Waynewood Dolphins Weekly Newsletter 

(6/2/24) 

The first week of practice is in the books! This week’s newsletter answers some questions we suspect many new families may have about swim team. We explain Time Trials, share the first 10 & under stroke permission list, and offer (attached) a Dolphins 101 guide to B and A Meets. For returning families, there’s information about upcoming events and volunteer sign ups.

This week’s calendar at a glance: 

• NOW -- Sign up for Time Trials strokes and volunteering 
• Monday-Friday—Afternoon practice schedule 
• Tuesday 7 pm—Sign up for B Meet @MVP and volunteer roles 
• Saturday—Time Trials Saturday 

In This Message: 

1. Time Trials—Saturday, June 8 at 8 a.m. (warm-ups start at 7 a.m.) 
2. Another opportunity to get swimsuits 
3. What is Time Trials? 
4. Monday B Meet @Mount Vernon Park pool 
5. Volunteer for Time Trials and MVP B Meet 
6. Pasta Potluck, Friday 6/14
7. 2024 Waynewood Dolphins Sponsors 
8. Honeygrow Fundraiser Results 
9. Mansion House Dive Team 
10. NVSL scholarship applications due 6/10 
11. Waynewood Dolphins registration still open

1) Time Trials—Saturday, June 8 at 8 a.m. (warm-ups start at 7 a.m.) 

Time Trials, our first event of the swim season, takes place this Saturday at 8 a.m. Warm-ups begin at 7 a.m. Chick-fil-A and doughnuts will be available for sale if you’d like to eat breakfast at the pool. Time Trials is for all Dolphin swimmers but NOT Little Dolphins. 

Swimmers should arrive at least 10 minutes before their warm-up session: 

• 11 & Over—7 a.m. - 7:20 a.m. 
• 9-10—7:20 a.m. - 7:35 a.m. 
• 8 & Under—7:35 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. 

Swimmer sign-ups for Time Trials are now open and will stay open until Wednesday at 8 p.m. Here is the link to sign up: https://waynewood.swimtopia.com/swim_meets

• Using the link above, you’ll need to sign in to the account you established at registration. If you forgot the password, the site can help you. And if that doesn’t work the account is probably using a different email for login. 
• If you login and it doesn’t let you select strokes for your swimmer please email the Team Reps. It’s especially common for swimmers who were Little Dolphins last summer to have a glitch in their file that can be easily fixed. 
• We want every swimmer to swim each stroke they can legally swim. You’ll declare whether each of your swimmers is coming and indicate which strokes they intend to swim (trust us that your swimmer has a legal freestyle – and it’s worth trying backstroke too unless you’re sure he/she can’t swim it). 
• If you’re not coming to Time Trials, please still log in to indicate your swimmer won’t be coming. For all swim events, doing this helps us plan and saves your inbox from an extra email reminding you to submit your status. 
• If you think your 10 & under swimmer is ready to swim a legal breaststroke and/or butterfly go ahead and sign them up for these strokes. Most young swimmers aren’t ready for the 100 meter individual medley (IM), if yours is ready, you’re probably familiar with the event and his/her ability. 
• Coaches will have final say on which 10 & under swimmers are ready to swim these strokes at the Time Trials meet. 
• The first permission list for 10 & under swimmers to swim breaststroke and butterfly is here (note the separate tab for the 9-10 and 8 & under groups and please ignore it if your Little Dolphin appears on the list). Coaches will be adding more swimmers next week before Time Trials. If you believe your swimmer is ready but he/she isn’t on the list, talk to a coach at practice or drop a note to the Team Reps.

2) Another opportunity to get swimsuits 

Dolphins swimsuit vendor Sport Fair has agreed to come out to Waynewood again during Time Trials on June 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to sell team swimsuits. This will be the last opportunity to get a swimsuit at Waynewood but there are other ways too. Read more in the April 28 newsletter.

3) What is Time Trials? 

Time Trials is a scrimmage meet with only our Waynewood swimmers competing – there are no ribbons or awards for this meet. It is otherwise run like a regular meet with a starter, timers, stroke & turn judges, snack bar, etc. It tends to be a long meet, typically running 3.5 to 4.5 hours. 

