A child needs to be at least 6 years old and able to meet the eligibility requirements to join the swim team.

Prospective swimmers are allowed to participate in 3 practice sessions (2 for pre-competitive swimmers) free of charge.  Coaches will evaluate any prospective swimmers to see if they meet the eligibility requirements.  Please contact a Kent Olberding, Aquajet registrar prior to attending practice on a trial basis – availability of these sessions may be limited at times.

The best time to visit with any Coach would be before or after practice.  Parents are not allowed to be on deck during practice.

The swim year can be broken down into two seasons. The first season starts in September and runs thru the middle of March. This is known as the Short Course season.  Swimmers will swim in a 25-yard pool (SCY)

The second part of the swim year is what is known as the Long Course season and typically runs from May thru the end of July. The long course season typically involves swimming in 50-meter pools; however, the Norfolk Aquajets will practice in a 25-yard pool.

Practice leads to improvement. We encourage swimmers to attend as many practices as possible.  Flex-membership swimmers will attend no more than 2 practice sessions a week. Coaches understand that school activities, family vacations and other events may prevent swimmers from attending practice. There is no penalty for not attending practice.

During the Short Course season (Sept-March), the Aquajets practice 4 days per week (Mon-Thurs) at the Norfolk Family YMCA. During the Long Course season (May-July), and once school is out, the Aquajets will practice in the mornings (Mon-Fri) at Aquaventure water park.

When you register as a Premium or Norfolk High School swim team member, your membership is valid from September thru the end of July. Flex-Memberships are valid in the months of September through mid-November.  Summer memberships are valid during the months of May thru July.

All Aquajets must re-register at the beginning of Sept for the upcoming season.

It does give the swimmers the sense of “team” by having a team suit, but we do not require the purchase of a team suit.  Team suits are purchased individually by the parent. We can give you the make and model of the current suit that is being used by the team.

Dryland is out-of-the-pool stretching and conditioning that relates to swimming.

Swim meets are held almost every weekend somewhere.  Our team will set up a meet schedule that will be posted to our team website.  Typically our meet schedule will have one or two meets per month. Swimmers and parents can review the list and opt to attend any or all meets on the list.

Attending swim meets is strongly encouraged, but not mandatory.  Swim meets are a very important part of the program and not attending will limit your swimmer’s experience.  Swimmers and parents should review the team’s meet schedule and plan accordingly.  The coach can also advise you as to whether or not your swimmer is ready to participate in a competitive environment.

Yes. Fee are associated with some swim meets.  Each meet is a little different and so it is important  when you are thinking about attending a meet, you read the meet flyer. Fees will be  published in that flyer  for that meet. Fees are payable at the time of meet registration and are non-refundable.  Typically, YMCA meets will have no fees, while all other meets will.

The length of a swim meet is almost always directly related to how many events are being offered and how many swimmers are attending.  An average time for a non-championship type swim meet would be three to four hours.

Registration for meets will occur through the Swim Portal.

For some meets, the parents and swimmers are allowed to choose the events.  The coach may talk with individual swimmers about events, but the coach has the final say and will ultimately decide which events the swimmer should swim.  The coaches will determine all relay participants.

There are many downloadable apps including Meet Mobile and USA Swimming’s Deck Pass that can carry live swim meet results. Your swimmers’ times can also be found in your Swim Portal.

Each swimmer should have: a suit;  two towels (one for the meet and one for after the meet when they want to shower); a set of goggles (possibly a spare pair also); an Aquajet swim cap; clothing that is easy to get on and off for that time between events; healthy snacks like fruit, pretzels, crackers, bagels, peanuts, fruit snacks; shampoo and conditioner and brush for after the meet.

Parents should always have a bag chair (just in case there is not enough seating), a highlighter, a sharpie, and positive encouragement. It’s wise to dress in layers. Some pool areas are like a sauna or can be a bit chilly.

The sport of swimming depends on many volunteers.  Without the help and cooperation of parents and others there would be no competitive swimming.  For Aquajet home swim meets, each family with a child participating in the meet will be required to help in some fashion.  We will need help with providing timers, set-up and clean up, and people to run the concession stand.  We will need volunteers to be officials.  When we travel to away meets, occasionally they will ask for volunteer assistance in providing some of these same positions.  It benefits everyone when we have people ready to step up and help.

Talk to the coach before or after practice about any concerns you may have.  You may also contact the Aquajet Safe Sport Coordinator, Kent Olberding of any concerns regarding behavior.  The Aquajet Swim Team also has a Board of Directors made up of parent volunteers.  You may contact any of them with concerns.  Contact information for the Coach and Board of Directors can be found in the Parent Handbook and in the About Us section of this website.

The greatest benefit is that it provides the opportunity for your child to participate in more swim meets and have more opportunities to improve especially in the summer.  It also provides catastrophic insurance at practices and sanctioned USA Swimming meets.  Swimmers also receive newsletters and other information from USA Swimming.  As members of USA Swimming, they are teammates with swimmers like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Missy Franklin!

swim caps: There are two types of swim caps available:  silicone and latex.  The silicone caps are the better of the two options, as they tend to tear less, and are more comfortable.  Each new swimmer will be given a latex Aquajet team cap, and additional team caps can be purchased from Kent Olberding or Beth Kahny. Typically, these team caps are only worn for meets.  It is advisable to have an extra team cap in your swimmer’s bag as they tend to tear at the most inopportune times.  You will also want to purchase a couple of extra caps for practice.

swimsuits:  We are in the process of setting up an account with an online company in which everyone can purchase a team suit.  We will have this info soon.  Normally, the team suits are only worn during swim meets, not practice.  You will want to purchase a couple of practice suits for your child.   You may hear of suits being labeled “speed suits” or “compression suits”.   These can be expensive, and there are rules regarding usage of these suits for younger swimmers.  Please speak with a coach before purchasing one.

goggles:  It’s advisable to have a couple of pairs of good goggles for your child.  Like swim caps, they can break at the worst possible time.  Also mark your child’s goggles with a name as they tend to be left behind or lost quite easily.

kickboards and fins:  The swimmers will often use these items during practice.  The club does have a limited supply of these items for the swimmers to use.  The Aquajet coaches strongly urge the swimmers to purchase their own kickboard and fins and bring them to each practice as they are a useful training tool. Links to online stores with these items can be found on the team website