Welcome to the KAY Sea Dragons Swim Team
The Kennett Area YMCA Sea Dragons Swim Team provides an opportunity for children to enjoy competitive swimming in a safe, fun, and friendly atmosphere. The home for the Sea Dragons is 101 Race Street, Kennett Square PA 19348. Like all YMCA sports programs, YMCA competitive swimming and diving programs are based on the Judeo-Christian values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. The KAY Sea Dragons embrace the principles and values of the YMCA and, in conjunction with the YMCA of the USA and the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley help swimmers do the following:
- Grow personally. Build self-esteem and self-reliance.
- Build character. Behave according to the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.
- Appreciate diversity. Respect people of different ages, abilities, incomes, races, religions, cultures and beliefs.
- Become better leaders and supporters. Learn the give-and-take necessary to work toward the common good.
- Have fun…enjoy life!
The coaching staff of the KAY Sea Dragons work to create a program that meets these goals by:
- Working with every swimmer; giving equal attention to the most highly skilled and least skilled swimmers on our team
- Working on basic skills and teaching good physical fitness habits. We aim to help athletes become conscious of proper stroke techniques and racing strategies, and commit to demonstrate the importance of proper fitness habits such as warm-up and conditioning exercises, as well as talking to our swimmers about diet, rest and involvement in other sports.
- Teaching fair play.
- Helping swimmers set and evaluate individual goals. Competing against oneself is the best way to improve skills and enhance self-esteem. All those involved in our program are encouraged to measure their skills, set goals for the future, and work to reach those goals.
- Keeping winning in perspective. Winning meets and events is just one of many goals for the KAY Sea Dragons Swim Team. More importantly we measure success by how well we develop the all around athlete and meet the goals listed above.
- Encouraging lifetime fitness. Swimming is a sport that can be enjoyed throughout a lifetime, and if it remains fun will remain a part of good physical well-being.
- Working with the whole person: spirit, mind and body. Physical fitness is important, but so are mental attitudes and spiritual growth: YMCA sports programs emphasize overall personal development.
The Kennett Area YMCA Sea Dragons Program
The KAY Swim Team is a year-round competitive program. The year is divided into two seasons, the short course and long course season. The short course season runs from the beginning of September through the YMCA Short Course Nationals in April. During this time, competitions are held in short course pools, either 25 yards or meters. The short course season begins with practices in September concentrating on stroke technique, and progressing through various training phases as the season progresses. Beginning in late October/ early November the Sea Dragons typically begin their competitive schedule of dual meets and invitational meets.
The long course season starts in April and runs through YMCA Long Course Nationals in August. The Long Course program is aimed at preparing swimmers to compete in a 50 meter pool (however, we practice in a 25 yard or 25 meter pool on site). The KAY Swim Team participates in YMCA and USA Swimming long course meets. After YMCA Long Course Nationals, the program takes a break until the next winter season that begins in September.
Our team subscribes to the YMCA of the USA guidelines for competitive swimming and is also a registered member of USA Swimming. Our athletes, who qualify, will be able to compete in dual meets, mini meets, invitational meets, including Winterfest, and the Charlie Hartley meet, as well as, District, State and National competitions. We also participate in a YMCA Championship meet for swimmers who are not yet at a level that qualifies for the YMCA District Championships and beyond.
Practices
Our program offers weekly practices. The main focus of regular practice is stroke development, speed and endurance training, and of course fun. Each practice group balances these factors through dryland and water training to maximize the development of each swimmer as appropriate for his or her level of experience and commitment. It is our goal to have at least two coaches on deck at all times to ensure that proper attention is given to each and every swimmer and that the safety of all participants is maintained.
The KAY Sea Dragons offer several practice groups for swimmers to gain the maximum benefit from each practice session. Practice groups are based on both age and ability; however, in response to the varying ability and experience of our swimmers some swimmers may practice outside of the typical age groupings. It is very important that swimmers practice in the appropriate group. And while the coaches understand that occasionally exceptions must be made to accommodate busy family schedules, we ask that as often as possible swimmers attend the practices that they are assigned to. Please refer to the descriptions and practice schedule below for time and pre-requisites.
Blue
Swimmers age 5-9 who are interested in having fun learning competitive swimming skills. This group’s focus is on learning all four competitive strokes. Swimmers will have opportunities to swim in mini-meets, and dual meets.
Children should be able to:
- Swim 50 yards (2 lengths) of freestyle without stopping;
- Swim a length of 25 yards backstroke
- Back float correctly and comfortably for 30 seconds
- Preferably have a rudimentary knowledge of breaststroke and butterfly
Red
The red group is for swimmers ages 9-13 who typically have some competitive swimming experience and are interested in continuing to develop proper stroke technique for all four competitive strokes. Instruction and training focuses on continuing to refine strokes, and build endurance in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Swimmers should be able to:
- swim 100-200 yards of freestyle with rotary breathing in good form;
- swim 50-100 yards of backstroke in good form
- Swim 50 yards of rudimentary butterfly and breaststroke
Yellow
The yellow group is designed for the young swimming enthusiast ages 7-10 that typically have some competitive swimming experience. These swimmers are interested in refining stroke technique, building endurance in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly and learning basic racing skills. Practice consists primarily of stroke drills and increasing endurance as swimmers work toward swimming 4+ continuous lengths (100 yards).
