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St. Albans Sharks Fall & Winter Swim Team!
winter swim logo

After consultation with families and coaches, we've made adjustments to our Fall/Winter STA Sharks program.  Instead of 2 sessions, there will be one session running from mid October through early 2026. This will better prepare swimmers for qualifying meets in January & February. The season will end after those swimmers qualifying for championships have competed in their meet.  Bronze -January 17-19th, Silver -January 31- February 2, and Age Group Championships - Age 10 and under February 14-16th, Age 11-14 February 20-23rd, Age 15-18 February 27-March 2nd.    

Our Mission:
The mission of the St. Albans Sharks Swim Team is to foster an environment conducive to developing balanced IM swimmers, with an emphasis on individual improvement through both hard work and team work. 

Head Coach:  Jess Driver
Jess has 3 seasons of Sharks coaching under her belt.  She is thrilled to continue as head coach of the St. Albans Sharks Swim Team.  Jess started swimming competitively at the age of 8. She's always had a deep passion for the sport.  Her college swimming career at the University of Vermont solidified her love for the water and provided her with valuable insights into the sport. She is committed to fostering a positive and supportive environment where swimmers can develop skills, build confidence and achieve their goals all while have a great time.
When not coaching, Jess works as a full time nurse at Georgia Elementary and Middle School.  She also enjoys reading, exercising, being outside and spending time with family and friends.
Jess is a proud parent of three Shark Swim Team members.
Assistant Coaches: Lindsay McSweeney & Melanie Dattilio

Swimmer Categories:
Great White Sharks:  (Ages 11 to 18 years)  We recommend swimmers attend 3 practices per week. The focus is on building endurance, power, and speed through technique refinement, IM swimming, and training tailored to sprint or distance events. Both dry land training & in water sessions are incorporated. Training snorkels & fins are strongly recommended for practices - but not required.
New this year - Members of the Great Whites are eligible for Strength Training on Mondays & Wednesdays from 5:00-5:45pm with Tom Koldys of Beyond the Wall.  Strength training will consist of a variety of dryland and water-based exercises designed to supplement in-water stroke training.  Emphasis will be on strengthening existing muscle tissues that both directly and indirectly contribute to enhancing speed, endurance, and recovery.  Examples of training exercises include, but are not limited to, resistance bands, free weights, vasa trainers, in-water stationary bikes, body weight (calisthenic, plyometric, and isometric), and kettlebells.  Swimmers should be prepared to work on deck, preferably barefoot, as well as in the water during this time.  Swimmers should also bring sneakers (+ socks) and water.

Reef Sharks:  (Ages 10 and under) The focus is on building endurance and strengthening technique in order to develop balanced IM swimmers. Both dry land training & in water sessions are incorporated. 

Cat Sharks:  (Ages 4+) The focus is on building endurance and stroke development, while creating a fun and inviting atmosphere. Swimmers must know freestyle & back stroke without the aid of flotation devices.  Cat Sharks is not swim lessons.  (STARTS JANUARY 2026) Kids wanting to join Cat Sharks will need to schedule a swim test before registering.  Please contact Kelly Viens at k.viens@stalbansvt.com to schedule.
 

Great White Sharks & Reef Sharks Eligibility:
Swimmers must be able to swim 25 yards, repeatedly, for the entirety of the specified practice time. Swimmers must be able to legally swim ALL 4 competitive strokes (Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle).  Swimmers must want to be part of this team.

Cat Shark Eligibility:
Swimmers must be able to swim without a flotation device. Swimmers must be able to demonstrate safe swimming skills. They need to know freestyle and back stroke and be engaged and ready to swim.  This is not a swim lesson. Swimmers must be at least 4 years of age and swimmers must schedule a swim test before registering.  

Age Guidelines:
Age guidelines are in place to safely divide swimmers, and to set them up for success. Therefore the age restrictions are simply a guideline and are not written in stone. It is the coaches discretion to decide if a swimmer shall be moved to a different group. Swimmer performance, endurance, and attitude are all taken into account to decide where they will do best!

Practices:
For Great White & Reef Sharks, we strongly encourage all swimmers to attend at least 2-3 practices per week. However, we also understand that winter brings a lot of other commitments (school, sports, clubs etc) Therefore, we do not require swimmers to attend all practices. 

Great Whites (11-18 years)...........5:45pm - 7:15pm (Monday, Wednesday,Thursday) New this year - additional dry land training is available for Great Whites from 5-5:45pm.  More details to be released soon.
Reef Sharks (10 years & under).....5:00pm - 6:00pm (Monday,Wednesday,Thursday)
Both Great Whites & Reef Sharks ...8:30am-10:00am (Saturday) Optional

There will not be practice during school vacations, holidays, and school closures/winter storms

Meets:
Home Meets:
There will be 1 home time trial per month (TBA) (UNOFFICIAL & OPTIONAL) No fees associated with home meets.

Travel Meets:
Swimmers will have the option to compete in USA Swimming sanctioned meets throughout New England. Extra fees not included. 
Meet Fees - There are fees associated with all away meets and families are responsible for those. You can decide with the coach which and how many events your swimmer will participate in.  The fees will be charged to your rec account and you can log on to make payment.  Swimmers pay for each event they swim - usually under $5, and a flat fee for the meet - usually around $6.  

Sanctioned meets the coaches plan to attend:
TBA
Championship meets in Jan/Feb (must qualify)

ALL SWIMMERS & PARENTS MUST BE REGISTERED IN SWIMTOPIA:
SWIMTOPIA REGISTRATION

TRAVEL SWIMMERS & PARENTS MUST BE REGISTERED WITH USA SWIMMING:
USA SWIMMING REGISTRATION




Questions?

k.viens@stalbansvt.com

Warner Home Endowment Scholarship & Financial info
  • Need help with funds? Apply for scholarships using the links and forms below.
  • We can also help with automatic payment plans. Just give the office a call 802-524-1971. You decide what your payment amount is and how often you'd like it deducted. Just has to be paid by the start of the season.

Schedule
There will not be regular practices during Thanksgiving vacation (11/24-11/25) and Christmas vacation (12/23-1/1/26) There will be optional swim times with workouts listed on the white board and supervised by staff for swimmers who want to continue swimming over break.

Additional Forms and Files: Links:
Register Activity Ages Grades Days Date/Time Fees
 
   Log In
Great Whites 11+ (Registration includes Dry Land Training on Mon & Wed from 5pm-5:45 
11y - 18y N/A MWThSa  10/13/2025 - 02/12/2026
View Times
Hard'ack - Hard'ack Pool 		$800.00 R, $1,000.00 NR
 
   Log In
Reef Sharks - 10 & under 
6y - 10y N/A MWThSa  10/13/2025 - 02/12/2026
View Times
Hard'ack - Hard'ack Pool 		$650.00 R, $850.00 NR
 
   Log In
Cat Sharks 
4y and up N/A TuTh  01/06/2026 - 02/19/2026
05:00 PM - 05:30 PM
Hard'ack - Hard'ack Pool 		$150.00 R, $250.00 NR
Families must schedule a swim test before registering. Check in with Kelly at k.viens@stalbansvt.com to schedule
* Adjustments and discounts will be applied during checkout if applicable. *

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