Swim Team

EVALUATIONS FOR NEW MEMBERS FOR THE FALL/WINTER 2024-2025 SEASON!!

Any and all who would like to register for FCA or Team Phoenix, who are new, will need to complete an evaluation with an FCA Coach.

Evaluations can take up to 10 minutes between the swimming portion and the explanation of the registration process.

If you would like to set up an evaluation, please email fcaquatics@friendscentral.org

SEASONS

The FCA Swim Team has two seasons each year:

2024-2025 Dates
Fall/Winter: September 9th through March 20th (non-championship swimmers)
Spring/Summer: April 7th through July 10th (non-championship swimmers)

MEETS - 2024-2025 Fall/Winter Schedule Link
All FCA swimmers must be registered with USA Swimming through the Middle Atlantic Swimming LSC. Meets are typically once a month and could require travel outside of the Greater Philadelphia area. The meet schedule page will breakdown which age groups or ability levels should attend each meet.

**Continuing this Fall/Winter Season: All mini’s, novice’s, and Junior I’s who are 10 & under will participate in the Fall & Winter Development meets. Novices & Junior I’s that are 9 & Over: Will participate in the Holiday Meet, GPAC New Year’s meet, and the UDAC Closed Invite. They will compete in the Fall Development meet, not the EMAC ABBC.**

Swimmers and families who are new to year round competitive swimming are expected to participate in home FCA meets and are encouraged to participate in at least one travel meet.

GROUPS -Updated Group Criteria & Descriptions!
Breakdown of groups, ability required, and pricing are below.

All new prospective team members must have an evaluation before joining the team. Please email fcaquatics@friendscentral.org to schedule a day and time if it is outside of our normal evaluation periods. Based on this evaluation we can determine which group or program would be the best fit for your swimmer(s).

Mini's (8 & Under)

The Mini group as a whole is essentially a bridge group from swim school to the competitive team. This is an athlete’s first true experience

The Mini's swimmer must be able to complete 25 yards of freestyle and backstroke without stopping. Swimmers must be comfortable with swimming with their face in the water and demonstrate the ability to breathe to the side on freestyle. Swimmers should be able to demonstrate a steady flutter kick with little knee bend and toes pointed. Emphasis will be on making swimming fun while working on developing basic stroke fundamentals through drills. Freestyle and backstroke will be the primary focus before introducing breaststroke and butterfly.

This group offers four practices a week. Attendance at two practices a week is required. The more we see a swimmer at practice the more they will progress. Our program is designed for swimmers to attend most, if not all the practices . Each practice is just one piece of the overall season plan. Like a puzzle, the more pieces a swimmer has to work with, the clearer their picture will be.

Novice (7-10 Years Old)

Novice swimmers are usually in the age range of 7-10 years old. The Novice swimmer must be able to swim 50 yards of freestyle and backstroke without stopping to be considered. Swimmers should be able to demonstrate a correct flutter kick for free and back with the ability to bilateral breathe when swimming freestyle. Some knowledge of breaststroke and butterfly is expected and required. Drill progressions in each practice will be used to continue to create a solid foundation that will be built upon as they develop.

Junior Groups

The following are FCA’s Junior level group expectations and standards. The listed information is criteria which coaches look at in order to discuss or consider move ups (i.e attendance, participating in highest meet eligible for, attending travel trips, performance standards, mental/emotional maturity, etc.)

Athlete Behavior and General Meet Expectations:

Attend the highest level of meet the athlete is qualified for
Portrays and displays the FCA Values and Behaviors on a daily basis
Self Accountability: Practice behavior and performance is not dependent on coach/consequences
Start practice on time - on deck when coach asks, and in the water at the start
Communication on any changes to schedule or future absences
Hustle on deck and into water when late

Junior I

Junior I is the first level of FCA’s competitive Age Group Program - swimmers are starting to make a bigger commitment to swimming, working toward achieving their first time standards, and competing in a variety of events. This group is intended to develop versatile athletes who train and compete in all 4 competitive strokes. Swimmers should expect to train and compete in the 10&under IMR (100Fr, 50Bk, 50Br, 50Fly, 100IM) and IMX (200Fr, 100Bk, 100Br, *100Fly, *200IM) events.

