Dear Swim Team Families,

We are excited to announce that we have been given the go to start our season on June 1^st!! With that good news, comes some bad news. This season will be very different than the past years. The guidelines that require us to follow social distancing have forced up to make a vastly different plan for this year. Like always, our focus is to promote the love of swimming, exercise and fun!

We need for you to read the detailed plan very carefully before you make your final decision for your children to stay on the team for this summer. It is extremely important that everyone understands the requirements. You will also need to submit the attached waiver. We cannot allow your swimmer to start practicing until we have received this extra wavier.

Important points:

• We must keep the amount of people on the pool deck limited because of restrictions. The CDD has agreed to close the pool to outside swimmers during all swim practices at this time. This means that swimmers can only have 1 parent on the pool deck at practice and we cannot open the pool to anyone not on the swim team, including parents or siblings. This also means that swimmers cannot “free swim” before or after their practice times.
• Due to the changes we have had to implement because of the pandemic, we will not have traditional swim meets. Our season will be more focused on fun, games and interacting safely with our friends. During practices we will focus on technique, learning new strokes, participating in relays and playing games. There will be two mini mock meets on June 13th and July 11, where we will have the opportunity to compete against our peers and earn ribbons and prizes. We are planning to have some type of end of year party outdoors (TBA).
• We will try our best to limit physical contact between your child and coaches as much as possible. There are times when swimmers may need help adjusting caps or goggles. When this happens will we make sure everyone uses hand sanitizer before and after helping swimmers.
• Coaches and board members on deck will have on face masks while swimmers enter and exit the deck. There will be times when coaches need to remove their masks when the swimmers are in the pool in order for them hear directions from coaches.
• We will provide hand sanitizer to swimmers, coaches and board members at all times during practices if needed.
• Swimmers and parents will enter the front gate at the beginning of practice. At the end of practice, they will exit the back gates.
• New swimmers to the team this year- be on the lookout for a separate email about the evaluation process.

If any of this makes you uncomfortable, you may want to reconsider keeping your swimmers on the team this year. It breaks our hearts that we cannot move forward with our normally scheduled season. At this point, this is the best we can provide given all the new guidelines with COVID -19.

We are giving everyone one last chance for a refund. If you want a refund for your swimmer(s), the last day to request that is this Monday, May 25^th. Please email Kim Smith ([email protected]), President and Steven Moore ([email protected]), treasurer if you would like a refund. After this point, we must move forward with the season and get our T-shirts ordered. Those swimmers that stay with the team this year will get a discount on their registration fees next season. All swimmers that signed up at the beginning, even if you drop out now, will be allowed to sign up in the first returning swimmer group at the start of next season to claim your spot.

Please review the modified plan with schedule and waiver attached to this email. If you want to stay on the team this season please sign the waiver and email it to Kim Smith ([email protected]) or have your swimmer bring it the first day of practice.

Thank you so much for all your support.

Durbin Crossing Dolphins Board of Directors