As our team does not own our own pool and must rent pool time from The Univerisity of Colorado, we have very limited practice times for our swimmers. As a result, we must carefully maintain a set number of swimmers in each age and gender group. This provides for the best quality of coaching for our swimmers, and at the same time, allows for a sufficient range of swimmers for the competitions.

Current Mesa swimmers and their siblings are given first priority for the next season.

Your child's level of swimming experience is not a factor in our decision, although we have a swimming requirement (see below). Thank you again for your interest in joining Mesa!


Mesa Swim Team Overview
Mesa Swim Team started in the mid-1970’s at Mesa Swim Club in Boulder with about a dozen swimmers and one coach. The team provides a competitive swimming experience within a caring and supportive environment. For the 2009 season, the team will consist of approximately 160 swimmers between the ages of six and eighteen years, six to seven experienced and dedicated coaches, and many hardworking parents. Mesa Swim Team practices in the evenings at the Carlson and Clare Small pools on the University of Colorado campus. Swimmers ages 13-18 have the option to attend morning practices once school is out.

Mesa Swim Team is a member of the Boulder Valley Summer Swim League (BVSSL). The Boulder Valley Summer Swim League (BVSSL) was founded in 1972 to promote summer swimming among youth between ages 4 and 18 (Mesa's minimum age is 6). The league now has between 1800 and 2000 swimmers each summer from 13 teams including Mesa Swim Team.

The season commences in mid May and dual meets (3 home meets and 3 away—all in Boulder County) begin the first Saturday after school ends. Most meets last from 8:00 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m. with 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. warm-up time. Our home meets are held in the 8-lane competition pool at the University of Colorado Recreation Center. The season culminates during the last week of July with daily age group competitions called “prelims.” The top 16 from prelims qualify for the finals competition held on the last Saturday in July.

In 2009, the championship meet will be held on Saturday, July 25 at George Meyers Pool in Arvada, beginning at 8:00 a.m. There will be a total of 90 events, including five age groups competing in both individual and relay events.

Responsibilities & Expectations
Parents and Swimmers are required to sign the Mesa Swim Team Participation Contract that emphasizes sportsmanship, commitment and behavior expectations. Swimmers may not start practice until they and their parents have signed the contract.

Parents This is a sport and a team that absolutely requires parent involvement. To keep our fees low, every family must commit to helping with our home swim meets (timing, scoring, etc) and other team activities (examples include helping organize a social event, assisting with trophies, etc.). Meets are divided in half (from either 8:00 a.m. to approximately 10:30 a.m. and 10:30 to approximately 1:00 p.m.) and families must help at a minimum of 4-5 half meets during the season.

Coaches are responsible for planning, coordinating and running the practices. Stroke work and conditioning are emphasized. Coaches schedule the individual and relay events for the dual meets and maintain records of the swimmers’ times. At meets, coaches interact with the swimmers to provide encouragement and advice on their performances.

Swimmers are expected to attend practice regularly. Swimmers ages 11-18 are required to attend at least 4 practices a week in order to compete in individual events at the following Saturday’s meet. Through consistent practice and attention to the coaches, swimmers will improve techniques and times. It is important for all team members to support each other and display good sportsmanship throughout the season.

Mesa Swim Team Philosophy
Team Spirit is an integral part of summer swimming. Sportsmanship in any athletic event is as important as winning or losing. For example, for relays, the coaches often mix different abilities within a relay squad. It is critical that relay members support each other, regardless of the outcome or place. Respect is a term that we will use to describe our interactions with teammates, opponents, and facilities. “Respectful” behavior is expected of our swimmers during practices and meets. Several examples of this type of interaction include being kind to teammates that are new and possibly inexperienced, interacting in a courteous manner at all times.

Mesa Swim Team Training Philosophy
Mesa's training program emphasizes stroke work and conditioning. Our goal is to have all swimmers learn the four strokes (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly) and have the opportunity to complete the Individual Medley (IM), a combination of all the strokes. Improvement in swim times is emphasized more than place or award.

During the first few weeks, we focus on the fundamentals of the four strokes while gradually increasing the yards the swimmers complete. Stroke drills are an integral part of the early season. In addition to technique, the distances of the sets in the first 3-4 weeks are longer than those in July. Longer swims are included to build a "base" of conditioning or strength.

During mid-season, in late June and early July, interval training using the pace clock becomes more important. Aerobic training shifts to more anaerobic to prepare swimmers for the demands of racing. Stroke work and drills begin to taper off, but are still included in sets to maintain technique.

As the final weeks in July approach, speed work with shorter sets and longer intervals mirror the "race pace" conditions of the meets. By this time, all the fundamentals have been covered and we focus on detailed improvements in the strokes, starts, turns, finishes, and pacing. Rest and recovery are important during this period, especially during the week of prelims. Mesa swimmers can rely on having trained hard throughout the summer and having received useful stroke advice in preparation for the last week of July.

Age Categories Mesa Swim Team (and every team in the BVSSL) has five age categories of male and female swimmers:

8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-18. Age on May 15, 2009 determines the age category for the entire season. 2009 Fees: To be detemined, but estimate about $275per swimmer for the entire season.

Swimming Requirement: All prospective swimmers must be able to swim the length of a 25 yard pool without stopping, hanging onto the lane line or assistance. If you would like to have your child evaluated by a professional swim coach before deciding if he or she is ready, please contact Boulder Swimming Academy coach Amy Webb at (303) 819-0478 or Tiffany Forbes at (303) 994-5111.