Hi Dolphin Families!

I hope you all had a fun and relaxing weekend! The coaches are thrilled to kick practices into high gear this evening, and we’re so excited for a summer full of swimming and fun! Thank you as well to everyone who attended Thursday’s parent meeting – it was great to see so many enthusiastic faces ready to dive into another amazing season!

Below is the information covered in Thursday’s meeting. As always, please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Practice Schedule: Our regular practice schedule officially starts TONIGHT (Tuesday)!

• Morning Practices (Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Saturday):
  • 8:00-8:30am → 8 & under / newer swimmers
  • 8:30-9:30am → 9 & over / advanced swimmers
• Evening Practices (Tuesday/Wednesday):
  • 6:00-6:30pm → 8 & under / newer swimmers
  • 6:30-7:30pm → 9 & over / advanced swimmers

Coach Assignments

• Coach Janelle: 6 & under and 13 & over swimmers
• Coach Abby and Coach Nathan: 7/8 and 9/10 age groups
• Coach Trevor 11/12 swimmers

Feel free to reach out to any coach, but your swimmer’s assigned coach will have the best insight into their progress!

Team Goals for the Season: This summer we will be focusing on three big goals.

1. Have fun and build team spirit. We want every swimmer to look forward to practice, make friends, and feel proud to be a Dolphin! Creating a positive team environment where swimmers support each other is a top priority.
2. Develop legal, confident technique. We want to teach swimmers the correct strokes, starts, and turns. We’ll always prioritize swimming right over swimming fast. Mastering technique builds confidence and long-term success.
3. Celebrate progress and personal bests. Whether it’s a faster time, a stronger kick, or trying something new, we’ll track each swimmer’s progress and celebrate their wins – big and small.

Pool Rules Reminder: For everyone’s safety and to keep practices focused, please remember only swimmers currently practicing should be in the water (this includes the baby pool). Please help make sure there are no siblings – or parents – in the water during practice times. Thanks for your help in keeping the deck safe and distraction-free!

Our first meet is THIS THURSDAY! Sign-ups are now open on our website. Please confirm your swimmer’s attendance as soon as possible!

• All future meets will be available for signup this Thursday
• Attendance must be confirmed by 9:00pm the night before each meet. If you do not confirm your attendance on the website, we’ll assume your swimmer isn’t attending.

To sign up, go to the Meets and Events tab and click the green “Meet Entry” button for the meet you’d like to confirm.

Note: Not every swimmer will swim every event at every meet – we’re a BIG team! Coaches will rotate events throughout the season to ensure everyone has a chance to shine. Thanks in advance for your flexibility and support!

Swim Meet Etiquette & Expectations

• Sit with the team during meets. At home meets, we sit on the wooded side of the deck. Folding chairs are helpful as seating is limited.
• Send swimmers 10 and younger with our “rounder-uppers” when it is their turn to swim. Our fantastic volunteers will get your swimmer where they need to go.
• Let the coaches take the lead behind the blocks – it helps things run smoothly and keeps swimmers focused. You are more than welcome to cheer from the side or from the non-block end of the pool. Once their swim is over, they are all yours again!
• Cheer loudly and often – positive energy makes a big difference!
• Stay quiet at the start of each race so swimmers on the blocks can hear the whistle and starter.
• Team suits and caps are optional, but we encourage wearing the team cap when possible. Caps will be distributed at the Blue vs. White meet this Thursday. If you can’t attend, see a coach at your next practice.
• No caps or suits with other team logos or names during meets.
• No suits or tops with bows or ties (ties on trunks/bottoms are fine) during meets.

Stay in the Loop with Remind!!! We use remind for important updates (like weather cancellations or meet changes). We’re currently working through some issues with text delivery, so we recommend downloading the Remind app or opting into email notifications to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Let’s make this season unforgettable!
Ridgeside, Ridgeside, RAH RAH RAH!!

 -- Coach Janelle