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.
Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Dolphins
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Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Dolphins
The Dolphins are a competitive swim team 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. Please contact coach Kendra Gray, kgray@ymcaswm.com, for additional information. Visit the Dolphins website for parent information & meet schedule.
Junior Dolphins 
The Junior Dolphin swim class is designed for swimmers who want to learn the strokes and experience the practice of a swim team without attending meets and a rigorous practice schedule. This program is designed to teach all four strokes, starts, turns, and all other skills taught on a swim team. To participate in this class all swimmers must be able to swim one length of the pool without a flotation device or other aid practicing both freestyle and backstroke. The Jr. Dolphins practice twice a week. Please make sure to bring a pair of goggles to your lesson. For ages 6-12.
| Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA | Tuesday & Thursday 6:15-7:30 PM |
Member: $84 Non-Member: $168 |
Niles-Buchanan Mariners
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Niles-Buchanan Mariners
The Mariners Swim Team is made up of 4 different training groups that are based on both age and ability/performance. The expectations for each group are different and become greater at the higher levels in order to achieve personal and team goals. Swimmers may join at any time throughout the season. Season runs September-August. For ages 4-18. Visit the Mariners website for parent information & meet schedule.
The Mariners offer a 2-week trial for $20 for anyone interested in seeing if swim team is a good fit. Please contact the coach Maggie Regan, mregan@ymcaswm.com, and complete an evaluation prior to paying for a 2-week trial.
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 | $48 /month $75 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 | $54 /month $75 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 | $60 /month $75 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 | $66 /month $75 one-time registration /season |
South Bend-Mishawaka Stingrays
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South Bend-Mishawaka Stingrays
Join our 13-time State Champion South Bend-Mishawaka Stingray's Swim Team! The Stingrays offer training and practice groups for swimmers of all ages and ability levels. It is the goal of the team to offer age-specific training for all of our athletes geared toward challenging and developing each individual to the best of their abilities. For ages 5-18. Visit the Stingrays website for parent information & meet schedule.
A1 Swim Group
An entry-level group for those 8 and under or for any swimmer who needs to learn the four strokes or to develop their swimming endurance before moving up to the Stingerz group.
- Swim 2/3 days a week or more
- Swims 25 yards of freestyle and backstroke
- May have a little breaststroke experience
- Introduced to starts and turns
- May have a little butterfly
Stingerz Group
The Stingerz group is for the swimmer who has advanced beyond the A1 Group but may still need extra stroke attention. The Stingerz Group will practice with the FEVER group and follow the same practice plan, but with adjustment to intervals, yardage, and intensity levels of each practice.
- Swim 3/4 days a week or more
- Swims a strong freestyle with flip turns
- Swims a strong backstroke
- Starting to swim breaststroke and butterfly
- Working on starts and turns
- Developing in 100/200 IM
- Can follow a pace clock
FEVER Group
The FEVER Group is for Zone and National qualifiers, college and high school swimmers, and by coach recommendation. This group trains at the highest level to meet the needs of every swimmer in this diverse group.
- Swim 4/6 days a week
- Has swim experience and is committed to the sport of swimming
- Swims strong legal free/back/breast/butterfly with appropriate turns
- Can swim all events at a swim meet
- Can swim a timed set in practice and follow a pace clock
- Is aiming to swim at Zones, Nationals, and USA meets
