If your athlete loves the water, has graduated from a lesson program, and has shown an interest in a swim team, we would love to help guide you through Elmhurst Aquatic’s registration process. 

EA has two main seasons. September - February, our Fall/Winter SC Season, and April - July, our Spring/Summer LC Season.

REGISTER FOR A NEW MEMBER EVALUATION/MEET THE COACHES EVENT. 

These are usually held before our season starts. We can hold additional midseason evaluations for transferring athletes.

All athletes must be evaluated before joining. No athlete's registration will be approved without an evaluation.

Fall/Winter SCY Swim Season

Sept - mid-Feb (depending on qualifying times)

New Athlete evaluations 

Athletes do NOT need to attend an evaluation if they swam with EA in 2024.

Email Coach Julie with membership questions or to schedule a private evaluation. 

WHAT WILL MY ATHLETE BE ASKED TO DO?

Coaches will be on deck evaluating your athlete’s current skill level to accurately place them in one of our practice groups in which they will thrive. They will be asked to perform formal swim strokes such as freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. We are looking at their technique, not their speed. 

Please remember that all athletes must be comfortable, safe, and self-sufficient in deep water and can swim independently as coaches are not in the water during practices.  

6YRS TO 10YRS: Athletes will be asked to swim 2 lengths (25 yards) of freestyle with side breathing and backstroke and 1 length of butterfly and breaststroke. 

Athletes MUST be able to swim Freestyle with their face in the water, breathing to the side. This is a very important skill and must be mastered before joining a swim team. Athletes must be able to blow nose bubbles and manage their air/water nasal pressure while performing a front somersault. They may be asked to do a sit or kneeling dive and additional skills. All athletes must be able to perform these requirements unassisted and MUST be comfortable in deep water (12+ feet).  

11YRS & OVER: Athletes will be asked to swim at least 2 lengths of freestyle with rotary breathing (to the side) 2 lengths of backstroke and 1 length of butterfly and breaststroke. Athletes will be asked to perform a flip turn, open turn, and a racing start. Athletes must be able to swim Freestyle with their face in the water breathing to the side for 50 yards, 2 lengths, without stopping.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING: 

Swimsuit (please no girls' 2-piece suits or tiebacks if your child can not tie them)

Goggles

Cap or Hair Tie for long hair

Towel 

GROUP DESCRIPTIONS:

BLUE - Swimmers will focus on the instructional development of all four strokes, racing skills, starts, turns, and a legal 100 IM. Swimmers in this group will continue to learn the basics of competitive swimming throughout the season. Conditioning will be added as the group progresses. Meet participation is encouraged but not required. 

GREEN - Swimmers will focus on refining stroke technique and race strategy with the addition of a consistent conditioning program. In this group, practice habits such as understanding group dynamics, lane etiquette, and pace clock reading are a large focus. This group requires the swimmer to have an established stroke base focusing on refining their stroke technique and skills. Race strategy will be added to their workout program. Competition in meets is highly encouraged or expected. 

EVALUATION RESULTS:  

Evaluations will place athletes in an Elmhurst Aquatics practice group based on their age, ability, and the openings we have in our program.

Not all athletes will be placed on our team right now. If we feel an athlete should require some additional lessons before joining a competitive swim team, we will make that recommendation. We make that recommendation in the best interest of our future swimmers and their long-term swimming success. 

I’M NEW TO SWIMMING, WHAT IS A SWIM TEAM LIKE?

How long are practices?

Swim practices are usually about an hour for our blue groups and an hour or more for our green-level groups. 

Do you have a minimum practice requirement? 

No, we encourage our athletes to have a wide variety of interests but there is a minimum number of practices recommended for the benefit of the athlete. 

Can my athlete come late or leave early?

ABSOLUTELY!

Are there any other costs, equipment, or fees?

Fees paid in registration are just for practices. Swim Meets are an additional fee and each meet sets its pricepoint. Many of our hosted swim meets are offered at no cost to our athletes. Each athlete is asked to purchase a team suit, fins, and a kickboard. Additional equipment may be required for older age groups. 

How do I sign up for a meet?

Each swim meet will have a registration window that you must RSVP in. Once a swim meet is closed, no more entries can occur. 

How long is a swim meet?

Time Trials and Dual Meets can be short - 2 or 3 hours. Weekend meets are more extensive and each session can last for 4-5 hours.  

Does my athlete have to swim in meets?

No, but coaches will discuss and have an open dialog on why an athlete doesn’t want to compete.