ARC Aquatics
The club offers indoor and outdoor pool options. At the downtown location, we have a saltwater pool, jacuzzi, and a steam room that is open year-round. We also offer an outdoor pool with a cabana that is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. At the South location, we have a Junior Olympic outdoor pool and a baby pool that are both open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. At both outdoor locations, guests are welcome Monday – Thursday.
Indoor Pool at ARC Downtown
Group Swim Lessons will start on March 6, 2023! In this session, we will be offering a 5-week series of 10 different group classes for children 6 mos. – 12 years old. Registration will open for members on February 10, 2023, and for non-members on February 17, 2023. Details about these classes are below.
Sessions must have a minimum of four (4) registrants; a maximum of eight (8) pairs allowed in any Parent/Caregiver and Child class. Maximum of six (6) participants in the Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced Classes. All Classes are 25 minutes of active teaching.
Department Contacts
- Greg Brown – Aquatics Director – for questions about the facilities & lifeguards gbrown@ashevilleracquetclub.com
- KJ Hawk – Assistant Aquatics Director – for questions about water aerobics, scheduling & swim lessons khawk@ashevilleracquetclub.com
- Shalene Hill – Assistant Aquatics Director – for questions about the swim team, scheduling & swim lessons shill@ashevilleracquetclub.com
Winter Swim Team
A session is underway right now that started on 11/28 & goes through 1/18/23 (skipping 2 weeks for the winter holiday break). There IS still room to register for this session! There are options to sign up for one or two days a week. To register please do so through the front desk at the Downtown location.
Swim Team for Beginners is on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-6:15 & for Intermediates/Advanced Swimmers is also these days from 6:15 – 7:30p
We’re hosting a team-only mini-meet (for all ages) on Wednesday, December 14th, 5:30-7:30
The session dates for the session are:
11/28, 11/30
12/5,12/7
12/12. 12/14
1/2, 1/4
1/9, 1/11
1/16, 1/18
There are options to sign up for one-day-per-week participation or two-day-per-week participation.
The fee for members for one day-per-week participation is $62.50 and the non-member rate for one day-per-week participation is $77.50.
The member rate for two days per week participation is $125 and the non-member fee for two days per week participation is $155.
Beginners must be able to complete the following to start the beginner swim team program:
- Swim 25 meters/ yards (the length of a pool) with their face in the water the majority of the time
- Tread water in the deep end unassisted for 30 seconds
- Back float unassisted for 10 seconds
Swimmers who do not meet the basic requirements the first week of practice, or who may struggle with these, will be recommended for swim lessons to strengthen skills
To advance to intermediate, swimmers must be able to confidently swim 50 m/yd freestyle and backstroke, flip turn included, with proper form and lane etiquette. Intermediate swimmers complete 50s/ 100s/ 150s/ 200s. Advanced swimmers must be experienced with and adept at all 4 strokes, including transitions. Advanced swimmers must be able to swim up to 500 m/yds without stopping.
To sign up, please email swimteam@ashevilleracquetclub.com
Swim Team Requirements
Participants must be 6 years old or older and must pass a swim test before team participation.
Beginner
Beginner swimmers should be able to do the following:
- Tread water for 30 sec
- Swim 25 yd/m consecutively* w/out stopping or pulling lane lines
- Feel comfortable swimming with their face in water
*Swimming completely submerged does not count towards the 25 yd/ m requirement
Beginner swimmers will learn
- Proficiency in freestyle with bilateral breathing
- Proficiency in backstroke
- Endurance (build up to swimming 50 yd/ m consecutively)
- Streamline off the wall
- Introduction to flip turns
- Dives
Intermediate
Intermediate swimmers should be able to do the following:
- Tread water for 30 sec
- Swim 50 yd/m freestyle proficiently (bilateral breathing) w/out stopping or pulling lane lines
- Swim 50 yd/m backstroke proficiently w/out stopping or pulling lane lines
- Complete a flip turn
- Streamline between flags
- Dive
Intermediate swimmers will learn
- Proficiency in breaststroke
- Proficiency in 25 yd/m butterfly
- Breaststroke/ Butterfly open turns
- Breaststroke/ Butterfly starts and pullouts
- IM turns
- Breath work
- Endurance (swimming up to 200 yd/ m consecutively)
- Speed for 25 yd/m and 50 yd/m competitive events
Advanced
Advanced swimmers should be able to do the following:
- Tread water for 30 sec
- Swim all four competitive strokes legally and proficiently (50 yd/m minimum)
- Complete 100 IM with appropriate turns
- Complete appropriate turns and starts for all 4 strokes
- Dives
Advanced swimmers will learn
- Endurance (swimming up to 500 yd/m freestyle consecutively, 100 yd/m in backstroke/ breaststroke/butterfly consecutively)
- Speed training for 50 & 100 yd/m in all 4 strokes
- Drill sets and technique feedback to use for personal training in the pool
Tryouts for the swim team take place on the first day of each session. Those who are already on the team will treat these try out dates as regular practice days.
