Hello, Tiger Swimmers and Families! 

I wanted to share some news about a new middle school (grades 6- 8) swimming program we have added at the high school where I am head coach, St. John XXIII College Preparatory (SJ23) on Franz Road. It is a new team, Big Cat Aquatic Team (BCAT) which is a member of the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) of the United States (see below). This is the original organization that all of our USA club swimming programs developed from. We already have Tiger Swim Club participation on BCAT, and I'd like to invite you to consider joining us. Let me share the details! 

We swim during the scheduled practice time of the SJ23 swim team, almost always at Morton Ranch High School (MRHS), in separate lanes and doing our own BCAT practice, 500-615pm. We have practices scheduled Mon-Thur, but BCAT participants can choose to take part 2-, 3-, or 4-days per week. Fees are much less expensive (averaging 50% less!) than local swim clubs or swim schools, approximately $5 per participation hour. The BCAT swimmers get much more attention and stroke work than at almost any club practice, and they get me as their coach! We do some dryland conditioning to start every day, some general kicking and swimming (sometimes with FINS!) for warm-up and aerobic conditioning, and lots of stroke correction, as well as working on turns and dives. 

We are just now finishing up our first session (28 total practice dates) which ends Dec 16. Session 2 has 30 practice dates and runs Jan 4-Feb 24. Session 3 has 28 practice dates and runs Feb 28-Mar 10 and Mar 28-April 28 (we're off for a mid-session break Mar 14-24). Because summer team season will be starting at or around the beginning of May, we expect to fill our Session 3 rosters quickly. Swimmers already in Session 2 will be given priority enrollment for Session 3. 

This is not learn-to-swim or swim lessons, but is designed and will most benefit swimmers who already can swim most of the strokes legally and competently. We offer a free tryout to assess and evaluate the swimmer's current ability, and if they pass, they can enroll online with us. One of the great advantages and selling points for BCAT is that we are not going to tire the swimmers out every single day, we are not going to charge families expensive "registration" fees or require mandatory "volunteering", we do not go to meets every few weeks during the school year like most club teams do, we swim INDOORS, and we are not going to drain your wallet with high training fees. We are affordable, fun, and we accomplish a LOT. There is a nominal BCAT registration fee of $25 but that includes a t-shirt and a swim cap (available in January). The National AAU registration fee (which includes insurance; contact me if you would like details) through August 31 is only $16 (compare to local Gulf Swimming registration fees for swimmers of $50-81 a year), plus the individual swim club registration fees, plus monthly fees that can range from $140-$160 per month. 

Our session (not monthly) fees are as follows: 2 days per week, $80-100 (depends on number of days offered) 3 days per week, $120-$145 (most popular) All 4 days, $150-$185 We'd be delighted to have you come by and observe, but bring your suit if you'd like to try out between 600-615pm any day Mon-Thur. Email me first if you have questions or would like to discuss anything, you can reach me at [email protected] 

Thanks for reading, hope we can be of help and see you at the pool before next summer season! 

CoachA 

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