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Progressive Youth Aquatic Schedule

Progressive Youth Instruction (6 & Up)
Our progressive lesson follows guidelines established by the YMCA of the USA.  Swimmers must be 6 years or older, and required to master all skills in a level before advancing.  Listed are minimal skills required to enter a level.  If you are not sure what level is best for your child, please contact the Aquatic’s Director before registering.

Polliwog
For the beginner swimmer.  Objective: Able to swim, without a flotation device, and comfortable in the water.

Guppy
Pre-Skills: Submerges comfortably, paddles 15 yards without assistance and able to tread water for 15 seconds in the deep end of the pool.  Objective: Front crawl (with rotary breathing) and elementary backstroke 25 yards and basic diving skills.

Minnow
Pre-Skills:  Swim front crawl for 25 yards with rotary breathing, swims elementary backstroke for 25 yards, beginning diving skills, and treads water for 1 minute comfortably in the deep end. Objective: Front crawl 50 yards, elementary backstroke and back crawl 50 yards, and deep end diving.

Fish
Pre-Skills: Swims front and back crawl 50 yards, endurance swim of 75 yards without stopping, treads water for 2 minutes.  Objective:  Front and back crawl 100 yards, breast stroke 50 yards, treading water for 4 minutes, and diving from the diving platform.

Flying Fish
Pre-skills: Correctly swims front and back crawl 100 yards, perform 50 yards breaststroke, and dives from the diving platform.  Objective: Perfecting front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, beginning butterfly, racing dives, and increasing endurance.

Shark
Pre-skills: Successful completion of Flying Fish Skills and able to endurance swim 100 yards without stopping.  Objective: 200 yards front and back crawl, 50 yards breast stroke (correctly), 25 yards butterfly, and introductory knowledge of swim team skills, starts, and flip turns.

Porpoise
Pre-skills: Instructor recommendation and correctly swim 200 yards front crawl, 100 yards back crawl, correctly swims 50 yards breast stroke, 25 yards butterfly, and dives from diving platform.  Objective: Refine all swimming strokes, advance techniques, and increase endurance toward swim team levels.  Successfully learn and master competitive skills, drills, starts, and turns.

The West Essex YMCA Aquatic Department is strongly enforcing the minimum number of class participants to 4 children. This is to ensure that your child receives the “class” experience with his/her peers. Please be advised that if your child’s class does not meet this requirement, you will be asked to move your child to a different class.