Junior & Youth Otters
Overview
Many young swimmers are excited about competitive swimming but may feel intimidated by the advanced skills they see.
The Junior Otters program is designed to teach new swimmers the fundamental skills needed to progress to the Youth Otters level. In both programs, swimmers will learn the basics of all four competitive strokes: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle. They will also practice flip turns, open turns, dives, back starts, underwater skills, and buoyancy.
Children aged 6 to 12 who can swim 25 meters without assistance and are comfortable putting their heads in the water may join.
Junior Otters do not need to attend swim meets, but we encourage them to participate in one at-home meet. Junior Otters practice for 1.5 hours per week. The only required equipment is caps and goggles.
Youth Otters must be registered with Swimming Canada to compete year-round. Families interested in this must request it through their coaches. Youth Otters practice for 3 hours per week.
Swimmers under 13 need a YMCA Access Pass to use the pool, available at the Brockville and Area YMCA front desk. Swimmers 13 and older must be full YMCA members.
For more details, please refer to the Parent Handbook.
If interested in joining, please book a Try-out and introductory meeting with our Head Coach.
Requirements
*Swimmers must be in good standing with the YMCA.
Competition Requirements
All invited to our end-of-season home meet: Splash & Grill.
Optional meets for Registered Competitive Junior & Youth.
Equipment Requirements
Goggles & Swim Cap
Hours per week
1.5 & 3 hrs
Session Start
September
Session End
June
Weeks per session
Full Season
Fees and Family Commitments
When registering for Junior or Youth Otter, season-long sessions, you also become a member of the swim club. Along with practices in the pool, there are other family commitments required that contribute to the health and smooth operation of the club. These also help create a sense of community within the club.
Fees – Families commit to pay the entire session fee, in full, or in instalments, regardless of whether they participate to the end of the session or not.
Governing Body Fees and Admin Fees are one-time fees paid at registration. Swim meet fees are charged separately.
Trial Period – When you register with UCRO for the first time, there is a one month trial period during which the swimmer and family can see if the program is “a good fit”. If the swimmer chooses to leave the program and the club at the end of the trial period, there are no further family commitments or financial obligations. A trial period is not available to returning UCRO swimmers.
Swimathon Fundraising – all swimmers registered in season-long (10 month) programs commit to a minimum Swimathon fundraising obligation. This includes Junior and Youth Otters.
Volunteering – all families with swimmers with “Competitive” registration status, commit to volunteering and earning parent participation points with the club. This involves Junior & Youth Otters only who choose to register with competitive status.
All Junior & Youth Otters with Pre-competitive status have no family volunteering commitment.
Session Fees
All registrations are completed through the website PORTAL.
| Junior Payment Plan | 1st Swimmer | 2nd Swimmer | 3rd Swimmer |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Full | $861.36 | $775.22 | $731.13 |
Instalments (10 months) | $86.14 | $77.52 | $73.11 |
| Youth Payment Plan | 1st Swimmer | 2nd Swimmer | 3rd Swimmer |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Full | $990.55 | $891.49 | $841.97 |
Instalments (10 months) | $99.06 | $89.15 | $84.20 |
– Instalment billings start in September and finish in June. You are required to have a valid credit card.
Please Note:
For more detailed information, refer to the Parent Handbook.
Governing Body and Admin Fees
Governing Body Fee – a one-time fee charged by Swim Ontario annually at registration. This covers club insurance for the swimmer. This fee is non-refundable.
Administration Fee – a one-time, $25 UCRO fee charged annually at registration. This helps maintain the smooth operation of the club. This fee is non-refundable.
| Governing Body Fee | Fee |
|---|---|
| Pre-Competitive ( 1 swim meet per season) | $62.92 |
| Competitive (Can participate in more than 1 swim meet) | $178.55 |
Pre-Competitive – this fee allows the swimmer to compete at one swim meet per year, usually a home meet.
Volunteering, Swimathon and Meet Commitments
Volunteering and Parent Participation Points
Only families with a “competitive” Youth swimmer have a commitment to accumulate parent participation points annually.
– 1 Youth swimmer = 25 points
– 2 Youth swimmers = 40 points total
– 3 or more Youth swimmers = 50 points total
Alternatively, families choosing not to volunteer can ‘buy out’ their obligation for $5 per point for their Youth swimmer. Otherwise, points not earned, are billed at $5 per point in July after the year-end Celebration and Awards event.
For more information about volunteering and earning participation points, refer to the UCRO Parent Handbook.
Swim Meet Fees
Entry Fees
Youth Otters who are registered with Competitive status can compete in local swim meets each year. Entry fees are approximately $15 per event entered. Swimmers will generally enter about 4-6 events per meet.
Coach Travel
Coach travel expenses are $20 per meet, per swimmer. This applies only to Competitive Youth Otters who choose to compete at away invitational meets.
These fees are billed to accounts throughout the year as they occur.
Swimathon Fundraising
Swimathon is the major fundraiser for the Club and occurs in March or April each year with swimmers completing a distance swim. Swimmers collect pledges beginning in January or February.
Swimmers in Junior and Youth Otter programs agree to raise a minimum of $100 per swimmer for Swimathon, with any amount not raised being billed to accounts in May.
For more information on Swimathon, refer to the UCRO Parent Handbook.
’25/26 Practice Schedule
| Day | Group | Swim Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday & Thursday | Junior Otters | 4:15 to 5:00 pm |
| Monday, Wednesday & Friday | Youth Otters | Monday & Wednesday – 5:30 to 6:30 pm Friday – 4:30 to 5:30 pm |