Program Information

The Lakeshore Swim Club competitive program caters to young swimmers from the age group level through high school and beyond. The club is divided into 7 training groups, each with a dedicated coach: Yellow, Blue, Advanced, Regional, Junior Provincial, Senior, and Lakeshore Performance. Each group is comprised of swimmers of comparable training and racing speed, at a similar stage of development. A swimmer’s progression through the groups depends on their individual development pathway.

The goals of the program include general physical development, swimming skill instruction, development of team spirit and confidence, and the promotion of individual success at every level from grassroots to graduation. These are achieved through program values of effort, attitude, teamwork, and professionalism.

The LSC training philosophy promotes appropriate development of each athlete. We train speed in an aerobic context, and work on fitness and skills concurrently in each training session. All aspects of the athlete’s swimming are dealt with in each group. We encourage full event exploration before specialization, using a Freestyle and Medley aerobic base. We believe in the principle of progressive overload – as swimmers progress through the program, they will see a gradual increase in training hours and swimming volume.

All LSC athletes in the competitive program will race at meets once every few weeks/once a month. Meets are targeted to give athletes positive competitive opportunities – we select meets that are appropriate for each swimmer’s level. We ensure athletes race every event, while allowing them to gravitate toward their strengths when appropriate. We believe in a team approach to racing and emphasize relays to create a culture of pride and accountability between teammates.

The Lakeshore program strives to help swimmers be at their best at maturity, build valuable life skills, and meet great teammates along the way!

The pre-competitive program at Lakeshore Swim Club is a developmental swim program for swimmers aged 12 and under. This program introduces swimmers to competitive swimming in a structured and fun environment. The program is divided into two sections: “Little Lakers” and “Lakers.” Swimmers will learn and develop their technique and skills for the four competitive swimming strokes (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly) as well as racing starts and turns. All groups require a tryout prior to registration.

The Little Lakers program is for swimmers aged 10 and under, and offers three different levels. Little Lakers 1 is a one day per week program for swimmers who can comfortably swim 25m unassisted. Little Lakers 2 and Little Lakers 3 practice two and three times per week, respectively. All three levels run for 12-week sessions – the fall session from October to December, the winter session from January to March, and the spring session from April to June. Swimmers progress through the Little Lakers levels as they acquire and improve their skills.

The Lakers program is for swimmers aged 11 to 12. This is a 4 day per week program that runs year-round, from October to June. This program is for older swimmers to continue to learn and develop their skills in a group with their age peers.

As pre-competitive athletes, swimmers in the Little Lakers 3 and Lakers programs have the option to compete in Swim Ontario sanctioned swim meets. Details for these competitive opportunities are communicated well in advance, and swimmers can opt in at any time for an additional one-time fee.

Sessions are led by professional coaches who are registered with Swim Ontario, as well as volunteer coaches. In the Little Lakers program, swimmer to coach ratio does not exceed 12 to 1 in order to ensure quality supervision and individual instruction.

The goal of the pre-competitive programs is to develop the four competitive strokes, as well as dives and turns, in order to graduate into Lakeshore Swim Club's competitive program. Swimmers in the competitive program compete in regular meets, and practice more frequently depending on age and ability.

The pre-competitive program is not part of Lakeshore Swim Club's formal competitive program. Participants in this program are not members of Lakeshore Swim Club, and are not subject to the volunteer requirement listed in the Parent Info section of our website.