SHARK TANK RACING SQUAD
PROGRAM DETAILS
Shark Tank Racing Squad (TANK) has several training programs that support between 3 to 7+ sessions/week. The program in which a swimmer participates in often determines the time and location(s) were he/she will train.
TANK swimmers train and compete within a 11-month conditioning and competition cycle, beginning in (late) August with the start of the USA Short Course Yard (SCY) season and culminating with participation in both Long Course (LCM) and Short Course Meter (SCM) summer season(s), and ending with Championship meets in late July and early August.
TANK actively supports swimmers that also participate/compete in other sports and/or activities (e.g. gymnastics, soccer, football, basketball, band, etc) but is “doctrined” as a "swimming is priority" team, with a mandatory 11-month (Sept - July) training and competition program/cycle. This means that while participation in other sports and/or activities is not discouraged, as a member of this team it is expected that participation at TANK practices and meets is given precedence over other activities.
TANK has several training programs that can accommodate between 3 to 8+ (swimming) sessions/week. Each training (core) session is between 1.5 to 2 hours in duration. However, as an elite level program with a standardized, progressive development training methodology, participation in 4 or more sessions/week is tightly controlled and validated.
Any swimmer(s) that qualifies for and joins the team at the beginning of the LC season (April), and has NOT had prior (at least a FULL year of USA Swimming) conditioning and experience will not be permitted to compete in the upcoming LC events/meets.
However, two conditions are required /expected of any swimmer that falls into this category (between the months of April and July):
1) He/she is expected to train (3+ days/week) with the USA team (TANK), in which they will be able to acclimate to, and get conditioning and experience in an LC environment.
2) He/she is an active member of a summer league swim team (NVSL, PWSL, DCCL, CSL) with which they are training an additional 2-3 times/week with their summer team and competing/racing (twice) weekly.
This training regimen is a critical piece of the training and conditioning methodology of the TANK program, and a major enabler of the (extraordinary) success of performance among our swimmers. As is routinely evident (in Sept) as the new SCY (Sept-May season) kicks off.
For 13 & U swimmers, in the evening program (Fall/early Spring) season, we will conduct practices at Lee District Rec on Tues evenings (7:30p-9p), George Mason University on Sunday's (6p - 8p), and South Run Rec on Friday evenings (7-9p), and Saturday mornings (at 5:15AM - for our 4+ days/week swimmers). In the summer months (starting late May-July) we transition to Audrey Moore (from Lee District) on Tues/Thurs evenings (7:30pm-9pm). As a member of a summer team, your swimmer will be racing almost twice a week while training with both the summer team and their USA Swimming team (TANK).
First-year swimmers, age 13 & under are required to train a minimum 3 days/week in the evening program (unless advised otherwise by the team manager or head coach). Between Oct-May we compete in 1-2 swim meets per month (on the weekends; both Sat/Sun). All TANK swimmers are required to be a member of a summer swim team (i.e. NVSL, CSL, PWSL, DCCL), as well.
Our training methodology combines aerobic/anaerobic conditioning with in-water and (dryland) resistance training, dynamic flexibility, core strengthening/stability exercise(s), and (for your seniors) structured, supervised strength (weight) training, both with the team and individual programs.
Several of our members will also participate in their High School’s swim program.
The Shark Tank Racing Squad is a family, and the staff is focused on the growth of the whole child.
When a swimmer joins our team their 'family' joins our team, and the family's willingness to take part in team functions and events with their swimmer is a highly desirable and necessary component/charcteristic of membership.