Welcome to Competitive Swimming
We would like to welcome you to the exciting world of swimming. Your child has become a member of one of the country’s largest and most organized youth sports.
The sport of swimming has many benefits, including the people you and your child will meet. The camaraderie among swimmers is unique, with many swimming buddies becoming lifelong friends. In addition to being around fine people, swimming provides one of the most beneficial forms of exercise for cardiovascular and overall fitness. Swimming is also relatively injury free and can be enjoyed throughout one’s entire life.
Perhaps the greatest benefits of participating in an organized swim program are the life skills your child will develop. These skills include time management, organization skills, self-discipline and sportsmanship. Your child will reap the benefits of swimming long after his/her participation in competitive swimming ends.
Age group swimming is fun, exciting, and rewarding. In the first few years, the focus is 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 often difficult to avoid the tendency to push young athletes at this stage. It is important to remember that each child will develop at their own rate. Girls, who mature sooner than boys, can often start heavier training younger. Swimming should be fun and relatively pressure free, especially at the younger levels. As your child progresses, continual training and competition challenges are provided to enhance their development in the sport of swimming.
While not every swimmer will become a world record holder, our club believes every swimmer should be encouraged to dream of reaching their own “Olympics”. Many Olympians didn’t look like much at age 10or 14, but they had a dream! Our club and your involvement in it can help the swimmers achieve their goals. You may soon find yourself cheering at competitions, timing on pool deck, participating in executive decisions, or becoming involved as a committee member. Whatever the role, your child’s experience in swimming has much to do with your positive support. Please feel free to ask questions. Whether it be coaches, officials, or fellow parents, we all have the same goal: to provide our children with the best possible swimming experience.
Mission Statement
The Laser Swim Club is dedicated to providing instruction in basic speed-swimming, to providing an opportunity for each swimmer to develop these skills to the maximum of his or her mental and physical capabilities, and to promoting excellence in competitive swimming.
Club Philosophy
The Laser Swim Club is an age group club that wishes to provide all interested children the opportunity to participate in speed-swimming. The Club believes that parents are an integral part of the swim program and recognizes the importance of parental participation.
Guiding Principles
• The Laser Swim Club recognizes the individual worth of each swimmer regardless of the level of ability or commitment.
• The Laser Swim Club recognizes that our swimmers are children or young adults who are swimming for various reasons at various levels of commitment.
• The Laser Swim Club encourages participation through reward rather than punishment.
• The Laser Swim Club believes that swimming should be enjoyable. While swimmers are at practice to work hard, they should also have fun.
• The Laser Swim Club believes that technical instruction is an important part of any swim program, and that all swimmers benefit from stroke correction.
Club Objectives
• To provide a speed-swimming program of developmental training which will enable every swimmer in the Club to develop to the full extent of his or her level of interest, commitment and ability.
• To promote the amateur sport of competitive swimming through the cooperation of
Swimming/Natation Canada, and other organizations and individuals with similar objectives.
• To promote good sportsmanship, leadership and character.
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