Pool & Swim Team

Swim Lessons

The New Albany Links pool provides a friendly and safe environment to come beat the heat for the summer. With plenty of lounge chairs and covered tables, it just invites you to come sit and relax with a refreshing drink. Feel free to order off our restaurant menu or just enjoy a healthy option snack from the Pool cafe’. Kids and adults have an opportunity to perform their Olympic front or back flip off the low dive. For the infants, moms and dads can feel at ease with our 12×12 2 foot deep baby pool. New Albany Links offers both group and individual lessons throughout the summer. The Links is also home to the Dolphins swim team that averages around 55 swimmers a year which compete in the Suburban East Swim League.

See “Social Activity Forms” page under “Membership” tab for all sign-up forms. For more information, contact Swim Coach John Sands at jtsands@gmail.com.

• Purchase Spirit Wear Online
• View Pool Guest Policy

Swim Team Lingo

If you are new to swim team, you may find the definitions of some common swim terms helpful!

• Blocks: The diving platforms located at one or both ends of a pool during a swim meet.
• Bullpen: The area of seating where the swimmers report before each event to check in, pick up their entry card, and line up in the correct order for relays.
• Deck: The area immediately around the pool. Parents, spectators, and swimmers who are not competing are asked to stay clear of this area to allow officials a clear view of the pool.
• Disqualification: “DQ”, a technically incorrect stroke, kick, turn, finish, or false start. If a swimmer is disqualified the time does not count and the team receives no points for the event. Examples of a DQ would touching the wall with one hand on breast or butterfly or missing the wall on the Freestyle turn.
• False Start: A swimmer leaving the blocks before the sound of the starter or before a swimmer touches the wall on relay exchanges. A false start in a relay exchange is a reason for disqualification.
• Event: The race in which a swimmer participates. (Coach John will place your kids in their events)
• Heat: One race within a single event. A race with swimmers seeded at the same level. There may be several heats in an event depending on how many swimmers have entered that event and the number of lanes in the pool.
• Heat Sheets: A listing of all events in an invitational or at CHAMPS, with all the swimmers entered for an event, their lane assignment, and heat assignment. These will be available before the meet. You will use the heat sheet to ‘mark-up’ your swimmer’s arm with the Event number and name, heat and lane.
• Medley Relay: A relay where each swimmer does a different stroke. This is not swum in IM order, so that backstrokers can safely start without interrupting the race.  The order is: backstroke. breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle.
• IM: Individual Medley, a race that consists of a leg of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle (in that order). You’ll see these swum as 100 IMs (25s of each stroke).
• Runner: The individual that collects the time sheets from the timers and delivers them to the scoring table.
• Timer: Two timers per lane using stopwatches time the swimmer in each heat.

New Albany Links Pool Guest Policy

• New Albany Links Social Members are permitted to use the pool. Your social membership encompasses members of your household. Members of your household must be registered on your account to have pool access.
• Our Membership List size is configured to ensure that our PRIVATE Pool remains a safe, enjoyable place for your family.
• ALL Members and Guests are required to Check-In Prior to entering the Pool Gates.
• Nannies & Babysitters are permitted to bring your little ones to the pool when you are not able, however they must present your Pool Pass or both your Member Number and Last Name.
• ​Guests MUST be Accompanied by a Member: 
  • $5/Child, $10/Adult
  • If you are bringing a large party over, please let Kristen Dissette, Social Membership Director, or the Snack Shop Staff know in advance.

Please keep in mind that our Staff has a Master List of All Members at Check in.