THE COMPETITIVE LANE
Photo Credit Richmond Sailfish
Participating in swim lessons are a
popular youth activity and after a few
years of participating, many families
want a more intensive level of training
but the leap into recreational or yearround
competitive swimming can seem
By Jeannie Howard
like an overwhelming commitment.
John Schonder, head coach of the
Richmond Sailfish team, said that being
a part of a year-round swim team is
a bit more of a commitment but the
benefits are worth it.
Swimming offers kids, and adults,
several health benefits, according to
Schoner, such as being a cardiovascular
and strength workout, because of the
thickness of the water, but without the
risk of injuries often experienced in
other sports. Schoner also emphasizes
the social benefits of being on a swim
team. “Although swimming is a team
sport, it’s more of an individual based
sport; it’s you against the clock and trying to get a
personal best time. So, it can be less stressful for kids
who many not have felt comfortable in team sports,
like baseball or basketball,” he explained. “You get all
of the benefits of being on a team—you get to make
friends and have that positive support system—but
you don’t have that pressure of having to make the
winning goal for someone else’s success.”
Unlike seasonal, or recreational, swimming teams
or lessons, which are often only a couple days each
week in the summer, competitive teams will typically
practice daily. While some teams do have a minimum
attendance requirement, Schonder said that the
Sailfish team does not. “We offer practice Monday
through Friday and the only swimmers that have
an attendance requirement are those that receive a
scholarship rate. They are required to maintain a sixty
percent attendance rate.”
To help encourage families from a wide range
Swim meets are where swimmers compete against the clock to reach
their personal best and cheer on their teammates as they race.
of economic backgrounds to join the team, the
Richmond Sailfish offer a fifty percent scholarship
rate to qualified families. “We give about 25 percent
of our team spots each year as scholarship spots,” said
Schonder.
In addition to scholarships, the team also helps
families with gear and spirit wear. “We provide most
of the training equipment for the swimmers. So as
long as they can show up to the pool with a swim
suit and goggles, we provide them with swim capes
and all the other equipment,” he said. “We do a lot of
grant writing to help subsidize the cost of our team
tee shirts, sweaters, and the parkas the swimmers wear
to the meets. We don’t want any of our swimmers to
feel excluded from the team cause they don’t’ have
the right equipment.”
For families interested in becoming a part of the
team, Schonder welcomes would-be swimmers
to stop by the pool during practice, between
4:45 p.m. and 6 p.m., for an in-water evaluation.