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. You must be a Y member to join a swim team.
Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Dolphins
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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 for Previous Dolphin swimmers ONLY: August 19 -September 6
New swimmer evaluations will be in September. Please call Member Services (after Monday, September 2) to be added to the list and get an evaluation time.
First Practice: Monday, September 23
Season Runs September 2024-February/March 2025
| Ages 5-8 | $70/month (October-February) Registration Fee: $75 (covers league & meet fees) |
| Ages 9-12 | $80/month (October-February) Registration Fee: $75 (covers league & meet fees) |
| Ages 13-18 | $90/month (October-February) Registration Fee: $75 (covers league & meet fees) |
| High School Boys (those that swim on their high school teams) | $65/month (October-November) |
| High School Girls (those that swim on their high school teams) | $55/month (December-February) |
Practice Schedule*
| White Group 8 & Under | Monday: 5:45-6:30 PM Tuesday: 4:30-5:30 PM Thursday: 4:30-5:30 PM |
| White Group 9 & Over | Monday: 6:30-7:45 PM Tuesday: 4:30-5:30 PM Thursday: 4:30-5:30 PM |
| Green Group 9 & Under | Tuesday: 5:30-6:30 PM Wednesday: 5:45-6:45 PM Thursday: 5:30-6:30 PM **Occasional Fridays, by invite only: 4:00-5:30 PM |
| Green Group 10 & Over | Tuesday: 5:30-6:30 PM Wednesday: 6:45-7:45 PM Thursday: 5:30-6:30 PM **Occasional Fridays, by invite only: 4:00-5:30 PM |
| Aqua Group | Monday Yoga: 5:30-6:15 PM Monday Pool: 6:15-7:45 PM Tuesday: 6:30-8:00 PM Wednesday: 5:45-7:15 PM Thursday: 6:30-8:00 PM **Friday: 4:00-5:30 PM |
| Blue Group | Monday Yoga: 5:30-6:15 PM Monday Pool: 6:15-7:45 PM Tuesday: 6:30-8:00 PM Wednesday: 5:45-7:45 PM Thursday: 6:30-8:00 PM **Friday: 4:00-5:30 PM |
*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.
** Friday practices will begin on Friday, November 1
Please contact coach Kendra Gray, kgray@ymcagm.org, for additional information.
Niles-Buchanan Mariners
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Niles-Buchanan Mariners
REGISTER NOW BECOME A Y MEMBER
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.
Fall Session |
Ages 5-18 | Registration Fee Red Group: $55/month ($14 for September) Yellow Group: $65/month ($17 for September) Blue Group: $75/month ($19 for September) Green Group: $80/month ($20 for September) *plus $100 registration fee for all levels (covers league & meet fees) |
Practice Times Red Group: M,W,F 4:30-5:30 PM Yellow Group: M-F 4:30-5:45 PM Blue Group: M-F 4:30-6:00 PM Green Group: M-F 4:00-6:00 PM |
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
| Red Group | $55/month ($14 for September) *plus $100 registration fee (covers league & meet fees) |
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
| Yellow | $65/month ($17 for September) *plus $100 registration fee (covers league & meet fees) |
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 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 | $75/month ($19 for September) *plus $100 registration fee for all levels (covers league & meet fees) |
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
| Green | $80/month ($20 for September) *plus $100 registration fee (covers league & meet fees) |
