Big Spring Aquatic Club is a 501(c)(7) non-profit cooperative organization with an elected Board of Directors. Our club is and has been governed by USA Swimming, the Central Pennsylvania Aquatic League (CPAL) and the Capital Area Swim League (CASL), and the surrounding communities for over 35 years, providing summer and winter programs for athletes.

Our objective is to direct the swimming and diving activities of the Big Spring Aquatic Club (BSAC) as a year round club.

The purpose of the program is to provide instruction and desirable competition through individual effort and team cooperation as well as to promote sportsmanship with additional higher level of instruction and competition including USA membership. The program was designed to be a “feeder program” for the Big Spring High School Swimming and Diving Team or other area High School Swimming and Diving Teams.

Our season dates (approximate) are:

Winter – mid October through February

Summer – April through July

Registration is open for a limited time before each season.  Our seasons are:

Winter – opens September, Season starts October

Summer – opens April, Season starts May

Registration dates vary depending on league requirements but we normally open registration about a month prior to the start of the season and close registration about a month into each season.  Swimmers sign up for a season (not a year).  So a swimmer must register two times in a calendar year to be part of the club.

Check the Register link on the main BSAC website to find out if registration is currently open.

Our club does offer a “trial period” of  two weeks.  The trial registration fees are applied to the full registration if the swimmer opts to continue with the club.

Athletes 18 years old and younger (age is defined by an “age up date” –  Summer league: June 1 and Winter league: December 1).

8 years old and under swimmers:

Young athletes who can swim the length of the pool (25 yards), unassisted, are eligible to join our 8U team. Improving freestyle and backstroke techniques are our primary focus. Swimmers are eligible to compete at meets once they are comfortable.

9 years old and up swimmers:

All new and returning swimmers must be able to swim two lengths of the pool (50 yards), unassisted, using freestyle and backstroke OR must have completed Level III Red Cross swimming lessons.

Note… no residence jurisdiction is required to participate.  We often have swimmers from surrounding school districts/towns come be part of our club!

All new swimmers will be assessed prior to admittance onto the team.  If the coaching staff determines your child is not able to be successful at this time due to a need for fundamental swimming lessons or due to age/strength, your registration will be refunded and you will be referred to a local swim lessons program for further development.

If your swimmer’s abilities assess so that they can meet the minimum requirements to begin participating, our coaches work to further develop your swimmer’s abilities, strength, and confidence.

The mission of the coaching staff is to enable the members of the Big Spring Aquatic Club to develop the physical skills and character values necessary to become successful athletes and citizens.

The primary training goal of BSAC is to produce swimmers and divers of all levels who are technically and conditionally sound athletes. The BSAC coaching staff share the overarching goals and philosophies, but each group’s coach is given autonomy in how he or she chooses to implement this philosophy.

The general goals of the coaching staff designed to realize this mission include, but are not limited to:

• Develop proper stroke mechanics at an early age.
• Teach and emphasize good sportsmanship.
• Increase self-esteem and motivation.
• Encourage hard work, goal setting, and goal achievement.
• Instill the values of dedication, self-discipline, commitment, and team loyalty.
• Encourage swimmers and divers to strive for excellence throughout their participation in our program and to provide a structured and challenging teaching and training environment for our swimmers and divers to reach their maximum potentials.

Our club focuses on developing young swimmers to want to be great swimmers of the future.

The purpose of the program is to provide instruction and desirable competition through individual effort and team cooperation as well as to promote sportsmanship with additional higher level of instruction and competition including USA membership.

The program was designed to be a “feeder program” for the Big Spring High School Swimming and Diving Team or other area High School Swimming and Diving Teams.

We do have swim meets during the season and a post-season of meets to provide for competition that will allow the swimmers to assess their individual development.

We stress that the importance of the individuals improvements to both technique, strength, and speed result in improved times being posted for the swimmer regardless of meet placement.

Practice times vary depending on the swim season and we ask that you consult the team Calendar for details.

In general…

8 and under swimmers practice from 5:15 pm to 6:30 pm two days a week.  8 and under practice days are sometimes limited during the week depending on coach staffing.

9 and over swimmers practice from 5:15 pm to 7:00 pm three or more days a week.

Boys:

  • jammer suit -or- swim trunks (note trunks will limit the swimmer)

Girls:

  • One pieces suit without any ties, etc.  Streamlined one piece suits with shoulder straps are preferred.

All:

  • Goggles (multiple pair – they break)
  • Towel(s)
  • Flip-flops, etc for walking outside of the pool
  • Water bottle

Suggested supplies are available for purchase from SwimOutlet

  • Team suit (one of a few identified)
  • Goggles (multiple pair – they break)
  • Towel(s)
  • Flip-flops, etc for walking outside of the pool
  • Sweatshirt, etc to keep warm between events
  • Water bottle, money for concessions, etc

Suggested supplies are available for purchase from SwimOutlet

Individual Events

Place Points Scored
1 6
2 4
3 3
4 2
5 1
6+ 0

Relay Events

Place Points Scored
1 8
2 4
3 2
4+ 0
    • note: one team can not sweep relay events

Individual Events – 3

Maximum Entries per Dual Meet – 4

Note… this means a swimmer may swim in 1 or more relays – but up to a total of 4 total events.

Championship meets have a limit of 3 events per swimmer in whatever combination.