*Note: Your waiver and form must be completed before participating in your first class.

About the Program
- It is focused on teaching the participants to swim efficiently first and then adding speed/power to efficiency.
- Swimming, from a skill perspective, is more like tennis and golf than running and biking.
- All of our sets are organized by time, not volume.  For example, you may be asked to do a drill sequence for 10 minutes, not 15 x 100m.  This way all levels start together, finish together, and get the appropriate workload.  If you wish to know the total distance of a workout you'll have to add it up yourself!
- We do some back and breast stroke but no butterfly as it places too much strain on the shoulder joints of recreational swimmers.
- Few of our swimmers do flip turns and if they do I recommend not pushing off to hard; there's not a wall every 25m to push off in an open water swim.
- We'll divide the elements of the stroke up and help you to groove the proper technique into your muscle memory so that swimming well becomes a reflex action.

Equipment
Footwear: We highly recommend wearing flip flops or similar footwear while walking on any pool deck.
Swim suit: Remember to rinse/wash your suit after every swim to make it last.  I recommend saving any tri suit/shorts for open water and/or racing as the chlorine eats them up.  Consider buying a basic suit to use in the pool
Goggles: Highly recommended.  Find the right fit by trying them on in the shop.  
Water Bottle: Bring one with your name on it. 
Towel: Obvious, yes, but I want to suggest a great product: a swimming chamois.  This towel gets you dry then stores damp in a plastic case in your swim bag, taking up little room till the next time you need it. A popular item with those that swim a lot.
Lock for locker:  A lot of people have the same type lock out there so put a sticker on the back of yours with your initials or some identifier - ideally not your combination!  Please leave your valuables at home.
Nose Plug.  Very optional but many use them to keep their sinuses clear.

Nutrition
Remember that you lose a lot of sweat while swimming, you just don't notice it.  So drink before, during and after.   Most of you should have some idea of how long it takes your body to digest food so make sure you eat far enough in advance of the workout to be energized and comfortable.   Plan a small healthy snack to eat within 30 minutes of the completion of each workout, but don't eat it till you're fully re-hydrated.  Some swimmers have the habit of eating too much after a workout, mostly because they are actually dehydrated.

Remember this: The important thing in each workout will not be how far you swim but how WELL you swim - technique is the key.