Hi Lionfish Parents,

We're excited for the first day of practice today! A few reminders and updates:

Practice Times:

6 and Unders:

Weeks of 4/29. 5/13. 5/27, 6/10, 6/24: Girls 4:30 - 5:00/ Boys 5:00 - 5:30

Weeks of 5/6, 5/20, 6/3, 6/17: Boys 4:30 - 5:00/ Girls 5:00 - 5:30

7 - 8 Girls 5:30 - 6:00 pm 7- 8 Boys 6:00 - 6:30 pm

9 - 10 Girls & Boys 6:30 -7:15 pm 11 & Over 7:15 - 8:00 pm

Practice Attendance Policy

The Lionfish compete in a Sumer recreational league. As a result, swimmers do not have a minimum practice attendance requirement, although it is strongly recommended that they participate in all scheduled practices for their group. As coaches, we understand that school, family commitments, and other activities are essential in the development of our young athletes. Making four of five practices offered a week should be strived for as it allows the swimmers to learn all the skills needed to be successful at meets in June.

Swimmers and Practice Groups

Swimmers are permitted to practice during their designated practice times. They will be unable to attend a separate practice schedule unless they have prior approval from the coaching staff. This allows us to prioritize learning while also keeping safety and appropriate swimmer numbers a priority.

6 and Under Swim Tests

A swim test is required for ALL swimmers 6 and under before the start of the 2024 season. If your swimmer did not complete a swim test they will do so at their first practice. This will be the only swimming they do for the day. Their first practice will be the following day.

Name Help

Our coaches request that each swimmer has their name (first name & last initial --> EX: Jane K) written in sharpie on their back shoulder blade for the first week of practice to help them learn names. We will have Sharpies at the pool, but if you can do this before the start of practice, it would be a great help. *Make sure they have a shirt on in the car so this doesn't rub off on car seats!

Inclement Weather Policy

The weather can be unpredictable in May and June, so please be sure you have downloaded the Swimtopia app to your phone AND allowed notifications from the app. Once we are on deck, we will also use our team GroupMe for communication. Every swimmer should have one parent on the GroupME. We will use push notifications to communicate practice cancellations and delays. There will be no make-up practices, with practices offered daily, back-to-back, and in whole groups. If swimmers miss their training due to weather or otherwise, they should attend their next regularly scheduled workout.

Here is the GroupMe link: https://groupme.com/join_group/93410774/TK4iZt1z

The lodge has a policy of clearing the pool at 10 miles and the facility at 6 miles for each lightning occurrence. You can download My Lightning Tracker on your phone to get accurate notice of the weather in the area. Please use your best judgment for practices.

Practice Entry/Exit and Parent Seating

For the first week, swimmers should only enter and exit the pool area through the backyard/playground gate. This is to ensure kids are not unaccompanied in the parking lot. Swimmers should gather at the gate for 5 min. Before the start of practice, sunscreen is applied, and caps and goggles are on. For exits, parents should plan to be at the swimmer gate exit 2-3 minutes before a practice session ends. We will have a table nearby to pass out T-shirts/Caps and catch any non-swim test 8 and Unders. The pool deck (Lap pool area) will be closed during practice except for swimmers of the current group, those transitioning from practice, and our volunteers. We want to ensure the sight lines are clear for safety purposes and encourage our swimmers to learn independence, ownership, and a sense of pride in their swimming.

Contacting Coaches

While on deck, our coaches are the lifeguards watching the swimmers in the pool. Because of this, we kindly ask that if you need to speak with Coach Jason, please email him to schedule a time to talk before or after practices. A contact form is available on the Coaches webpage. This is a reminder that with 250 + swimmers, emails can add up quickly. Please review the team website, talk to established parents, and read our handouts for any necessary information. The coaches cannot reply to texts/emails during practice time while they are in the water or coaching the groups.

Our coaches will have long sleeve rash guards to be easily identifiable to parents and swimmers.

What to Bring to Practice

With larger groups of swimmers, we encourage swimmers to arrive in clothing for the weather: sandals or Crocs, a swimsuit, a cap, and goggles. The more minimal we can be, the easier the swimmers can learn to manage their items. As always, make sure to write their names on things, as we will have very similar-looking clothing and swim gear.

• Swimmers should be in either their Team Suit or a similar one (no swim shirts, Two-Pieces, or Long-Sleeved shirts).
• Anyone with hair that can get in their eyes will wear a swim cap. Our coaching staff can help with these if needed and will ask swimmers to get theirs on before practice.
• Goggles should be open and already tried on. Coaches can teach swimmers to adjust them themselves and show them how to wear them/put them on.

We firmly believe that all of our swimmers on the team who are capable of making it across are equally capable of learning to be self-sufficient with their swim items. Learning to put on their caps, goggles and other items is as important as the swim practice. In the next two months, we will be working on performance skills (swim skills in the water) as much as relationship skills (How to be a team/teammate/work in a group).

Performance Skills = Better Swimmer

Relationship Skills = Better Teammates

Relationship + Performance = Better Team.

See you at the pool,

Coach Jason