The purpose of Time Trials is to get an initial time from swimmers at the start of the season. Coaches would like for swimmers to swim ALL the strokes that they think they can swim legally without disqualification (DQ). 

Strokes are: 

• Freestyle 
• Backstroke 
• Breaststroke 
• Butterfly 
• Individual Medley (IM), a 100m swim with one length of each of the aforementioned strokes. 

We begin with 8 & under freestyle (first boys, then girls) and proceed up through the age groups, then we move to 8 & under backstroke, again working up through the age groups. breaststroke and butterfly will follow with IM finishing up the meet. 

• The 8 & under group swims 1 length of the pool (25m) in each stroke, while older swimmers swim 2 lengths (50m). The exception is 9-10’s swim only 25m butterfly. 

Coaches will assess 10 & under swimmers during practices to see who is ready to swim breaststroke and/or butterfly at Time Trials. We don’t want swimmers to be unnecessarily discouraged by a DQ. 

Time Trials give the swimmers a baseline for placement in meets and to see how much they improve over the season. If your swimmer cannot be at Time Trials on Saturday, please make an effort next week to sign up for the June 10 B meet to get some times recorded before the first A meet. 

Time Trials, like the rest of our swim season, is about having FUN! The kids get a chance to cheer for each other, dance between events, and show their team spirit! When your swimmer has completed all events for the day he/she is welcome to stay and cheer teammates or head home for the day.

4) Home B Meet vs. Mount Vernon Park—Monday, June 10 at 6 p.m. (arrive for warm-ups at 5 p.m.) 

Our first B Meet is Monday, June 10. It will take place at The Mount Vernon Park (MVP) pool (8042 Fairfax Rd.). Everyone (except Little Dolphins) is allowed to swim two (2) strokes. 

• Monday is a school night so we won’t be swimming IMs. 
• After Time Trials, parents of 10 & under should know whether their swimmer is eligible to swim breaststroke or butterfly. 
• Swimmers should plan to arrive 10 minutes early for a 5 p.m. warm-up – we’ll update if this changes. The meet starts at 6 p.m. 
• There is no practice on Monday, June 10, due to the meet. 

Starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, please visit https://waynewood.swimtopia.com/swim_meets and sign up by 6:00 p.m. Saturday for this B Meet (use your account as described for Time Trials). 

***For new families, attached is an explainer on what B Meets and A Meets are and who gets to swim.***

5) Volunteer for Time Trials and MVP B Meet 

Volunteers are a crucial part of our swim team and your assistance is essential to ensure that the team is well-organized and operates efficiently for the benefit of our kids. It’s also a requirement that all families agreed to do when signing up (your family’s individual requirement is explained on p.6 of the team’s Parent Handbook). Getting at least one early season shift in is a good way to show you’re paying attention and a team player. Our Volunteer Coordinator is Tracy Shawn and you can reach out to Team Reps anytime you have a question. 

• Volunteer shifts for Time Trials on Saturday, June 8 are open for sign up NOW! 
• Volunteer shifts for the MVP B Meet will open June 4 at 7 p.m. (the same time as swimmer sign ups open). 

Sign up for roles in the same way and place you sign swimmers up for the meet: https://waynewood.swimtopia.com/swim_meets

A few things about Time Trials volunteering: 

• To ensure that many families have an early opportunity to volunteer, we’re asking that families sign up for no more than one shift at this time. This is a great opportunity for new families to get a shift on the books at a low-key meet environment. 
• At Time Trials, we tend to have a harder time getting volunteers for the second half of the meet as many young swimmers only swim in the first half. If you know your swimmer will be swimming breaststroke and/or butterfly please consider signing up for a second half shift. 
• Sign up roles are open to everyone, no experience or expertise required. Please consider trying out a new role at Time Trials. It’s extremely low pressure and no prerequisite knowledge is needed for any role. We’ll explain all you need to know. 
• The time ranges for most volunteer roles at all meets (for example, timers, tables, clerks) offered on the sign-up page are ESTIMATES ONLY. We need you to be present when indicated but a shift may run later than stated – you’re signing up for a portion of the meet and we change shifts based on meet progress rather than the clock. 
• If you’re inclined to volunteer but have a hard stop, we have two recommendations for you: 
  • Consider a role related to meet setup, concessions or our food pick up. These roles do follow the clock time posted rather than meet progress. 
  • For other roles, if you’re able to stay 30-60 minutes after a role’s estimated end time but not more, please sign up and also email the Team Reps with your restriction. We’ll make sure a sub is available if the meet is running long. 
• The plan at Time Trials is to finish Freestyle and Backstroke with Shift 1 and swim Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Individual Medley with Shift 2. 

