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The majority of questions about Dolphins usually concern two main areas: swim practice and swim meets.
Although this will not cover every question that arises, hopefully it will answer some of the more common questions. If you have a question that you can not find an answer to here or in the handbook, please put a note in your coach's folder or ask a Board Member for help.
Swim Practices
Q: What are the age groups?
A: 6 and under, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15-17
Q: How does practice work?
A: For the first week or so, practice will seem a little chaotic and that is the norm, so don't be worried. The coaches are trying to place 290+ swimmers in the correct lane so they can be with others of the same ability.
This takes a while, and your swimmer might be moved around to several lanes within the course of the first couple of weeks. This process will occur again on a lesser scale when we switch to morning practices.
Q: Why is my swimmer in that lane and how do they move up a lane?
A: The lanes assignments are created according to ability. In the south pool, the emphasis is on learning how to kick and the basics of three strokes: free, back and breast, with a little bit of fly. In the north pool, there is still an emphasis placed technique and mastering the strokes, but the workouts are now geared towards conditioning as well.
It is the decision of the coach as to when a child should be moved up. Your child may be faster than swimmers in the north pool at free and back, but if he is still struggling with breaststroke and fly, chances are he/she will stay in the south pool until they are comfortable with the other strokes.
Q: When are the practices?
A: Practices are everyday after school Monday through Friday from May 9th (new Dolphins) or May 10th (returning Dolphins) until May 27th. The Practice Meet will be held on Friday, May 20th. On Tuesday, May 31st, morning practices start.
Your practice time is determined by what age group your child is in.
May 9 to May 27:
8 and under: 4:30 pm - 5:15 pm
9-12: 5:15 pm - 6:00 pm
13 and Up: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Q: When is my morning practice time?
A: Your morning practice time is determined by what age group your child is in. 13 and up 6:30am-8:00am, 9-12 8:00am-9:15am and 8 and under 9:15am -10:00am. The more practices a swimmer attends, the more progress that swimmer makes.
Please remember that swimmers coming to practice at times not assigned to them leads to overcrowding of lanes, which means that each swimmer gets less attention.
Q: What do I wear to practice?
A: Any swimsuit works. For meets, a snug fitting suit is important to decrease drag in the water. We do have an optional team suit that can be worn for meets.
Q: What do I bring to practice?
A: It's pretty simple, swimmers should have goggles. Girls, especially those with long hair, may want to wear a cap. Bring a towel and a good attitude.
Q: What if there is bad weather?
A: Please check the website for information regarding practice and meets. Updates about canceling practice/meets and events will also be posted to Facebook. Generally, thunder & lightning mean we will delay the start of a practice or a meet. We must wait 20-30 minutes after any lightning/thunder before swimmers may enter the pool. Sustained thunder and lightning means: you guessed it: no meet.
Swim Meets
Q: How do I sign up for swim meets for the season?
A: The Dolphins have moved to an online system (https://rrdolphins.swimtopia.com) to do the meet signups. There is a link on the main page on the right hand side. Each email address that was noted at registration was given an account. If you are unable to login, contact the Dolphin Info Systems team. You can mark that you will be absent from the meet or cannot swim some of the relays. Each meet will open up signup 2 weeks prior to the meet. It is as simple as that.
NOTE that the default is now that you ARE NOT attending a meet and need to elect that you will be attending.
Q: How do I choose my child's events for a swim meet?
A: In the Swimtopia site, if you are attending the meet, you can elect your swimmer |
