Under clear skies and a summer breeze the Dolphins swam to victory over Beaconsfield Heights:  567 points to 481! 

To see the results you can view them on our website here:

http://www.westmountdolphins.org/meet-results.html

If you have difficulty viewing the results it may be that you are trying to view the results from an email address or computer that is not connected to your swimmer’s account.  We do not post these results publicly so you would need to request permission to view these results from other addresses.  When making this request please identify yourself and your connection to the swimmer.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who baked, volunteered or came out and cheered Wednesday night at our first meet in our new pool! It was a fantastic evening where the Dolphin team of swimmers and their supporters came together to organise and carry out a great swim meet! For the next two weeks we are on the road but back home on July 16th when we will again be needing concession and BBQ/Taco volunteers.  You may continue to sign up using the following link:

VOLUNTEERS FOR HOME MEETS

Thanks again for your commitment to the team!

Not only did our team prevail but some of our swimmers swam all-time best swims and the following records were recorded last night and can be found at this link:

http://www.westmountdolphins.org/club-records.html

We look forward to our next competition which will take place at Windermere Pool in Beaconsfield on Wednesday, July 2nd. Directions to Windermere pool can be found at this link:

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/4675+Rue+Sainte-Catherine+Ouest,+Westmount,+QC+H3Z+1S4/Windermere+Aquatic+Club,+323+Windermere,+Beaconsfield,+QC+H9W+1W1/@45.4694787,-73.802696,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x4cc910a0f8fb4985:0x1d57db2d0e5fe039!2m2!1d-73.5965873!2d45.4791381!1m5!1m1!1s0x4cc9395a808776ed:0xa250c1ed93b8f745!2m2!1d-73.87251!2d45.437129!3e0

In the meet sign-up there is a place to request carpooling.  We would ask those who are carpooling to meet between 5:15 and 5:30pm at the WRC parking lot before leaving to the West Island, unless you are making arrangements directly with other carpool families. Please follow the link sent to you in the email to advise your availability for the meet before noon on MONDAY, June 30.

We will also need to provide timers and officials at this competition so if you can assist please sign up here:

OFFICIALS SIGN UP JULY 2ND AT WINDERMERE

A note about meets.  We are a team.  It is summer and we are relaxed in our approach to the sport but we are still a team.  If you have committed to participating then we are expecting your child to attend and have signed him or her into events and possibly relays.  If you are unable to attend a meet that you had indicated your child was attending, please advise the team at westmount.dolphins@gmail.com with the name of the meet in the subject.  This gives us a bit of warning so that last minute adjustments can be made earlier rather than during the chaos of the meet.  With such a large team it is crucial that we know whether or not you are coming.  Not showing up when a commitment has been made is in effect letting down your team mates and no one wants to let down their team mates!

Looking forward to another successful meet at our first “away” meet in Beaconsfield.

Go Dolphins Go!

Hello Dolphins Swim Team Members,

Wednesday night will mark the first meet to be held in our new pool.

Meet Invitations and the RSVP Process

A message inviting you to the meet went out late last week and we need to know your child's availability.  Some of you have already replied, but if you have not done so already PLEASE INDICATE YOUR SWIMMER'S AVAILABILITY BEFORE MONDAY EVENING ON THE GOOGLE SHEET THAT CAN BE ACCESSED BY COPYING THE FOLLOWING LINK TO YOUR BROWSER:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16Wj7TVLZjLEdx_LZudSj_VNziOpmCmr9jW8xXrXePQ8/edit?usp=sharing

If we do not see your response on this document before Monday it will be assumed that you are not coming and your child will not be entered into the meet.  The coaches must prepare the registration cards for the meet on Tuesday so this information is crucial for them to have these documents ready to give to the Recorder/Scorer at the meet.

You will receive an invitation like this every week before the next meet and you will need to reply each time.  If you know in advance that you are away please advise the coach in writing to westmount.dolphins@gmail.com with the date of the meet you will be missing as the subject.  Any emails pertaining to the weekly Wednesday meets should have the meet date indicated as the subject. 

This is a very important procedure because it affects the tasks of the coaches, and ultimately affects the work of the volunteers on the night of the meet.  Thank you for your cooperation with this RSVP process.

Sign up of Volunteers and Officials for the Meet

Every week we will also put out a call for volunteers for the meet and it will be sent to you with a link to a google document like the one below.   You may sign up for the general volunteer tasks for home meets for the whole summer if you prefer.  You may need to take the extra step of connecting your email account to Google Plus.  This is a free process. If you choose to create a gmail account for this process, please send us the address so that we can add it to your file.  Copy the links below in your browser for volunteer/official sign ups:

Officials:  

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u8z1Sanqo85VS0Nc41m-0mzZI2QCmO8-U4ldQpFZHWo/edit?usp=sharing

Please note: when you work as an official (timers etc), you must remain in your post until the end of the meet.

