Waynewood Dolphins Newsletter

Aug. 1, 2022

Thanks to all our Dolphins families for a fantastic summer swim season! Our banquet was a great culmination and opportunity to recognize our swimmers and volunteers. Although this is our final newsletter, we'll be in touch with more information soon.

In This Week’s Message:

1. Divisionals Recap
2. Awards Banquet
3. Team & Individual Photo Orders
4. Dolphins Photos on SmugMug
5. All-Star Swimmers
6. Thanks to Our Volunteers
7. Team Reps for 2024 & 2025
8. Waynewood Winter Swim & Coach Applications
9. Other Winter Swim Options
10. Just Keep Swimming

1. Divisionals Recap

Fairfax Station hosted this year’s Divisionals. The Dolphins survived the heat and left with several first-place finishes and a new Waynewood record.

• Luke Morris finished first in the Boys 11-12 50 Meter Freestyle with a time of 30.87.
• Caleb Wolf finished first in the Boys 15-18 50 Meter Butterfly with a time of 27.06.
• Luke Morris finished first in the Boys 11-12 100 Meter IM with a time of 1:20.37.
• Moses Wolf finished first in the Boys 13-14 100 Meter IM with a time of 1:09.94.
• Joshua Wolf finished first in the Boys 15-18 100 Meter IM with a time 1:01.52, breaking his own Waynewood record that he set earlier this season.

Congrats to all of the swimmers who participated in this year’s Divisionals event. You can view the full results here and the updated individual top times here.

2. Awards Banquet

Many thanks to Karin and Greg Dushaw and their team of dedicated volunteers for our wonderful dinner. We are also thankful to those who helped with setup and all the parents who pitched in afterward to clean up.

Mary Winkler, our volunteer awards coordinator, rose to the occasion once again this year to ensure our swimmers were recognized with a keepsake medal.

Please note: If you were unable to attend the banquet, you can pick up your swimmer’s medal at the WRA to the left of the check-in desk (there are still a few trophies from last year, too). Waynewood Pool House any time the pool is open. Ribbons are in their usual spot in the family folders. If you have a friend or neighbor who is out of town, you can pick up their trophy for them. Just make sure they know you have done so.

3. Team & Individual Photo Orders

Team and individual photo sessions from July 18 have now been sent out! If you are looking to purchase and did not receive your ordering link via email, please reach out to photographer Georgi Barker who will help you ([email protected]).

4. Dolphins Photos on SmugMug

Relive the memories of the Dolphins swim season by browsing the galleries on SmugMug.

Special thanks to our photography volunteer leads Rob Bluey and Brett Gibson along with Jason Gillentine and Tracy Woodward. They took hundreds of photos throughout the season, so there’s a good chance you’ll find a few of your swimmer.

This year’s slideshow, shown after the banquet, was created by coaches Callie Stinson, Ava Viera, and Jack Lohmann.

5. All-Star Swimmers

The following Waynewood swimmers were among the best in all of the Northern Virginia Swimming League for their age group and earned recognition for spots in the NVSL All-Star Meet this past Saturday.

• Vera Hill: Girls 8 & Under 25 Meter Breaststroke
• Luke Morris: Boys 11-12 50 Meter Freestyle; Boys 11-12 100 Meter IM
• Moses Wolf: Boys 13-14 100 Meter IM; Boys 13-14 50 Meter Breaststroke
• Joshua Wolf: Boys 15-18 50 Meter Backstroke; Boys 15-18 100 Meter IM
• Matthew Morris: Boys 15-18 50 Meter Backstroke; Boys 15-18 50 Meter Butterfly
• Caleb Wolf: Boys 15-18 50 Meter Butterfly; Boys 15-18 100 Meter IM

Results of the All-Star meet are available here.

6. Thanks to Our Volunteers

It takes committed parents to make the Dolphins swim team possible. We depend on our volunteers to fill a large number of jobs for every meet—and you always deliver. Thanks to all who pitched in for creating this awesome environment of fun, social, and physical activity for our swimmers.

7. Team Reps for 2024 & 2025

Tom LoCascio and Frederick Hill are amazing Team Reps, but they’re also going to need successors. Ideally, a summer of shadowing is beneficial and highly recommended for a smooth transition. If you are interested in this role for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, please contact Frederick and Tom at [email protected].

8. Waynewood Winter Swim & Coach Applications

Registration for Waynewood Winter Swim will be opening soon. This year, Waynewood is returning to the George Washington Rec Center (8426 Old Mt Vernon Rd, Alexandria, VA 22309) for Sunday practices from 6-7 p.m. We’re trying to get more lanes but right now Winter Swim may be a smaller program than in past years.

PLEASE BE ADVISED/PREPARED: Unlike past years, if we can’t get more lanes we may ask this season that swimmers enrolled in other swimming club teams NOT register for Winter Swim until other swimmers have had a chance to register. We’ll also likely be limiting enrollment again to swimmers who swam with the Big Dolphins team this past summer.

As in years past, coaches will group swimmers by age/ability. The season will begin Sept. 11, 2022, and end May 21, 2023.

We are currently accepting coaching applications now through Aug. 16. For those interested, the time commitment is every Sunday. You must be at least 14 years old as of June 1, 2022 to apply.

Aspiring coaches should send an application (here) to our Team Reps ([email protected]) by Aug. 16.

9. Other Winter Swim Options

Our region has several other year-round programs and teams at local indoor pools. As a point of candor, many of Waynewood’s fastest swimmers across multiple age groups have spent time swimming year round with one or more of the clubs below.

For most club options, swimmers get to compete in meets throughout the year and, for swimmers not yet in high school, most clubs offer afternoon practice options (so no early mornings).

Joining a club can be a difference maker if your swimmer is setting new competitive goals (A Meets, Divisionals, All-Stars) for next summer. We encourage you to visit their websites and Team Reps can point you to a family with experience with each of the clubs below if you want to learn more.

• Potomac Marlins
• Nation’s Capital Swim Club
• Arlington Aquatic Club
• Shark Tank Racing Squad

10. Just Keep Swimming

Here are some final tips for swimmers and parents as we wrap up the 2022 season.

• Involve your kids in year-round swimming. It will help them keep in shape over the winter and move their swimming to the next level. There are several winter programs in the area that run the spectrum from competitive to recreational with different price points.
• Brag to your friends and neighbors about how much fun you had with the Dolphins this summer. Encourage them to join us next year!
• Plan your vacation for August next year so that you can enjoy every Dolphin moment without interruption. The kids don't want to go on vacation when the pool is hopping anyway. Our team needs your swimmers in June and July.
• Parent volunteering is an integral part of being on the swim team—please arrange your summer plans for 2023 accordingly if you’re planning to be with us again next season. If you know this is going to be an issue, reach out to Team Reps before the summer begins to see about alternative ways you might help the team.
• Mark your calendar for Super Sunday (tentatively) on May 7, where you can meet our Team Reps, Head Coach, and ask any questions about the upcoming season. Our swimsuit vendor Sport Fair is also on hand to sell suits. We plan to open registration in April.

Questions?

Don’t hesitate to contact our Team Reps, Frederick & Tom, at [email protected]

Go Dolphins!

Waynewood Dolphins Communications