Mini Bisons

Mini Bison swimmers are generally between 7-12 years old (however, the program extends to swimmers as old as 14), and love being in the water! As a base minimum, swimmers should be able to comfortably swim a 25M length of freestyle and backstroke without stopping. Big feet, long arms, and a competitive spirit are all a bonus! Our program is designed to teach swimmers the early fundamentals of competitive swimming while allowing us to discover new athletes to seed our competitive program. Mini Bisons gives both the coaching staff and the swimmer a chance to determine if competitive swimming is a good fit. Mini Bisons, is NOT a fitness program. If your swimmer is looking for an exercise program, please contact Rec Services to inquire about swim fitness programming.

Our Mini Bison coaching staff is typically made up of current and/or recently retired varsity level swimmers. The program circuculum is designed and written by Mini Bison Coordinator, Dillon Perron. 

At the beginning of each session (fall, winter & spring), all the swimmers will be split up into groups based on age and skill level. Each group has approx. 8-10 swimmers, one coach, and typically one volunteer coach. There is no pass-fail or level system that you may be used to in swimming lessons. As swimmers progress, they will be moved into a group with a higher skill level. The may happen mid-session, or at the beginning of a new session. Your swimmer may remain in a similar group for several sessions in a row, this is completely normal and does not mean they are being heldback. Developing proper skills is paramount, some swimmers will develop certain skills sooner than others. 

The program's focus is on the development of speed swimming fundamentals in all four strokes. Swimmers will progress from the basics freestyle and backstroke strokes to more complex breaststroke and butterfly strokes based on their speed of skill and fitness acquisition. Swimmers will also learn flip turns and starts.