Join TBAY-Central!

The Central branch of TBAY offers a number of programs for swimmers of all levels, including 10&Us, age-group competitors, and national/international swimmers. Our practice groups are:

Lil' Bucs
The Lil' Bucs are the entry level group at Central. Lil' Bucs will practice 3 to 4 times per week. Athletes are required to be able to swim 25 yards of any stroke and be able to jump into the water. This group focuses on learning legal technique for all four competitive strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle). Athletes are introduced to a progression of stroke refinements with the ultimate goal of completing a legal 100 yard IM in practice. Athletes in the group are not expected to compete at USA-Swimming meets.

Big Bucs
The Big Bucs practice 4 to 5 times per week and have already had competitive swimming experience, either with a year-round team or a summer league team. Big Bucs work to maximize stroke efficiency while learning to race. Athletes in this group also continue to become more fluent in the sport of swimming through meet preparation, participation and beginning goal-setting. Big Bucs continue to build on stroke refinement and technique while gaining further personal accountability for their swimming.

Behavior goals of the the Big Bucs: demonstrate efficient turns and push-offs in all four strokes, begin to gain awareness of USA-Swimming and Florida Swimming time standards, learn lane etiquette, begin to develop an understanding that attitude and behavior affects both personal and group performance.

Age Group Performance Red
The Red athletes have significant experience in competitive swimming and can demonstrate proficiency in all four competitive strokes. Athletes expand their repertoire of dryland exercises (out of water) and also learn more advanced stroke drills and stroke improving techniques. Red athletes begin to train incrementally while emphasizing distance per stroke and economy of motion. Reds begin to learn and refine race strategies.

Behavior goals of the Red group include: demonstrate ability to lead a training lane, demonstrate ability to understand both a verbal and a written workout, demonstrate ability to listen to coaches and apply stroke improvements, demonstrate compliance with team warm-up and warm-down protocols at meets, demonstrate interest in being prepared, equipped and on time and further understanding that a positive approach to workouts and meets raises the level of personal and team performance. Red athletes also begin to make swimming decisions as coach and athlete, while parental input on the "wet side" decreases and parental support on the "dry side" increases.

Age Group Performance Black
The Black group is geared towards athletes who intend to pursue their swimming career into Collegiate Swimming. The direction, structure and difficulty of workouts are designed to help athletes reach their full potential as senior swimmers later in their careers. Athletes will complete stroke progressions and begin to learn new methods of stroke awareness and stroke refinement. A dedicated, progressive emphasis on training begins in this group and athletes are expected to maintain a level of awareness towards their workouts from a technical and a performance viewpoint.

Behavior goals of the Black group: demonstrate a willingness to learn, demonstrate an interest in attending 95% of the offered workouts, demonstrate unquestioned ability to lead a lane, understand a written workout, and take ownership of personal performance. Blacks eliminate variables in their daily approach to their sport by being prepared, properly-equipped, on time, and hydrated. There is minimal parental involvement on deck for the athletes in this group, while there is a good deal of parental support away from the pool as these athletes need more help in achieving their goals in the sport of competitive swimming.

Senior/Elite 
The Senior/Elite group at Central is designed with the intent to provide the curriculum and atmosphere necessary for success at National and International competition. National Group athletes are positive, hard-working examples for younger Central swimmers. While not all members of this group may have National cuts of any sort, all members will exhibit the characteristics and demeanor and approach of athletes seeking National and International success: athletes are on time, prepared, equipped, properly attired, hydrated, focused and are also visibly enjoying the journey to success. The Senior/Elite group is structured to produce outstanding athletes and leaders through intensified training, preparation and competition at the National and International levels.

Behavior Goals of the Senior/Elites: 99% attendance (percentage based on individually set attendance goals); actions and attitudes reflect a goal-seeking focus; athletes conduct and comport themselves with honor and personal accountability; very limited (and completely forecasted) conflict with high school and summer league swimming; Senior/Elite group athletes strive to make lifestyle choices appropriate for achieving greatest personal success in matters regarding nutrition and rest; parental involvement in swimming decisions is welcomed only when requested by the coach or the athlete; and a willingness to try, strive, dream and achieve.

Registration Information for Central Branch Swimmers