Sunkist Mission
Developing champions in life through excellence in swimming.
Philosphy
Sunkist Swim Team and its coaches subscribe to a philosophy of teaching and training that provides for maximum long-term performances for its swimmers both in and out of the pool. Sunkist’s philosophy revolves around the concept that children be placed in an environment that is best suited for them to learn and retain knowledge that can be used in the future. We believe that there are no good or bad swimmers, but rather a wonderful variety of swimmers who are at various levels of development. Our program places swimmers in different training groups based on a variety of factors that include age, ability, maturity, performance, commitiment and attitude. We hope to provide a successful developmental experience for all our swimmers.
The center of Sunkist’s coaching philosophy resides with the building of an aerobic base while teaching proper skills and mechanics. Swimmers of all ages are taught proper stroke technique and drills from the start. The retention of these techniques is key throughout each and every group in the progression of our program. At the same time, the capacity to train is increased as we add to the aerobic base of each individual through the types of training and interval sets each group performs in daily practices. Sunkist's successful training program is IM-based, providing a balanced progression and proper development of all strokes.
Leadership and accountability are two essential "life skills" important to our program which Sunkist strives to develop in its athletes. As swimmers progress they are given more and more responsibility for their goals and commitment to achieving these goals. Swimmers learn self-discipline, time management, sportsmanship and goal setting - important lessons that prepare them for life beyond swimming.
What To Look For In Youth Sports
When choosing a sport for their child, parents will sift through the wealth of available choices to find those that provide the greatest benefits. How can you evaluate what your child’s needs are as they’re growing? Here are some hints:
1. The most important of all is aerobic fitness for increased work capacity and a slower heart rate.
2. Children also need to safely build strength for the ability to easily meet all of life’s physical challenges.
3. Flexibility for easy movement of all the major joints and limbs. Children are born with natural suppleness but begin to lose it in adolescence.
4. Sports should teach coordination, the basis for skillful, graceful movement.
5. Through sports, children should begin to develop an appreciation for a healthy lifestyle.
6. The most important key to a child’s having good experiences in youth sports is the qualifications and experience of the coach.
Why Is Swimming A Winner?
With all the sports and activities that children have to choose from today, why select swimming?
USA Swimming's age group swimming program is America’s largest program of guided fitness activity for children. Age group swimming builds a strong foundation for a lifetime of good health by teaching healthy fitness habits.
Many pediatricians recommend swimming as the VERY BEST developmental activity for children. Why do doctors like it so much?
- Swimming develops high quality aerobic endurance; the most important key to physical fitness. In other sports, an hour of practice may yield as little as 10 minutes of meaningful exercise. Age group swimming teams use every precious minute of practice time developing fitness and teaching skills.
- Swimming does a better job in proportional muscular development by using all the body’s major muscle groups. No other sport does this as well.
- Swimming enhances children’s natural flexibility (at a time when they ordinarily begin to lose it) by exercising all their major joints through a full range of motion.
- Swimming helps develop superior coordination because it requires combinations of complex movements of all parts of the body, enhancing harmonious muscle function, grace and fluidity of movement.
- Swimming is the most injury free of all children’s sports.
- Swimming is a sport that will bring children fitness and enjoyment for life. Participants in Master’s Swimming programs are still training and racing well into their 80’s.
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