Recreational
Our Recreational Program
Toronto Artistic Swimming’s Recreational program is ideal for those swimmers aged 5-16 who want to learn and develop artistic swimming skills in a fun and positive environment as they train ONCE per week.
Our Recreational program is ideal for girls and boys, 5-16yrs old, who love the water and want to learn fun artistic swimming skills in a team environment as they develop swim skills and increase their strength, endurance and level of flexibility.
Program levels and then teams are based on age, experience and skill levels according to the national, Canadian Artistic Swimming (CAS) AquaGO skill development program and LTAD (Long Term Athlete Development) program like other sports. Swimmers progress through the levels as they develop more challenging artistic swimming skills.
Artistic Swimming Skills
Learn artistic swimming skills – from the basics (eg. floats, sculling, eggbeater) – to more advanced body positions and full body movements. You will learn how to put those movements together into a routine and learn to how to stay in synch with your teammates and to the music!
Water fluency and swim skills
Get more comfortable in the water! You will learn and develop ways to enter the water, learn how to move more efficiently through the water and increase your comfort level on top of and underneath the water.
Athletic Training
Learn and improve your strength, endurance, agility, flexibility and physical literacy.
Team Bonding & Fun
Make new friends and learn team work as you build a routine together.
Bonus!! All swimmers will have the opportunity to swim in a mermaid or shark tail and all programs except Mini-sessions will participate in our Club water shows (Dec and May/June)
Spring Mini Session 2024
Are you Ready to Dip your Toe in the Water?
This short program is for girls and boys who want to try the sport of artistic swimming without committing to an entire season. This program follows the national AquaGO skills development program in a shortened format. Swimmers will use these skills in a choreographed mini-routine which they will present to parents on deck at the end of the final class.
Spring Mini Session swimmers will be introduced to the Swimming Fundamentals, Artistic Swimming, Athletic Abilities, Flexibility and Routine skills equivalent to Aquago Levels 2-4, depending on prior swim experience.
Age
- A minimum of 4 swimmers must register to run the program at each location
When
- Sunday session: 5 weeks April 28 – June 2 (no class Victoria Day weekend)
- OR
- Thursday session: 5 weeks May 2 – May 30
Times/Locations
- Both sessions take place at Leaside Memorial Gardens Pool, 1075 Millwood Ave
- Sunday 7:00pm-8:00pm
- OR
- Thursday 7:00pm-8:00pm
Fees
- OAS/CAS registration paid separately (approx $10)
Porpoise
Perfect for the YOUNG SWIMMER! This full-year program for swimmers aged 5-7 years uses games and water play to introduce the building blocks of the sport of artistic swimming. With the support of an Aquago-trained coach who accompanies them in the water as needed, swimmers learn fundamental artistic swimming skills like sculling and eggbeater, they learn different kinds of floats, kicking techniques and arm movements – all while having fun in the water doing jumps, rolls, spins, twists and somersaults!
Swimming Prerequisites: The programs takes place largely in the shallow end, but all swimmers must be reasonable comfortable in the water, including blowing bubbles and putting their head under water. It is expected that swimmers will be able to swim in a deep end by the end of the year, when they perform at the Spring Watershow.
Porpoise swimmers will learn the following skills, equivalent to Aquago Levels 1-2:
- Swimming Fundamentals: increased comfort in water (opening eyes, blowing bubbles), front/back floats, glides and kicks, safe jumping in water
- Artistic Swimming Skills: fundamentals (eggbeater, layout, sculling), positions (tub, pike), figures (sailboat, ballet leg)
- Athletic Abilities/Physical Literacy: introduction to athletic land workouts: plank, pushups, other exercises
- Flexibility: introduction to flexibility workouts: toe points, knee extensions, etc.
- Routine performance and teamwork: introduction to counting/clapping, landdrill of routine, deckwork and performance while working together.
Space is limited!
Age
- Born 2018 or later, though can be 2017 with less developed swim skills
Coach Ratio
- Coaches will focus on Aquago Levels 1-2
Times/Locations
- FULL YEAR: Sept to June
- Sundays at Holland Bloorview Rehab Hospital, 5:30pm-6:30pm OR 6:30pm-7:30pm
Team Fees
- $150 Deposit paid at registration. Balance upon program start or in instalments
- NOTE: approx $21.50+HST governing body (OAS/CAS) registration fees paid separately before program start
Manta Ray
FOR THOSE NEW TO THE SPORT OR WITH LIMITED EXPERIENCE!
