| PCAC Group Descriptions |
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Penn Charter Aquatic Club (PCAC) offers training and practice groups for swimmers of all ages and ability levels. It is the goal of PCAC to offer age specific training for all of our athletes geared towards challenging each individual and developing each individual to the best of THEIR abilities. 2009-2010 TRAINING GROUPS(Note: Group descriptions should be used as a guideline. Final group placement is determined by PCAC coaching staff. To tryout, visit our Registration Section - "Step 1" for more details.)
Developmental 1For ages 10 & under This is our entry level group. It is an instructional class for beginners who can swim 25 yd freestyle and backstroke, or have attained a Swim America Level 6 or higher. Goals include being able to swim a 100 yd IM legally, to do all competitive turns, dive, finishes, and to streamline underwater to the flags using a dolphin kick. topDevelopmental 2For ages 11 & under From the Developmental 1 group, athletes move into this group. Swimmers must be able to complete the ’Goals of the Developmental 1 Group’ to move into the Developmental 2 group. Goals include: swim 200 yd IM legally; perform all turns and push-offs efficiently; perform track start and backstroke start effectively; achieve USA Swimming 10&Under ’A’ time standards; athlete is motivated to listen to coaches and try to improve; courteous to other swimmers in pool; athletes know their attitude affects how they swim and how others around them swim; and develop consistent practice attendance. topBlueFor ages 9-13 From the Dev 2 group, athletes move into this group. Swimmers entering the Blue group are usually at least 9 years old and must complete the ’Goals of the Dev 2 Group’ (or equivalent) in addition to other criteria (see Team Handbook). Practices consist of 1.5 hr of swimming plus 30 min of dryland (on M, W, F only). Competing at swim meets is highly encouraged at a rate of about once per month. Goals include: swim 400IM legally; race in every distance, every stroke available over duration of season; achieve 11-12 year old Elite Meet time standards; improve fluidity in turns and push-offs; improve dive and backstroke entry into water; begin learning how to manage effort and intensity through practice; learn and improve goal setting skills; improve on controlling attitude and focus within workout and understand that they affect teammates; and most importantly, create a core group of ’training friends’. topGoldFor ages 11-14 Prerequisites for the Gold group include: achieving 4 or more 11-12 Elite Meet times; 2 or more 11-12 JO times; an intention of adhering to recommended attendance (usually 4 or more per week); and 8x100 Fr on 1:35. Additional criteria is listed in the Team Handbook. This program is intended for the age group swimmers that have goals of pursuing their swimming career as far as possible. The practice direction, structure and difficulty will be designed to meet that end years down the road. Competition at swim meets is expected in this group. Goals include: to final in local and regional meets; to achieve "AAAA" time standards; to actively improving distance per stroke; and to develop an emotional maturity to train with Senior Group. topSenior AMFor ages 13 and over; must be invited by Senior Coach and be in other "Fall Sport" Senior AM/PMFor ages 13 and over; must be invited by Senior Coach |