Registration Information

Registration for Winter Session (1/12/2026 - 3/26/2026) opens Wednesday, January 7 at 9AM via Minneapolis Community Education.

Please complete our Interest Form if you would like a reminder about upcoming registrations.

The Minneapolis Lake Monsters Swim Team offers competitive swimming to children in grades 2 through 12 (ages 7 to 18) at four skill levels - Novice, Age Group 1, Age Group 2, and Senior (high school). Registration is month-to-month through the Minneapolis Community Education registration platform, and our partnership with Minneapolis Community Education allows us to offer a sliding scale fee of four levels for each of our practice groups so families can choose the level that best fits their budget, helping improve accessibility for families, while providing a sustainable source of revenue for team practices.

The Minneapolis Lake Monsters Swim Team aims to bring the joy of competitive swimming to every interested child in Minneapolis regardless of neighborhood or family income, in a safe and supportive environment with an approach that builds each swimmer’s confidence and skill, while fostering a sense of community, teamwork, and fun. We don't want cost to be a barrier to participation, so please Contact Us about financial assistance opportunities.

Practice Registration

During registration, please take care to select the correct practice group location and level and location (see below, and for Novice and Age Group 1, to also select the correct days of the week. Please also note that after you select your preferred practice group, you must separately register for each month in which you will be participating. In addition, USA Swimming annual registration is also required, and is not included in the practice fees (parents will receive information to complete this additional registration during their first month of participation).

Please note that regardless of available space, you will initially be required to add your swimmer to a waitlist for each month you wish them to participate (be sure to complete the waitlist registration and receive confirmation). Swimmers with current team member families will be moved to registered status first, after which new swimmers will be added to the team in waitlist order. Parents will not be charged until their swimmer is moved to registered status, and will receive an email from Minneapolis Public Schools ([email protected]) when that happens. Each new swimmer's skill level will be evaluated at their first practice to ensure their placement in the correct practice group. While we try to accomodate all swimmers, the coach may recommend additional swimming lessons if they do not yet meet the Novice criteria below. Coaches will communicate with parents as their swimmers are ready to move up to a new practice group.

Practice Groups

  • Novice (Ages 7-12 in Grades 2-6, 50min up to twice weekly) - Swimmers focus on improving endurance and stroke mechanics while learning starts and turns. Participants must have either completed Red Cross Swimming Level 4 or Foss Level 5, or be able to swim 50 yards Front Crawl and 50 yards Backstroke each without stopping, and understand how to swim Breaststroke and Butterfly even if arms and legs are not yet coordinated.
  • Age Group 1 (Ages 8-14 in Grades 3-8, 60min up to four times weekly) - Swimmers focus on stroke, start, and turn efficiency and speed while learning to think about race strategy. Participants must be able to swim freestyle (front crawl) and backstroke consistently with solid technique (good head and body position, correct stroke and kick, side breathing for freestyle), swim a continuous 50 yards (1 lap) of each of butterfly and breaststroke with at least one of either the arms or legs "competition legal," and swim at least 200 yards of freestyle without stopping. If a participant needs to build endurance, they may be asked to attend the Novice group temporarily.
  • Age Group 2 (Ages 10-14 in Grades 5-8, 75min up to five times weekly) - Swimmers focus on improving technique, speed, and/or endurance while working to achieve higher time standards and competitive placement. Participants must be able to consistently swim all four strokes (Front Crawl, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly) in competition without being disqualified.
  • Senior (Ages 15-18 in Grades 9-12, 90min up to five times weekly) - High school age swimmers who wish to continue swimming year-round beyond their high school season focus on improving technique and conditioning, and developing practices that will transition them into lifelong swimmers. Participants must be able to consistently swim all four strokes (Front Crawl, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly) in competition without being disqualified, and complete more challenging conditioning practice sets.

The Minneapolis Lake Monsters Swim Team practices at three locations:

Please be careful to select the correct location (Southwest High School or Franklin Middle School) for Novice and Age Group 1. All Age Group 2 and Senior groups practice at both locations. Please also note that after you select your preferred practice group, you must separately register for each fall month in which you will be participating (Sep-Dec). Novices will also sign up for either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.

Practice dates follow the Minneapolis Public Schools after-school activity schedule, and so do not take place on days the school buildings are closed or when after-school activities are otherwise canceled by the District (ie: weather-related). There are also no practices during or the week following the Minneapolis Public Schools Winter and Spring breaks, and no practices are taking place during the Minneapolis Public Schools 2024 Summer break.

USA Swimming Registration (Required)

As a team chartered with USA Swimming, which provides competitive opportunities for our swimmers, as well as accident and liability insurance for the team, all swimmers are also required to register annually with USA Swimming. Returning swimmers will be renewed by the team and parents will be billed directly, but parents of new swimmers will be provided a link to register directly with USA Swimming after they begin practice and must register before the end of their first month of swim practice.

  • Swimmers in Age Group 1, Age Group 2, and Seniors are required to register as a "Premium Athlete" at a cost of $83 paid at registration to USA Swimming.
  • Novice swimmers have two registration options, including
    • The above Premium Athlete registration (ie: full membership), or
    • A "Flex Athlete" registration, which costs $30 paid at registration to USA Swimming. Flex membership is a good option for those swimmers still exploring competitive swimming, but limits a swimmer to two swim meets per calendar year and does not allow participation in post-season competition. Swimmers can upgrade to a Premium membership at any time at an additional cost of $63 paid at upgrade to USA Swimming.
  • A reduced fee Outreach Membership is also available to eligible families. Please Contact Us for more information.

Swim Meets

Swim meets are optional for all swimmers, but everyone is encouraged to participate. Swim meets foster team camaraderie, build friendships, and allow swimmers to see their progress in a measurable way, all while having fun. Swim meet opportunities and signup instructions are posted under Meets & Events as they become available, with applicable meet fees billed to parents by the team.

The Minneapolis Lake Monsters Swim Team aims to bring the joy of competitive swimming to every interested child in Minneapolis regardless of neighborhood or family income. We don't want cost to be a barrier to participation, so please Contact Us about financial assistance opportunities.