It is the goal of the London Aquatic Club to develop, support and promote competitive swimming for all ages and abilities in a positive, caring and safe environment. Competitive swimming also encourages health, fitness & friendship as well as produces athletes who are a credit to their sport and their community.

Our competitive swim team offers high quality professional coaching for all ages and abilities. Our team consists of approximately 125 swimmers (divided into 7 different groups) from Development to High Performance. Swimmers range in age from 7 yrs. old to their early twenties and from beginners to world class athletes. Our swimmers train and compete for 10 months each year from the middle of September to the middle of July.

Under the direction of our coaches new swimmers will be placed in the level or group that suits his/her abilities and age. As a minimum, we require that a potential swimmer be comfortable in the water and have the ability to complete one continuous length of a 25-metre pool (any stroke at any speed) as well as be at least 7 years of age. The majority of our new swimmers who register with us will begin in our first group, Development.

The Development group is designed to provide an introduction to the basic concepts of training and competition. The training focus and physiology of this program is low intensity endurance. Technical objectives are basic skill acquisition, the reduction of drag and streamlining. The overall competitive goal is to establish proficiency in all strokes (Freestyle, Back, Breast and Butterfly).

Development Practice Schedule ( Season from Sept. - July)

Monday - No Practices

Tuesday - 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. - @ Carling Heights Pool

Thursday - 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. - @ Carling Heights Pool

Friday - 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. - @ Canada Games Aquatic Centre

Saturday - 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. - @ Carling Heights Pool

** Swimmers should attempt to make at least 2 or 3 of the 4 practices if possible each week. This provides the best opportunity for the development of their strokes and endurance.

The first few years focus on stroke development and learning competitive swimming basics. Many children improve rapidly and it is not unusual to see tremendous growth in these first few years. It is important to remember that each child will develop at his/her own rate. Swimming should be fun and pressure free, especially at the younger levels. As your child progresses, continual training and competition challenges will be provided to enhance their development by continued movement to the appropriate group/level within the club.

London Aquatic Club Groups:

Development & Age Group Orange

Introduction to basic concepts of training & competition. Compete in local & regional meets.

Age Group Blue & Age Group Gold

Main objectives are the refinement of the basic strokes, concepts, goal oriented training, intro. to training physiology & championship meet focus. Compete in local, regional, provincial and national meets.

Youth, Youth National & High Performance

Main objectives are training for specific goals teach athletes to prepare for and execute at  championship level. Compete in regional, Provincial, national and international meets.

Fees

Our fees vary depending on which group your swimmer will be joining and include the following;

- Registration Fee - Annual fee - Includes mandatory Swim Ontario levy.

- Membership Fees - Determined by group placement and used to cover pool costs, coaches salaries and administration costs.

- Swim Meet Fees - Based on the number of events a swimmer competes in at a swim meet. ( Billed to each indiv. Family)

- Fundraising Fees - Waived for 1st year swimmers.

For a family having more than one swimmer in the club, the swimmer in the highest group pays the full membership fee and the remaining swimmers will receive a 20% discount for their fees. There are also swim fees for each event a swimmer swims in at any meets. These fees are approximately $6.00 to $8.00 per event and are not covered in the monthly fees.

Raising sufficient funds to support our club is a continual challenge. Club fees are a major source of revenue and are supplemented by hosting swim meets, participating in a variety of fundraisers and running bingos.

Swimmers are offered the opportunity to compete in swim meets throughout the swim season. However, it is not mandatory for them to compete at these meets if the do not wish to. There are approximately 8 to 10 meets held during our season with four of them being held in London. We also travel to meets in Etobicoke, Guelph, Brantford, Hamilton and St. Catherines.

The basic equipment required for the entry level swimmer is a pair of goggles, caps for those with long hair and of course a swimsuit.

Hopefully, this overview of the London Aquatic Club provides you with the answers to many of your questions regarding our club and competitive swimming in general.

If you are interested in joining our club please contact our membership coordinator (info. below) so that arrangements can be made to have your child attend some trial practices. We offer a free of charge two week trial of practices, which gives your child a better appreciation of what a practice may be like, allows you to meet and talk to one of our coaches and allows the coaches to assess the level and ability of your swimmer.

For more information please contact:

CINDY SALMON @ 519-474-3813 OR cbsalmon@rogers.com