Waynewood Dolphins Weekly Newsletter 

(6/9/24) 

The Dolphins rocked time trials! Both our swimmers and parent volunteers came out strong for the four-hour meet. This week, the season moves forward to dual-team meets, morning practices, and our Pasta Potluck dinner.

This week’s calendar at a glance: 

• NOW—Indicate availability for Saturday A Meet (deadline Monday at 11 p.m.) 
• Monday—B Meet @MVP (warm-up 5:25 p.m.) 
• Tuesday-Wednesday—Afterschool practice schedule 
• Tuesday—New signups open: B Meet @HM for swimmers and volunteers; A Meet @CW volunteers; Pasta Potluck volunteers 
• Thursday—@CW A Meet swimmers notified 
• Thursday-Friday—Morning/two practice daily schedule 
• Saturday—A Meet @CW, Dolphins meet in WRA parking lot @7:30 a.m. 

In This Message: 

1. Time Trials recap 
2. Monday B Meet @Mount Vernon Park pool 
3. A Meet @Canterbury Woods, Saturday (6/15) 
4. More Signups Open Tuesday (6/11) for HM B Meet; CW A Meet volunteers 
5. New practice schedule begins Thursday (6/13) 
6. Pasta Potluck, Friday (6/14) @6:00 pm 
7. Dolphins LIVE HERE 
8. Look ahead (for Little Dolphins & more)

1) Time Trials recap 

What a way to start the summer with 165 Dolphins swimming at our first meet. A big thank you to parents who filled every available volunteer role. We didn’t have to ask for additional volunteers at the meet or deal with frustrating delays due to empty roles. Let’s keep this up! 

• Joshua Wolf, 18, broke his own record from last year in the men’s 50m freestyle with a time of 24.86. Congrats to Coach Joshua for once again raising the bar on team excellence. 
• The team’s first swim ladder from Time Trials is an important benchmark for our swimmers. All summer long they’ll be competing against their own first times to see how much time they can drop before the season ends. Coach Dylan tracks both how much time individual swimmers drop as well as the team as a whole. 
• This swim ladder, and new ones that follow after each meet, are also key to how the Dolphins select swimmers for A Meets. We sent information on this in our June 2 newsletter. 
• If you missed Time Trials, that’s okay. Please come to Monday’s B Meet or the next one possible for your swimmer. Your swimmer’s journey to drop time begins at their first meet of the season and accelerates by achieving their first legal swim time in each new stroke. 
• View photos from 2024 Time Trials in the Waynewood Dolphins’ SmugMug photo gallery. Our photography team will continue to add photos from Time Trials to this gallery.

2) Monday B Meet @Mount Vernon Park 

The Dolphins swim Monday (6/10) with the Mount Vernon Park (MVP) Gators. 

• Arrive by 5:15 p.m. for a 5:25 p.m. warm-up. The first meet event (boys 8 & under freestyle) starts at 6 p.m. 
• MVP’s address: 8042 Fairfax Rd, Alexandria, VA 22308. 
• MVP will have parking attendants in the outside parking lot who will direct drivers to the inside lot or "overflow parking" inside the park (on the woods side of the pond). 
• Request from our hosts: Please do not park anywhere on Lafayette Drive, Fairfax Road, or Washington Road. 
• Volunteers: please remember that timers, clerks, and table workers are requested to wear a white top and navy (or dark) shorts/pants/skirt while on duty (with no team logos). 
• Swim schedule: The meet will follow the standard order of freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Due to the school night, the meet will need to finish by 9:30 p.m. even if this means some events aren’t swum. 
• Food forecast from MVP: “We plan to fire up the grill at our Gator Cafe (likely burgers and possibly hot dogs) to supplement a variety of drinks and snack foods. We accept cash and credit cards for payment.” 
• No practice on Monday due to the meet. 

3) A Meet @Canterbury Woods, Saturday (6/15) 

The Dolphins’ first Northern Virginia Swimming League (NVSL) meet of the 2024 Division 7 season takes place this Saturday, June 15. The Dolphins will compete with the C-Serpents of Canterbury Woods. 