This program aims to develop artistic swimming skills to swimmers agesd 7-11 in a fun, team environment. Swimmers will be placed in groups based on age and any prior artistic swimming experience. All groups will build stamina, increase flexibility and teamwork while they develop artistic swimming skills in a FUN way. Swimmers will also increase their overall strength and flexibility through both in-water and dryland activities. All groups train 90 mins. week for the full season (Sept-June) on a team routine that they will perform in the club’s Winter and Spring water shows.
Swimming Prerequisites: All swimmers MUST be comfortable in the deep end and should be able to swim 10m (width of pool) on their own with any stroke.
Manta Ray swimmers will learn skills equivalent to Aquago Levels 2-4:
- Swimming Fundamentals Include: Stroke instruction (front/back crawl, etc), jumps and diving from kneeling
- Artistic Swimming Skills: further develop fundamentals such as more challenging positions (eg. front pike), movement techniques (eg. eggbeater, propellor) and figures (ballet leg, flamingo)
- Athletic Abilities/Physical Literacy: develop more strength and endurance through core training, water sprints, etc.
- Flexibility: learn left/right/centre split fundamentals, as well as further development of shoulder/back flexibility.
- Routine performance and teamwork: further development of counting/clapping and eventually unassisted landdrill of team routine. Introduction to synchronization.
Age
- Born 2012-2016. Contact the club if your swimmer is younger/older.
- Swimmers will be placed in groups according to age
Coach Ratio
- Coaches will focus on Aquago Levels 2-4
Times/Locations
- Full Year (Approx. 30 weeks, Sept-June):
- DOWNTOWN Tuesdays (University Settlement pool, near the AGO) 7-8:30pm
- DOWNTOWN Thursdays (U of T Athletic Centre) 7-8:30pm
- MIDTOWN SOUTH Thursdays (Leaside Memorial Gardens) 6:30-8pm
- MIDTOWN NORTH Sundays (Holland Bloorview Rehab Hospital) 5:30-7pm
- MIDTOWN SOUTH Sundays (Leaside Memorial Gardens) 6:30-8pm
Team Fees
- $150 deposit upon registration. Pay balance upon start of program or in instalments
- NOTE: approx $21.50+HST madnatory governing body (OAS/CAS) registration fees paid separately by families
Swordfish
FOR THOSE WITH SOME ARTISTIC SWIMMING EXPERIENCE! (1+ year of Rec or equivalent)
This program aims to further develop artistic swimming skills in a fun, team environment. Swimmers will be placed in groups based on age. All groups will train for 90 mins weekly for the full season (Sept-June), including work on a team routine that they will perform in the club’s Winter and Spring water shows. Swimmers will further develop strength and flexibility both on land and in water.
Swordfish swimmers will learn the following skills equivalent to Aquago Levels 3-6:
- Swimming Fundamentals Include: Learn increased stroke variety and improved propulsion. Further development of jumps and dives.
- Artistic Swimming Skills: Develop more challenging positions (eg. inverted tuck), movements (split scull, barrel scull, kick-pull) and figures (fishtail, dolphin, back pike somersault, kipnus).
- Athletic Abilities/Physical Literacy: Further develop core strength and endurance through more complex movements and wider variety of timed swims
- Flexibility: Further develop left, right, centre splits on land and introduction of splits in water, as well as further development of shoulder/back flexibility.
Routine performance and teamwork: Further develop land drill skills and synchronization, as well as learn about presentation and maintaining patterns
Swimming Prerequisites: All swimmers must be comfortable in the deep end and should be able to swim 20-25m (full length of the pool) using any stroke.
Age
- Born in 2012 – 2016 (contact the club if your swimmer is older/younger)
- With 1+ year experience (in our Rec program or equivalent)
Coach Ratio
- Coaches will focus on Aquago Levels 3-6
Times/Locations
- Full Year (Approx. 30 weeks, Sept-June):
- DOWNTOWN Tuesdays (University Settlement), 7-8:30pm
- DOWNTOWN Thursdays (U of T Athletic Centre), 7-8:30pm
- MIDTOWN SOUTH Thursdays (LeasideMemorial Gardens), 6:30-8pm
- MIDTOWN SOUTH Sundays (Leaside Memorial Gardens), 6:30-8pm
Team Fees
- $150 deposit upon registration. Pay balance upon program start or in instalments.
- Note: approx $21.50+HST mandatory governing body (OAS/CAS) registration fees paid separately by families
JUPITER
FOR SWIMMERS WHO WANT TO TRAIN 2X A WEEK!
Learn faster and in more depth in our NEW 2x week program! Perfect for the slightly older swimmer and/or those with some experience and who are keen to learn!
