EvaluATIONS
Gators Evaluations
The Gators is a year-round competitive swim team, and our team holds evaluations a few times a year - usually in the early fall and late winter. If you are reading this message our evaluations are either fully registered or we currently do not have evaluations scheduled.
If your swimmer is new to the swim team experience, please read below for information about our team and resources for your swimmer while you wait for our next round of evaluations. If our program is still of interest to your swimmer and family, please contact us to be added to our notification list. We will email you when our next round of evaluations is scheduled.
If your swimmer is already swimming on a team and looking to transfer, please contact us for more information.
About Evaluations:
Coaches evaluate all swimmers in groups and determine which skill group will be the best fit for each swimmer. Practice times vary based on swim group and can change during the year based on pool availability. You can read more about our team structure here.
Please note that attending evaluations is not a guarantee that your swimmer will be invited to join the team. If your swimmer is not yet ready for the team, we will recommend resources to boost their skills and/or endurance.
Evaluation Requirements:
To qualify for evaluations, swimmers must already meet the following criteria:
- Is 5+ years old.
- Is both water safe and comfortable in the water.
- Is able to swim the length of a 25 yard pool (length of the Encinal High School Pool) in freestyle while side breathing comfortably.
Your swimmer must be able to make it from one end of the pool to the other without stopping.
- Has some basic knowledge of backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly strokes.
If your swimmer does not meet the tryout requirements - or if your swimmer wants to build skills while waiting for the next round of evaluations - we recommend the ARPD stroke school to perfect your swimmer's strokes and/or build endurance.
For more advanced swimmers - or for swimmers who want to test out the experience of being on a team before joining the Gators - we recommend the ARPD introduction to swim team camp that is offered in the summer.
Family Requirements:
The Gators is a competitive swim team - not a recreational swim team - and parent involvement is an important and required part of our team.
Please review our welcome document to be sure your family can meet our team requirements.
If you have any questions, please contact us at memberships@alamedagators.org.