General Volunteers:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MIF0q5CZKJVipOJr2x3jbEiFTPIuEZ8ZvyBcJAotWmA/edit?usp=sharing


On the day of the meet there are a few points to remember

· We swim rain or shine!!! If we don’t show up, we forfeit and lose valuable points.  Meets may be postponed for thunder and lightning but we must show up in order to have that option.

· For home meets volunteers assisting with set-up must be on hand at 5:30pm (only adult volunteers will be permitted on-deck because it is adult swim time)

· For all meets, swimmers should be on deck, changed and ready for warm-up NO LATER THAN 6:15pm

· For away meets, allow for heavy traffic and try to leave Westmount by 5:30pm latest.

· If you need a lift:  be at the WRC parking lot for 5:15pm to ensure you don’t miss a lift!

· If you have room in your car:  pass by the WRC parking lot between 5:15pm and 5:30pm

· Wear your Dolphins gear!!!  The order is not in yet but do not worry, we will have some “vintage” Dolphins tshirts to pass out to kids who don’t have anything yet…sizes may not be perfect but at least you will have something that says “Dolphins”!

· Bring:  GOGGLES, CAPS, HOODIES, SWEATS, TOWELS, BAG TO CARRY IT ALL, POCKET MONEY FOR THE BAKESALE, YOUR SMILES, CHEERING VOICE AND A SPORTSMANLIKE ATTITUDE!

· Bring to home meets:  baked goods, fruit kebabs, special treats, savoury snacks that you think will sell at our concession stand.  This is a crucial fundraiser for our team which pays for the ribbons we distribute to every swimmer at every meet.  Please try to provide nut-free products where possible, or label those items that may contain nuts.

· During the meet: Swimmers stay with your team:  cheer and encourage each other! 

· Swimmers under 10 years old should stay within ear-shot of their coaches and team mates so they don’t miss their races!  This is a great opportunity for little ones to take those first steps at independence in a safe and happy environment!

· Swimmers 11 years old and over should be aware of the progress of the meet and be where you need to be at the right time!

· Look for the ribbons table:  ribbons are usually not available before the start of breaststroke, but try to collect your ribbons if you can, before you leave, especially at away meets.  If you were not able to receive your ribbons, don’t worry, Coach Hannah’s mom Leah Trineer, our ribbon lady, will have them for you later in the week, after the meet and will keep them safe until she can get them to you.

· Swimmers 8 years old and under: the relays for this age group are done early in the program so that if your child is only swimming a free style event (which is true for most of the littlest swimmers) then you may leave the meet when they are done. 

· Swimmers 9 years old and older:  your relays take place towards the end of the meet and we encourage you and  your families to stay until the end if possible to cheer on all your team mates!

· AFTER THE MEET:  the Dolphins meet at Dairy Queen (and Bilboquet for those with gourmet palates).   We all congregate and eat our frozen treats together on the sidewalk. This is a Dolphins tradition that kids can’t wait to be old enough to stay up for! 

We look forward to sharing the fun and excitement of the ALPS Dual Meet tradition with all of you this Wednesday, June 25th!

Go Dolphins Go!

On June 21, 2014 we are finally able to celebrate the opening of the pool in style:  the WRC Aquatics Festival will be a fundraiser to secure the final needs of the pool as part of the WRC Capital Campaign.  This special event will celebrate summer and aquatics.
There are a couple of ways you can contribute to this special day:

VOLUNTEER:
An event of this size requires an army of volunteers.  We are asking every Dolphins family that is in town on that day to offer a minimum of 1 hour of volunteering.

The tasks involved are:
Marshalls/Security: ensure pool deck rules are followed, ensure participant bracelets are worn and letting people/participants know where to go for specific events.
Registration and payement desk: for participants to register, receive their bracelets; for spectators to pay for entry to pool deck
Lap counters count swimmer's lap during the swim-a-thon
Officials, referee, starter, turn judges for the "swim meet"
Additional Volunteers for our other exhibition events like diving, the dunk tank, "Map Painters for number of km done etc... 

Click on the link below and choose your volunteer session. 

Volunteer Sign-up

We would like this to be an amazing day so whether you have all day or only an hour to offer we thank you ahead of time.