Swimmers will develop more challenging artistic swimming skills and have greater opportunities for team-building while remaining in a non-competitive environment.
Jupiter trains twice per week, each session is 90 mins, so total weekly training is 1.5 hours for the full season (Sept-June), including on a team routine that they will perform in the club’s Winter and Spring water shows.
This program is best for returning swimmers who already possess some artistic swimming skills and provides a strong base should swimmers wish to join one of the competitive-level programs the following season.
Jupiter swimmers will learn the following skills equivalent to Aquago Levels 4-6:
- Swimming Fundamentals Include: Further stroke improvement and development of propulsion techniques.
- Artistic Swimming Skills: Work on elements and sequences using more complex techniques, development of increasingly difficult figures such as walkovers, barracuda and tower.
- Athletic Abilities/Physical Literacy: increased core and strength training, more challenging timed swims in various strokes as well as mixed propulsion sprints
- Flexibility: continue development of splits and other flexibility drills in water
Routine performance and teamwork: further development of synchronization, presentation, maintaining patterns and emphasis on choreography
Swimming Prerequisites: All swimmers must be comfortable in the deep end and should be able to swim at least 20-25m (full length of the pool) in any stroke.
Age
- Born in 2013 or earlier. Please contact the club if your swimmer is younger.
Coach Ratio
- Coaches will focus on Aquago Levels 4+
Times/Locations
- Full Year (Approx. 30 weeks, Sept-June),
- DOWNTOWN: Tuesdays at University Settlement AND Thursdays at U of T Athletic Centre, both 7-8:30pm
- MIDTOWN SOUTH: Thursdays at Leaside Memorial Gardens and Sundays at Leaside Memorial Gardens, both 6:30pm-8:00pm
Team Fees
- $150 deposition upon registration with the balance in instalments
- NOTE: approx $21.50+HST mandatory governing body (OAS/CAS) registration fees paid separately by families
Registration
How to Register:
- Scroll down to view the programs and locations offered. Not sure what to choose? Check out our programs page or contact the club
- Click on a Registration link (below)
- Once you enter swimmer information, choose your desired program and location (if multiple options). If you have more than 1 swimmer, there is a button to ADD Another swimmer at the end
- Please pay the $150 deposit to secure your swimmer’s spot. This can be done by credit card through the registration link OR you can choose the etransfer option and send it to club@torontoartisticswimming.com once you have exited the registration system. Deposits can be applied to any other TASC program/location, including our competitive-level programs
- All those registered will receive further information later in the summer, including payment options to either pay the balance of the program fees at the start of the program or in instalments.
The Fine Print
Recreational Events
Events:
- ALL Full year programs: Participation in Club Winter and Spring Watershows, Bring a Friend and Competitive Demo Events, mermaid/shark swimming
- Mini-session: mermaid/shark swimming
***Note: All mermaid/shark swimming dependent on Public Health rules at time of event
Recreational Fees
Fees include:
- All weekly training costs, including coaching, pool permits and lifeguarding costs, as well as those costs associated with any club events attended by Recreational swimmers
- All programs except mini-session: 1x matching routine bathing cap, swimmer progress reports, team photo
**Note: mandatory OAS/CAS registration fees will be paid separately by families. The club will send applicable information and instructions to all registered families as soon as 2023-2024 information is received.
Registration Guidelines
Swimming Guidelines:
- All Rec swimmers should be able to swim 25m using any means and be comfortable in deep water.
- Younger swimmers will be supported by coaches or CIT’s in the water, in accordance with current public health restrictions on hands-on assistance.
Financial Policies
- All programs are dependent on adequate registration. Any programs cancelled by Toronto Artistic Swimming will be given a full refund.
- TASC is a Registered Not-for-Profit. Our Fees cover costs associated with training.
- Withdrawal for Full Year programs: up to the 3rd class or Oct 15th – whichever comes first, will result in a full refund less a $100 admin fee. No refunds will be issued for Full Year programs after this period.
- Withdrawal for Spring Mini Session: there are no refunds once the program begins.
- Any swimmer withdrawing for medical reasons will be handled on a case by case basis, subject to medical documentation.
- There are no refunds for individual practices missed by swimmers. The club has no capacity to offer pro-rated fees for swimmers who begin a program after the start date. In the case of an unexpected pool closure or similar cancellation, the club will make efforts to offer a makeup session to the affected swimmers.
- Please note, OAS/CAS registration fees paid separately by families once the program has started, are non-refundable.
- There is charge of $25 for any NSF postdated cheque.
- All swimmers are responsible for payment of personal equipment for training and for watershows.