2023 February/March Session:
2/6 and 2/8
2/13 and 2/15
2/20 and 2/22
2/27 and 3/1
3/2 and 3/8
3/13 and 3/15
3/20 and 3/22 Mock Meet
SPRING BREAK – No Practice 4/3 or 4/5
2023 April/May Session
4/10 and 4/12
4/17 and 4/19
4/24 and 4/26
5/1 and 5/3
5/8 and 5/10
5/15 and 5/17
5/22 and 5/24 Mock Meet
For more information on swim team and to inquire about joining mid session, please email coach Whitney at wcooper524@gmail.com
Summer Swim Team
During the summer, the swim team competes in the Blue Ridge Swim League against local clubs in the Asheville area. United States swimming rules apply during all training and meets. Swimmers are provided with the opportunity to participate in 5 meets throughout the summer in a recreational environment. This program is a great introduction to the competitive swimming world. The summer swim team meets at the indoor pool at ARC Downtown, but when the outdoor pools are open, we utilize both Downtown and South locations.
Please contact swimteam@ashevilleracquetclub.com for more information.
Water Aerobics Classes
Water Jog will be offered at ARC South, in addition to our weekly water aerobics classes offered at both ARC location
ARC South Class Schedule
-
- Monday & Friday – Aquafit
- Wednesday – Water Jogging
- Saturday – Aqua Fusion
Did you know that there are substantial health benefits to exercising in the water?? Here are the top 10 benefits:
1. It Enhances Your Balance and Coordination
As you grow older, you can experience reduced coordination and balance. Water exercises go a long way toward helping you build stability and expand your muscle strength for better coordination.
2. Improves Your Cardiovascular Strength
The water’s pressure in the pool helps in blood circulation. This reduces your blood pressure, which puts less strain on your heart as it pumps blood. With time, you gain cardiovascular strength.
3. It’s a Low Impact Exercise
Unlike other exercises, water exercises provide you with a flexible environment for your workouts. You don’t need to worry about falling and hurting yourself in the pool. Besides the water’s buoyancy reduces the impact that exercises have on your joints and muscles.
4. Helps You Lose Weight, Burn Calories and Tone Your Muscles
Water exercises can help you burn 500 to 1000 calories per hour. The water massages your muscles in a way that helps tone them.
5. Enables You to Heal and Recover from Chronic Conditions
Water exercises are a great way of exercising without straining your muscles or joints.
The water’s buoyancy supports your body weight, which helps reduce the stress exerted on your joints. Besides, the movement of the water helps tone your muscles.
For older people with arthritis, having water exercises in warm water helps relieve arthritis pain, inflammation around the joints and swollen muscles.
However, water aerobics don’t necessarily cure arthritis. Instead, they prevent the condition from getting worse.
6. Water Aerobics Has Mental Health Benefits
Water aerobics is a very refreshing activity. It relaxes your brain and boosts your mental health.
Here are some mental health benefits you can derive from water aerobics.
Better sleep
It reduces stress and anxiety
Relieves Depression
7. It Aids in Recovery from Injuries
If you’re past the age of fifty, your injuries might take longer to heal compared to those of a young person.
This is because your muscle tissues are worn out and may take longer to regenerate. The good news is, water aerobics may help you recover quickly from your injuries.
For instance, if you have recently undergone hip surgery, water aerobics classes will help you build your muscle strength, which aids in quick recovery.
8. Helps Increase Your Flexibility
One of the main benefits of water aerobics is gaining overall flexibility.
Water adds resistance to the movements you make. Your joints and body parts are pulled and pushed in directions they aren’t used to.
With time you get used to this, and this increases your flexibility both on dry land and in water.