PARTICIPATE:
Sure, you can volunteer, but why not join in the fun too?
It is a great way to have a fun day with the family.  Purchase a Family Pass and sign up for unlimited activities.  Or maybe you would rather volunteer while your kids participate?
To encourage as many Dolphins as possible particpating we are offering them the chance to join "teams" in the swim-a-thon.  One team of ten kids is just $100 or $10 per child. 
The same is true if your child would like to join a relay with their Dolphins friends.
Sign up using the document here:

Swimathon and Relay Teams Sign-up

If you are purchasing a Family Pass, please indicate this and you will waive the $10 fee for each event that your child enters.

 Hope to see you all there!

It is hard to believe that the first week of Dolphins is finally over.  It has been a busy and exciting week with a fabulous opening day for the swim team, a productive first diving practice, some fun water-polo and an eager group of girls learning about synchro.

We hope your athletes are already having fun.  There is more fun in store. 

WRC AQUATICS FESTIVAL:

The next big event is the WRC Aquatics Festival on Saturday, June 21 from 8am to 4pm. This is the final fundraiser in the WRC Capital Campaign and we hope that if you are in town that weekend you can be on hand to help make it a success.  This fundraiser is targeting specific equipment needs for the pool that were not included in the project by the contractor, Pomerleau.  Have a look at the following link for more information:

http://www.westmountdolphins.org/wrc-aquatics-festival.html

We will need an army of volunteers that day and a schedule for sign-up will be emailed soon.

More information will be available at the parent information meetings.

PARENT INFORMATION MEETINGS:

We will be conducting some parent-information meetings on the dates indicated below and we strongly encourage at least one parent from each family to attend. This is an opportunity to learn about our league, the Association of Lakeshore Pools, to learn about upcoming competitions, any special requests from coaches particular to the aquatics sport, information about volunteering, and a chance to meet members of the parents’ committee.  See you there!

Diving and Waterpolo                           Tuesday, June 10              7pm

Swim Team                                         Wednesday, June 11          7pm

Synchro                                              Thursday, June 12              7pm

T-SHIRT DAY:

Many of you have been asking about clothing.  All the clothing orders that were done on registration night are being delivered to us in one large delivery and will be distributed en mass on T-SHIRT DAY. This day will be advised once we have the delivery date from our clothing supplier (hopefully we’ll know this date at the information sessions!).  This is a day that you won’t want to miss:  not only do we distribute the clothing but it is a chance to socialize with fellow team members, we will organize a team continental breakfast, we do team photos and this year we are planning an additional surprise…more details to follow! 

There are more exciting activities to come and we look forward to sharing them with you. Check back to the blog and re-read previous posts in case you’ve forgotten something.  This is where all the info and news of the club will be shared so it is worth taking the time to read it.

Go Dolphins Go!

Hello Dolphins,

A huge THANK YOU to all of you who came out on Family Day with your baking or to volunteer.  We had a beautiful day and a great success raising the most money we have ever raised in one bakesale:  $1000!  We’ve raised that amount and more when combined with a BBQ but never just a bakesale alone.

This money will go a long way to purchasing much-needed underwater speakers for synchro and new balls for waterpolo.  We couldn’t have done it without your support.

We were also very fortunate to have on hand representatives from Yeh! Yogourt who just opened a new store on Sherbrooke Street and who are going to be major sponsors for the team.  They brought us shade, comfy bean bags to hang out on, frozen yogourt to sell and refreshing water for the volunteers.

Can you believe it?  Tomorrow the moment we’ve been waiting for these last two years has finally arrived:  THE POOL IS OPENING!!!

Pre-season Practices begin this week:

Swim Team:       12 and under 6:30pm-7:30pm                 Monday, Wednesday, Friday

                        13 and over 7:30pm-8:30pm                    Monday Wednesday, Friday

Diving:               All groups 6:30pm-7:30pm                       Tuesdays

Synchro:            All groups 6:30pm-7:30pm                       Thursdays

Waterpolo:         12 and under 6:30pm-7:30pm                  Tuesday, Thursday

                        13 and over 7:30pm-8:30pm                     Tuesday, Thursday

We look forward to meeting all of the new members, introducing you all to our coaches and we look forward to finally getting in the water in OUR OWN POOL!

A few things to bring:  flip-flops or crocs to wear on the deck (no street shoes on deck please—that goes for parents too!), a towel to wrap up in after practice, a hoodie and sweats to put on after practice and of course your swim suits.

For swimmers, bring goggles (and caps if you have them). 

For girls with long hair please ensure you have good hair elastics to tie up your hair—you will be glad you did because otherwise your hair just gets in your eyes and that is not fun. 

If you cannot make it to practices this week, don’t worry.  We know that lots of kids are in exams, have end of year concerts or may have practices or games to attend for other sports or teams.  The pre-season is a chance to get a head start on training before the regular season so just come as often as you are able to.

It is going to be a great season!!

GO DOLPHINS GO!