for 2012
A Parent's Guide to Surviving the Summer Swim Season
Team Organization
The Blue Dolphins are composed of boys and girls between the ages of four and eighteen. No competitive
swimming experience is required but the swimmer should be able to swim at least one length of a 25-yard/
meter pool unassisted. Swim lessons will be recommended for a child whom the coaches believe may be
too weak in their skills for the team. Such lessons are available through several sources, including
our own coaches. Since swimmers may join the team through the end of June, a lesson program could be
completed and a child could then complete the season.
The swimmers are divided into practice groups by the coaches based on ability and age. This process of sorting the swimmers out can take up much of the first week or two of practices and it is common for a swimmer to be switched from one group to another during their first week of practice. Each child should attempt to practice with their assigned group whenever possible. Swimmers may be moved from one group to another during the season if the coaches feel the swimmer’s ability, attitude and circumstances warrant such a change.
Parent Volunteers
The running of the team and its activities are accomplished through the coaching staff and SEVERAL
PARENT VOLUNTEERS. Parents are expected to do their fair share of the various jobs required
to make our team function smoothly.
We are required by league rules to provide workers at ALL meets - dual and championships. The dual meets require between 20 and 25 workers and we need each family to volunteer to help out at least four times during the dual meet season. At Championships, we are assigned as many as 50 “shifts” of work to fulfill and we need every family to volunteer for at least one of these shifts.
To make it easy for you to volunteer to work the meets, we use the online registration system to
allow you a convenient way to sign up for a job. You can also sign up at practices and we post the
schedule of workers on our web site as the meet nears.
Please click here
to go to the online volunteer sign up system and sign up as soon as you know what
dual meets you would
like to work.
The Championship meets’ online sign up and schedule is usually not available until late June.
We also need parents to help with the many other things that come up during the season. We need to
have parent volunteers to help with the meets and making our team fun and successful! Among the
volunteer positions we need to fill are a Meet Worker Coordinator, a Head Timer and a committee to
help with social events (please!) including the Banquet. We also need two or three parents to help
pass out information at practice.
Please try to do your fair share this season in helping our team have a fun and successful season.
Even if you can't serve in one of these positions, please volunteer where you can, as these folks will need help with these tough assignments. Also, please continue to help answer questions and welcome new parents and swimmers into our "family" at practices so that the coaches can coach instead of talk. That's the main reason our team is so close and runs so smoothly without a lot of politics, etc.!)
Web Site, Facebook & E-mail
We have established our team web site and Facebook page to try to help with communications and to save on printing expenses. We use these resources and e-mail as the primary means of sharing information on team activities - we put our news, swim meet entries and results, schedules, membership information, latest news, pictures and lots of other neat stuff on them as the season progresses. Please bookmark the site as one of your favorite places and visit the site often!