About The Swim Team
The Raccoon Valley Masked Bandits are a charter member of the
Suburban Swim Association of South Jersey,
an 18-team league spanning six counties and divided into three six-team divisions: Olympic,
National, and American.
Though we're the smallest swim club in the Olympic
division, we field one of the larger teams – a true testament to
how much fun it is to be part of the Bandits. We're proud to be competitive against
some of the strongest summer swim programs in South Jersey. But more significantly,
our coaching staff and parents stress personal improvement and
team spirit as much as winning.
Three times in the past decade, The Masked Bandits have gone undefeated to win the National Division championship, the latest in 2005. In 2006, the Bandits moved up to the Olympic Division and finished fifth, then improved to fourth place in 2007, and a best-ever third place in 2008. What does 2009 hold in store for RVSC? Join us and help find out!
Annual Events and Traditions
Dual meets are held on Saturday mornings from 8am to noon, and very occasionally on
Wednesday evenings; we swim five each year.
Next comes the popular "Peach Bowl" – a friendly but fiercely contested all-star
meet pitting the eight competitive summer swim clubs in Gloucester County from both
the Suburban and Tri-County Leagues.
The season ends in late July at the Suburban League Championships.
The team also hosts a number of special events and just-for-fun evenings along the way,
such as our Photo Day Pancake Breakfast, a midseason Pasta Dinner, an Ice Cream
Social party, and a season-ending Awards Banquet. (Just please don't ask about the
annual Speedo Run through town!)
How To Join
The swim team is open to members who are 18 or younger as of June 18th.
You don't need to be a great swimmer to join. If you can swim two laps of a 25-meter
pool and tread water for two minutes, you're good to go (and if you can't, our Lane One
program will help you get there!) You'll become a stronger
swimmer, stay in great shape for your fall and winter sports, participate in many
enjoyable swim team activities, make new friends, and have lots of fun.
Swimming teaches children the value of hard work, patience, persistence,
and teamwork. It is also truly the most rewarding and egalitarian of youth sports.
In a summer swim meet, all age groups are treated equally, and every
event is worth the same number of points to the team whether the swimmers are 8 years
old or 18. Also, and unlike with most sports today, every award a swimmer receives
is earned, not granted, either by competing in an official event or by dropping one's
personal best time.
If you're an RVSC member and would like to join, please contact us for more information. Our annual team signup night is usually held in early May and is announced on the web site. Below you can download our most recent registration form, and also our really useful Swim Meet 101 guide for new swim team parents.
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2008 Aquatics Team Registration Form
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2008 Parents Committee Pre-Season Letter
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2008 Suburban League Waiver & Consent Form
(One copy is required for each child in a family.) - "Swim Meet 101" Guide
(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is probably installed already
on your computer, or you can download it from
here.)
