Help! I'm new at this!
WELCOME, New Swimmer!
Whether you are new to the area, a former swimmer trying masters for the first time, or just new to organized lap swimming in general,
this page may have some answers for you! And please don't hesitate to reach out to Molly with any questions, mhoover@jolietpark.org.
What is USMS?
The Blue Tides Masters Team is part of United States Masters Swimming. USMS is a national membership-operated nonprofit that provides membership benefits to nearly 65,000 Masters swimmers across the country. These benefits include insurance, SWIMMER magazine, Sanctioned Events, and more. USMS and its 52 Local Masters Swimming Committees (LMSCs) provide direct support to more than 1,500 Masters Swimming clubs and workout groups.
We ask all of our swimmers to have the USMS membership within the first 30 days of joining the team. You can obtain this membership by clicking the button below.
What do I need to be able to do this?
We ask that any swimmer wanting to try a practice is comfortable in deep water, and can swim at least 4 lengths of the pool with their face in the water and breathing to the side. We can take it from there, but if you aren't quite there yet, please look into either private or adult lessons to get you going.
You will need a swim suit and pair of goggles. We suggest that those with long hair use a swim cap, and once you join the team you get one for free.
The pool has kick boards and pull buoys for you to use.
Fins are used often but not required. If you would like to use fins you are welcome to purchase your own.
A good site for all of your swimming needs:
Do I have to compete?
The Illinois Masters Swimming Association is one of the largest in the country. There are a lot of meets offered between November and April of every year, and open water swims in the summer. To be a member of the Blue Tides, you DO NOT have to compete. However, many of our swimmers do and will encourage you to do so. And you just might find out that it is the best part of being a swimmer!
Swim events happening through ILMSA can be found here:
Events throughout the country can be found here:
Swim Ettiquette
Swimming with others in a lane can feel daunting at first, but if everyone follows the same guidelines it works very well. Here are a few things to know:
*Circle Swimming - Swim like you are driving a car. Always stay to the right side of the lane depending on which way you are swimming. Be aware of where the other swimmers in the lane are so when you pass each other you don't bump into them.
*Stay at least 5 seconds apart - When leaving the wall for a swim, the first person will leave, and then the second should wait 5 seconds and then go after them. The third person waits another 5 and so on. If you are able to catch up to their feet during the swim, you should go ahead of them next time.
*If you keep catching up to the swimmer ahead of you, you have a couple of options.
-Back off and swim slower to the next stop and then ask if you can go ahead.
-Tap their feet ONCE so they know you are there, then the slower swimmer should pull over at the wall while the faster swimmer keeps going and passes them. The slower swimmer can leave a few seconds after them again and keep going.
-Tap their feet and start moving around them to pass during the length. This would be if a more advanced swimmer is sharing a lane with a slower swimmer and should be decided ahead of time.