Pointe-Claire is the home of the Olympic Way program, a comprehensive lessons system designed to help children progressively learn the fundamentals of swimming and diving, through a series of 8 levels for each sport, ranging from beginner to advanced.

Swimming Levels

For children aged 2 to 16 years.

The skills learned for each level are listed below. A child must master every skill at each level before progression to the next. In order to preserve the integrity of each class, we reserve the right to transfer children who are not in the appropriate level.

Important: Non swimmers or weak swimmers aged 8 to 16 years old must register in Beginner lessons.

Swimming Level: White More

Non-swimmers or weak swimmers aged 8 to 16 years old must register in Beginner lessons.

Skills learned:

Jump from side with bubble on, unassisted
Swim 12 m (1 width) with bubble on, forward swimming arms with directional control.
Blow bubbles while swimming with bubble on.
Swim 2 m unassisted (no jump), face in the water.
Back float with head assistance
Climb in and out of the pool, unassisted.

Swimming Level: Yellow More

Non-swimmers or weak swimmers aged 8 to 16 years old must register in Beginner lessons.

Skills learned:

Jump in, unassisted.
Demonstrate a front and a back glide – push off the wall, body at surface.
Swim 12 m unassisted with no bubble, face in water.
Front float unassisted (5 seconds).
Back float unassisted, face at the surface (5 seconds).
Tread water (10 secondes).

Swimming Level: Green More

Skills learned:

Push off wall streamline with kick – 6 m.
Swim Front Crawl – 12 m (1 width) with face in water and arms out, begin breathing to the side
Endurance swim – 24 m continuously.
Backstroke kick – 12 m (1 width) with head back and horizontal body position.
Rolling floats (front to back, back to front).
Tread water (30 seconds).

Swimming Level: Red More

Skills learned:

Submerged push off into streamline kick.
Front Crawl – 25 m with breathing to the side, full arm extension and finished pull.
Backstroke kick – 25 m horizontal body position, feet break surface of water.
Backstroke – 12 m (1 width) with flat body position, straight arm recovery.
Retrieve an object from the bottom of the pool.
Introduction to stationary egg-beater.

Swimming Level: Blue More

Skills learned:

Submerged push off into streamline kick (front).
Push off wall streamline position (back).
Front crawl – 50 m bilateral breathing.
Backstroke – 25 m continuous and alternating arms.
Breaststroke kick – 25 m proper turnout of feet, forward propulsion.
Introduction to travelling egg-beater.

Swimming Level: Bronze More

Skills learned:

Submerged push off the wall, streamline position
Front Crawl – 50 m proper catch, pull, finish
Backstroke – 50 m shoulder roll, steady kick
Breaststroke – 50 m coordination of pull-breathe-kick-glide
Introduction to starts

Swimming Level: Silver More

Skills learned:

Front Crawl – 75 m
Backstroke – 75 m underwater arm action with catch-pull-finish
Breaststroke – 75 m proper arm mechanics and timing
Butterfly kick – 50 m legs together, full kick from hip
Introduction to butterfly arms
Introduction to flip turns

Swimming Level: Gold More

Skills learned:

Front Crawl – 100 m
Backstroke – 100 m
Breaststroke – 100 m
Butterfly – 50 m proper arm mechanics and timing

Diving Levels

Prerequisite for diving lessons is Red level of swimming or higher OR previous experience in our diving program. The detailed requirements for each level are listed below. A child must master every skill at each level before progression to the next. In order to preserve the integrity of each class, we reserve the right to transfer children who are not in the correct level.

Diving Level: White More