Dominion Hills Swim Team

Evaluations for prospective Mini Swimmers will be held in May 2023.  At the evaluations your swimmer will be asked to demonstrate his/her freestyle and backstroke, so he/she should come prepared to swim.

Should your swimmer attend an evaluation?

• If your young swimmer is 8yrs old or younger and is new to swim team he/she should attend one of the evaluations.
• If your swimmer was in the Minis group last year, he/she should also attend one of the evaluations to ensure proper placement this season.

We ask that you signup ahead of time for the evaluations.  If possible, please let coaches know which evaluation you plan to attend using the signup genius link. 

The Mini Ducklings are the youngest members of the swim team. They are swimmers that are interested in joining the swim team but might not yet be able to tolerate a practice that consists of swimming up and down the lanes for an extended period of time.

Young swimmers wishing to be Mini Ducklings are evaluated by the coach to determine if they have the basic skills needed to join.  This is not a swim lesson program, so basic swimming skills are required.  Check the team schedule for Mini Ducklings evaluation dates.

We stress this is an evaluation and not a tryout.  Any swimmer capable of swimming the length of the pool is eligible to be assessed and placed in the Duckling program or on the main team. Those swimmers who are not quite ready are referred to the DH swim lesson program and encouraged to return the following year to be evaluated again for the Mini Ducklings program.

A parent should be present at the evaluation session and your child will be asked to demonstrate their ability to swim. The kids will get in the lap pool near the baby pool side, close to the wall. Each child will swim one at a time. They will first be asked to swim freestyle as far as they can go (but not more than one length). They will then be allowed a short break before being asked to swim the back stroke (again not more than one length). Since they are being evaluated for the minis program we expect many may not be able to swim a full lap of either stroke. Neither you nor they should be upset if they can't swim the length of the pool.  Coaches will be evaluating things such as basic swim ability, ability to side-breathe in freestyle, use some modicum of technique (i.e. not dog-paddling) and endurance.  Although the pool is heated the water may be cool, which may also be a surprise to some young swimmers.

Mini Swim Practice: Monday - Thursday, May 30 - June 16

Bluebills group 7:00-7:30pm 

Mallards group 7:30pm-8:00pm 

Once Arlington County elementary schools are out for the summer, all practices move to the following morning schedule and are held Monday through Friday

Summer Practice Schedule June 19-July 17th

Mini Swimmers:

Bluebills group 7:15-7:45am 

Mallards group 7:45-8:15am