Swim Teams

Welcome to the Dolphins Swim Team! The BHSJ Dolphins Swim Team is a YMCA competitive swim team open to swimmers ages 5–18. All swimmers are required to be members of the Benton Harbor St. Joseph YMCA, and are expected to compete in a minimum of three regular-season swim meets as well as the Western Michigan Conference Championship. Our team will compete against other Michigan YMCA swim teams both locally and around the state.

To be eligible for the team, swimmers ages 5-8 must be able to swim the full length of the pool in both freestyle and backstroke. Swimmers ages 9-18 must be able to swim two lengths of the pool in both freestyle and backstroke. All swimmers will be placed into practice groups based on their age and stroke proficiency. New swimmers should call the YMCA to sign up for an evaluation before registering for the Swim Team.

Registration:

• Registration for Returning Dolphin Swimmers ONLY:  September 4-September 12 

• New swimmer evaluations will be on Wednesday, September 17, from 4:30-6:00 PM. Please call Member Services to be added to the list and get an evaluation time.

Parent Meeting: Monday, September 29

First Practice: Tuesday, September 30

Season Runs September 2025-March 2026

Families may choose to pay in full at the time of registration or set up a 5-month payment plan at Member Services. Please note that the payment plan is not a “monthly fee” — it is simply the total seasonal cost divided into five equal payments, drafted October through February.

Practice Schedule*

*Friday practices will begin on November 7. This practice schedule is subject to change. It is our best pre-season estimate based on the size of our past practice groups. All practice age groups and times will be finalized after registration is complete and practice groups are assigned.

Please contact coach Kendra Gray, kgray@ymcagm.org, for additional information. 

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Niles-Buchanan Mariners 

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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 Will at (269) 683-1552 or wmccorkle@ymcagm.org. If your child is unsure about joining, we offer a 2-week trial for $20! Registration is open year-round. 

Swim Team Try-Outs: September 15, 17, and 19 | 5:00-6:00 PM

September is pro-rated with the start date of September 22

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: 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

Yellow Group

• Skill requirements: proficient in all 4 strokes, legal racing starts, and turns
• Practices: 3 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, or Coach recommendation

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 times per week, 1.5-2 hours + dryland workouts
• Equipment: kickboard (provided at pool), fins, pull buoy, paddles, snorkel (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

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 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