PRACTICE FOR BIG DOLPHINS: Tuesday, May 30
Practice information; Pasta Potluck; National Anthem Performers; Sponsorships

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Coach Dylan and our excellent 2023 staff are preparing to welcome your swimmer to practice this Tuesday after school. A reminder: with FCPS going a week longer than usual this year, we are making a few program adjustments.

After-school practice schedule:

Tuesday, May 30 thru Friday, June 16

• 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-6:45 pm (8 & under – NOT Little Dolphins

(Full season schedule here)

Instructions: Like last year, swimmers should gather outside the gate by the lap/practice pool a few minutes before practice begins. Coaches will admit the group at the appointed time. At the conclusion of practice, WRA asks that swimmers exit the pool area through the gate swimmers entered and come back in through the clubhouse if they are returning to the pool.

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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
  

Time Trials – Saturday, June 10 at 8:00 am (warm-up 7:00 am)

Time trials at WRA will happen even before the FCPS school year is finished this summer. We’ll send out more detailed information next weekend but please note time trials will start one hour earlier than last year. All big Dolphins team members should try to attend – getting a measurement of where swimmers are at the beginning of the season is immensely important to our goals of improving as a team. We’ll need lots of volunteers for this event too!

Pasta Potluck Dinner – Friday, June 16 at 6:45 pm

Put it on your calendar now! This is a big Waynewood Dolphins tradition that all team members (including Little Dolphins) and their families are welcome. 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. More information to come.

Little Dolphins Starts 6/20

We’ll send more information as we get closer, but just a reminder that the Little Dolphins program will begin after FCPS finishes.

National Anthem Performers Wanted

Dolphins have talents besides swimming! We have nine home events this year and would like to have a national anthem performer for each. Please reach out to us if you’d be willing to share your talent singing or playing the Star-Spangled Banner with a musical instrument. We’re interested solo or group performances – please email the Team Reps if your swimmer would consider helping us.

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 soon in the team eNewsletter. 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.

Have questions? Email us here.

GO DOLPHINS!

Tom LoCascio and Frederick Hill
Waynewood Dolphins Team Reps