Time Trials on Satuday, June 13

(6/7/26) 

Swimmers are working hard to get ready for Time Trials. This week’s newsletter attempts to answer some questions we suspect many new families may have about swim team. We explain Time Trials and offer (attached) a Dolphins 101 guide to B and A Meets. There’s also information about upcoming events and volunteer signups. 

This week’s calendar at a glance: 

• NOW—Sign up for Time Trials strokes 
• NOW—Sign up to volunteer at Pasta Potluck dinner & Time Trials 
• Monday-Friday—Afternoon practice schedule 
• Tuesday 7 pm—Sign up for 6/15 B Meet @MVP strokes and volunteer roles 
• Friday 6:45 pm—Pasta Potluck dinner  
• Saturday—Time Trials (warm-ups begin at 7 am) 

In This Message: 

1. Time Trials—Saturday, June 13 at 8 am (warm-ups start at 7 am) 
2. Another opportunity to get swimsuits, Dolphins Merch 
3. What is “Time Trials”? 
4. Pasta Potluck, Friday June 12 at 6:45 pm (WRA grounds) 
5. Monday June 15 B Meet: Waynewood @MVP 
6. Volunteer for Time Trials, Pasta Potluck, and MVP B Meet 
7. Dolphin sounds 
8. Look ahead 

1) Time Trials—Saturday, June 13 at 8 am (warm-ups start at 7 am) 

Time Trials, our first swim event of the season, takes place this Saturday at 8:00 am. Warm-ups begin at 7:00 am, Chick-fil-A and snacks 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 am - 7:20 am 
• 9-10—7:20 am - 7:35 am 
• 8 & Under—7:35 am - 7:45 am 

Swimmer sign-ups for Time Trials are now open and will stay open until Wednesday at 8 pm. 

• Here is the link to sign up: https://waynewood.swimtopia.com/swim_meets

Sign-up instructions and stroke permissions: 

• 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. (Troubleshooting hint: the most common reason for login difficulties brought to us is use of an incorrect email address.) 
• 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 easily be 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 even if they’re not on the permission list. 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, preliminary 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). Our coaches will be doing more evaluations next week – many swimmers who came to practice haven’t yet been evaluated. If you believe your swimmer’s stroke 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 merch 

Dolphins swimsuit vendor Sport Fair has agreed to come out to Waynewood again during Time Trials on June 13. 

• They’ll be set up from around 7:30 am to 9:00 am for selling and picking up swimsuit orders – we’d suggest not waiting until the end of that time period if you need something as they sometimes pack up early if there doesn’t appear to be customers needing help. 
• This will be the last opportunity to get a swimsuit at Waynewood but there will still be other ways to make a swimsuit purchase. Read more in the April 25 newsletter.

The team will also have a variety of Dolphins merch items for sale from 8:00 am to 10:00 am (proceeds support the team) next to where Sport Fair sets up: 

• If you haven’t already, you can collect your swimmer’s team cap and shirt if you made the 5/4 priority registration deadline. 
• We’ll also have no-name Dolphins caps ($12.50), Dolphins car magnets ($5), and Dolphins yard signs ($20) available for purchase. 

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 – but young swimmers who are only swimming freestyle and backstroke only need to be there for roughly the first half of the meet. 

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 (in order swum): 

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

The meet begins with 8 & under freestyle (first boys, then girls) and proceeds up through the five 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 9-10s swim only a 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 15 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) Pasta Potluck dinner, Friday June 12 @6:45 pm 

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

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. 

Volunteer sign-ups for Pasta Potluck are now open (this is in addition to bringing your dish). Families, please sign up for no more than one (1) volunteer role for this event. 

5) B Meet @ Mount Vernon Park—Monday, June 15 at 6 pm (arrive for warm-ups at 5:20 pm) 

Our first B Meet is Monday, June 15. It will take place at The Mount Vernon Park (MVP) pool (8042 Fairfax Rd.). We expect everyone (except Little Dolphins) will be allowed to swim two (2) strokes–we don’t anticipate the meet will include IMs but interested swimmers may mark interest in swimming an IM in case the meet departs from recent history. 

• After Time Trials, parents of 10 & under should have clarity on whether their swimmer is eligible to swim breaststroke or butterfly. 
• Swimmers should plan to arrive 10 minutes early for a 5:30 pm warm-up. The first event starts at 6 pm. 
• There is no practice on Monday, June 15, due to the meet. 

Starting at 7 pm on June 9, please visit https://waynewood.swimtopia.com/swim_meets and sign up by 6:00 pm Saturday for this B Meet (use your account as described for Time Trials) and volunteer roles. 

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

6) Volunteer for Time Trials, Pasta Potluck, 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. 

• Time Trials is perhaps our team’s most volunteer-heavy meets so we’d encourage families, including Little Dolphin Parents and other newcomers, to volunteer for this low-key, Waynewood-only meet. 
• Volunteering is 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 signal you’re paying attention and a team player. 

Reach out to Team Reps anytime you have a question.

• Volunteer shifts for Time Trials and Pasta Potluck are open for sign ups NOW! 
• Volunteer shifts for the MVP B Meet will open Tuesday, June 9 at 7 pm (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 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 sign-up role. We’ll explain all you need to know. 
• The time ranges indicated 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 at the time indicated but a shift may start or run later than stated – you’re signing up to cover 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 clock stop, we have two recommendations for you: 
  • Consider a role related to meet setup, concessions or food pick up. These roles do follow the clock time posted rather than meet progress. 
  • For other roles, if you’re able to stay ~45 minutes after a role’s estimated end time (if necessary) 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. 
• Our 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. 

7) Dolphin sounds 

Not clicks or whatever Flipper is trying to tell Sandy, we’re talking tunes! 

What are the fun, family-friendly songs that inspire your swimmer and get the deck moving to the groove? Send us your swimmer’s meet music suggestions. We’d love to get new ideas that add to the fun of meets! 

8) Look ahead 

Expect the team to post and distribute Time Trials results on Saturday afternoon or evening (we try to get this to you before the MVP B Meet signup deadline. In next week’s Sunday newsletter we’ll have information about: 

• Final details for the Monday 6/15 B Meet @Mount Vernon Park 
• The Little Dolphins program starting with the swim test on Thursday 6/18
• The start of morning/summer practice schedule on Thursday 6/18 
• The team’s first A Meet on Saturday 6/20 @Lakeview 
• Signups for B Meet #2 @Hollin Hills on Monday 6/22 
• Signups for Fort Hunt Sportsmen Relays @Stratford Rec on Tuesday 6/23 

The full Dolphins season schedule is available on the website. 

Questions? 

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

Go Dolphins! 

Waynewood Dolphins Communications