Build strength, stamina, and spirit as we perfect our strokes as a team. Through the Y’s swimming programs, kids have the opportunity to make friends, get active, and discover what they can achieve. The goal of our swim teams is to create a strong team spirit, foster personal growth, and improve each participant’s swimming skills. Please contact your preferred branch to register for swim team. You must be a Y member to join a swim team.
Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Dolphins
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The Dolphins Swim Team is open to ages 5–8 who can complete one length of both freestyle and backstroke and ages 9–18 who can complete two lengths of both freestyle and backstroke. A YMCA membership is required to be a Dolphin. New swimmers can call the YMCA to sign up for an evaluation before registering for Swim Team.
Please contact coach Kendra Gray, kgray@ymcagm.org, for additional information.
Registration opens: Monday, September 5, 2023
First practice: Monday, October 2, 2032
Season Runs October 2023-February 2024
| Ages 5-8 | $65/month |
| Ages 9-12 | $75/month |
| Ages 13-18 | $85/month |
| High School Boys (those that swim co-op) | $65/month (October-November) |
| High School Girls (those that swim co-op) | $55/month (December-February) |
*One-time registration fee of $75 to support meet and swimmer recognition costs.
Niles-Buchanan Mariners
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Niles-Buchanan Mariners
REGISTER NOW BECOME A Y MEMBER
Ages 5–8 must be able to complete one length of both freestyle and backstroke and ages 9–18 must be able to complete two lengths of both freestyle and backstroke. A YMCA membership is required to be a Mariner. For evaluations, contact Coach Taylor at (269) 683-1552 or taltergott@ymcagm.org. If your child is unsure about joining, we offer a 2-week trial for $20! Registration is open year-round.
| Ages 5-18 | Monthly Price Red Group: $55/month Yellow Group: $65/month Blue Group: $75/month Green Group: $80/month |
Practice Times Red Group: MWF 4:30-5:30 PM Yellow Group: M-F 4:30-5:45 PM Blue Group: M-F 4:30-6:00 PM Green Group: M-F 4:00-6:00 PM |
*One-time registration fee of $100 to support meet and swimmer recognition costs.
Swim Team Levels
Red Group
- Skill requirements: 8 & under: swim 25 yards of backstroke and freestyle unassisted; 9 & overs: swim 50 yards of backstroke and freestyle unassisted
- Practices: 2-3 times per week, 1 hour each
- Equipment: kickboard (provided at pool), fins, pull buoy (check with coaches on sizing and availability before purchasing)
- Basic goals: foundation in all 4 strokes, legal turns for all 4 strokes, knowledge of a racing start (diving), increased endurance
- How to move to Yellow: complete a 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 IM, 50 butterfly, 50 breaststroke, legal racing starts and turns, demonstrate maturity and desire to move up
| Red Group | $55/month $100 one-time registration/season |
Yellow Group
- Skill requirements: proficient in all 4 strokes, legal racing starts, and turns
- Practices: 3-5 times per week, 1-hour &15 minutes each
- Equipment: kickboard (provided at pool), fins, pull buoy, paddles (check with coaches on sizing and availability before purchasing)
- Basic goals: introduction to pace clock and formal practice sets; a strong foundation in all 4 strokes; legal turns for all 4 strokes; increased endurance, strong racing starts and turns; introduction to racing mindset
- How to move to Blue: at least 1 YMCA state qualifying time, ability and maturity to handle increased practice load
| Yellow | $65/month $100 one-time registration /season |
Blue Group
- Skill requirements: proficient in all 4 strokes, legal racing starts, and turns; at least 1 YMCA state qualifying time; ability to read pace clock for formal practice set structure
- Practices: 3-5 times per week, 1.5 hours each + dryland workouts
- Equipment: kickboard (provided at pool), fins, pull buoy, paddles (check with coaches on sizing and availability before purchasing)
- Basic goals: introduction to dryland and strengthening exercises; understand connection between effort put in and results; proficiency in pace clock math and formal practice sets; continued development of stroke, turn, and start mechanics; increased endurance (aerobic and anaerobic)
- How to move to Green: at least 4 YMCA state qualifying times or at least 1 YMCA zone qualifying time, ability and maturity to handle increased practice load
| Blue | $75/month $100 one-time registration /season |
Green Group
- Skill requirements: proficient in all 4 strokes, legal racing starts, and turns; at least 3 YMCA state qualifying times or 1 YMCA zone qualifying time; ability to read pace clock for formal practice set structure; championship attitude
- Practices: 3-5 times per week, 2 hours each + dryland workouts
- Equipment: kickboard (provided at pool), fins, pull buoy, paddles, snorkel (check with coaches on sizing and availability before purchasing)
- Basic goals: understanding of race planning and strategy; proficiency in dryland and strengthening exercises; understand connection between effort put in and results; proficiency in pace clock math and formal practice sets; continued development of stroke, turn, and start mechanics; increased endurance (aerobic and anaerobic); championship attitude
| Green | $80/month $100 one-time registration /season |
