Posted on: May 12, 2017

Young swimmers who want to get involved this season with the Glen Ellyn Park District’s Gators Swim Team, please take note: the registration deadline is Tuesday, May 30.

The Gators Swim Team competes in the West Suburban Swim Conference A and B swim meets throughout the summer.

“It’s designed to teach the kids what it’s like to be on a swim team and also improve their strokes and learn how to compete,” said Kathleen Esposito, Glen Ellyn Park District Superintendent of Recreation. “It’s designed to be a summer recreational, fun activity that instills the love of swimming.”

The program does not include lessons and is for swimmers ages 7 through 18 who have demonstrated a basic level of proficiency. Children age 7 and 8 must be able to comfortably swim one pool length using a freestyle stroke and one pool length with a backstroke. Children 9 and older must be able to swim two pool lengths using freestyle and backstroke.

Spots for children ages 7-10 have filled, but openings remain for children ages 11 and older. Please visit https://gepark.org/aquatics for registration information.

Fees for the summer-long swim team are $160 for residents and $240 for nonresidents. For an additional child in the same family, the fee is $150. Fees include staff coaches, team apparel and league fees. There is an additional fee for team swimsuits.

Parents are required to work at two home meets and two away meets. Esposito said the meets are held at Sunset Pool in Glen Ellyn, where daily weekday practices are held, and at park district pools in the following towns: Clarendon Hills, Lemont, Lisle, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Western Springs and Wheaton.

Before the season gets underway, there are some preliminary events.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18, there will be a new parent orientation and swim suit sale at Spring Avenue Recreation Center, 501 Hill Ave., Glen Ellyn. A parents’ manual will be available.

A practice swim meet is set for 7 a.m. Sunday, June 4.

Esposito, who ran the program for almost 20 years before turning it over to Dustin Kleefisch, aquatics supervisor, said the program has grown. When she began, she said, about 50 children participated. These days, there are about 300 children involved with the Gators Swim Team.

For younger swimmers, those in the 5-7 age range, there’s a Gators Pre-Team class that meets 20 times from June 5 through July 6. Esposito said children in this program must be able to swim one pool length freestyle. This program helps young swimmers develop their swim strokes and build endurance, she said.

POSTED: 5/12/17