

Swim Team
This developmental program offers kids and teens an opportunity to work with trained coaches to improve swimming skills, endurance, and promote a healthy lifestyle.
This developmental program offers kids and teens an opportunity to work with trained coaches to improve swimming skills, endurance, and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Y Swim Team is a developmental program run by trained coaches focusing on improving swimmers' competitive skills and endurance. Swim Team embraces the Y core values of respect, responsibility, caring, and honesty, promotes progression at an individual level, and encourages commitment, self-discipline, sportsmanship, time management, and leadership.
Y Swim Team offers several training groups for swimmers of varying abilities and experience. Development of technical skills, training abilities, maturity, competitive levels, and time standards are considered when determining the appropriate group for individuals. The Y's progressive structure provides a setting in which swimmers are continually challenged and able to experience both individual and team successes.
The Junior Developmental program for beginners builds upon skills participants learned in swim lessons. Swimmers will focus on basic techniques, starts and turns, and development of the four competitive strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
Ages: 6-12 years old
Practices: One hour up to 2 times per week
Requirements: Ability to swim 25 yards of backstroke and freestyle with rotary breathing.
The Development program for beginners builds upon skills participants have learned in swim lessons with a focus on stroke technique, conditioning, and endurance. This is a great option for swimmers looking to cross train for other sports or looking to maximize fitness with a non-impact aerobic exercise.
Ages: 12-16 years old
Practices: One hour up to 3 times per week
Requirements: Ability to swim 25 yards of backstroke and freestyle with rotary breathing. Competitive swimming experience and mastery of the four competitive strokes not required.
The Bronze program is for swimmers beginning their competitive journey. Participants will learn the fundamentals while having fun and what it takes to be a competitive swimmer both in and out of the water. Goal setting, nutrition, and training with emphasis on form rather than yardage is the focus of this program. Semi-regular participation in swim meets is encouraged to provide the opportunity to use, evaluate, and improve skills.
Ages: 8-12 years old
Practices: One hour up to 4-5 times per week
Requirements: Ability to swim the 4x50 freestyle, 4x50 backstroke, 4x50 breaststroke, 4x50 butterfly, 4x50 kick, and 4x100 individual medley practice sets legally.
The Silver program is for more advanced swimmers who need a more challenging practice environment. An increased emphasis on aerobic training, swimming intervals, and race strategy, while continuing to refine stroke technique are additional benefits. Swimmers are encouraged to regularly attend meets to use and continue development of the skills and conditioning learned during practice. Periodic test sets to determine conditioning is a part of this program.
Ages: 9-12 years old
Practices: One hour up to 5-6 times per week
Requirements: Ability to swim freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly strokes, pace and interval training using pace clock, and commitment to rigorous training program.
The Elite program is for more experienced and dedicated swimmers who have mastered most of the fundamentals of technique. This program has an increased emphasis on aerobic, anaerobic, and strength training, while continuing to refine strokes, starts, and turns to a high level. Swimmers are encouraged to regularly attend meets to use and continue development of the skills and conditioning learned during practice.
Ages: 13-21 years old
Practices: One hour and a half up to 5-6 times per week
Requirements: Ability to swim freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly strokes, pace and interval training using pace clock, and commitment to rigorous training program.
Y swim team has two seasons:
Yes, we do require that all swimmers be committed to the entire season.
Any child, ages 6-21 years old, who can swim a lap of front crawl unassisted is eligible for swim team.
Many of our first time swim team participants don’t know all the strokes. Our coaches teach the techniques for each stroke throughout the season.
Registration for families who participated in summer swim team opens August 15 at 6:00 am for the school-year season and on August 22 at 6:00 am for new participants. You can register online, over the phone by calling (206) 382-5022, or at your local Y.
Please contact the Aquatics Director at your local Y with questions:
Northshore Y - Andrew Shain
Auburn Valley Y - Stephanie Brennan
West Seattle Family Y - Nick Darnell
Yes, you must be a Y member to join swim team. The cost for Y membership is separate from swim team fees and swim meet fees. Financial assistance is available for Y memberships.
Yes! The Y is committed to ensuring all families have access to quality and enriching youth programs. If the fee for swim team or Y membership presents a challenge for your family, financial assistance is available. Swim meet fees are not eligible for financial assistance at this time.
For Y members, your program scholarship is already attached to your Y account and available upon registration. For community members, please drop by your local Y or call us at (206) 382-5022 to learn more.
Monthly swim team fees vary based off your practice group. Swim meets have separate fees and vary based on the hosting group. Swim team participants are also required to be Y members.
As the largest provider of swim lessons in the country, we strive to help all ages learn how to swim, so they can stay safe around water and learn the skills needed to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for healthy living.
With a shared commitment to nurturing the potential of kids, improving health and well-being, and supporting our neighbors, your membership will not just bring about meaningful change in yourself, but also in your community.
The YMCA has been the leader in Summer Camp for over 130 years. Over this time, we’ve fine-tuned our programs to meet youth and their families wherever they are in their journey with the outdoors.