LIAC'S MISSION STATEMENT   

           
“To Compete Well on any Level”
and to
“Provide an Environment where Champions are Inevitable”
           

PHILOSPHY

The primary aim of LIAC’s aquatic program is to provide the highest quality instruction and training for all levels.  The program is based upon teaching enjoyment through accomplishment.  From the Learn to Swim Program to the National Team, LIAC is geared towards setting realistic goals and learning how to accomplish them.  To be able to share that goal with a success oriented team is an outstanding opportunity for any young athlete.

Our “pyramid of success” has been adapted from the great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden and is printed below:

LEARNING to COMPETE with LIAC

“To teach our athletes how to be Champions in the pool and in life.

Swimmers in Long Island Swimming’s programs have the opportunity to compete in a variety of meets during their swimming careers. Our athletes begin their competitive experience in the LIAC Mini Meets. As they progress Long Island Aquatic Club (LIAC) athletes will compete in local meets. These are sponsored by our USA Swimming Local Swim Committee- Metropolitan Swimming. At the Age Group and Senior levels of LIAC many swimmers will earn the right to compete with the team at Travel meets outside of our LSC. Our swimmers will compete in places up and down the east coast and even across the country. Each level of competition is designed with the swimmer in mind to encourage the athlete’s development and a positive experience with the sport. The LIAC Mini Meets are a fun and friendly way to introduce swimmers to the competitive side of the sport. Children experience the excitement of a swim meet in a relatively controlled and familiar environment. They have the opportunity to race their peers of similar abilities. This first encounter with the success that their hard work accomplishes is invaluable. Children in all three of our stroke clinics are invited and encouraged to attend these events.

When athletes get the “swimming bug” they develop an appetite for the challenges and rewards the sport offers. LIAC’s competitive programs compete in USA Swimming Meets in the Metropolitan area. The competitions allow both the athlete and the coach to gage the swimmer’s progress. Improvements measured during these competitions help swimmers become goal setting and achievement oriented individuals. LIAC swimmers learn to be responsible for their own success. At this level coaches will decide which meets are valuable to the swimmers and how often they should compete. Swimmers should plan to attend as many of the meets they are able to. Meets during the season create opportunities for the swimmers to reach USA Swimming time standards and qualify for end of the season championship competitions. These meets serve as reward for their hard work and dedication. The swimmers learn the value of preparation and perseverance as they train for these competitions all year long. When a child qualifies for a championship meet every effort should be made to attend.

At LIAC we believe swimmers should attend the highest level of competition where they can be competitive. As much as qualifying for a meet is important, being successful or challenged in that environment is just as important. When they reach the upper levels of our program LIAC swimmers will be invited to Travel to competitions a little farther from home. They learn to compete in new environments, against different competitors and under unusual circumstances. Swimmers also learn to plan ahead, complete assignments and take tests in advance. This life lesson teaches LIAC swimmers how to manage their time and prioritize their responsibilities. Ultimately learning to compete away from home is one of the things that enable LIAC athletes to be so successful at high level competitions like the US Junior and Senior Nationals, US Open, and Olympic Trials.
At LIAC our mission is to create an environment where champions are inevitable. Our coaches value the importance of competing at the appropriate level for the child’s physical and mental maturity. LIAC athletes are successful in and out of the pool as a result of the patient and methodical approach we take towards both training and competition.

TEAM PERFORMANCE GOALS

-     Place among the top 10 teams at the Junior National Championships.

-     Place among the top 10 club teams at the Senior National Championships.

-     Be selected as a USA Swimming Gold Medal Club in the national club excellence program.

-     Regularly place swimmers on USA Swimming National Teams.