Program areas at SJAC
In addition to teaching swim technique and water safety, the Club strives to teach its participants skills that they can carry with them outside of the pool to live active healthy lives. The Club swims at the brand-new nl Aquatic center in voorhees, new Jersey and is divided into five programs: (1) sjac swim smart lessons, (2) competitive swim team, (3) non-competitive swim team, (4) master's swim team, and (5) special needs swim program. Each of the programs is described in detail below. 1. The sjac swim smart lessons the sjac swim smart lessons are geared toward the competitive swimmer. We combine individual coaching with modern technology to improve the efficiency of each stroke. With the use of underwater cameras, swim analysis software, and an endless pool, we are able to analyze and correct the individual's from every angle 2. The competitive swim team the competitive swim team is a usa swimming competitive team started by peter holcroft, an asca (american swim coaches association) level 4 swim coach. Since starting the competitive team in the fall of 2015, the team has grown to over 615 swimmers, the largest in the mid-atlantic region, and top 30 Club teams in the usa. Peter has been coaching competitive swim teams and running lesson programs for almost 30 years throughout the South Jersey community. He ran several ymca teams that were ranked among the top 75 teams nationwide (see pete holcroft bio for more information). Peter is the founder and president of sjac and also coaches the platinum national program. Peter based his team's training what he learned through his own competitive swimming career that balancing a medium amount of swim yardage with targeted dry-land training prevented swimmers from burning out too early and allowed them to extend their competitive swim careers. This philosophy has proven successful and has produced swimmers who have gone on to olympic trials, successful college competitive swimming careers, and the us national swim team. The Club recognizes that not all swimmers have the desire to compete on a national level and has developed programs to accommodate everyone. Younger swimmers are divided into groups by age and skill level, bronze being the youngest group, then silver, gold, and gold select. All swimmers are encouraged to compete in every stroke at a variety of distances because it teaches them to conquer their fears, instills confidence, and encourages them to attempt all strokes instead of limiting themselves to one. As the swimmers get into high school, they are divided by skill and commitment to the sport. Those who are looking for a more disciplined program and to compete on a national level move into the national/platinum group. The senior group is for high school swimmers who may play other sports and swim in the off season, are just looking to compete and stay in shape, or just love to swim competitively but are not able to make the commitment of the platinum group 3. The non-competitive swim team the non-competitive, or sjac ii team, began in the fall of 2015 for several reasons. The Club recognizes a need to offer a program without the swim meet commitment of the competitive swim team. The Club also wanted to offer younger swimmers an introduction to the world of competitive swimming. Swimmers in our bronze or silver group may attend up to four practices/week. They are encouraged to attend monthly swim meets, however, those meets are not required. We also offer a senior group for high school athletes. Finally, we have 2 developmental teams for different age groups that combine swim lessons (to develop correct swim technique) and team training (to encourage swimmers through their piers). 4. The masters team the masters team started in the fall of 2016. The masters team operates under and is registered with us masters swimming. This group is for adult athletes over the age of 18. Many individuals on the masters team are former college swimmers looking for a coached program to stay in shape, while others are looking to improve their technique in order to compete in triathlons or cross-fit competitions. For everyone on the masters team, it is a reason to socialize with other adults with similar interests. The Club welcomes any one over the age of 18 on the master team, regardless of skill level. 5. The special needs programs the Club began its special needs programming in the fall of 2016 after running a trial program in august with the camden county department of events and community outreach providing group lessons to individuals with disabilities. The special needs program mainly consists of the special olympics swim team (the sjac gators). The Club brought on several coaches who are trained to work with individuals with special needs and have specialized in aquatics. The Club strives to go beyond traditional special needs programming by not only encouraging its special needs swimmers to participate, but to improve. In addition to working with camden county department of events, the Club has also developed a partnership with camden county partnership for children. The Club's special needs program now has over 45 participants, one of the largest in the state. Twenty swimmers have already signed up to be special olympians, many of the Club's coaches and instructors will be volunteering their time for the team, and the Club's platinum and senior competitive swimmers have agreed to be part of a swim buddy program where they will be each paired with a special olympian to work with, inspire and be inspired by, throughout the season. Due to the pandemic, special olympics swim season, which goes from january to june, was cancelled in january of 2021, so there was not much of a special needs program during fy21.the Club aspires to create a family atmosphere amongst all the five programs. Almost every one of the coaches currently with the Club left their prior teams to follow pete holcroft when he started this team at the Club in 2015. Many of them were former swimmers of his who loved the philosophy and the atmosphere he created so much that they have come back to coach for him as adults. Although the Club's teams are split into groups, each group has several team bonding events throughout the season, including two group events at the beginning and end of the season.