Who can be a member of the Centennial Swimming and Diving Team?
Any female student in the Centennial School District who is in 7th to 12th grade.

What do I need to do to be a member?
Pick up the Minnesota State High School League Athletic information packet from the Middle School Office, the Senior High Red Building (formerly Jr. High) Office or the Athletic Office in the Senior High White Building. Complete the information in the packet, get a physical (forms included in the packet) once every three years, and turn in the completed forms along with the necessary Activity Fee to the Cashier's Office in the Senior High White building. For more information contact the Activities Office at the Senior High White Building 763 792-5017.

What equipment do I need to participate with the team?
Swimmers and divers will need to have a swimming suit ($30 - $350). It is recommended that the athletes who desire to swim should have swimming goggles ($5 - $50) and a swimming cap ($2 - $6). Individuals desiring to swim may also consider having hand paddles ($20), Zoomers ($40), and fins ($30). Individuals desiring to dive may wish to have a chamois ($12-15) for drying off between dives in practice and meets.

What other expenses may be encountered besides the activity fee?
The swimming and diving team selects a team suit each season. This is a suit which is used only at swimming and diving meets. The team suit after being used for one season generally becomes a good practice suit for the following season. Team swim caps may also be purchased. Between the team suits and caps one can quickly identify the Centennial team members both on deck and in the water. There are some activities which may require some monetary input. At one of the last home meets of the season there is Parents Night & a Senior Night. The swimmers and divers usually buy flowers for their parents which they present to their parents prior to the start of the meet. To cover capital expenses and fund some fun activities and acquire necessary equipment a preseason actvity fee for the swim team of $15 - $20 will be collected.

What can I do to prepare for the season?
Swim or dive on your own during open swim. Join a swimming or diving team. Possible swimming opportunities may be found at the Centennial Pool, check with the Lifeguards about the Northern Lights Aquatic Club, check with other USA Swimming clubs -- Mounds View Swim Club, STAR Swim Club, Twin Cities Swim Club, or others, or check with your YMCA to see if they have a competitive swimming program. Diving opportunities may be found at the Centennial pool, the University of Minnesota (Minnesota Diving Club), or ABC Diving (practices at Northdale Jr. High). There are other programs also available you just have to look to find the program that fits your needs. The related links page has links to Minnesota Swimming and United States Diving web pages to look for other opportunities.

Where do we practice?
The athletes practice at the Centennial Senior High Red Building (formerly the Junior High) in the pool. The pool is located next to the Centennial Arena. The pool area has two separate tanks. The main competition pool is a 6 lane 25 yard course. The main pool is 5 feet 3 inches deep at the starting end and 3 feet 6 inches deep in the shallow end. A separate diving well with 1 meter and 3 meter diving standards is used by the diving team. The diving well is 13 feet deep under the diving boards and is 10 feet deep on the end away from the boards.

When is the Swimming and Diving season?
The 2008 Girls Swimming and Diving season starts on August 11 and the season concludes on November 19. Not all athletes will compete through the November 16 date. Many athletes will complete their season at the JV Championships November 1. The athletes who qualify for the Sectional Championships will compete through November 10th. Any State qualifiers have the opportunity to compete until November 22nd.

Where can I get more information?
You can call the Activities Office 763 792-5017 for more information or you can click on the icon below and send us e-mail and we will answer your questions.

Contact us for more info cougarswimndive@gmail.com.