Hi Dolphins,

Here’s the early season reminder and new parent information. Reminders and updates at the beginning of each topic and detailed info as you keep reading.

No Nuts Please - I'm putting this at the top so everyone will see it. We have several swimmers with severe nut allergies, both peanuts and tree nuts. Please do not send nuts with your swimmers as snacks to practice or meets. Snacks get shared, which is great, and spilled, not so great, and generally spread around. We want to have a healthy and safe environment for everyone.

General – The Selah Dolphins Swim Team is part of the Mid-Valley Swim League along with teams from Naches, Toppenish, Sunnyside, Grandview, Prosser and Othello. We are the biggest team in the league with 155 swimmers this summer. All teams have one home and one away meet with each of the other teams for a total of 12 regular league meets, 6 home and 6 away. You need to swim in at least 6 meets to qualify for championships. Swimmers range in age from 5 to 18, kids entering kindergarten in the fall to seniors who just graduated from high school. Ability and experience ranges from beginners learning freestyle to swimmers who’ve competed in regional and state meets. Swim team is a parent participation sport!! All meets are parent/volunteer run and can’t happen without your help.

Parent expectations – Swim team is a parent participation sport! All meets are run by parent volunteers and it takes about 50 people for each home meet. With 155 swimmers that comes out to a parent working about 2 meets or 4 shifts for each swimmer in their family. The jobs are not hard and it’s a lot of fun to be on deck and part of the action. Jobs include: 24 timers (3 for each lane), 8 writers (1 for each lane), 2-3 runners collecting time cards, 1 place picker, 2-3 stroke judges, 1 head timer, 2 starter/announcers, computer operator (me and/or Lisa), 1-2 time card sorters, 2-3 concession stand helpers. We also need 2-3 stroke judges and a place picker for every away meet. The home team is supposed to fill all of their meet jobs, but the smaller teams often ask for help timing. Please help if you can. New parents, feel free to watch a few meets and get a feel for it all. Parents with little non-swimmers to supervise, we’ve been there and understand. Take turns with a friend, split shifts with your spouse, or just know that you’ll get your turn in a few years and don’t stress. We have 2 shifts for timers, writers and other meet volunteers with shift change either before or after backstroke. Parents of young swimmers we encourage you to take first shift so you can leave after freestyle. If meet night jobs don’t work for you, there are some other behind the scenes jobs that can be done during practice or during the day. You can sign up for meet jobs from our team website under the swim meets tab - click the link next to the meet. I'll open volunteer sign ups later this week.

Gear – Swimmers will need goggles, a swim suit and many like a swim cap. We have team suits you can order, but they are not required and any one piece suit will work. The team suit is listed on our website. Group orders have already been made, but you can order individually – just check the delivery date before purchase. Most boys wear jammers – knee length speedo type suit. Some are more comfortable with trunks and a few choose speedo style or short suits. Caps and goggles are available at Big 5, Fred Meyer, Target, and other stores. Costco usually has a very reasonable 3-pack of goggles. They’ll also want towels and sweats or warm clothes for before and after practice. The team and the pool have lost and found and we try to return items, but goggles and caps just disappear and most years someone misplaces their new team suit.

Practice - Afternoon practice will started June 5th – afternoons only the first week. Morning practice will start June 13th. Afternoon practice is 4:00-5:20 and will be every day the first week, then generally Monday and Wednesday. Morning practices are 7:00-9:30, 5 days a week. Morning practice is split into shifts to help manage the crowd in the pool.

7:00-8:00 – 12 and younger

8:00-9:30 – 13 and older

This is a starting place and can be adjusted if needed. Coaches will work with swimmers the first few weeks and help make individual adjustments to practice groups if needed.

More Practice info - For afternoon practice swimmers start gathering at 4:00 under the big tree in the park next to the pool. Coaches will talk with the group, share information, hand out ribbons and beads and then do stretches and warm up. About 4:15 big kids head to the pool and swim 4:20-4:50. The 12 and younger swimmers will head in about 4:45 and switch with big kids at 4:50 swimming until 5:20. Both groups will do dryland activities in the half hour they are not in the pool. Practice ends at 5:20. Parents, if you want to hear updates directly instead of filtered through your child, please come at the beginning of afternoon practice.

