About The WAVE

The WAVE is an age group competitive swim team administered by the La Crosse Area Family YMCA. Our team is affiliated with both YMCA Swimming and USA Swimming. The WAVE is a member of the Central Wisconsin Swim Conference and competes locally, statewide and nationally.

The team began is 1959 at the original La Crosse YMCA building located at State and Main Streets. Lew Shew was the first head coach assisted by Jack Custer. The team steadily developed over the next decade under coaches, Dave Everhard, Jess Ondell and Jess Graham. The team grew in 1969 when the present YMCA facility opened at Main Street and West Avenue. Bill Van Atta was the first coach in the new pool assisted by Dottie Shields and Dorothy Boschert. In the mid-eighties the YMCA and the YWCA jointly administered the team. The team participated in YMCA, YWCA and USA competition with great success, producing State and National champions and Conference and State record holders. Coaches in this period included Dick Snyder, Scott Bonine and Linda Seidel.

Beginning in the 1991-92 season the team developed the WAVE nickname and has been administered solely by the YMCA. Our team size has grown from 42 swimmers in 1992 to almost 200 swimmers on the 2004-05 team. One of the WAVE’s greatest strengths is its diversity with swimmers coming from three states and over twenty different communities.

Membership on the WAVE is open to any swimmer age 5-18 able to swim one length of the pool front crawl. Our team emphasizes fun and fitness through skill development, goal setting and competition. Each swimmer is encouraged to set individual goals equal to their level of interest and ability. There are no minimum practice or competition requirements. The team has great diversity in membership from swimmers learning basic skills and fitness to National Championship qualifiers.

Swimmers new to the program are encouraged to try out the team for a free two-week trial period. Trial passes are available at the YMCA reception desk.