Hi Oak Park Swim Team Families!

We are excited to kick off practices this week as soon as we receive final clearance from inspection. We are prepared and ready to get swimmers back in the water and are hopeful we may be able to begin as early as tomorrow. We will continue communicating updates as soon as we have them.

As we start the season, please remember there are 3 coaches and nearly 100 swimmers. The first couple of weeks involve a lot of moving pieces, assessments, adjustments, and organization. During this time, our primary focus is always SAFETY. Because of that, coaches may have limited ability to discuss each swimmer individually with parents/guardians/caregivers during practices. Thank you in advance for your patience and support while we get everyone settled into routines and appropriate training groups.

A few important reminders as we begin:

• The first two weeks of practice are completely commitment-free! If you have friends or neighbors curious about swim team, bring them along to try it out.
• After the two-week trial period, swimmers who wish to continue will need to register officially through TSA in order to compete.
• Swim groups, schedules, and practice times are listed on our website calendar here: https://oakpark.swimtopia.com/practices

Please help your swimmer start in the appropriate group. Especially for swimmers who have not swum since last summer, we strongly encourage attending one level BELOW where they think they belong initially.

A helpful comparison: if someone asked you to go run a mile today, could you? Probably. But if you haven’t run in months, jumping right into a fast mile might feel overwhelming. Swimming is the same way! We want swimmers to begin the season feeling successful, supported, and confident while they rebuild endurance and skills after many months away from the water.

Swimmers are moved between groups frequently throughout the season. There is absolutely no expectation that a swimmer remain in one group for any set amount of time. These groupings simply allow coaches to tailor training appropriately while ensuring safety for everyone in the water.

GROUP DESCRIPTIONS

Guppies

• Swimmers who are not yet able to independently move through the water for 25 meters.
• Focus is water confidence, safety, and foundational skills.

Minnows

• Swimmers who can independently move through the water for 25 meters.
• Focus is endurance, technique basics, and confidence.

Tetras

• Swimmers who can independently swim 25 meters and have some knowledge of all 4 competitive strokes.
• Focus is stroke development and swim mechanics.

Dolphins

• Swimmers who can legally swim all 4 competitive strokes.
• Typically able to hold 50s on approximately a 1:30 interval.

Barracudas

• Swimmers who can legally swim all 4 strokes and hold 50s on approximately a 1:15 interval.
• Training becomes more endurance and technique focused.

Sharks

• Advanced swimmers who can legally swim all 4 strokes and hold 50s on approximately a 1:00 interval.
• Focus is advanced conditioning, race strategy, and efficiency.

For ALL swimmers:
Please bring a FULL water bottle to every practice, 2 pairs of goggles, a swim cap, and any swim equipment you might have!

To our new swimmers and families — welcome to Oak Park!

Our team culture centers around support, encouragement, and belonging. We believe in developing the entire swimmer, not just the athlete.

Every week during competition season, we focus on 3 team goals.

Two of those goals never change:

Sportsmanship
We believe sportsmanship is the foundation of healthy, respectful, and safe competition. It teaches integrity, humility, teamwork, and resilience — skills that extend far beyond the pool into school, careers, and relationships.

Cheering
We believe cheering matters because it energizes athletes, boosts morale, and creates a positive team atmosphere. Our cheers are always intended to lift others up — never to diminish another person or team.

You may hear your swimmers talking about these goals throughout the season. We encourage families to continue these conversations at home and help us build strong teammates and strong people together.

Our third goal changes weekly and focuses on swim progression and development.

Our FIRST weekly goal is: STREAMLINE.

Good streamline is one of the most important foundations in swimming because it is the most hydrodynamic position a swimmer can achieve. A strong streamline reduces drag, helps swimmers maintain momentum off walls and dives, conserves energy, and builds long-term efficiency in the water. We begin reinforcing streamline from day one.

When discussing meets and competition with your swimmer, we encourage you to focus on these developmental goals rather than placement or ribbons. Success is measured by progress. If a swimmer began the week not knowing what streamline was, but by the meet could hold streamline off each wall for a few seconds — that is success. That growth matters.

Attached is a wonderful article we highly encourage all families to read:
“How to Be a Winning Parent” by Dr. Alan Goldberg, Competitive Advantage.

We are so excited for another amazing summer together and cannot wait to see everyone back at the pool!

Go OPK!

Coach Beth & Coach Sophie & Coach Leighton