Welcome to our youth swim team! We are excited to offer your child the opportunity to improve their swimming skills, compete with other swimmers and make new friends in a fun and supportive environment.

Our team is open to children of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced swimmers. We focus on developing proper technique, endurance, and speed in all four strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Our experienced coaches use a variety of drills, exercises, and games to help swimmers improve their skills and have fun at the same time.

In addition to regular practices, our team participates in swim meets throughout the year. These meets give swimmers the opportunity to showcase their skills in a competitive setting, set personal goals, and bond with their teammates. Our team prides itself on sportsmanship and encourages swimmers to support and cheer for their fellow teammates.

At Red Raider Aquatics, we believe that swimming is not only a great way to stay active and healthy, but it also teaches valuable life skills such as discipline, teamwork, and perseverance. We strive to provide a positive and supportive environment for our swimmers to learn and grow both in and out of the pool.

We are excited to welcome your child to our youth swim team and look forward to a great season of swimming, fun and friendship! Contact us today to learn more and sign up.

What ages and skill levels does our team accept?

Ages 5-18. We may accept younger than age 5, depending on swim skills. 

More important than age is a willingness to be in the water. If your child is comfortable in the water (puts face in the water and can float by themselves) we have a place for them on our team. We consistently take kids of this level and train them into strong, enthusiastic swimmers.

What are tryouts like? 

Instead of tryouts, we offer free evaluations so the coaches can see what the swimmers level/skills are and then place them accordingly into a swim group (i.e.Little Raiders, Buccaneers, Pirates, Silver, Senior Prep and Black) that best fits their age, and abilities.

Where do you practice? 

Red Raider Aquatics currently has sites in Springfield and Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

The Red Raiders’ Springfield site practices at Eisenhower pool during the spring, fall and winter and at both Eisenhower and Nelson Center pools during the summer.

Our Bloomington/Normal site practices at Horton Pool on the campus of Illinois State University.

When are the Practices and What is the Practice Commitment Like?

Practice times range from 45 mins to 2hours for our beginner to advanced level swimmers based on their assigned practice group. There are usually 5-6 practice days available per week but there are no requirements as to how many practices swimmers must attend each week. Our coaches suggest finding a consistent schedule that works for your family/swimmer. Because of this flexibility, our team is a great fit for athletes who participate in multiple sports or activities.

How much does the swim team cost?

Our fee varies, based on your swimmer’s level placement. You can find detailed monthly pricing HERE.

What commitment can I expect for meets?

Our swimmers participate in a variety of meets. Most of our newer swimmers participate in our intrasquad and Future Stars meets which are held at our home pool. We also offer meets throughout Central Illinois in places like Bloomington/Normal, Peoria, Champaign, etc. 

Participation in away meets is voluntary and families sign up for the meets they are interested in and are able to attend. Our only required meets are our team hosted meets at our home facilities. Some of our meets are multi-day meets and allow for swimmers to sign up for the days they want to attend.

In a normal season we generally offer approximately 2 meets per month.

New Swimmer Evaluations

To schedule a safe, in-person evaluation with one of our professional staff members please email us at redraideraquatics@gmail.com

Have other questions?

Please feel free to contact us at redraideraquatics@yahoo.com with any additional questions you may have - redraideraquatics@gmail.com