Competitive Team

Team Charlotte (TEAM) is a nonprofit, year-round competitive USA Swimming program that has served the Charlotte swim community for more than 45 years. Our mission at TEAM is to cultivate a close-knit team environment where every member receives personalized attention and support, enabling them to reach their highest potential. Team Charlotte aims to be the best place for athletes to safely and passionately pursue their goals in a supportive and appropriately challenging environment.

Team Charlotte operates out of 3 aquatic facilities: Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center (Uptown), Queens University of Charlotte (Myers Park), and Matthews Tennis & Swim Club (Matthews). Team Charlotte is a USA Swimming Level 2 Club. Our designation as a USA Swimming Level 2 Club recognizes that in order to better serve our swimmers and families, we have achieved a high level of organizational excellence in: Business & Organizational Success, Parent & Volunteer Development, Coach Development & Education, and Athlete Development & Performance. 

Team Charlotte is also a Safe Sport Recognized Club, a program that allows USA Swimming member clubs to demonstrate a commitment to promoting a healthy and positive environment free from abuse for all of its members, through the development and implementation of club governance measures, Safe Sport policies, and training for coaches, parents, and swimmers. We are proud to have been the first club in Charlotte and one of the first clubs in the state of North Carolina to achieve this designation through the hard work of our coaches, swimmers, and parents. For more information, please visit the Safe Sport tab on our website.

COMPETITIVE TEAM TRAINING GROUPS

Team Charlotte’s training group structure includes four age-group-focused divisions: a Senior Division (15-18), a Pre-Senior Division (13-14), a Gold Division (11-12), and a Blue Division (10U). This age-group-focused approach fosters a supportive environment where swimmers can work towards their individual goals alongside their peers in an age-appropriate and challenging setting, while also allowing for tiers within each age group through which swimmers can most effectively gain the skills and experience needed to meet their goals.

Proper group placement is essential to each athlete’s individual development in the sport of swimming. Placing swimmers in training groups is based on many factors: biological and physiological age, mental and emotional development, commitment to the sport, technique and training abilities, race performances, and coach intuition. Within each division, each training group has specific attendance requirements appropriate for the objectives of that group, set by the coaching staff. The level of success our families experience throughout the Team Charlotte program is based on the commitment to the schedule the coaching staff has designed. The attendance requirements are bare minimums put in place to foster group synergy, prioritize athlete safety, and promote gradual progress. A brief breakdown of each division is included below.

Blue (10U) & Gold (11-12) Division

The Blue & Gold Divisions focus on building foundations of competitive swimming through a technique-based approach. This division is designed to appropriately challenge swimmers depending on their age and level of experience. Our goal is to inspire a lifelong love of swimming and prepare swimmers for our Pre-Senior Division.

Gold Training Groups: Gold 1, Gold 2, Gold 3

Blue Training Groups: Blue 1, Blue 2

Pre-Senior Division (13-14)

The Pre-Senior division aims to encourage swimmers in a competitive environment. While building on the fundamental skills they have learned in the Blue & Gold divisions, swimmers will focus more on time management as they work to develop training skills and form a stronger commitment to the sport of swimming.

Training Groups: Presenior 1, Presenior 2, Presenior 3

Senior Division (15-18)

The Senior division provides an avenue for those athletes looking to prepare for the next level of swimming, and life, through continued development and refinement of skills both in and out of the pool. Athletes who are driven to pursue excellence in the sport of swimming, both during and after their time on Team Charlotte, will receive the support they need as they strive to achieve their goals. Athletes who want to maintain a less formal relationship with the sport will also discover how to fit swimming more comfortably into their lives.

Training Groups: Senior 1, Senior 2, Senior 3