9. It Helps in Cooling the Body Temperature
The hot summer days are here! You need to pull out your swimsuits and enroll in a water aerobics class.
Water aerobics is an excellent form of workout, especially on hot summer days because they cool your body temperature.
10. Helps You Build Physical Endurance
Water aerobics is a unique way of building your physical endurance. Water aerobics is muscle resistance training that challenges your muscles.
As you continue challenging your muscles, they become stronger. As you build your physical endurance, your heart, your lungs, and other body muscles become stronger.
ARC Platinum/Gold members are welcome to host an outdoor pool party. We schedule parties Monday through Thursday from June 1st-September 1st. For more information about availability and cost, please contact KJ Hawk – Assistant Aquatics Director – khawk@ashevilleracquetclub.com or Shalene Hill – Assistant Aquatics Director shill@ashevilleracquetclub.com.
We do not schedule private parties or schedule parties indoors.
Group swim lessons have been going well and we’re excited to offer the next session which will start on March 6th. This session we’ll be offering a 5-week series of 10 different group classes for children starting at 6 months old and up to 12 years old. Registration for this session opens for members on 2/10 and to non-members on 2/17. Details about these classes are below.
Weekly Classes:
Monday Mornings Baby & Me for ages 6-24 months @ 10:45 am with KJ
Monday Mornings Toddler & Me for ages 2-4 @ 11:15 am with KJ
Wednesday Baby & Me for ages 6-24 months @ 11 am with Shalene
Thursday Morning Toddler & Me for ages 2-4 @ 9 am with Shalene
Thursday Afternoon Beginner Swimmers ages 5-12 @ 4 pm with Shalene
Thursday Afternoon Intermediate Swimmers ages 5-12 @ 4:30 pm with Shalene
Thursday Afternoon Pre-Swim Team ages 5-12 @ 5 pm with Shalene
Friday Afternoon Beginner Swimmers ages 5-12 @ 4:30 pm with KJ
Friday Evening Big Kid & Me for ages 3-, 4- & 5-year-olds with a caretaker @ 5:00pm with KJ
Friday Evening Intermediate Swimmers ages 5-12 @ 5:30 pm with KJ
Saturdays: Family Swim Hour with Shalene for Gold & Platinum Members @ 11 am-12 pm
We must have a minimum of 4 registrants in each group to run the session. There’s a maximum of 8 pairs allowed in any Parent/Caregiver & Child class. There’s a maximum of 6 participants in the Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced Classes. All Classes are 25 minutes of active teaching.
Dates of Class Early Spring Session:
Fridays: March 10th through April 14th (off April 7th for Spring Break)
Mondays: March 6th through April 10th (off April 2nd for Spring Break)
Wednesdays: March 8 through April 12th (off April 5th for Spring Break)
Thursdays: March 9th through April 13th (off April 6th for Spring Break)
Class Descriptions
Baby & Me (ages 6 – 24 months)
This class is designed to get you and your child comfortable in the water. This is an introductory class & caretakers hold the baby throughout. Instructors teach proper holding position, how to relate to your infant in the water & gentle movement to help swimmers get used to buoyancy. We sing songs & do group activities while teaching parents how to support their little ones with their swimming endeavors. Because of space only ONE parent/caregiver is allowed in the water with the swimmer. All children participating must wear swim diapers.
Toddler & Me (ages 2 & 3 years & a caregiver)
This class is designed to get you and your child comfortable in, bonded with, and enjoying the water. We use storytelling, verbal cues, and singing to increase comfort and engage your swimmer’s imagination so your little ones can learn to enjoy the water safely. Parents/caregivers are in the water with their swimmers. We work on getting faces wet, floating, arm paddles, leg kicks, swimming gently, and proper body dynamics. Because of space: ONE parent/caregiver is allowed in the water with the swimmer. All children participating must wear swim diapers.
Big Kid & Me (ages 3, 4 & 5 & a caregiver)
In this class we will work on proper breathing techniques, back floating for rest, swimming the front crawl correctly, using arms and feet properly, and gaining confidence in their swimming ability. Parents will assist in the water. In this class, parents are in the water primarily for safety reasons and to reinforce the habit of getting into the water together as family lessons are taught using the “Fuzzy Caterpillar” swim lesson curriculum where songs/games will be involved so be ready to sing along. All swimmers under the age of 4 & anyone who is not toilet trained must wear a swim diaper.
