcomers through national class swimmers. YMCA's are proud to promote a value based environment which accepts and promotes all levels and abilities. A third common swim team structure is a private swim club. These have varying philosophies and a quick look at their web page will yield the information needed to see if it is the right fit. Finally, many high schools support swim programs amongst their athletic offerings which can a help a teen develop a well-rounded college application.

Swimming, like other time-based sports, is free from some of the frustrations parents and teens face today in organized sports. Gone are subjective interpretations of ability and the politics of overly involved parents. Teens can rest assured that they will be judged by time only. As a result swimming is often a refuge for athletes burned out from other sports programs.

Fees for swimming vary by program and sometimes level of competitiveness. As far as necessary equipment, a training swimsuit, a team swimsuit, swim cap, and goggles are usually standard. Some programs will require additional apparatus including pull buoys, fins, and other training gear.

Swim meets are the competitive means for evaluating ones progress and should be embraced for the opportunity they provide. Coaches can follow times over the course of a season and understand which training techniques and practice sets yield the most success. Disqualifications inevitably occur, even among the most experienced swimmers, and should be viewed as teaching tools rather than failures.

Swim teams today do not simply swim. They provide many social experiences and community service opportunities. Teens can expect that swimming will not only build physical fitness, but self esteem and self worth as well. I would encourage every teen to dive into swimming!

Learn more about this author, Susan Daniels.
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