Are you thinking About Swimming Competitively?

Do you enjoy swimming during the summer?

Do you wish you could still swim during the winter?

We train for competitive swim meets eleven months out of the year.

We have a variety of programs to fit various levels of ability.

Our experienced and highly recognized coaching staff assesses your swimming skills.

You are assigned to the training program that is best suited to your ability level.

FAQs

Q-What does my child need to do in order to make the team? The minimum requirement is to be able to swim freestyle the length of our 25 meter pool with rhythmic breathing. The child should be able to do so without any stops along the way. This is usually the minimum specification for a 6-9 year old. Children 10 years and older are expected to be able to do more in the way of speed, stamina and multiple stroke skills. This is a competitive U.S. swim club and therefore your child will be chosen based on the skills demonstrated during the tryout as compared to the other children that show up. We normally take approximately 20 developmental swimmers a year. This is our beginning program where development of Freestyle, the breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly strokes are taught. Children in our higher levels are taken based on space availability and skill.

Q-What type of commitment is expected? A developmental swimmer is expected to be at practice 3 days per week. The hours can vary from M-W (7-8 PM) and Saturday (4-5 PM) or Tue.-Thurs. (7-8 PM) and Saturday (4-5 PM). All practices are 1 hour.  In addition, your child may be entered into several swim meets during the year, which are held on the weekends. These are full 1/2 day commitments. A high level of commitment is expected from both swimmer and parents.

Q-How much does this cost? The fee for a developmental swimmer is $1,400.00 for the year. A swim season is 11 months (September-July). Based on approximately 48 weeks at 3 hours a week (this may vary slightly based on school vacation schedules and conflicts with High School Varsity meets).  This cost is slightly more than $6.00 an hour. Your child is coached by a paid professional, not a volunteer. In addition, the club pays for meet entry fees for your child and the coaching time for their participation at meets. Although the cost is higher than other options such as beginning soccer and Little League Baseball, the relative time involved makes swimming the best sports deal in town.

Q-Are there any other costs? Our club is a NON PROFIT organization and run by a NON PAID parent board. Fund raising is a necessary component in order to keep the dues at a reasonable level.   Each swimmer may be required to raise $100 dollars.   Other costs include the purchase of a team swim suit, goggles and team uniform. A good estimate is approximately $140.00, however you will probably purchase several pair of goggles ($5.00) during the course of the year and practice bathing suits.

Q-What organization is the Team Suffolk:  Half Hollow Hills Swim Club a part of? We are a member of  United States Swimming. This is the organization that oversees a nationwide group of local swim clubs and regional organizations. US Swimming is also the governing body over our Olympic team. In addition, the Half Hollow Hills swim club is a part of Team Suffolk which is a group of teams from Suffolk County that creates more of a national recognition factor. This allows member clubs to produce a relay team to represent us at a national event when individually our swimmers would not have achieved the times needed to make the meet.

Q-How good a team is Team Suffolk:  Half Hollow Hills? We have been in existence for 25 years and during that time we have been known for our swimmers achieving top 16 national times by age group, zone and sectional champions, 8 & under champions and Olympic trial qualifiers. Our team is the reigning Suffolk County Swimming Champions and the Suffolk County Relay Carnival Champions.

More importantly, our kids are winners in life. Each year we have graduating seniors that attend the most competitive colleges whether or not they continue to swim in college. Among our most recent graduates are students at Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Wesleyan University, Brandeis, Boston College, Amherst College, Notre Dame, Trinity, Case Western Reserve, Stanford, Carnegie Melon, Cornell, Dartmouth, and the Naval Academy.  Many of our swimmers are on both athletic and academic scholarships at Division 1 schools. We are very proud of our alumni who come back to visit us regularly and continue to practice with us during their school breaks.

Q-Do you do more than swim? We have two major parties a year. One during the December Holiday season which all family members are eligible to attend and our end of year awards banquet usually held on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.  Both events are wonderful affairs held at places like the Crest Hollow County Club, Huntington Hilton, and the Melville Marriott.  Other Ad hoc events have included a bus trip to Great Adventure, bowling outings and in past years, white water rafting.

Q-Where are the meets held? There are several locations, however the developmental swimmers will usually have meets at pools in Hauppauge, Ward Melville and Connetquot High Schools, Stony Brook University and the Goodwill Games pool at Eisenhower park. Swimmers in our more advanced programs attend meets at Rutgers University and other venues such as West Point.

Q-Do the swimmers train at the same location year round? Our swimmers swim the short course season (25 yard/meter indoor season) for 10 months at our home pool at the Half Hollow Hills Natatorium located next to the HHH West High School on Wolf Hill Road in Dix Hills. We also have a short (4-6 week) summer long course season (50 meter outdoor pool) held at Hidden Pond Park in Hauppauge. This is usually from the first week of June until approximately August 1st.

Q-What about the coaches? The coaching staff is a strength and heart of our team. Our Head Coach, John Pisano, has over 2 decades of experience.  Our Assistant Coaches are uniquely qualified and bring years of diverse experience and talent.  The coaching staff is among the most stable in the field, which has enabled our club to sustain its unparalleled success over our 25 year of existence.

Q-Why should my child and I want to make this level of commitment? There are several reasons. The biggest have little to do with swimming. Our kids learn and experience the discipline and self confidence of making it happen in the pool each day. This sense of achievement prepares them for the challenges they face during their elementary school years and beyond. The friendships they make at our club are life long and the positive influence of our coaches is another key element in their overall life foundation. Your necessary involvement as parents tends to ensure that our children are in a healthy and positive environment. Since all the kids at our club have involved parents, they tend to be better kids, although this is not a guarantee, these are  certainly the surroundings that we want our kids to be in. Our children become part of a big swim family.  Like all families, there can be disagreements.  However, we all tend to come together when an extended family member needs us.  If you become a member of the Half Hollow Hills Swim Club, you will become much more than a family involved in your child's sport, but rather a part of a wonderful program that breeds athletic, academic and overall well rounded success.

 

Level	#Practices/week
Developmental	3
Intermediate	5
Junior Elite	5
Elite	6