I’m curious how the Peddie swim team works. Will there be extra costs when they go to the swim meets? Also, do we need to sign up for the Peddie club besides the varsity team?
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Calling @TonyGrace !
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The Peddie team functions both as a Varsity team and a Club team.
The team practices all three seasons - you are considered a three letter athlete - during the same 3:30-5:30 time other sports practice. They only compete against other schools during the winter season which is the traditional HS swimming season in the region.
Varsity team swimmers register with USA Swimming as Peddie Aquatic Association members (I don’t know if this is required) and attend USA Swimming sanctioned meets with the rest of the club as appropriate. Swimmers are generally responsible for excusing themselves from class for non-varsity meets, but the school is supportive and teachers accommodating, which is not true of every school.
A couple of practices a week are combined with the club and any time school is off club practice is available. The coach is the same so it’s very seamless. There is no additional fee other than the USA Swimming registration and meet entry fees (I think they are usually under $10 per event).
Feel free to DM me if you have more specific questions about the school or the program.
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That is great info. I recall hearing that for most New England schools they are part of the prep school association that in theory limits how many hours athletes can be trained for one sport in the year. That requirement is really not that helpful for swimming which does require year-round training.
Actually makes me wonder how the other big swimming schools like Brunswick and PA/PEA manage that varsity / club systems.
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SOLO Aquatics rent out the PEA pool and the PEA coach is also a SOLO Coach so that is how they train. From what I heard PA kids drive over to PEA to swim club.
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I remember hearing that is why the Peddie swim team doesn’t participate in the NJ Prep league championships. Their main focus is Easterns.
Some swimmers can make it work when there is a club team at the school pool, but even then it is difficult because the club practice doesn’t align well with school life, often coinciding with dinner and other activities. In addition many schools require participation in an after school activity making it very hard to keep up with academic demands if you have to give up two hours of study time each day to swim.
I have also found that when you look closely, kids that are swimming at a high level at those schools are more often than not day students.
IMO, one of the biggest advantages of a program like Peddie’s is quality of life. Cutting away the commute and having practice over before 6pm makes a huge difference.
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Brunswick is a day school. Kids swim club.
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And that is exactly why we are headed to Peddie for a Revisit!
That’s great! I am glad it all worked out for your swimmer. I am sure you guys will have a great revisit! Let me know if you have any questions.
Honestly, as demanding as the school is, for the most part my kids were able to get more sleep than they ever did in 8th grade.
Thanks for the info.
Besides the meet entry fees, do I need to pay the hotel and other expenses when they go away? Do we need to pay extra for the Club team? How swimmers are swimming during the school break? Are they going back home or staying at school to continue training?
“I have also found that when you look closely, kids that are swimming at a high level at those schools are more often than not day students.”
This is true at many schools and in many sports where an elite club coach is a school coach because the coaches recruit from the younger age groups in their clubs and because successful elite club athletes want to stay with their coaches. As a result, more local kids.
This isn’t to say boarders aren’t attracted to the team and school, but there is a pipeline of local talent for these schools, hence they heavy day student participation.
But all that aside, OP, I think you will like what you see!
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Our son is a swimmer too, and we’re heading to revisits next week. Might be good to connect!
Other than the fees I mentioned, there is no charge for the club. There is no fee that is related to varsity.
If the travel is school related, there is no cost to the student. Meals and lodging are provided as needed. The only school meet that involves overnight travel is the Easterns.
NJ is very dense swimming wise and most meets are within an hour away so don’t require hotel stays. Team travel is offered for higher level meets (sectionals, futures, etc) and swimmers are responsible for covering their share of the hotel room and meals.
During breaks swimmers usually train with their former home team or a local pool. The coach provides daily work outs. For shorter breaks, depending on goals, time of the season, distance from home, swimmers will occasionally stay with a local friend/student. They are welcome to swim with the Peddie club team any time there is no school.
Thank you so much! That’s very detailed information I want to hear.