FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why should my child swim?
A: There are many benefits to getting your child involved in competitive swimming, including:
- Swimming promotes physical development.
- Swimming develops aerobic endurance and is one of the most beneficial forms of cardiovascular exercise.
- Swimming enhances a child’s natural flexibility and promotes muscle development.
- Swimming develops superior coordination
- Swimming is the most injury-free of all children’s sports.
- Swimming is a sport that will bring children fitness and enjoyment for life.
- Swimming promotes time management and is one of the top academically achieving sports.
- Swimming is an important safety skill for young children.
Q: What is the swim team and why would I want my child to participate?
A: It’s FUN! It’s great exercise. It builds confidence. Swim team is a great way for your child to meet other kids in the neighborhood and for you to meet other parents.
Q: What strokes do swimmers use in competition?
A: Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. It is okay if they don't know all four strokes perfectly. Having the ability to swim freestyle and backstroke within the minimum times, is a requirement to be on the team.
Q: Is there an age requirement and what swimming strokes does my child need to know to join the team?
A: If your child is six (6) years old by June 1st or completed a full year of 1st grade, can meet the minimum assessment requirements and has a basic understanding of the breaststroke and/or butterfly, then he/she may be ready to be a part of the swim team.
Q: What is an assessment?
A: An assessment is an evaluation done by our coaching staff that will help place the swimmer in the group that will match their age and ability level as well as determine if the swimmer is ready for swim team. Each swimmer is different and may or may not be ready. The assessment will last about 10 minutes.
Q: What should my child wear to the assessment?
A: Swimmers should come ready to swim with a swimsuit (no bikinis), goggles (mandatory), swim cap (optional), and a towel. They will have a chance to warm up. If your child is especially anxious about the assessment, please let us know. We have a few tricks up our sleeve to make it less stressful.
Q: I just want my child to learn how to swim better. Do they have to swim in competition?
A: We are a recreational but competitive swim team, and swimming at meets is part of what we do. We like to use competition as a way to evaluate a swimmer’s progress using many different criteria, not just technique. For those who have never competed before, we do our best to make it fun. Most kids find that what, at first seems scary, is actually a lot of fun.
Q: How can I join the Mills Farm Mustangs Swim Team?
A: If you are a Mills Farm resident in good standing, or a returning non-resident, you can be a part of the team as long as there is space in the age group of your swimmer.
Private Swim Lessons
Some of our coaches offer private swim lessons. Prior to the start of the season, online lesson signups will become available on this website. To register for lessons, just click on the "private swim lessons" button on the home page.
Private lessons with non-resident swim team members are absolutely fine, but cannot be done at the Mills Farm pool. Please feel free to work out an alternate location with the coach.
