What is better than a cool pool on a hot summer day? I mean....really....what is better?
AND...what is better than a great way to keep your kids happy and active than a cool pool on a hot summer day? Not much! Okay...maybe I'm partial, but my kids (all grown now) would have rather been at the pool than just about anything else all summer! Now, it's my grandkids...it's just where all kids want to be!

So...why not put them on a swim team? They get to spend time at the pool with new friends and learn great skills they can take with them for the rest of their lives!! We, at Splashwear Aquatics www.swimmerstuff.com , obviously spend a lot of time talking to people who want information about swimming and swim team. I often am asked about swim lessons and I always say swim team....especially summer league swimming, is a great way to hone those beginner swim skills.
If your child is a beginner, find a team that specializes in teaching swim team skills and has plenty of staff. You want to find a place where your child can learn to swim all of the strokes correctly and is highly supervised.
You also want to do a little research and find a team that has an active social scene outside of the pool. When my daughter was young, one of her favorite things about meet days was going out after the meet to have pizza as a team. Not to mention, her first coach, Coach Amy, had a box of little trinkets the kids could choose from when they did especially well at practice. Sometimes it's just the little things!!!

If you still are not sure about Summer League Swimming here is my list of reasons you should consider it:

• Learning to swim and becoming comfortable in the water
• Learning swim strokes properly
• Being part of a team
• Participating in a sport that is not only a team sport, but has individual benefits - like swimming your fastest time.
• A low-key way to try a sport. Most summer league teams focus on fun, then on skills. My daughter swam summer league for 2 summers then decided she wanted to take lessons during the school year, just to help her swim faster during the summer. When she started swimming after school, that changed everything. She joined a year round team and swam through college! You just never know where it might lead!
• Making new friends
• Keeping your kids busy and active during the summer
• Giving your kids that wonderful feeling of accomplishment - Most teams have an end of summer party and give awards. It is such a wonderful time for your kids to have their accomplishments recognized. These little awards can make your child yearn for more. It can really light a fire under them to continue to swim and learn to work hard to reach new goals.
• It's one of the only teams you can put all of your kids on that all participate at the same time! Having 3 kids, running them all over the place at different times can be exhausting. Summer League swimming typically swims all ages at the same time. Believe me....that is great!
• Mentorship - There is nothing better for a young swimmer than to have one of the older swimmers help them, cheer for them, play with them etc. And for the older swimmers, they get to feel so important and looked up to!! It is just great to see all ages participating together!!
• Personally, I am so thankful my daughter swam on her first summer league team. It literally changed the course of her life. After summer league, she swam on a USA team, her high school team and then went to college on a full swim scholarship. After college, she worked as a dolphin trainer. All because she fell in love with swimming. And now....her kids are swimming.

Give summer swim team a chance. You have absolutely nothing to lose, AND you and your child just might have so much to gain! If you need help choosing swim team suits, practice suits and swim equipment. Call us at the Splashwear Aquatics and we will give you the absolute best products, at the absolute best prices, all with wonderful personal service!

Jeannie Owner of Splashwear Aquatics 501-753-4998 jeannie@swimmerstuff.com