Hello Dolphin Families,

We are delighted to have had so many new families join the team. We understand that many of you were attracted to our decision to not hold formal meets or require volunteer hours this year.

Therefore, we felt it may be necessary to clarify that the Mock Meet being held tonight is a very informal “Meet.” It’s entire premise is to collect each individual swimmer's best times (literally timing how long it takes a swimmer to swim from one side of the pool to the other). This is the main way that a swimmer’s improvement is measured over the course of the season.

Please do not skip tonight's practice simply because it is being called a Mock Meet!

The Mock Meet tonight will also allow our swimmers the opportunity to get an understanding of what a typical swim meet is and how to participate. They will learn some of the sport’s “lingo” (such as: bullpen, event, heat) and perhaps most importantly, new swimmers will get to experience the fun & excitement of being in a swim race!

For those of you worried that your child will not do well in a swim race - trust us, we understand!  But we promise you, your swimmer will quickly learn that being the last to arrive at the other side of the pool is NOT a devastating loss to dread! Swimmers will SEE & HEAR their teammates & family cheering and encouraging them to continue going - and their accomplishment is celebrated regardless of their “time.” In fact, you will find the cheering is always the loudest for the “slowest” swimmers.

Finally, we would like to point out that our Swim Team is entirely run by parent volunteers. Our Board consists of our swim parents who put much time and energy into making sure every swimmer and family has a great experience. BUT we can not do it alone! Running a meet, even a mock meet, takes work. We need parents willing to time the swimmers, help organize them into groups, and help drag out the equipment and put it back away. Please consider doing whatever you can to help make this Mock Meet the best experience for your child tonight.