Wayzata Girls Swimming and Diving
Welcome 2025-2026
Welcome to all the new swimmers and divers and welcome back to all the returning team members for what holds to be a new and exciting season! The season begins Monday, August 11th and all teams will begin practice at the Life Time Fitness Center in Plymouth at the following times:
Pool Practice: For High School JV and Varsity swimmers & all divers, practice will be Mon-Fri 4:00–6:00PM and Sat 7:45-10:00AM. Lake swims for distance swimmers will be the first 3 Saturday early mornings (before school starts) at Wayzata Beach.
Weight Training: Starting Monday, August 18th-Friday, August 29th: Varsity swimmers/divers will have weight training Monday, Wednesday and Fridays in the Weight Room at the high school from 1-2PM on non-meet days. Starting Tuesday, August 19th, JV swimmers/divers will start weight training in the Fitness Room at the high school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-2PM. Starting Wednesday, September 3: Varsity swimmers/divers will typically weight train at the high school before school Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings from 7:30AM-8AM, JV swimmers/divers will weight train Tuesday/Thursday mornings from 7:30AM-8AM.
Middle Schoolers wishing to go out for the middle school program should refer to the "Middle School Info" link to the left of this page for all information.
Tryouts
Swimmers and divers (7–12) who wish to try out for the high school team will have 3 practices (instructional/tryout period) followed by time trials at practice on Thursday, August 14th, where cuts will be made if necessary. The high school swimming team will be limited to 45–50 girls in grades 9–12. If you are planning on being part of the team, attendance is mandatory, and this includes the first week of instruction/tryouts. The diving team is usually limited to about 10 girls in grades 7-12. Swimmers in 7-8th grade need to be competitive at the Varsity level to make the team (see archived results to get a sense of times). It is also strongly encouraged to take into consideration a swimmer's academic, social & emotional readiness which set the foundation for a positive experience at the high school level across every aspect.
It is the athlete’s responsibility to get to and from practice on time during the month of August. Once school begins, there will be buses that will run from the middle schools and the high school to the practice sites. It will be the athlete’s responsibility to get a ride home after practice.
Websites
Team Website: https://sites.google.com/site/wayzataswimdive/home (To find high school and middle school team information, weekly updates, season schedule, meet results, lettering points, pool directions, etc. go to the Swimming and Diving Website).
Wayzata Athletics Website: https://www.wayzataschools.org/athletics
Lake Conference Website: www.lakeconference.org (click on “member schools” and then click on “Wayzata High School”
Registration
Online registration for high school athletics is from Wednesday, July 16th to Thursday, August 8th. All registration will be conducted online. Should you have any questions or concerns, you may contact coach Elizabeth Hansen at elizabeth.hansen@wayzataschools.org or athletic secretary Kari Rohrich at kari.rohrich@wayzataschools.org. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 3:00pm.
Go to the Wayzata High School Website (https://www.wayzataschools.org/athletics/register)
Click on "Athletics" and then click on "Register"
Follow the steps listed on the welcome screen.
You must have a current sports qualifying physical exam on file in the Activities Office. Physical must be dated after 6/15/2023 for the 2025-2026 school year. If you complete steps b and c without a current physical on file, you will not be registered.
Click on Eligibility Form in the school store. Fill out and submit the form to the Activities Office once per school year.
Click on the appropriate sport link on the web page and make your payment online (the fee for the 2025 season will be $225.00).
You must be chemical/alcohol free.
You must be committed to the team.
You must be a grade 7–12 student in the Wayzata school district.
Parent Pre-Season Meetings and Team Pictures
The high school (only girls on the high school team attend) pre-season meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 19th at 6:30pm in the high school Auditorium. Warm-ups will be issued to athletes on the high school team on Monday, August 18th at the Wayzata High School equipment room (near the athletic entrance). Team pictures will be taken on Friday, August 29th at Lifetime. If you expect to be included in the picture, you must have all your registration forms in, have made the team, and be attending all practices. The high school team banquet will be held on TBD at TBD.
Coaching Philosophy
The Girls’ Swim and Dive Team Philosophy is that every athlete will see growth and improvement throughout the season (this may be athletically, ethically, socially, etc.). Furthermore, every athlete will work for the success of the team, as the team comes before the individual. We have extremely high expectations for the Wayzata Girls’ Swimming and Diving program. If you have questions or concerns regarding our expectations of you this season, please refer to the Ethics Letter (available on the Swimming and Diving website) that you and your parents will be required to read and sign.
Lettering
To letter in swimming and diving, an athlete must meet the following qualifications from the start of the season (August 12th) to her championship meet:
Attendance: an athlete must attend 95% of practices. This equates to having only three to four unexcused absences (number depends on athlete’s championship meet), which include, but are not limited to, work conflicts, haircuts, dentist appointments, vacations, senior photos, or college visits.
Ethics: an athlete must follow all rules set forth by the coaches (which are detailed in the Ethics Letter), the school and the MSHSL.
Athletics:
A diver must achieve a score of 170 at two six-dive JV/Varsity non-championship meets.
A swimmer must achieve one of the three following options:
Swim a time equivalent to top eight at Varsity Sections (For example, if a swimmer qualifies for the championship heat at Varsity Sections, she will letter. Also, if a swimmer goes a time at JV Sections that would have qualified for the championship heat at Varsity Sections in the same event, she will letter.)
Swim a time at an officiated meet from the chart below (these times are based on the average of the past three Varsity Sections Championship heat qualifying times):
200 Free 2:06.18 100 Free :57.33
200 IM 2:18.39 500 Free 5:31.38
50 Free :25.56 100 Back 1:01.71
100 Fly 1:03.31 100 Breast 1:12.57
Soft Costs
Other than the fee to join the team ($225.00 upon registration), each athlete will need a team suit, which she will be able to use throughout her four to six years on the team, along with a pair of goggles. She will also have the option of buying team apparel, which may consist of a t-shirt, sweatshirt or polo, and sweatpants or shorts. There are a few team outings in which an athlete may need $5.00 to $10.00 to help pay for the cost of food, gas, etc. Lastly, athletes and parents interested in attending the banquet will need to pay for the meal and site. Please note that anyone who needs financial assistance should contact Sara Ridley.
Boosters
There are several ways to donate money and time to the Swim and Dive Team: Booster Memberships, Concessions, AAU Basketball Tournaments, and “Three Winners” Memberships. Fundraised money is used directly to enhance the student-athletes experience as a member of the Wayzata High School Swim and Dive Program. Fundraising projects organized by the Wayzata Athletic Boosters are the only projects that may take place. NO outside fundraising activities are allowed.
Thank you for taking interest in the Wayzata High School Girls’ Swim and Dive Program. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns in regard to the above information or the team. The coaching staff and captains are looking forward to a very challenging and successful season. We are going to set some high individual and team goals for the year. The Trojan swimmers and divers have a great bunch of returning team members and a very talented young group of girls that will improve the team even more. See you on August 11th.
Sincerely, High School Coaches Sara Ridley, Elizabeth Hansen and Mike Yasis
Sara: 612-801-7243 sara.ridley@wayzataschools.org
Elizabeth: 612-250-2178 elizabeth.hansen@wayzataschools.org
Amy Barry amy.barry@wayzataschools.org
Mike: 612-290-0923 corvettecoke@yahoo.com