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What is RAYS?
Rapids Area YMCA Swimmers (RAYS) is the premier YMCA/USA Swimming club in West Michigan. Since 1990 RAYS has provided swimmers with professional coaching and personal development. As a member of both YMCA and USA Swimming, RAYS members have access to the best the competitive swimming world has to offer. Key to our success as a club and our athletes’ success in and out of the pool is our focus on personal development through the sport of swimming. Our "Live Well. Swim Fast." motto guides our coaching staff and parent board of directors as we strive to: improve each swimmer’s quality of life, instill the core values of the YMCA and inspire excellence in the sport of swimming. We offer a competitive swim program for age group and college aged swimmers. a pre-competitive swim program, a masters team for adults and clinics throughout the year.
What is the mission of RAYS?
To improve each swimmer’s quality of life
We achieve this by introducing kids to the only true lifetime sport: swimming, by providing positive experiences with exercise, nutrition and hydration. We also help to improve young people’s lives by providing a positive group to belong to and opportunities to increase personal responsibility and self-confidence.
To instill the core values of the YMCA
Responsibility…for your own performance
Respect…for coaches, officials and competitors
Caring…for teammates
Honesty…in effort
To inspire excellence in the sport of swimming
We do this through providing swimmers with a staff of caring, well-educated and experienced coaches and by providing swimmers with a variety of competitive experiences through our affiliation with YMCA Swimming and USA Swimming.
What criteria do I have to meet to join RAYS?
Basic swimming skills are necessary to enjoy swimming as a competitive sport. The best way to find out how you fit into RAYS is to stop by for an evaluation. Please contact us to set up an appointment.
To enjoy the pre-team classes, swimmers should be able to complete a width of the pool unassisted on their front and back.
8&Under competitive swimmers must be able to complete 25 yards of freestyle and backstroke.
9&Over competitive swimmers must be able to complete 25 yards of freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.
What equipment will my swimmer need?
Swimmers need equipment based on the chart below.
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rubber fins
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Finis snorkel
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Finis Streamline board
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TYR Catch Paddles
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pull bouy
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PC
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NA
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PGI
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yes
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yes
(recommend velcro version)
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PGII
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yes
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yes
(recommend jr. snorkel or velcro version)
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yes
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PGIII
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yes
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yes
(recommend jr. or adult version)
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yes
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yes
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PGIV/HS
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yes
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yes
(recommend adult version)
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yes
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yes
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yes
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What is the Pre-Team?
The Pre-Team services swimmers who wish to develop the skills to enjoy swimming as a sport, but do not yet meet the criteria to join their competitive age group. Swimmers who wish to join the Pre-Team will be evaluated and placed either into our fundamentals series or our stroke development series. Upon successful completion of the pre-team levels, swimmers will be able to join their competitive groups.
What are the competitive groups?
RAYS has 4 competitive age groups: 6 - 8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13 and over.
What is masters?
Masters is a swim team for adults.
What memberships does my swimmer need to join RAYS?
YMCA
Each member of the RAYS team, with the exception of pre-competitive and masters swimmers, must maintain a YMCA membership for the duration of the season. Membership options vary so please visit the front desk of the Southeast YMCA to initiate or extend your membership. It is not necessary for the whole family to be members at the Y. Only the athlete is required to have a Y membership.
Memberships at the YMCA are required for two primary reasons: 1) the membership gives our swimmers access to the pool 11 hours per week.. Y membership also gives our athletes access to YMCA swim meets such as our own MC Sports Classic in November, home dual or quad meets, conference, 8 & Under State, 9 & Over State, Zone and national level competitions.
Each swim team member will have a photo ID card to show upon entry to the YMCA. Swimmers, like the other YMCA members, are expected to follow this procedure as well as treat the locker rooms and pool with respect. Please speak with your swimmer about proper behavior at the YMCA. Please consult the YMCA when determining whether to close your Y account or freeze it between seasons.
USA Swimming
Each RAYS member is also a member of USA Swimming. This fee is included in your registration fees. A USA Swimming membership provides swimmers with access to USA Swimming meets, a Splash Magazine subscription, entry into the SWIMS database for competitive time collection and access to numerous resources on the usaswimming,org website. Because of our club and swimmer membership with USA Swimming, RAYS is also provided with insurance coverage and a myriad of support and recognition programs.
What kind of meets do RAYS swim in?
RAYS is the only competitive swim club in the greater Grand Rapids area which gives its swimmers access to both USA Swimming meets and YMCA Swimming meets.
Dual/Tri/Quad Meets: These types of meets are held in during a half day (4-5 hrs) and involve a relatively small number of teams and swimmers compared to invitationals.
Invitationals: These meets are usually held over a weekend and involve several teams and sometimes hundreds of swimmers. Invitationals offer more event variety than a dual or quad meet.
Championship Meets: Both USA Swimming and YMCA Swimming offer a series of championship meets from local to national level.
What do RAYS expect in terms of volunteering and fundraising?
Parents/family members are expected to volunteer at all home swim meets.
There are a variety of ways families help to raise funds for RAYS. Efforts such as concessions donations and corporate sponsorships help to keep fees low and support financial aid.
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