Minneapolis Lake Monsters Swim Team

“The Minneapolis Lake Monsters Swim Team aims to bring the joy of competitive swimming to every interested child in Minneapolis regardless of neighborhood, income, or skill level. Our coaches and volunteers are committed to an approach that builds each swimmer’s confidence and skill, while fostering a sense of community, teamwork, and fun.”

The Minneapolis Lake Monsters began in the wake of the July 2023 closure of the Minneapolis YWCA Otters Swim Team, with the goal of keeping competitive swimming in Minneapolis, particularly for elementary and middle school children for whom there was no other competitive swim team in the city. Thanks to the invaluable partnership of Minneapolis Community Education, within just 8 weeks of the announced closure of the Otters, the then-unnamed Minneapolis Swim Club was open to registration. The team held our first practices just a week and a half later on October 3, 2023 at Southwest High School with 19 swimmers ages 7 to 11 across three practice groups, including 10 former Otters, who were joined by recent Otters Novice-group Coach Ed Patton after just a few practices.

Acknowledging the combination of former Otters and new swimmers, the team set out to create a new, shared identity, and with significant input from the swimmers, landed on the Minneapolis Lake Monsters for the new team name. The name is a nod to its home in the City of Lakes, to the Minne the Lake Creature art installation, as well as to two former Otters coaches who lovingly called their swimmers little monsters and who referenced two monster octopuses, Stanley and Walter, who according to the coaches, lived under the YWCA pool.

The team continues to grow, adding Coach Mori Mayaan in January, and doubling in size by March 2024. In Fall 2024, the Minneapolis Lake Monsters expanded to a second practice location in Franklin Middle School, and has continued to grow to support roughly 85 swimmers each week across its two locations!

The Minneapolis Lake Monsters Swim Team was able to send nine swimmers to the 2024 Winter Minnesota Regional Championships after only a few months in operation! We hope that your donation will help make competitive swimming accessible to all children across our City of Lakes, Minneapolis!

The Minneapolis Lake Monsters Swim Team was incorporated on December 29, 2023, received IRS approval of our tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit status on January 16, and held the first meeting of our Board of Directors on February 5, 2024. Lake Monsters swimmers attended their first swim meet together on January 6, 2024, and the team received its charter from USA Swimming and MN Swimming, Inc later that month on January 29.