This group is also a combination of young swimmers who are committed to swimming year round, and those who enjoy swimming but want to ensure it balances with other activities. All swimmers should want to attend practice and strive for improvement. Junior I’s will continue to focus on stroke development through drills while interval training is introduced. There will be an increase in practice duration and intensity; as well as additional meets and events opportunities. Swimmers will begin to be taught race strategies, and goal setting.

Attendance standard-At least three times a week
Maturity-9-11 year olds & Swimmers are self aware in the water and are avidly learning the basics of training c
Match up the swimmer with the group that is best for them currently until they prove to us that we can't challenge them enough and the next group is the right move - or vice versa, they can't keep up, playing wall tag, not benefitting

Junior II

This group is intended to develop versatile athletes who train and compete in all 4 competitive strokes. Swimmers should expect to train and compete in the 11-12 IMX events (500Fr, 100Bk, 100Br, 100Fly, 200IM).

The Junior 2 practice group is composed of athletes ages 11 to 13. Athletes in this group are on the path of showing a “self motivation” for swimming, and further wish to develop their love for the sport. They have met some performance standards and are working toward achieving age appropriate time standards while attending swim meets on a monthly basis, rarely missing. This group is a combination of swimmers who are committed to training competitively year round, and athletes who enjoy swimming but want to ensure it balances with their other activities.

Time Standard-
- Must have 6x MA 10 & under champs cuts
- Legal 10&under IMR events (100Fr, 50Bk, 50Br, 50Fl, 100IM)
Attendance Standard
- 3-4 practices a week
- Attending all coach recommended meets - 1 meet per month
- Expected to attend the highest level meet qualified such as: i. 10&u Champs, Silver Champs, Junior Champs, Zones.
3. Maturity/Age Range of Athletes
- No older than 13 years old b. 10-13 years old

Senior Groups

The following are FCA’s Senior level group expectations and standards. The listed information is criteria which coaches look at in order to discuss or consider move ups (i.e attendance, participating in highest meet eligible for, attending travel trips, performance standards, mental/emotional maturity, etc.)

Athlete Behavior and General Meet Expectations:

Attend the highest level of meet the athlete is qualified for
Portrays and displays the FCA Values and Behaviors on a daily basis
Self Accountability: Practice behavior and performance is not dependent on coach/consequences
Start practice on time - on deck when coach asks, and in the water at the start
Communication on any changes to schedule or future absences
Hustle on deck and into water when late

Senior I

This group is intended to develop versatile athletes who train and compete in all 4 competitive strokes. Swimmers should expect to train and compete in the 13&over IMR (200Fr, 100Bk, 100Br, 100Fly, 200IM) and IMX (500Fr, 200Bk, 200Br, 200Fly, 400IM) events.

This group is designed for middle and high school athletes who wish to train and compete year round. Senior 1 is a combination of athletes who do not wish to make the concerted commitment of the higher level group, and younger athletes who have not yet met their performance peak. They are acknowledging that they enjoy swimming but they want to ensure it balances with other activities that they have going on - swimming will be a priority the majority of the time.

Time Standard
- 14 & under: 4x 11-12 MA Silver Champs Cuts
- 15 & over: 4x 13-14 MA Silver Champs Cuts
- Automatic: Junior Champs Cut
Attendance Standard
- 70% Practice attendance is required to participate in Championship meets
  - First offense, verbal warning
  - Second offense, written warning
  - Third offense, meeting with parents
  - 80% attendance or higher is required in this practice group in order to move into Senior II
- At least one meet per month
  - Travel experiences are an expected part of this group
  - Expected to participate in highest level meet qualified
Maturity/Age Range of Athletes
- 12-18 Years old
- Goal oriented and motivated to improve

Senior II

This group is intended to develop versatile athletes who train and compete in all 4 competitive strokes. Swimmers should expect to train and compete in the 13& over IMR (200Fr, 100Bk, 100Br, 100Fly, 200IM) and IMX (500Fr, 200Bk, 200Br, 200Fly, 400IM) events.

