New Year, New Changes! 

We wanted to first thank everyone for their support and help in keeping our program growing and successful these past few years. Our existence depends on our membership, and without you, there is no Rockford Riptide. That said, as we have been able to experience growth, stabilize our expenses, and build a foundation of members, we are now able to start making some improvements!

USA Levels Structure:

There will still be 3 USA levels.

• Black Team: Encouraged to attend practice 3 times/week. This group will focus heavy on stroke development, efficient practice etiquette, and begin developing speed through stoke efficiency. These swimmers will be proficient in 3 of the 4 competitive strokes.
• Orange Team: Encouraged to attend practices 3-4 times/week. This group continues to focus on stroke development but begins implementing more endurance work 1-2 times/week. The emphasis will be on learning to apply power and technique to drive speed in the water.
• Senior Team: Encouraged to attend practices 4+ times/week. This is our championship team. These swimmers have mastered their strokes and begun specializing in events. They know their best times, and have many sets centered around improving those times.

Dryland Resumes!

Beginning in January will resume our dryland training for the USA groups. These 30-minute sessions will take place on Tuesday and Thursday (5:30-6:00PM) directly prior to the practice in the pool led by our board president, Chris Dondzila, who teaches this content at Grand Valley State University. This training will supplement the work the swimmers receive in the pool but will directly focus on training physical fitness (muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility). Particular attention will be placed on:

• Creating a fun and engaging environment
• Proper form and safety
• Getting a great workout in
• Understanding how intentionally designed dryland training/exercises translate to strokes and overall performance in the pool. 

These training sessions will take place in the entry lobby at North Rockford Middle School, so please wear some appropriate shoes (ideally separate than what swimmers walk in with – trying to limit bringing snow/water onto the (potentially) slippery tile flooring). An exercise/yoga mat is also a great thing to bring along If your swimmer has any pre-existing health conditions/injuries (again, safety is the most important aspect), or if you have any questions whatsoever, please direct them to Chris at [email protected].

Monthly fees:

Beginning February 2023 will have a new cost structure for our USA groups. All USA groups will be $120/month! Additionally, we are implementing a High School Athlete Discount. Any high school swimmers who wish to practice with Riptide will pay the full $120 for month 1, then each consecutive month after that, they will receive a 50% discount. All swimmers will be eligible for this the summer before they start Freshman Year and must select “High School Team” when registering.

If you have any questions about our teams or registration, please reach out to the coaching staff or Registrar for assistance.

Please continue to check the Practice & Meet Calendar in the upper right corner of our website for practice schedules for the USA Level Riptide sessions.

Junior Riptide Announcements

Attention New Members:

• Roster levels for new swimmers will be determined and shared by Junior Riptide Coaching Staff after evaluations are completed for new swimmers.

• Please declare your swimmer for any upcoming swim meets.

• Please continue to watch the TeamFeed for schedule changes and important news from Coach Perry.

Please contact Coach Jenna & Coach Ross Perry with inquiries regarding JRR Swimming registration, billing questions or account issues. 

Please contact Coach Ethan with inquiries regarding USA swimming registration, billing questions, or account issues.

[email protected]

[email protected]