Group for Beginner Kids 5 – 9 Years old
This is a group for children who are beginning to get comfortable in the water. A group setting can be great because kids are often motivated by watching their peers try new & brave skills. Lessons are taught using the “Fuzzy Caterpillar” swim lesson curriculum consisting of a story, song, 3 brave tries per swimmer, games & a closing song. The goal during these lessons is that swimmers learn how to hold their breath & blow air out of their noses, that they get comfortable putting their mouth, nose, goggles, head & ears in the water & that they learn how to be horizontal on the water in a back & front float. These are often the biggest hurdles to learning to swim so any at-home support or bath time practice that parents/caregivers are willing and able to invest in will help swimmers progress more rapidly. Swimmers must have the aptitude & behavioral skills to be able to stay in the shallow water or on the stairs or swim platform while it is not their turn to swim with the instructor & need to know how to listen & follow instructions.
Beginner swimmers are those who:
- Are willing & potentially excited about getting in the water & learning to swim.
- Are willing to get their heads wet but may not know how.
- Have decided to forgo the use of any flotation devices and are committed to learning how to swim independently (flotation devices such as puddle jumpers inform the body in counterintuitive ways and are a hindrance to learning proper swimming skills.)
Group for Intermediate Kids 5-9 Years old
This is a group class designed for swimmers who feel comfortable in the water to progress in their skills related to proper breathing techniques, back floating for rest & rolling over into a front float, swimming the front crawl correctly, using arms and feet properly and gaining confidence with their swimming ability. We work towards preparing them to pass the deep-end test. Swimmers must have the aptitude & behavioral skills to be able to stay in the shallow/on the stairs while it is not their turn to swim with the instructor & need to know how to listen & follow instructions.
Intermediate swimmers are those who can:
- Put their whole face/head in the water.
- Hold their breath for at least 10 seconds.
- Lay down flat on their backs on the water (but may not have nailed the float)
Group for Advanced Kids/Swim Team Prep for 5 -12 Years old
This is a group class for swimmers who are ready to learn how to swim continuously. In this class, students will learn proper breathing techniques & form for breaststroke, freestyle & backstroke. This is a class that prepares swimmers to join a swim team. We will work toward swimming a 100-meter (4 lengths of the pool) freestyle. Surface dives & flip turns will be a part of the curriculum. Swimmers must have the aptitude & behavioral skills to be able to listen & follow instructions.
Advanced swimmers are those who can:
- Tread water with their chin above water for 10 seconds
- Swim one length of the pool
- Float on their back and take 3 breaths while floating.
- Need to be comfortable putting their face in the water for at least 4 seconds.
KJ Hawk – Assistant Aquatics Director – for questions about water aerobics, scheduling & swim lessons khawk@ashevilleracquetclub.com
Shalene Hill – Assistant Aquatics Director – for questions about the swim team, scheduling & swim lessons shill@ashevilleracquetclub.com
Adult swim lessons are scheduled through our swim instructors,
Elizabeth Moriarty, Matt Clark, and KJ Hawk.
Swim lessons are scheduled during open swim times in the Asheville Racquet Club Downtown Club, indoor pool. The pricing for adult swim lessons is as follows:
ARC Non-member 4 Pack of 30 Min Lessons $170 + guest fee
ARC Member 4 Pack of 30 min lessons $170
ARC Non-member $140/package of 4/per student
ARC Member $125/package of 4/per student
A one time individual lesson for a member is $45
A one time individual lesson for a non-member is $60
Adult private swim lessons are available as follows:
Elizabeth is available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11am to 12noon. To book with Elizabeth, email em@elizabethmoriarty.com or text (415) 203-0871
Matt is available to teach
Mondays from 9am-9:30am or between 4pm and 5pm
Wednesdays from 9am-9:30am or between 4 and 5pm
Fridays from 9am-9:30am or between 4 and 7pm
To book with matt, please call (828) 335-1561
Matt’s email address is mattormat@yahoo.com
KJ is currently available
Mondays 12-1p,
Tuesdays 5:30-6p
Wednesdays from 2-2:30p.
To book lessons with KJ click this link & scroll down. You can choose to book one or multiple lessons at a time by choosing one adult individual lesson or a package of adult lessons. Lessons can be shared between 2 people
We hope that one of our instructors is able to assist you in your aquatic journey.
