Offering year-round competitive swimming, the Marlins Swim Team stands alone in San Rafael. Since 1961, the Marlins have been west San Rafael’s choice for excellence in coaching for swimmers of all levels. The spring/summer session is of course, our most popular.
Fall 2024 Tentative Schedule
September 3 | Fall Session Starts
September 28 | Home Meet
October 4 | Movie Night
October 24 | S’Mores Team Social
Jr Marlins
Start here! Kids ages 5 and up are welcome in Jr Marlins; a fun and targeted instructional program for young swimmers.
Swim test:
Your child will need to be able to make it one lap somewhat comfortably (if your child is new to the program they’ll come to the pool to be assessed). No formal strokes needed.
What they’ll learn:
They’ll learn freestyle, backstroke, and diving. They may work on some drills leading up to the other strokes.
Sessions:
September 10-October 26
Mon/Wed 4:00-4:30
Tues/Th 4:00-4:30
Training Group 1 + 2
As soon as your child can comfortably make it up and down the pool with legal freestyle and backstroke, they’re ready to move up!
Training Group 1:
Your child will work on developing all four strokes, and will learn flip turns and racing dives. Swimmers in this group will compete at home meets (2 per fall, 3 per spring/summer) and will have the opportunity to participate in away meets.
Training Group 2:
Swimmers can advance to group 2 when all four strokes are legal. This training group will develop their racing skills in addition to their stroke work. These swimmers will compete at the home meets as well as away meets.
Sessions:
September 3-December 22
Training Group 1: Mon-Fri 4:30-5:30pm
Training Group 2: Mon-Fri 5:30-6:30pm
FAQs
Who are Marlins?
Marlin swimmers hail from San Rafael, San Anselmo, Fairfax and Ross, mainly. The majority of the team are RRC members, but it is open to non-members. Most Marlins start swimming on the team between ages 8-11, but many start later… and earlier! It’s a lifelong sport that you can pick up at any age.
Why the Marlins?
The Marlins Swim Team is a competitive age-group swim team. This means that at all levels, we offer instructional and competitive opportunities. Competition in US Swimming (our league) doesn’t just cater to 1st-3rd sprint racing. Kids can swim short distances, long distances, and can participate in meets with trials and finals (more likely to race more!). Plus, we have an excellent swim-coach ratio and will always be with your child at meets, offering support and coaching. Our home at RRC boasts a beautiful 25 yard training pool.
Why swimming?
Swimming is a lifelong sport. It’s not only critical for kids to be safe-r swimmers as they head out into the world as teenagers, but is also one of the best forms of exercise for kids all the way through to late adulthood. Swimming helps with body movement, body awareness, coordination, focus and so much more. If it were up to us, swim team would be mandatory for all kids!
My child can swim, but is just starting to swim competitively, what group?
Swimmers are placed in the group that best matches their progression level, with age being a secondary consideration.
What are practices like?
Our program is technique-focused. Marlins work hard on stroke technique both as a means of injury-prevention and improvement in speed. All strokes are taught methodically, and not before they’re ready! We do drills, practice the stroke with the application of the drill and then continue to improve for speed. Practices for the younger groups include games-based drills to imbue fun and enthusiasm for learning.