Swimmers should be able to:
- swim 200 yards of freestyle with rotary breathing in good form;
- swim 100 yards of backstroke in good form
- swim 50 yards of rudimentary breaststroke and butterfly
Green
Swimmers in this group are ages 9-15 and have previous competitive experience. The green group will focus on refining stroke technique while increasing endurance and speed. Practices will be less focused on direct stroke instruction and more intense to prepare swimmers for higher levels of competition. This group will also focus on racing technique and strategy as well. Swimmers should be able to:
- Swim 200 yards of legal freestyle with rotary breathing and flip turns
- swim 100 yards of legal backstroke,
- Swim 50 yards of legal breaststroke and butterfly
- Demonstrate proper racing starts
Juniors
The junior group requires a more serious commitment to the sport of swimming. These swimmers are capable of competing at the District, State and Junior Olympic levels. Members of this practice group are typically 12 and older due to the increased commitment. Swimmers are learning race strategy while increasing strength and endurance and refining stroke technique. Dryland training will also be utilized to help build strength and endurance. The emphasis is on refining stroke technique, perfecting race strategy, improving speed and endurance with the ultimate goal of qualifying for YMCA Districts and States, as well as, higher level USA meets.
Swimmers should be able to:
- Swim 400 yards of legal freestyle with bilateral breathing and flip turns
- Swim 100 yards of legal backstroke with flip turns
- Swim 100 yards of legal breaststroke and 50 yards of legal butterfly with proper turns
- Demonstrate proper racing starts
- Demonstrate a commitment to training consistently
Seniors
Swimmers in the Senior group are ages 12 and older and are capable of competing at the YMCA National level. Serious commitment is expected in terms of attendance and practice intensity. Practices include pool, dryland and weight training. Dryland training consists of sit-ups, push-ups, stretching, weight training, yoga and other conditioning exercises performed on the pool deck, outside or in the YMCA fitness facilities. The emphasis is on refining stroke technique, perfecting race strategy, and improving speed and endurance with the ultimate goal of qualifying for YMCA Nationals, as well as, higher level USA meets. Practicing with the senior national group is by invitation only. Because the focus of the senior group is to attend higher level meets including YMCA Nationals, swimmers will be asked and encouraged to participate in various fundraising and volunteer activities to off-set travel expenses. Swimmers must possess either a YMCA National cut or be within 10% of an individual national cut as well as be able to:
- swim 500 yards of legal freestyle with bilateral breathing;
- Swim 100 yards of legal backstroke with flip turns
- swim 100 yards of legal breaststroke and butterfly with proper turns
- Demonstrate proper racing starts
- Demonstrate a commitment and willingness to training consistently (average daily practice yardage = 8,000 yards, up to 12,000
Swimmers in the Senior group should attend 5 practices a week (minimum). Swimmers will need sneakers and proper workout apparel for dryland and weight training. Weight training/VASA programs will be developed for members of the senior group and swimmers are encouraged to utilize the weight training/VASA program independently outside of regular practice times. Swimmers are also required to purchase additional training equipment such as training snorkels, fins and paddles.
Meets
YMCA Dual Meets
The KAY Swim Team competes in an independent league against other local YMCA teams. The YMCA Dual Meet season begins in late October and continues through the end of January. A dual meet is usually held on a Saturday with home meets at the Kennett Area YMCA pool and away meets at the opponent’s pool.
A swimmer will swim against swimmers within his or her age group. The age group for the winter dual meet season is determined by the swimmer’s age on December 1. The coaching staff will determine what a swimmer will swim in all YMCA Dual meets with the aim of developing well-rounded swimmers in all four strokes.
Invitational Meets
The Sea Dragons also travel to a number of invitational meets, ranging in competitiveness from mini-meets to YMCA National Championships. Invitational meets typically require swimmers to either meet a qualifying time or be below a cut-off time. These meets vary in format, travel time, entry fees, and swimmer qualifications. Information on invitational meets is distributed throughout the season in the swimmer mailboxes and via email, and they are always optional for individual swimmers.
For swimmers wishing to increase their level of competition, the KAY Sea Dragons also offers the option of competing in USA meets. USA meets typically follow a similar format to YMCA invitational meets; however, the field of competition is larger and membership in USA Swimming is required to compete in these meets (registration with USA swimming is included with your KAY team registration).
Meet Attendance
The KAY swim team swims its meets as a team; however, swimmers are not required to participate. The team earns points for the top finishers in each event. All scores are added for each age group. The team that wins the most age groups wins the meet. One swimmer's attendance at a meet can make a difference!