• Waynewood swimmers available for this meet may indicate status NOW – the meet closes to entries at 11 p.m. on Monday, June 10. 
• Canterbury Woods’ address: 5101 Southampton Dr, Annandale, VA 22003. 
• The Dolphins will meet in the WRA parking lot to caravan at 7:30 a.m. The first event is at 9:00 a.m. 
• Volunteer sign ups for this meet open Tuesday at 7 p.m. 
  • Reminder: the Parent Handbook notes that parents of regular A Meet swimmers should contribute more than their minimum shift requirements. If you know you have a swimmer in the A Meet, please try to volunteer. 
• There will be an optional team lunch immediately after the meet – details to come. 
• Swimmers indicating availability will be notified of team selections no later than Thursday evening via email. 
• Last week’s newsletter (6/2) included a guide to B and A Meets new families may wish to review. We’ll share more meet details later in the week. 

4) More signups open Tuesday (6/11) 

Signups for several new events will open Tuesday at 7 p.m.: 

Sign up for strokes: 

• B Meet @Hollin Meadows, Monday (6/17) 
  • We do not yet have guidance on stroke order or IMs. Look for information on the website later this week. 
  • Deadline to register is Saturday (6/15) at 6 p.m. 
  • This meet will be at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 17 
  • Hollin Meadows’ address: 2500 Woodlawn Trail, Alexandria, VA 22306 
  • The 10 & under breast/fly permission list will remain in place all season even as coaches look to add swimmers each week. 

For volunteering: 

• A Meet @Canterbury Woods, Saturday (6/15) 
• Pasta Potluck dinner @WRA, Friday (6/14) – If you’ve already secured a volunteer shift this season, please wait until Wednesday to volunteer for this event in order to give families seeking a first shift a chance. 
• B Meet @Hollin Meadows, Monday (6/17) 

5) New practice schedule begins Thursday (6/13) 

On June 13, the Dolphins will move to our two practice-per-day schedule. It is not mandatory for swimmers to attend both (or technically any) sessions. 

Many swimmers, especially younger ones, may actually have a more fun and rewarding swim experience if attending just one session – but some could benefit from the heavier workload of two practices. Ask coaches for guidance if you are uncertain. The standard practice schedule starting Thursday: 

Morning Practice 

• Ages 9-10—8:00-9:15 a.m. 
• Ages 13 & up—9:00-10:15 a.m. 
• Ages 11-12—10:00-11:15 a.m. 
• Ages 8 & under—11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. 

Afternoon Practice 

• Ages 10 & under—4:00-4:45 p.m. 
• Ages 11 & up—4:45-5:30 p.m.

6) Pasta Potluck dinner, Friday (6/14) @6:00 p.m. 

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 

The dinner takes place just outside the WRA swim house. Families bring dishes and the team provides beverages, plates, cups and utensils. Consider bringing a picnic blanket as seating is limited. 

Again, we’ll open volunteer sign ups (in addition to bringing your dish) for this event on Tuesday but please wait until Wednesday unless this will be your first volunteer shift of the season.

7) Dolphins LIVE HERE 

Proudly let your neighbors know they live among Dolphins! The Dolphins are offering lawn signs as a team fundraiser and to show your spirit. When your swimmer sees this in the neighborhood we think they’ll want one too! 

• Lawn signs are $20 and we’ve only ordered a limited supply that arrives in just one week. 
• To reserve yours, please send payment to Dolphins lead fundraiser Melanie DeMaria via Venmo (@Melanie-DeMaria-2). Please be sure to put your name in the notes section. 
• You may also email Melanie to make another payment arrangement.

8) Look ahead 

We’re excited to put the summer swim season in gear this week with the longer practice times for the competitive team. In next week’s Sunday newsletter we’ll have information about: 

• The Little Dolphins program starting with the swim test on Tuesday 6/18. 
• Our first Teen Night (6/20) and Pep Rally (6/21) of the season. 
• The Dolphins team and individual photo sessions on 6/21 (see attached). 
• The A Meet @Dominion Hills and the first home B Meet with Highland Park. 

The full Dolphins season schedule is available on the website. 

Questions? 

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

Go Dolphins! 

Waynewood Dolphins Communications