The Dolphins are a volunteer-driven team, so we need everyone to pitch in whenever and wherever a role has not been filled. This means please sign up for roles you may see left vacant even if it’s not your preference and be willing to answer the call if the team announces it needs help at the meet.

6) Pasta Potluck, Friday 6/14 @ 6:45 p.m.

This is an early notification for Pasta Potluck, which is still almost two weeks away. This event is for all Dolphin and Little Dolphin families! Come meet the Team Reps and coaches and celebrate the beginning of another fun Dolphin season.

Here’s the breakdown for food dishes families should bring:

• Last name begins with A-G: Sides and salads (enough to feed 12-14 people)
• Last name begins with H-P: Large pasta dishes with a serving utensil (12x18 disposable pan is recommended)
• Last name begins with R-S: 2 loaves of French or garlic bread, cut into slices
• Last name begins with T-Z: Desserts

Families bring these dishes and the team provides beverages, plates, cups and utensils. Consider bringing a picnic blanket as seating is limited. We’ll have volunteer sign ups to help with setup and takedown next week.

Thanks to Stephanie Angle for once again volunteering this year to coordinate Friday’s dinner.

7) 2024 Waynewood Dolphins Sponsors

The Waynewood Dolphins would like to thank the following local businesses who have agreed to sponsor the team for the 2024 season:

• Absolute Tree
• Frida Hopper – TT Sotheby’s International Realty
• Honeygrow
• Hughes Orthodontics
• Master Roofing
• Northside 10 and Southside 815
• Potomac Marlins
• Springfield Lorton Dental Group
• Sunstone Counseling
• Village Hardware

Businesses interested in sponsoring the Waynewood Dolphins should contact Sponsorship Coordinator Melanie DeMaria.

8) Honeygrow fundraiser results 

Our fundraiser with Honeygrow during Memorial Day weekend raised $75 for the team. Thanks to all the families who participated, Honeygrow for partnering, and our Sponsorship Coordinator Melanie, again, for coordinating. The team plans to have another event in early July. 

9) Mansion House Dive Team 

Our friends at Mansion House pool have invited WRA member children interested in dive team for a free one week trial. Waynewood children may join Mansion House dive team since Waynewood doesn’t have a dive team. In addition to registering online, you will need to provide a letter from WRA that says you are a member in good standing. 

The cost of the summer program after the trial is $275 for the first diver. Read more about registering for the Mansion House dive team here. Contact Mansion House dive team rep Sharon Moss at [email protected]. 

10) NVSL scholarship applications 

The Northern Virginia Swimming League recognizes NVSL graduates' outstanding contributions to the league, their sport, and their communities with scholarship awards. Graduating high school seniors are encouraged to apply for the NVSL scholarships. Swimmer commitment and contributions to their team and their sport are of primary importance. Grades and test scores are not considered. 

Several scholarships are available with each 2024 award being for $1,500. Athletes who have accepted swim scholarships to a Division I or Division II school are, as a general rule, ineligible for an NVSL scholarship according to NCAA guidelines. To apply, visit NVSL here.

11) Waynewood Dolphins registration still open 

If you’re getting this newsletter from the team, you’re registered for the 2024 season. While we’ve passed the priority registration period, there’s still time for additional WRA families to join our team this summer. Please continue to encourage your neighbors to check us out and feel free to share this newsletter. 

New families can still use this link (look for the red “Register Now” icon) for registration and Team Reps are available to respond to questions. Please remember that by NVSL rule only swimmers registered with WRA as being from dues paying households of current WRA members and WRA approved users are eligible to participate. 

Questions? 

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

Go Dolphins! 

Waynewood Dolphins Communications