Age Group 1

Typical Age: 9-12 years old

Pre-Requisite Skills: 

Ability to swim 100 yards freestyle and 100 yards backstroke with flip turns at each wall. The swimmer must also be able to execute 25 yards of butterfly and breaststroke. The swimmer must be comfortable diving into the water head first and able to do open turns.  Swimmers must also be able to stay focused for the full 90 minutes.

Practice Attendance: 3-4 x 90 minute practices per week

Always refer to the AGE GROUP 1 PRACTICE CALENDAR for up to date practice times 

Basic Practice Schedule:

• Age Group 1 - swims Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday from 6 - 7:30 PM at RMS

Please always refer to the PRACTICE CALENDAR for up to date practice times and planned cancelations.

Practice Skills: 

Heavy emphasis is placed on refinement of the four competitive strokes and kicking.  Secondary emphasis will be placed on conditioning with an introduction to clock reading/intervals. They will also focus on competitive necessities like flip turns and open turns, standard and relay starts, and the basic rules of the sport. AG1 swimmers will be introduced to dryland exercise which will include running, basic body weight exercises, and games.

Meet Attendance: 

AG1 athletes are expected to compete in at least three per season along with their highest achieved championship meet. Read about meets HERE.

Meet Events: 

Minimum 100 Free/100 Back, 50 Free/Back/Breaststroke/Butterfly, and relays when offered

Advancement from AG1 to AG2 

In order to move-up from AG1 to AG2 an athlete must be able to do the following - Complete 10 x 100 freestyle on a 1:55 interval, complete 10 x 100 IM on a 2:20 interval, and compete 10 x 100 kick on a 2:30 interval. The swimmer must also be able to legally complete at least 100 yards of each stroke. The swimmer must be willing to compete in designated team competitions and should have at least five - Bronze times in their age group (Minnesota Swimming Time Standards)

Equipment:   

AG1 swimmers will need to purchase their own Snorkel , kick board, fins, pull buoy, and mesh bag.  A list of recommended equipment with links is listed below.

• TYR Crossblade Fin 2.0
• TYR Ultralite Snorkel
• TYR Classic Kickboard or Youth Classic Kickboard
• TYR Classic Pull Float or Youth Pull Float

Swimming equipment and team apparel, including team suits, can be ordered through ELSMORE SWIM SHOP.