The Dolphins High Performance Swimming Program

The Dolphins Swim Team provides high-performance swim training year round in Burlington and Oakville. There is no minimum age requirement to join our program, but we do require our athletes to be able to swim 25 meters (one length of most pools) freestyle and 25 meters backstroke in order to join. The Dolphins Swim Club highly recommends taking swimming lessons prior to joining our high-performance program: book a tryout.

Pre-Competitive Programs:

Seals I

Our Seals program is fantastic for swimmers to quickly work their way up to competitive swimming. Our first level, Seals I, focuses on stroke development and increasing endurance. Swimmers will be paired with a high-performance coach, and will be introduced to the fundamentals of high performance swimming. Particular focus is put on improving freestyle and backstroke technique, and swimmers will learn the basics of breast stroke and butterfly. Swimmers will also have a chance to increase their fitness through our dry land training at the club's very own gym in Oakville. Dry land classes are led by trained high-performance personal trainers. Although Seals I is not competitive, swimmers will have a chance to experience swimming competitions through the attendance of Dolphins time trials. Similar to swimming competitions, time trials are a way for swimmers to track their personal progress through a timed race. Unlike formal competitions, time trials will all happen close by (usually in Burlington) and will only involve the Dolphins team and sometimes one or two other teams. Once swimmers are consistently showing that they are comfortable with advanced freestyle and backstroke technique and are able to swim basic breaststroke and dolphin kick, they will move on to Seals II.

Seals II

The Seals II program is the next and final class before competitions. In Seals II, athletes will work even more on endurance and perfecting small details in their freestyle and backstroke techniques. Athletes will also learn more about breaststroke and butterfly technique. The schedule for Seals II athletes will involve improving fitness through dry land training at the Dolphins gym with help from a high-performance personal trainer. Swimmers will learn everything they need to know for competitions - including how to properly start and turn during a race, and swimming technique to maximise speed while minimising any risk of injury. Swimmers will advance to the competitive group once they are comfortable swimming each one of the strokes, and perform well in the Dolphins time trials. 

Competitive Programs:

The Competitive Program:

Athletes in the competitive program must be comfortable with swimming each stroke. They must have a good grasp on starts, turns, and must have excellent endurance. The focus in competitive is less on teaching strokes, and more on using the swimmers' knowledge on technique to optimise performance. Competitive athletes will have a chance to represent Burlington and Oakville all around the world, and therefore will have to have a good grasp on the club values such as respecting others and being confident in themselves. 

The Age Group Program:

Competitive swimmers who have achieved particularly good records for their age during competitions will be entered into our special program called "Age Group". The Age Group class often practices alongside Competitive, but usually with a slightly more challenging and longer training. 

The Senior Program:

The Senior program is meant for Dolphins swimmers over 16 who have successfully completed the other Dolphins levels (or the equivalent somewhere else). This group functions similarly to Competitive/Age Group, although the standards for speed and technique are higher. Younger swimmers who are performing particularly well may have a chance to swim with the Seniors if they require a greater challenge. Please note that the tryouts for Senior Dolphins are very competitive, and we require outstanding times in order to join. Senior Dolphins consistently qualify for World and Olympic trials; this is the most intensive Dolphins program. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Which swimming level do I need to finish before joining Dolphins?

Although swimming lessons are not required before joining Dolphins, they are highly recommended for a successful tryout. Our high-performance program requires at minimum the ability to swim 25 meters freestyle and 25 meters backstroke comfortably. If you live in Burlington or Oakville, your city offers the "Swim for Life" swimming program. This program is a great way to advance your swimming skills no matter what your current level is. Although not required, the completion of the Swimmer 4 level is a great indication that you are ready to try out for our program. 

How do I switch from my current swim team to the Dolphins program?

If you are already part of another swim team, then you likely already have the physical endurance to join Dolphins. Note that you will still be required to complete a tryout so that we can put you in the right level. To switch to Dolphins from your current team, simply contact us by phone or by email. Please note that our Senior program is highly competitive because we like to keep the class size very small. We still encourage interested applicants to reach out to us and participate in the tryouts. If you are still unsure about your switch to Dolphins, please do not hesitate to contact us anyway. We are happy to give you more information on the Dolphins program and answer any of your questions.

What does the Dolphins tryout entail?

For younger athletes, tryouts can be done privately and are simply a test of your endurance and basic technique. If you have never swam competitively before, then a tryout for you will only entail comfortably swimming 25 meters (the length of an average pool) freestyle and 25 meters backstroke. If you have finished the Swimmer 4 program in Burlington or Oakville then you are likely able to pass our basic tryout. 

For the competitive groups, we must make sure that you meet the requirements of each specific group. If you have swam competitively before, you likely already know your capabilities. If not, we will likely recommend the Seals program to start. Seniors tryouts are highly competitive as the group size is kept very small.