This group is composed of high school aged athletes (14-18 yrs old). Athletes in this group are acknowledging that swimming is a high priority for them and that they are willing to make the commitment to choose swimming. Athletes in the group are focused on high performance in the sport of swimming.

Time Standard
- MA Senior Champs Cut or Finaling at MA Junior Champs
- 2x 13-14 “A” Motivational Time Standards
Attendance Standard a.
- 80% Practice attendance is required in order to participate in Championship meets
  - First offense of not maintaining standard, verbal warning
  - Second offense of not maintaining standard, written warning
  - Third offense of not maintaining standard, meeting with parents
- 100% Meet attendance
- Travel experiences are an expected part of this group
- Arrangements for missed school are expected to be made for certain meets
Maturity, Attitude, Effort
- At least 13 years old
- Goal oriented and motivated to improve
- No distracting or detracting behavior, wants to come to practice

COST

USA Swimming Registration: If you are a returning member, we will be doing block registration. Meaning, FCA will invoice you for the registration fee as we will handle your registration as a current member. If you are new to FCA, you will be sent a link to complete USA Swimming registration.

FCS STUDENTS

	Mini	Novice	Junior I	Junior II	Senior I	Senior II
Fall/Winter	$1015	$1100	$1180	$1245	$1365	$1430
Spring/Summer	$735	$800	$925	$1000	$1115	$1170

NON-FCS STUDENTS

	Mini	Novice	Junior I	Junior II	Senior I		Senior II
Fall/Winter	$1070	$1150	$1234	$1300	$1425		$1495
Spring/Summer	$780	$860	$975	$1060		$1170	$1230

Year-Long Registration (New this year!)

With our emphasis on commitment with FCA, we are implementing a pilot program for registration this year for our three most experienced groups (Junior II/Senior I/Senior II). We will allow returning members to register for the entire year (Fall/Winter & Spring/Summer) at a discounted price. Also, we will allow monthly installments as well throughout the year with this purchase. Please see the breakdown below:

Group	Discounted Year-Long Registration Cost	Total Combined Cost (Fall/Winter + Spring/Summer)
FCS-Junior II	$2000	$2245
Non-FCS Junior II	$2125	$2360
FCS-Senior I	$2230	$2480
Non-FCS-Senior I	$2335	$2595
FCS-Senior II	$2340	$2600
Non-FCS-Senior II	$2450	$2725

- Program fees include 2 FCA shirts & 1 FCA Cap (once for whole 2023-2024 season)
- Fees above do not include swim meets entry fees or USA Swimming Registration fee.
- Some practice groups will be required to purchase own training equipment. (Junior II, Senior I, Senior II)
- All swimmers must wear a team suit at all meets besides when wearing a tech suit. Team suits are not included in prices above. A team store website is located at the top of the web browser.

DISCOUNTS
Families with multiple kids on the team will receive $50 toward swim meet credits for 2nd and 3rd kids (each).

PUBLIC REGISTRATION OPENS
Fall/Winter: Monday, August 12th @ 10am
Spring/Summer: TBD

REGISTRATION DEADLINES
Fall/Winter: Sunday, August 25th. Late registration begins Monday, August 26th.
Spring/Summer: TBD
Late Registration Fee: $50

REFUNDS
Refunds: No refunds will be given after week four of each season. From registration to the end of week one, refunds will be allowed minus 10% of program costs. After week two 25%. After week three 50%.

If you registered for the year-long registration, you will not allowed to have a refund after week four of the start of the year.