PRACTICE FOR BIG DOLPHINS: Tuesday, May 31
Practice information; Pasta Potluck; July 6; Swimsuits; Sponsorships

Good evening –

As the season approaches, we are sending this communication both as a reminder to our veteran returning parents and as something of an introduction to our newer families.

After-school practice schedule:

Tuesday, May 31 thru Friday, June 10

3:45 pm-4:30 pm (13 & up)
4:30 pm-5:15 pm (11-12)
5:15-6:00 pm (9-10)
6:00pm-6:30 pm (8 & under – NOT Little Dolphins)

(Full season schedule here)

Practice reminders:

• Weather: We practice in the rain but not thunder and lightning.
• Cancellation: When we cancel a practice, we try to send out an alert via text message that goes to the number you entered when registering. We tend to not cancel practice until/unless we know it won’t happen so alerts are often last minute. If you don’t hear from us, assume practice is still on.
• Equipment: Ideally, swimmers will have fins, goggles, and a towel. For first practices, swimmers will be able to get by fine with just a swimsuit (a one-piece suit is best).
• Absence: When your swimmer won’t be at practice, you DO NOT need to let us or coaches know.
• Routine: Swimmers should enter practice through the fence gate by the lap pool and depart through it at the conclusion of practice. This is a WRA request. Swimmers who wish to swim in the main pool after practice should then go through the pool house to sign in. Swimmers should be at the pool a few minutes before practice starts and be ready to follow directions if coaches ask swimmers to move to a particular area. (*This is a change from what we previously communicated.)
• Covid-19 and health protocols: We aren’t requiring masks or other specific procedures to start the season and we don’t anticipate that will change. We do ask that if your swimmer isn’t fully well, whether it’s possibly covid or not, please keep him/her home.
• First practice: Our first couple practices are like the first days of a new school year. Please be patient as it can take us a couple days to get swimmers in the right lane and establish routines.
• 8 & under ready?: We know some parents are on the fence about whether 8 & under or Little Dolphins is a better fit. We’re generally all for swimmers trying 8 & under if it’s a close call (and happy to answer your questions about this). If it isn’t going to be a good fit this year, our coaches will try to let you know before the first week is over. This usually happens once our coaches recognize a swimmer hasn’t learned a key skill and it isn’t just off-season rust. Please don’t be worried, we take care of these swimmers and they will be welcomed again and well prepared once Little Dolphins practice begins.
• Our request: Please give our coaching staff space to work with your swimmer and others at practice. This means not communicating with or distracting (cheering) your swimmer during practice. New swimmers are especially prone to shifting attention away from coaches due to the presence of parents so please be ready to keep a distance from the lap pool if that may be an issue for your swimmer.
• Fun: Kids should be having fun and enjoying swim team with friends. If your swimmer is repeatedly not having fun at practice after the first few, please let us or the coaches know.

Pasta Potluck Dinner – Friday, June 10 at 6:30 pm

Put it on your calendar now! This is a big Waynewood Dolphins tradition we haven’t had since 2019. The dinner is held right outside the WRA pool house and we’ll send around a list assigning families (usually by last name) a particular type of dish to bring. Both Big Dolphins and Little Dolphins families are welcome to come and we’d really appreciate your support in reviving this team tradition. More information to come, including our first volunteer roles of the season.

Another date for the calendar (July 6)

On Wednesday, July 6 at 6:30 pm Waynewood will host the NVSL Division 7 Relay Carnival. Six teams will be swimming in this event. Warmups will begin around 4:30 pm and it usually runs until around 8:30 pm. This is an event featuring many of the fastest swimmers from across age groups in Division 7  and it is also a significant fundraising opportunity for the Dolphins team through concession sales. Please, even if you think you may not have a participating swimmer in this meet, consider helping us as a volunteer. If your job normally makes it difficult to help meet your team volunteer commitment, consider emailing us about taking a half-day off from work and we will work with you on roles for this event that can complete your family’s full service requirement. The event is also a lot of fun to watch where the Dolphins’ relay team will compete against others in a scored event with the winning team taking home the trophy.

Swimsuits

Our team suit vendor Sport Fair is tentatively planning to return and sell suits for a brief period during time trials on the morning of Saturday, June 11. More information about our team swimsuits is available here.

Sponsorship opportunities

Our Sponsorship Coordinator Melanie DeMaria is again launching our drive for team sponsors again this season. We’re grateful that some of our longtime local business supporters have already reached out to us about sponsoring the team again this season. We’ll be recognizing these businesses again very soon. There are plenty of sponsorship opportunities available with advertising and exposure ranging from signage at the pool, inclusion in the end of season awards and announcements at meets. If you own a local business, or know someone who does, this is great marketing and shows commitment to the community. Contact Melanie for more details!

Winter Swim Concludes

A BIG Dolphins THANK YOU to our lead Winter Swim volunteer Stephanie Angle for navigating our off-season program as well as our entire winter swim coaching staff. The commitment Stephanie, our coaches, and all our participating swimmers make in the offseason really shines through in summer meets. We encourage all families with swimmers who have a great time with us this summer to consider this program.

Volunteer opportunities

We are still seeking:

Meet officials: We’ve had some recent retirements and need some new volunteers who’d be willing to learn and eventually become certified to work in a variety of roles as NVSL officials at our meets.

Communications Lead: The team would benefit from a volunteer to help communicate through these kinds of emails about team events, reminders, and needs. This involves working closely with the Team Reps and while it takes season-long attention, the work can be done from home or an office.

Concessions Leads: We have a couple open lead roles still open and are seeking help. Please let us know if you might be willing to take on a role that may require some prep work before meets but will fill your entire team service volunteer requirement for the season.

Shadow Team Reps: This is the second WWD season for Dolphins Team Reps (Tom and Frederick). Waynewood’s tradition is to switch volunteer leadership every two years. If you love Waynewood Dolphins swimming and would be interested in a role that will have you working with your neighbors, learning more about swimming, and getting some pretty cool seats at swim meets please let us know of your interest. We’d be happy to give insights into how we perform this role, you don’t need a deep swimming background, and there’s absolutely no commitment that comes in having a conversation with us.

Have questions? Email us here.

GO DOLPHINS!

Tom LoCascio and Frederick Hill
Waynewood Dolphins Team Reps