Welcome to the Wayside Waves Swim Team. This is the recreational age-group swim team of the Wayside Athletic Club of Marlborough, MA. Our swimmers are ages 6-18. To be eligible for the team, swimmers ages 5-10 must be able to swim at least 25 yards (one length of the pool) in both Freestyle (Front Crawl) and Backstroke, while swimmers ages 11-18 must be able to swim at least 50 yards (2 lengths of the pool) in both Freestyle and Backstroke and have a basic understanding of both Breaststroke and Butterfly.
Our Team will strive for individual improvement while working together as a team in a fun and challenging way. The sense of accomplishment brought about by individual performance as a result of commitment and hard work is a goal we want the swimmers and parents to focus on each season. A swimmer’s finishing place in an individual race or our win/lose record is important, but it is not more important than becoming a better person and swimmer.
Wayside Waves has a 4-season approach to the sport of competitive swimming. Spring (the end of March through the beginning of June) and Fall (the second week of September through the end of October) are our non-competitive clinic seasons, while Summer (the last weeks of June through the first weekend of August) and Winter (November 1st through the beginning of March) are our competitive seasons.
SUMMER SWIM TEAM
The Waves’ Summer Season is in the Metro-West Summer Swim League. This league is made up of 5 area teams. The season is short, only 8 weeks long. Some of the meets may be scheduled on weeknights however most will be on the weekends. The Championship meet for this season has been canceled due to COVID disruption. A swimmer’s age is determined by his/her age on June 1st of that year.
The Wayside Waves requires a commitment from both the swimmer and the parent. We expect participation at all meets and practices. More information on the seasonal meets as well as the dates and times will be made available as soon as possible.
Swimmers MUST practice with their age group.
Any swimmer who has never swum on a competitive team needs to have an evaluation before registering.
Contact: Sue Morse at SusanMorse@waysideathleticclub.com to schedule. Wayside Waves Swim Team – Summer 2021 Program.docx
Required Practice Equipment for ALL Swimmers:
- Goggles & Caps (for long hair)
- Competitive Style Swimsuits – one piece for females; jammer style for males. Please, no 2-piece or beach fashion suits for females and no trunk style for males. These styles cause drag that does not help in swimming fast.
- Short Training Fins – as we are no longer able to supply and share fins due to state regulations, we are requiring all swimmers to bring their own as they are used often in our practices.
- Water Bottle – filled with plain water (Gator Aide or other flavored drink are not allowed as they may spill into the pool water).
- Net Equipment Bag
Until further notice, the following practices will remain in place:
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the following precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of both swimmers and staff:
To cut down on the amount of interaction inside the Wayside Athletic Club, we have come up with a different entrance/exit plan for team members.
- No parents will be allowed into the facility.
- Swimmers must arrive in their bathing suits, wearing face coverings, and NO EARLIER THAN 10 minutes before the start of practice.
- Evening Practice Swimmers will come into the club via the small Patio Gate, then in through the sliding glass door.
Morning Practice Swimmers will come into the outdoor pool area via the Playground Gate at the far side of the parking lot. - Swimmers’ bags (personal belongings) will be collected into bins or placed on benches around the pool area as they will not be going into the locker rooms, while their practice equipment (goggles, water bottles, and fins) should be carried with them in a net bag. ALL BELONGINGS (personal bags and towels or practice equipment and water bottles) should be labeled with the swimmer’s name. DO NOT BRING MORE THAN YOU WILL NEED FOR PRACTICE.
- Younger swimmers will be escorted to the Family Locker room for the pre-swim shower. Once showered, swimmers will don their face coverings again until they enter the pool. Older swimmers will be sent a few at a time into the appropriate locker room for the pre-swim shower required by the state health department.
- Outdoor practices have their own outdoor showers and bathrooms. No changing rooms for either practice.
- If there is an activity in the pool before practice, every effort will be taken to keep the team swimmers away so as to avoid unintended interaction between groups in the club.
Once we are cleared to get in, swimmers will move to their assigned lanes, put their equipment bag down at the end, and then take off their face covering and place it into a zip-lock bag till practice is over. (PLEASE LABEL THE ZIP_LOCK BAG) - After practice, swimmers will get out of the water, put on their face covering, pack their practice equipment into their net bag.
- Swimmers must shower at home after practice. They can pull on warm-up suits to cover their wet bathing suits, but full clothing changes are not allowed.
- Swimmers will exit the building via the gate by which they entered.
- Swimmers should be picked up promptly after their practice has ended as there is no place for them to wait inside the building. For swimmers 10 and under, an adult should come up onto the gate to pick up their swimmers so that we are not sending them out unaware of where their parent is parked.
SWIM MEETS
Meet participation IS required. Two meet minimum.
At this time we have the following meets scheduled:
Wednesday, June 30 at Natick Longfellow Club 5:30 pm
Saturday, July 10 at Wayside Athletic Club vs Natick Longfellow 7:00 am-9:45 am
Thursday, July 22 at the Thoreau Club, Concord 5:30 pm
Saturday, July 24 at Wayside Athletic Club vs Westboro Club 7:00 am-9:45 am
We are trying to schedule at least 2 more meets. You will be informed of dates and time soon
Ages 8 and Under:
This group is for our youngest swimmers ages 5-8. To participate in this group, swimmers must be able to swim at least one length of our pool (each length of the pool is 25 yards) in both Freestyle (Front Crawl) and Backstroke without the help of floatation. This does not have to be perfect. For the Freestyle, the arms must come out of the water on rotation and the face must go into the water in some rhythmic fashion. For the Backstroke, the arms must come out of the water on rotation, the legs should be straight and kicking up and down, and the body should be comfortably lying on the top of the water with ears in the water.
Goals: Have a good understanding of Freestyle and Backstroke and a basic understanding of Butterfly, Breaststroke, and Diving.
Ages 9 & 10:
This group of swimmers (ages 9-10) will be swimming multiple lengths of the pool in both Freestyle (Front Crawl) and Backstroke with rests incorporated in the practice set. We will work on all 4 competitive strokes, diving, relays, and building endurance. Swimmers will be put in lanes according to abilities and practices will be planned to challenge each swimmer to strengthen current skills and acquire new skills.
Goals: Build up their endurance and create a solid understanding of Freestyle, Backstroke, Butterfly, and Breaststroke.
Ages 11-18:
This group of swimmers (ages 11- 18) will be swimming multiple lengths of the pool without stopping. This practice group will have the largest range of abilities. Swimmers will be put in lanes according to abilities and practices will be planned to challenge each swimmer to strengthen current skills and acquire new skills. The greater the ability, the more challenging the practice sets. We will work on all four competitive strokes, starts, turns, finishes, and relays as well as increasing their endurance through higher workloads
Goals: Increasing their endurance through higher workloads; building stroke technique and competence; gaining an understanding of stroke drills and muscle groups used in swimming; and, of course, increasing their speeds.
