Welcome to the Dolphins Summer Swim Team! It is good to be back!! With Covid restrictions lifting so late in May, it has been a scramble to plan and prepare for this season. Many things have been planned and changed and planned again. Thank you for your patience! If you have any questions or concerns, please share them directly with me. One thing to know though, is there is always a reason why behind most things and I am happy to answer any questions or concerns. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE UPDATE so that we can all be on the same page. 1) Communication. You can expect an email from me every Sunday/Monday with important team information. I will also post each weekly update to our team website and facebook page. -Remind App: I have been sending text messages! If you have not been receiving texts from me, please make sure you have the remind app downloaded and that you are signed up for our "class." You can also text this message: @2021dol to the number 81010. This is our primary form of communication. -Weekly emails: Every Sunday night (or sometimes Monday AM) I will send an email with important information for the week. Please make sure to read it thoroughly. I will also post this info to our team website and facebook page. -The team has a NEW website, which also has ALL important information. www.spotswooddolphins.com -Text Hilary Irons, team director, at 410-207-0412 at anytime. 2) Coaches: -Grace Gabriele is our new head coach. She is familiar to us as a team member, but will be stepping up into leadership. Grace is going to be mostly attending on AM practices and will handle meet prep and meets on Monday/Tuesday evenings as well. -Coach Brent and Coach Kevin have returned to offer their expertise to our team. THANK YOU TO OUR BELOVED RETURNING COACHES! -Coach Amelia Taylor has joined our program and is going to head up the junior dolphin program (which begins on June 21). She will also be at all AM practices assisting Grace. -Expanded Junior Coaching Program: this program is was started two years ago and is growing. We are utilizing our older swimmers, Allison Hoffman, Kate Davis, Jaden Minnick to help coach the younger swimmers at AM practices. If you have an older child that wants to officially serve in this leadership capacity, please let me know! -Many of our swimmers are also on staff as lifeguards at the club this year! This works well for our team given we will have a plethora of guards at each practice ready to act if needed. 3) PARENT VOLUNTEERS: a) SIGN UP FOR JUNE 14-18: I will be out of town and I would like to have designated parents present at each practice just to have extra eyes on deck and in the water just in case something comes up while I am away. Please sign up for a time slot here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4EA4AF2AA5FA7-parent b) You may be aware that I am running for Rockingham County School Board. Amy & I can no longer run this team by ourselves with our family commitments, kids sports, and personal careers. Thus, this is the year to set up a committee for the team administration. More on this to come. Please consider your skill sets, and ways that you could serve in possible roles such as: VSL Representative, Treasurer, Coaching Coordinator, Meet Computer Operator, Starter, volunteer coordinator, etc... also note that next year our team is responsible for planning/hosting champs. This will also be of benefit to the team overall. c) WE NEED STROKE & TURN VOLUNTEERS. If you have done this previously, you can renew your certification on strokeandturn.com (the team will cover the $25 fee). If not, there are two trainings on zoom. Tonight from 6-7:30PM, and Saturday the 12th from 9-10:30AM. *We need AT LEAST 6 parents to cover a season in this role. PLEASE DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY THIS POSITION> Just do it! :-) d) Other meet volunteer roles include: clerk of course, computer, starter, timers, relay take off judge, pizza party coordinator
*There has always been a team rule that all parents must volunteer for at least 3 meets per year. It has never been enforced, but unfortunately may have to be this year given our smaller registration numbers due to covid. Please be a parent that goes above and beyond for the children to have a great swim season.* Please consider training for more than one job, as many hands make light work! 4) AM & PM Practice Times: -Beginning Monday June 14, AM practices will be from 9:45-11AM, Monday-Friday. 6u swim from 10-10:30. -PM Practices will be from 5:45-7PM. 6u swims from 6-6:30PM. 5) Junior Dolphins begin June 21 at 10:45AM. If your child is signed up for the junior dolphins program, you will receive a confirmation email from me later today. 6) Team Registration: please follow the steps listed on the website to complete registration. There are few extra steps this year as swimmingly is moving toward being an all inclusive registration app. https://www.spotswooddolphins.com/2021-registration 7) Calling all High School seniors: apply for the VSL Sherry Burcham Anderson Memorial Scholarship. It is awarded to 2 high school seniors in VSL. Click link here and submit by July 15: https://docs.google.com/document/d/144gM_XrknumX1Lr_gnCzcvgxt6oeF2PNuoN0aKRu4gw/edit?usp=sharing 8) MEET Schedule: Our first meet is against ERRA and will be virtual. Details to come. See website for more info. 9) CHAMPS: Will be determined at our monthly VSL meeting tomorrow at 7PM. It will NOT be inside at JMU. 10) Our Swimsuit is SPEEDO CODED RIFF IN BLUE (there is a red and blue option that is so cute I bought one for myself, LOL... but our team color is just BLUE). Hilary :-)
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