Swimming is one of the few sports that can truly last a lifetime. Not many sports in the world have consistently had individuals over the age of 70 competing in masters events. Doctors generally describe swimming as the best full body activity for children’s developmental needs.  Swimming has many physical and social developmental attributes which include but are not limited to:

• High quality aerobic endurance development – Swimming is a sport that utilises and constantly increases aerobic development. Unlike other sports that involve short bursts age group swimming always aims to build upon the swimmers aerobic development which will also help them be at the pinnacle of any other sports they participate in.
• Muscular development – Swimming is a sport which utilises full body movements. This leads to swimmers developing muscles across their full body rather than in only one specific place. No other sports can offer this benefit.
• Enhanced flexibility – Swimming enhances a child’s flexibility by exercising all the joints through a full range of motion.
• Life-long fitness – When learnt at a young age the benefits of swimming and its' fitness can be carried through a lifetime! By teaching a child to swim you are giving them an asset for life.

• Gender equality - Unlike many other sports, competitive swimming is available to boys and girls of all ages. This is actually more important than it seems at first glance. Most other organized activities tend to segregate by age and sex. On a swim team, a ten year old girl can be just as important as a sixteen year old boy. Small boys and girls have equal rights on swim teams, too. It is an exciting individual and team sport.
• Academic benefits – Swimming is a sport that promotes self-discipline and organisation. These skills are offen transferred into the athletes schooling career and can lead to further academic success
• Self-improvement – Swimming is a sport which constantly focuses on self-improvement and development. Swimmers are constantly reminded to focus on their own skills and at meets to strive to beat their own personal best times.
• Community identification - Swimmers in the Elk Valley Dolphins Swim Club represent the whole Elk Valley community. Every meet they attend they have a sense of pride for their community and display the qualities that are apparent in this amazing valley.