All swimmers must be signed up by Monday for that weekend's dual meet or they will not be included in the line up. Swimmers can be signed up at any time on the KAY website. The coaching staff should be notified by telephone by calling the YMCA at (610) 444-9622 Ext 2328 or Coach Angela. Every effort is made by the coaching staff to give each swimmer an opportunity to compete which is why it is so important that the coaches have an accurate account of who will be competing.
Post-Season Competition
YMCA League Championships
The YMCA League Championships are held at the end of the YMCA Dual Meet season in February on either a Saturday or Sunday. Our division championships include all of the teams from the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley and neihboring Delaware teams.
A swimmer must have participated in two YMCA Dual Meets in order to compete in the League Championships. The championship information will be given to each qualified swimmer. This information will include the date, time and place of the championships and the KAY Meet Entry form for selecting the individual events he or she wishes to swim. These events do not have to be the events that he or she will swim at Districts, States or Nationals. Each swimmer may swim a maximum of three individual events and two relay events. The coaching staff will determine which swimmers will swim in the relays. The program fee covers the YMCA Championship meet entry fees.
YMCA Eastern Districts
The YMCA Eastern Districts are held in March at LaSalle University in Philadelphia and the Upper Main Line YMCA. The long distance events are held at the Upper Main Line YMCA on Friday with the remaining events being held at LaSalle University on Saturday and Sunday. The YMCA Eastern Districts are divided into sessions based on the age groups. Each session is either a morning session or afternoon session.
To qualify for YMCA Districts, a swimmer must achieve a District qualifying time. A swimmer may swim a maximum of three events in his or her age group, of which one event must be a relay (relays will be determined by the coaching staff). The YMCA Eastern District meet entries must be completed by the due date. In addition to swimming a qualifying time, a swimmer must also meet the following criteria:
- Swim a certified qualifying time in the current season in open, league, dual, or high school competitions before three official timers or electronic timing.
- Be an annual member of the Kennett Area YMCA for a minimum of ninety days prior to the YMCA Eastern Districts.
- Represented only Kennett Area YMCA, excluding school swimming, in any open or closed competition during the current season, September 1 through April 30.
- Has represented KAY Swim Team at three separate meets during the current season.
YMCA Pennsylvania East - West Championship (States)
The YMCA Pennsylvania East – West Championship Meet is held usually one or two weeks after the YMCA Eastern Districts at Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA. This meet is divided into sessions by age group usually from Saturday through Sunday. Medals are awarded for the 1st through 6th place and ribbons for 7th through 12th place.
YMCA Nationals
The YMCA holds a Short Course National Meet in April and a Long Course National Meet in August of each year. These meets consist of swimmers from around the United States that have made a national qualifying time. The qualifying times for these meets will be distributed at the beginning of the season and posted on the KAY Swim Team bulletin board.
To qualify for the YMCA Short Course National meet, the swimmer must meet the following criteria:
- Make a YMCA Short Course National qualifying time.
- Provide a proof of time for any qualifying time made at a High School or USA Swimming meet. The proof of time must have a meet official’s signature. Proof of time is an official copy of the meet, signed by one of the officials at the meet. The name and time must be clearly visible.
- Swimmers who make National cuts are responsible for getting their proof of times to the Head Coach.
- Compete in at least three closed YMCA meets.
- Compete in at least one nationally sanctioned meet (YMCA Eastern Districts, YMCA Pennsylvania States, YMCA Nationals, and/or Winterfest).
- Be a full annual member of the Kennett Area YMCA for a minimum of ninety (90) days prior to the National meet.
- Represented only Kennett Area YMCA, excluding school swimming, in any open or closed competition during the current season, September 1st through April 30th.
- Be at least twelve (12) years of age by the start of the YMCA National Short Course Meet.
To qualify for the YMCA Long Course National meet, the swimmer must meet the following criteria:
- Make a YMCA Long Course National qualifying time from September 1st until the meet entry submission date.
- Provide a proof of time for any qualifying time made at a High School or USA Swimming meet. The proof of time must have a meet official’s signature. Proof of time is an official copy of the meet, signed by one of the officials at the meet. The name and time must be clearly visible.
- Swimmers who make National cuts are responsible for getting their proof of times to the Head Coach.
- Compete in at least three closed YMCA meets
- Compete in at least one nationally sanctioned meet (YMCA East Districts, YMCA PA State Meet, YMCA Nationals, and/or Winterfest)
- Be a full annual member of the Kennett Area YMCA by May 1st.
- Represented only Kennett Area YMCA in any open competition during the current season, May 1st to August 31st.
- Participate in at least two long course meets during the current summer season.
- Be at least twelve (12) years of age by the start of the YMCA National Long Course Meet.
Relay Policy
Deciding who swims on a relay is certainly not easy. There are several factors which are involved in the decision making process. Relays for YMCA Dual Meets, YMCA League Championships, YMCA Eastern Districts, YMCA East – West Championships, and YMCA Nationals will be decided by the following:
- Individual times
- Past performance in meets
- Practice attendance
- Determining what is best for the team
- The coaches’ decision is final.
