How to Join a Youth Swim Team in Brevard County, Florida

Swimming is an important skill for young people to learn. Besides basic "learn-to-swim" programs provided by Brevard County Parks & Recreation, many youth swim programs are also offered in Brevard County, Florida. Many youth swim programs are part of larger private swim clubs and others are run by the county YMCA or the Department of Parks and Recreation. Finding them is easy. Choosing which one is best for your children requires research and planning.

Things You'll Need

  • Children's swimsuit
  • Swim goggles
  • Swim cap (female swimmer)
  • $35 to $60 per month
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Instructions

  1. Prepare

    • 1

      Make a list of any swimming training your child has attended. Write down the names and coaches of any swim teams or programs in which your child has participated. Put aside $35 to $60 per month to pay swim team fees as fees vary by team.

    • 2

      Discuss your child's goals with him. Find out if he wants to swim to make new friends, to have fun, strengthen himself or for all of these reasons. Knowing this information and your child's swimming skill level will help you determine which program is best for him.

    • 3

      Talk to other parents whose children swim with a youth swim team to learn about local programs. Your child may be more excited to start swimming if he already has a friend on the team.

    Search for Programs

    • 4

      Go online and look up the Brevard County Department of Parks and Recreation "Swimming and Watersports" page. You will find the programs for each section of the county listed. Unfortunately, the only programs listed online are for the Palm Bay Aquatic Center. If it is not in your locality, and you do not wish to cover the distance from your residence to Palm Bay repeatedly, you must call the Department of Parks and Recreation for information regarding youth swim programs near you.

    • 5

      Navigate to the Central Florida YMCA website. Use the "Find your Y" feature to find the YMCA nearest you in Brevard County. Three YMCA centers in Brevard County maintain swimming pools and programs. Unfortunately these YMCAs do not post much information online, so you must call or visit them to obtain information regarding youth swim programs.

    • 6

      Look for teams located in Brevard County on the Florida Swimming "Clubs Info" page, or the USA Swimming "Club Finder" page. Teams such as Brevard Swim Club and Space Coast Swimming, which runs out of the Wuestoff YMCA in Melbourne, offer youth swimming programs and swimming programs for all ages. All of their contact information is available on their websites.

    Choose Your Programs

    • 7

      Visit the programs that you feel the best about. Bring your child with you to determine whether he likes the program.

    • 8

      Talk to the head coach of each swim program to see whether his goals as a coach line-up with the goals that you and your child have.

    • 9

      Have your child participate in a swim practice with each team he is considering joining. It is good practice for swim coaches to allow children to train with them for free once or twice to decide whether they really like the program.

    • 10

      Talk to your child about whether he enjoys each program and what he thinks he is getting out of each. Consider coaching and program quality, distance to the pool and whether your child seems to be enjoying the program.