Do I Have a Pre-Team Swimmer?
The purpose of the pre-team is to teach correct breathing and stroke technique, and increase endurance so that swimmers move to the regular swim team. Therefore, the pre-team is for emerging swimmers, 8 years of age and under, who cannot yet swim 25 meters using a legal stroke, or for children who are not yet able to sustain a full swim team practice. Swimmers who join the pre-team have (almost always) had swim lessons in the past.
To maintain a manageable number of swimmers in our practice space (diving well) our coaches are often not able to include all interested swimmers on pre-team. The coaches will hold Pre-Team Evaluations (on 6/19 & 6/20) where they ask swimmers to cross the diving well independently 4-5 times, a few times on their stomach and once or twice on their back. Coaches are looking for swimmers who can...
- Swim the width of the diving well using a freestyle stroke with their face in the water
- Comfortably cross the diving well on their back by floating and kicking or with a backstroke without flotation device or parent in the pool
Note: Swimmers who are not ready for pre-team often pursue swim lessons instead. The parent volunteer for pre-team can assist you with contact information if needed.
Pre-Team Info - 2023
You do not need to register your swimmer with the OGC team until after evaluations (to confirm they have a spot on the Pre-Team). If you registered before evaluations and do not join the Pre-Team you will be issued a refund.
Pre-Team Evaluations: June 19 & June 20, 2023 from 3:00-4:00 pm in the diving well. Use the camera on your smartphone to scan QR code on the flyer on the window of the guardhouse or click the link below. You will be asked for contact information and details about your swimmer. You will also select your availability for Pre-Team evaluations. After all of the evaluations are complete, parents will be notified if their swimmer has been invited to join the pre-team via email or text message.
Pre-Team Practices are five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) for approximately five weeks. The first day of practice this summer will be Wednesday 6/21/2022. There are three practice slots this summer...
- 11:15 am to 11:45 am
- 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
- 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm
OGC Pre-Team is a developmental group; pre-teamers do not swim in typical swim meets. That said, the goal of Pre-Team is to have athletes swimming at least one legal stroke by the end of the season so that they can celebrate their progress. In previous years we have had a "popsicle race" at the end of practice, other years we have had a pre-team freestyle (or kickboard) event at the final B meet of the season.
Some Pre-Team swimmers will transition to the regular swim team during the season based on ability and the coaches' discretion. We will keep parents informed if their swimmer/s is ready for the regular swim team; there is no other registration or payment involved.