Good evening Poolsharks -

The team spirit and tenacious was energetic last night - the kids raced faster and faster as the meet moved along and was so fun to watch and be a part of.  

We are continuing to reflect and work through making the relays & bullpen smoother and realize last night was stressful for many of our parents, volunteers & kids.  Away meets have extra challenges because it is not fully our system & home base that we are used to, but it is also fun to visit new places.

Speaking of new places - Meet #3 @ Echo Ridge will be lots of fun - their coaches & teams are known for great sportsmanship, they have lots of parking that they save for visitors, and the biggest thing - after swim meets - they open their giant waterslide for the away team to enjoy.  They are wonderful hosts led by local club team Dynamo's Age Group coach Martha Wright who is greatly respected throughout the swimming community.  

Results from last nights meet vs Twin Lakes are posted on our team website (along with speeding bullets/improved times).  LINK

Results are listed with all Heat 1 swimmers listed at the top in one category, and then followed by any Heat 2 and beyond swimmers in a separate ranking.  Heat 1 is considered the 'LIVE' scoring heat which is why it is separate from the rest of the times.  

If your child is listed as a DQ for a relay or individual: we talked about this as a team this morning - a DQ does not mean a child did poorly, it means that there is a detail & skill in their race that can be improved.  

The most common DQ's are:

*1 hand touches for breast or fly

*turning over onto tummy during backstroke (especially the last stroke)

*scissor kick on breaststroke (ie kick does not look like a frog kick)

*feet coming apart during butterfly kick (feet must move simultaneously as one like a mermaid tail)

We will continue to work on these details in practice and also encourage private lessons LINK.  The pool is open specifically for lessons & Starfish during the 11 am - 12 noon hour Mon-Fri.  

This Sunday at 7:00 - 8:15 AM, we will host our one & only Pro Clinic led by American Record Holder & Poolshark Alumni Dean Farris.  Dean is going to focus on things such as his favorite free & back drills, underwaters, backstroke starts, freestyle starts, along with a Q & A and autograph/picture session the last :30 minutes.  Cost is $20 which goes 100% to Dean.  We have about half the spots filled.  LINK to sign up.  

Please continue to reach out as you have questions/concerns as I really do appreciate everyones timely communication so we can work through things together to support your kids as best possible.

Have Fun, Race Hard, Do Your Best, Go Poolsharks!

- Beth