About the Little Jaws Program
Our Little Jaws program is open to children five years and older. We also require that all swimmers new to the team participate in an assessment. These assessments generally take place in April, and notification will be in the club newsletter as well as on our website (www.chesterbrook.swimtopia.com). In the event that you have not heard about summer membership by that time, we will schedule a later round of assessments.
Depending on interest and the number of available coaches, we have some flexibility with the requirements for our Little Jaws program. In general, however, we ask that children be able to swim one length of freestyle and one length of backstroke, as well as being able to tread water for a minute.
There is very little difference between Little Jaws and our Lower Pool Competitive Program other than the level of practice intensity and the focus of the skills that are taught. Little Jaws swimmers have practice five days a week in the mornings (usually there are 7:15-8 and 8:15-9:00) once school is out, and they also participate in our Monday night B meets.
Most of our swimmers who start at the age of five spend one to three years with the developmental team before moving to the lower pool. Coaches for the lower pool generally require a legal breaststroke and a flip turn, as well as the ability to swim between 500-800 meters in a typical 45 minute practice. We are one team that uses two pools, so our Little Jaws are every bit as much a part of the team as our top scoring senior swimmers.
We are a large (260+) team that prides itself on inclusivity and development. As such, we make every effort to involve our smallest swimmers -- our Little Jaws -- in all team activities, while also introducing them to the world of competitive swimming. To help them on their way, our Little Jaws coaches come from the ranks of our accomplished senior swimmers, almost all of whom started in our Little Jaws program when they first joined the team. Under the direction of our Head Coach (Katherine Stuver), all coaches meet on a weekly basis to discuss and refine the skills and lessons emphasized during the week.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to email us at [email protected]
