Hi parents!

Just one short week from today we will officially begin our 2018 Durbin Crossing Dolphins swim season with new swimmer evaluations! The beginning of the season brings lots of emails with overwhelming amounts of information, especially for new parents, but we want to make sure that you and your swimmers are well prepared and ready to have fun this summer! This email will surely live up to expectations with an abundance of information.

Evaluations - Thursday, April 26

Every swimmer new to the Dolphins this year must be evaluated by one of our coaches. Please bring your swimmer to the pool on Thursday, April 26th during his or her designated practice time (based on your age as of June 1, 2018) ready to swim. You will check-in on deck with Meredith Connell and then be evaluated by one of our coaches. 

The age group times are:

4:45 - 5:45 pm - 6 & Unders

5:30 - 6:30 pm - 7 & 8 year olds

6:15 - 7:15 pm - 9 & 10 year olds

7:00 - 8:15 pm - 11 & Up

Practice Schedule/Meet Schedule

The practice schedule is available here. Attendance at practice is not mandatory, but encouraged. The more practices your swimmer(s) attend, the more progress they will make through the season. We do not take attendance at practice so you don’t have to worry about letting us know if you are not able to attend.

Please note that during Monday afternoon practices (during school and summer), the pool is closed to recreational swimming. Children who are not participating in swim team practice in the lap pool are not permitted to swim in the recreational side of the pool. We appreciate you adhering to this rule.

First Day of Practice/Parent Meeting - Monday, April 30

The first day of practice for everyone is Monday, April 30. While your swimmers are in practice, please plan to move to the Amenity Center for a required parent meeting. If you have swimmers in multiple age groups, you only need to attend one of the parent meetings as the content will be the same in all sessions.

Age Group Practice Times

4:45 - 5:45 pm - 6 & Unders

5:30 - 6:30 pm - 7 & 8 year olds

6:15 - 7:15 pm - 9 & 10 year olds

7:00 - 8:15 pm - 11 & Up

What to Wear/Bring to Practice

Bathing Suit - We ask that your children where a one piece race style swimsuit at all times. For girls this mean no swimsuits with ruffles or any attachments and no bikinis. For boys this means they wear jammers (spandex like shorts). Swimmers can also wear their team suits to practice. We will be handing those out the second week of practice after our spirit wear comes in.

Goggles - Your kids will be required to wear goggles while in the water Please make sure these are racing goggles and not the scuba mask style. We recommend you purchase 2-3 pairs to have back ups just in case the straps break. They will inevitably break at the worst time!

Swim Cap - We will pass out team swim caps on the first day of practice (Monday, April 30). If your swimmer loses his or her cap or tears it, we will have additional caps available for purchase throughout the season. Any board member or experienced swim team parent can help you learn the best way to put on the cap to cause the least discomfort for your swimmer and get the most life out of your cap.

Training Fins - For training groups ages 7 and up, the coaches have suggested your swimmer bring short training fins to practice. These are NOT scuba fins, but shorter fins that help build leg strength and improve kicking technique.

Athletic Shoes - Every age group practice begins with 15 minutes of “dry land” activity in the field behind the pool. These activities will include running, stretching, core work, etc, so it is important that swimmers wear comfortable, supportive athletic shoes to prevent injuries. There will be a brief transition period between dry land and swimming for them to take their shoes off and put their caps and goggles on.

Miscellaneous - You should bring a towel for your swimmer to use after practice. Additionally, it (eventually) will be quite hot on the pool deck and we recommend swimmers bring a sports bottle of water. We recommend sunscreen be applied before every practice.

There are a variety of places that any of these items may be purchased. We have an affiliate link with SwimOutlet.com where you can find suits, goggles, training fins, etc. One of our team sponsors, Academy Sports, is having a friends and family sale this Sunday, April 22. Print off the flyer attached to this email to save 10% at any Academy store!

Spirit Wear - Closing Sunday, April 22

The spirit wear store will be closing for the season on Sunday, April 22nd. We have worked hard to bring in some new, requested items for this season, including baseball hats, a variety of tanks, sun hats and sweatshirts. Shop now before it’s too late!

Stroke & Turn Training - One Last Training Opportunity on Thursday, May 10

Every swim meet requires us to provide four (4) stroke and turn officials to ensure swimmers are swimming “legal” strokes. The more Stroke & Turn officials we have, the less all of our officials will have to work during the season. Regardless of how familiar you are with the sport of swimming and the techniques involved, Stroke & Turn training is a great way to learn more about the strokes your swimmers will be practicing. The training involves watching short USA Swimming videos and discussion about what to look for. There is no test at the end!

If you are interested in getting trained, the St. John’s Summer Swim League has added one final date for training: Thursday, May 10 at 7 pm at Heritage Landing. Please sign up here if you plan to attend. This will be your last chance before the season begins.

Weather Alert Text Sign Up

It is inevitable in Florida summer that thunderstorms will require us to cancel practice at the last minute. We will make our best efforts to communicate these decisions in every possible way (email, Facebook, texts). The best & most immediate method is via RainedOut, a text messaging service. To sign up for this service, text “dcdolphins” to 84483. Please sign up before practices begin.

Questions

We hope you find these emails to be helpful. As always, the board stands ready to answer and all of your questions. At most all of the practices, especially at the beginning of the season, you will find at least one board member on deck to answer any questions you have. We’ll have on bright orange lanyards with a name tags on so you can seek us out for assistance at any time.

GO DOLPHINS!

DCD Board of Directors