Morning practice is our main work practice. For morning practice, head straight into the pool – no gathering in the park. Swimmers are expected to get in the pool and stay in the water for their entire practice, with necessary bathroom breaks of course. The 8 and under group will have a mixed practice routine with pool time and dryland (warm) fun activities, but they are still expected to participate with their group in our out of the water. As with most sports, players are expected to participate when they’re at practice. Kids are NOT to be hanging around on deck or in the locker rooms during practice. It’s distracting and disruptive for kids trying to do their work out, especially the younger kids. This is also a safety issue, coaches’ attention will be on the kids in the water and they can’t simultaneously monitor kids on deck or in the locker room.

It can be cold at practice, especially mornings in June. Kids are welcome to wear shorty wetsuits or swim shirts during practice, it can really help with the little ones! Costco usually has some at a reasonable price. Bring a warm towel and sweats for before and after. Parents are not allowed on deck during practice, just as you’re not allowed on the field or court during other sports practices. If you want to stay for practice, you can sit in the bleachers or bring a chair and sit at the parking lot end of the fence. If your child has a hard time staying in the pool for the entire practice, please stick around to collect or supervise them outside the fence. If you want to talk with coaches, try to do it before or after practice and not during practice when they’re focused on swimmers.

The coaches and other team parents are not responsible for supervising your child outside of the pool or outside of their practice time. Please drop off and pick up your swimmers at their appropriate practice times.

Meets – Our first meet will be June 13th at home against Toppenish. We have 12 regular dual meets every season. We swim against each team twice, once at our pool and once at theirs. This comes out to 6 home meets and 6 away meets. Meets are Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a few exceptions. We don’t have afternoon practice on meet nights. All meets start with warm up at 6:00 then racing starting at 6:30. Coaches want swimmers at the pool about 5:45 so they’re settled and ready to get in water at 6:00. Ending time for meets varies from 9:30 to 11:00 depending on the night, the pool, and the team sizes. Remember, parents and friends are not to be on deck during meets unless they’re working. If you want a front row seat, come see Ann or Amie about a stopwatch. You can sign swimmers up for meet events from our team website under the swim meets tab. I'll open swimmer sign ups later this week.

More meet info – Swimmers compete in age groups: 8 and under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18. The age cut-off is June 1st. You swim your age on June 1st for the entire season even if you have a birthday and would age up a group. Event order at regular meets is: Medley Relay, Butterfly, Breast Stroke, Backstroke, Freestyle, Free Relay, and IM (Individual Medley). 8 and under swimmers do not swim relays or IM. Events are swum divided by age group and gender starting with youngest – Butterfly 8U girls then 8U boys, then 9-10 girls then 9-10 boys…… Swimmers are allowed and encouraged to swim all 4 strokes when they’re ready. Coaches will help new swimmers decide what to try. We will have many heats of each age and event so everyone gets to swim. Coaches choose relay teams and IM swimmers, since we only get 4 of each for each age/gender group. Swimmers are free to leave when their events are finished, but check with your coaches to make sure you’re not scheduled for a relay or IM. Team mates get cranky if they have to scratch a relay, because someone left early. Swimmers stay in our group on deck during meets, at home meets they camp out in the kiddie area. They can bring blankets/sleeping bags, towels, sweats, snacks, drinks and games. Your swimmer is welcome to join you outside the fence during meets, just pay attention so they’re back in time for their next race. Swimmers are expected to clean up their trash and the camp area. Older swimmers don’t appreciate getting stuck cleaning up after young swimmers who left early and left a mess. If things get too rowdy or too messy in the camp area, they may lose that privilege. Please review the code of conduct you and your swimmers signed.

Vacations & other days off – We would be happy to have your swimmer at every practice and every meet, but understand that it won’t happen. Enjoy your family vacations. Take a rest day if you need one. Please let your coach know if your swimmer will miss a meet or be gone for a few days. You don’t need to tell them every time your swimmer is sick or sleeps through morning practice. Enjoy swim team AND enjoy your summer. Please do let coaches know if you're swimmer is running late for afternoon practice. They do a head count just after 4:00 and decide how to divide the group for practice that day. If swimmers arrive late they won't get counted and won't get to swim - unless coaches know ahead of time.

There is much more I could share, but this will give everyone the basic idea of your time commitment and expectations for summer swim team.

Thanks for your patience reading all of this! Please let me know if you have any questions – I’m always happy to help.

Heidi Herzog