1. What is your philosophy?

Our main goal or philosophy is that we stress the importance of technique. This might seem obvious to focus on how to swim the strokes efficiently, but unfortunately other clubs pay more attention to simply pounding out the yards in hope that their swimmers will eventually "get it." Our practices focus more on quality of yards, not quantity of yards. Every single practice we break the strokes, turns, and/or starts down to build a strong solid foundation of proper technique to later build upon as the swimmers become more experienced. Along with technique, we also teach our athletes about sportsmanship, friendship, academics, nutrition, race strategies, and how to mentally prepare before a race. We believe that there is so much more to being a great swimmer, than just fast times. Based on this philosophy we have achieved success every single season, and more importantly our athletes have FUN!!!

2. What age can my child join your team?

We have swimmers from 6 years old all the way up to college swimmers, with both genders for every age.

3. I have an 8 year old, how often should he/she practice each week?

We only want the younger swimmers to practice from 6:30-7:30 until they feel comfortable staying longer if they choose.  But I would highly encourage them to stay for the entire practice on Friday nights (6:00-7:15), because we do some team bonding activities and stress the FUN part of the sport during these practices.

4. How often are the meets?

Usually we have a meet or two each month from November to March.

5. Will my beginner child be competing in meets against other swimmers that are far more experience and faster (thus get embarrassed or frustrated)?

No. Our meets are designed to group swimmers with others that are of the same age, gender and relative ability level, thus preventing a first year swimmer from competing against a swimmer in the next lane that has years of experience.

6. Will my son/daughter be guaranteed a chance to swim in meets or do only the fastest on the team have the opportunity to compete?

Yes. We can put as many swimmers in an event as we choose. Typically a swimmer will swim 4 events at each meet. Our team philosophy is if the swimmer can swim it, then we'll put them in it.   We are very cautious with our younger swimmers not to discourage or frustrate them, therefore we do a trial run in practice to see if they can successfully complete an event before we put them in it at a meet.  Other teams let their athletes choose which events they do in a meet, but we'd rather challenge our swimmers to compete in events that they wouldn't normally choose to swim (usually the longer and tougher events).  This ultimately makes them a better and more versatile swimmer. And we've come to find out that our swimmers would much rather have us decide.  It also removes the potential conflict with the parents and swimmers if they think their child should attempt an event and they kid doesn't want to.

7. When does the Fall/Winter season run?

It’s starts in mid-October and goes to mid-March (Championship meet in March is mandatory).

8. How are your practices structured?

Our practices are structured to focus on technique.  Usually there are two lanes of beginners (roughly 9 and unders), 2 lanes of intermediate (roughly 10-12), and 2 lanes of advanced swimmers (roughly 13 and over).  It depends on each swimmer's ability.  They will gradually progress through the years as they learn the foundational skills.  Each coach takes 2 lanes and works on technique for varying lengths of time.  The beginners obviously spend more time on technique, while the advanced swimmers focus on training.  But they all receive some amount of time on technique every practice.

9. My child is new to the sport, can he/she first practice a few times before we pay the fees and commit for the entire season?

I encourage our new swimmers to practice with the team for about 2 weeks before they decide whether or not they want to become a Thrasher or not.  Some love the sport, teammates, and coaches so much after the first practice that the fear of their lack of interest never exists.  However, I would much rather have the kids see what they're getting into before committing to an entire season.  Therefore, I suggest waiting the two weeks before paying us a dime. 

10. Do I have to pay the club fees up front or can I pay monthly?

Whichever is easier for you and your family.  I have about half of the parents pay up front, while the other half pay whenever it's
convenient (usually monthly). We are certainly flexible.  Just as long as there's a 00 (zero, zero) balance before the season's over in March.

11. Is my child still able to join Thrashers even if he/she is involved with other activities?

Absolutely. We highly encourage our swimmers to be involved in other extra-curricular activities, such as Girls Scouts, Dancing, Soccer, etc.. It makes for a more rounded athlete and decreases the chances for burn-out.  However, keep in mind that a swimmer that is able to attend 2 practices per week may not excel as fast as their teammate that attends all 3 practices a week. 

12. Why do you require the Varsity Girls to wait two weeks after their season is over before they are allowed to start practicing with Thrashers?

3 reasons. First it allows their muscles to rejuvenate, second, it prevents burn-out, and third, it allows the students to catch up on their studies. They will not lose what they’ve gained from varsity. They are allowed to compete at the first meet.

13. Is there anything I can do as a parent to help you and the club?

We always welcome parental help.  You can volunteer to be an Official, help with coordinating team bonding activities, help with timing at meets when they ask for parents, and/or promote our sport and team.

14. Is there a bus that takes the team to the meets?

No, parents provide transportation to and from for all the meets.

15. Will you be ordering team suits?

Yes.  Every season we order  team suits for anyone that needs one (or two).  The order to the suit company goes out in the first few weeks of the season, so be ready to give your money and order to Beth Van Tol.  If we have enough suits ordered, we will be able to get the team discount rate.  We hope to have the suits in before our first meet.

16. Where do I get the Thrashers merchandise, such as towels, sweatshirts, car decals, polo shirts, etc…?

Unique Solutions Monogramming 739-8122, 302 W. Franklin St. Horseheads (a few buildings down from Pudgies).

17. Why do you require all the swimmers to compete at the Championship Meet in March?

This sport is designed for both individual success as well as team success.  The Championship Meet is the only opportunity for the entire team to come together and cheer on their teammates to achieve a common goal (to place as high as we can at the meet).  We have repeatedly had great success at our Championship meets due to the fact that we incorporate a team aspect at that meet. 

18. Is there anything my child can do on the days and nights that he/she doesn’t have practice that will make him/her a better swimmer?

Yes.  During the Fall/Winter season we have the swimmers complete a dry-land training log with numerous exercises they can do without a pool. The log will be handed in to the coaches every other week at practice and given back to the child that same night, feedback will also be given that night.  You do not need water all the time to become a better swimmer. 

19. Does my child need anything else besides a suit?

I would highly recommend you purchase a nice pair of goggles and possibly a swim cap for those with long hair. We have fins for the kids to use, but some like to have their own pair during practices. The choice is yours.  It is also important to bring a water bottle to practice in order to stay hydrated.  That’s all you’ll need, we have everything else.

20. Why do you require the kids to bring in their report cards?

We pride ourselves on placing education as a priority and we the coaches take an invested interest in what happens outside the pool.