SHARK TANK RACING SQUAD

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

The Shark Tank Racing Squad will recognize and reward progressive improvement and top performances in a variety of ways. In addition to celebrating their success and our joy by rewarding them for their hard work, our Awards and Recognition program is meant to encourage the swimmers to track their own growth and development as they look forward to achieving these goals.
Each Shark Tank swimmer is a part of the Age Group National Swimming Achievement Awards Program This Nationally recognized patch program is based on the National Age Group Time Standards. Our swimmers are trained to race the clock and achieve personal bests. This program offers a guideline for their development at every level and allows swimmers of all abilities to be awarded for their success.
The Shark Tank Racing Squad specializes in and prides itself on preparing swimmers to be competitive in all strokes and considers the Individual Medley to be the most important event in each swimmer's arsenal. The Individual Medley (IM) is a demonstration of proficiency and/or mastery of all 5 competitive strokes, Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle and the underwater dolphin kick. Though one can train for success in individual strokes, the Shark Tank Racing Squad program specializes in and strives to build IM swimmers. Within the Shark Tank part of our training philosophy is to create synergy by adapting and combining the existing ability that a swimmer has in each individual stroke, in order to create a more powerful result in the Individual Medley (IM). In particular, the Shark Tank considers the Short Course Yards (SCY) 200 IM a testament to the mastery of the 4 competitive strokes, the underwater dolphin kick, and proficiency in the racing start and all turn combinations. It is also considered the signature event of the Shark Tank Racing Squad. Our awards program includes the 200 Individual Medley Specialist Certificate and Patch, in recognition of a swimmer's mastery of this event.
Shark Tank swimmers are always eager to place highly in each meet and to support and award their success, the Trifecta Award and Patch was designed. The Trifecta is awarded to swimmers who achieve three First Place finishes over the course of three meets or any combination of three First, Second or Third place finishes in one meet.
The most recent addition to our achievement awards was born of the Swim Marathon for Breast Cancer which took place in March of 2011. More than 40 swimmers completed 100 laps in an effort to raise money for Breast Cancer research. The Shark Tank Century Award and Patch will be presented to swimmers completing 100 continuous laps of freestyle within specified periods of time. The Century symbol includes the well known Pink Ribbon which signifies the ongoing battle to cure and eliminate breast cancer as well as words that we attribute to these athletes STRONG, FEARLESS, PROUD & DETERMINED.
Our swimmers are respected and admired for their commitment to their sport, their health, their friends and families and to becoming benevolent people driven by a generous spirit. We are here to acknowledge and reward those efforts.