Hello Dolphin Families!

It has been wonderful to see our 241 swimmers on deck during the first week back in the pool! Swimmers got acclimated to the water, they worked on starts and fundamentals, and yesterday our first ‘Donut Saturday’ was a sweet success!

Coach Justin and the coaching team are thrilled with our swimmers’ drive. They cannot wait to continue to build on the momentum as our season progresses!

We have a lot of VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION to share after our first few weeks back. Please take a moment to read through this email in its entirety. We do apologize for the length, but there is a lot to cover. We look forward to an amazing season.
GO DOLPHINS!

Swimmingly,

Coach Justin (Head Coach)
Robyn Whittemore (Youth and Aquatics DHGC)
Ron Carmichael (2024 Dolphins Swim Chair)

SWIM SUITS & CAPS

If your swimmer does not have a Dolphins swim suit, please click here to purchase. All swimmers are required to have a DHGC Dolphin branded suit for meets. If you were not able to attend the kick off, you can have your swimmer sized at any retailer that carries Speedo brand suits or by scheduling an appointment for sizing with Robyn. There is no deadline to order your suit! 

DOLPHIN MERCHANDISE

We are pleased to announce that Dolphin Merchandise is Live! Show your Dolphin Pride this season by ordering here!

PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES

IS YOUR CHILD SWIMMING IN THE MEET?

Parents, please remember that it is your responsibility to declare your swimmers for the meets they will be attending! If your child is not declared for the meet, they will not be included in the meet lineup! Declarations are due **ONE WEEK PRIOR** to each meet. You can declare your swimmer by visiting our SwimTopia Calendar and marking your attendance meet by meet: https://dhgcdolphins.swimtopia.com/swim_meets

WHAT ARE MY FAMILY’S WORK SHIFT REQUIREMENTS?

The success of our swim program, and the safety of on our deck swimmers depends on YOU! We are a parent run, parent supported program. Simply put, without our families pitching in, we would not have a DHGC Dolphins swim team.

• Each family is required to fulfill a total of FOUR work shifts during the season.
• If your swimmers are participating in time trials on Monday, May 13th, your family is REQUIRED to work ONE shift at that meet. Click here to declare your swimmers and to sign up for a shift
• Your family’s remaining THREE shifts (or FOUR shifts if your swimmer did not swim in time trials) must be fulfilled during our REGULAR SEASON season meets. What exactly does this mean???
• During each meet, we have shifts available in the bullpen, timing, assisting with ribbons and serving as a floater. Each shift is ½ the length of the meet.
• Please note: only parents or legal guardians of registered Dolphin swimmers may work these shifts.
• It is VERY important that you arrive at the scheduled time for your shift and stay at your assigned post for the entirety of the shift. If you have not signed up for your family’s shifts yet, or if you need to make changes, please click here. Without your help, we cannot have an efficient and safe swim season!
• For more information on the Family Shift requirements, penalties for not supporting our swimmers and other Family Shift FAQ’s please see the attachment
• Failure to sign up and/or fulfill your family’s shifts could result in your swimmer sitting out practices and meets.

If you have additional questions, please review the attached FAQ document and reach out to Robyn Whittemore, Carolyn McConnell, Kelly Brock, or Jackie Townley with any questions!

COACHING STAFF

We are thrilled to welcome back our Head Coach Justin Yuan for his 3rd season, Coach Kelsey for her 7th season, and Assistant Coaches Abel and Edie for their 3rd season!

We are pleased to welcome coaches Sophie Murk and Grace Parfitt to our Coaching Staff! Please give our incredible coaching team a warm Dolphin welcome!

GRADUATE ASSISTANTS

Please welcome the following 2024 Dolphins Graduate Assistants:
Sawyer Brown
Sienna Burton
Ben Fancher
Jessie Heilman
Anna Read McCormack
Kenzo Sonoda
Carter Steiding

Returning CCSL Graduate Assistants:
Stevie Maloof
Amanda Sprinkle
Jake Verlander

Junior Dolphins Graduate Assistants:
Anna Gibson
Emily Morris
Nate Santy
Hollis Wilson

We are excited to announce that all of our 2024 Graduate Assistants participated in and passed their American Red Cross Lifeguarding Certification course. This year the American Red Cross released an updated curriculum for the Lifeguarding Course that placed higher emphasis on scanning and recognition of swimmers in the pool. Please join us in congratulating all of our GAs and know that the safety of all of our swimmers has been improved by their diligence in completing this course!

Please stay tuned for future communications, and as always, GO DOLPHINS! 

-Robyn Whittemore, Ron Carmichael, and Justin Yuan