Sponsorship The swim team is looking for sponsors to help defray some of the operating cost we incur with our program. Last year, we had several businesses and individuals provide much needed revenue. The budget for last year was somewhere in the neighborhood of $39,000. In an effort to keep our registration and monthly fees at a low level we depend on our fundraisers and sponsors to help pay for the thing necessary to run the team. If anyone knows of a business or individual that is looking for an activity to sponsor please talk to Anne Lama of the parent committee.
Workout Fees Workout fees are due the first of each month, if you have not paid them all in advance.
Team Suit Wear You will be receiving your new team competition suit shortly and there are a few things you should be aware of before you throw it on. First, the material in the suit is design to repel water and in theory the better the suit repels water the smoother the swimmer will move through the pool. That being said there are several things you can do to make swimsuits last longer, but even with proper care, they won't last forever. 1. Always rinse the team suit out immediately after a meet in fresh, cool water. 2. Do not use detergent, soaps, bleach or shampoos on your suit (a little Woolite is okay); just rinse and spin out. 3. NEVER DRY the suits in a clothes dryer; rinse & spin out only in washer. Do not iron. 4. Hang or lay suit flat after rinsing, away from sunlight or heat. Do not wring out or rub suit dry. 5. NEVER leave a wet suit rolled up or in a towel or bag for any length of time or it will create "lycra breakdown" where spots on the material become thin. If this problem occurs, it is not a suit defect, it is caused from improper care and most manufacturers will not replace the suit. 6. Do not get oil or suntan lotion on your suit, especially the elastic. 7. Competition suits will not last as long as practice suits. Do not wear competition suits to practice—they will breakdown quickly. 8. Competition suits are to be worn only for competition.
Congratulations Congratulations to East Highlands Ranch Swimmers, Shane Blake, Danielle Caver, Elise Koenig, William Koenig, Danny Lama, Melissa Ralston, Sara Paramo, Brandon Faust, Courtney Faust, Dana Messmore, Cherry Zabrensky, Sarah Fee, Caitlin Fee, Jessica Ye and Marie Ye.
Shane, Danielle, William, Elise, Danny, Sara, Marie, Jessica and Melissa qualified to swim in individual events at the USA Summer Junior Olympics in Fullerton last August. William and Melissa made finals and Melissa medalled placing eighth in the 50 meters Breaststroke. Courtney, Dana, Cherry, and Sarah qualified to swim in a relay at JO's, the first relay ever for East Highlands Ranch.
Shane, Danielle, Elise, William, Marie, Jessica qualified to compete in the USA Age Group Winter Championships in Las Vegas this past December.
Shane, Danielle, Elise, and Danny also qualified to compete in the Southern California Swimming Spring Junior Olympics at Belmont Plaza Aquatics Complex in Long Beach in March of 2003. This meet requires a AAA time standard to qualify. For Shane, Elise, and Danny this was their first time competing in this meet. Danielle qualified four years in a row. William Koenig, Marie and Jessica Ye have qualified to compete in the 2004 Spring JO's
Danielle also qualified to swim in January at the Southern California Winter Invitational. Here she got to compete with and watch Olympic medallist like Gabrielle Rose and Tom Wilkens as well as many other international swimmers.
William Koenig qualified to compete in the Southern California Swim Festival in January. The Swim Festival is an all-star meet featuring the best swimmer under the age of 14. These swimmers and several others from EHR worked out and competed with the Yucaipa Swim Team and the San Bernardino YMCA during the fall and winter. These swimmers are good examples of what hard work and determination can bring. Good Job to ALL our winter Swimmers !!!
Calendar March 20 & 21
March 29
April 3 & 4
April 17
Important! Please let the coaches know as soon as possible if you will not be attending this meet.
April 14
Swim A Thon The annual swim a thon is the only fundraiser for the team this year. Last year we raised 4000.00 plus. These funds pay for team awards, the swimmers cost at the end of the season banquet and equipment the team needs. Start lining up family and friends to contribute to YOUR team. Packets will be distributed March 29th and the Swim a thon will be held during practice on April 14th. ALL swimmers should be at the pool by 5:00 PM. Parents are needed to help count laps.
May 1
The first league home meet is May 8 vs. Temecula
Important! You MUST tell the coaches by the Wednesday before the meet if you will not be attending this meet.
High School Swimmers Many past and present Dolphins are competing for Redlands East Valley High School. If you have a few minutes go down to REV and cheer them on. There are meets against Redlands High School on April 13 at REV, Fontana High School on April 20 at REV, Redlands High School at RHS on April 22 and Eisenhower High School at REV on April 27. All meets start at 3 PM. If you will like to see the complete REV schedule see Coach Ervin at the pool. Go Wildcats!
Tidbits of Information
Team Sports? If swimming is considered an individual sport why is there so much emphasis on team atmosphere? The reason the "team" concept is emphasized is that it is important for children to learn to work together with their teammates. Relays are a great example of how our sport has a "team" aspect to it. Children learn to rely on their teammates while working together to achieve a common goal. The camaraderie formed through your child's participation on a "team" is an experience few children realize. Additionally, the team atmosphere of swimming is considered fun. Your child will reap the benefits of learning to function within a team for the rest of their life. The friendships and relationships they form will have an impact on them forever.
WEB SITE Don't forget to check out our web site at www.geocities.com/ehrswim. There is some great stuff on there. It is updated on a regular basis.
YOUR SWIMMERS' COACHES: As parents, you will have questions about your child's swimming or a question about the team in general. The coaching staff is more than willing to discuss any area of concern you may have. Our coaches would like to get to know their swimmers parents. Please introduce yourself to the coaches before or after practice. Please try to refrain from asking questions while the coaches are engaged with the swimmers for practice continuity and for swimmer safety. If you have any concerns, positive feedback or would just like to chat for a few minutes the most convenient time is usually after the practice set. Don't be afraid of them, they won't make you swim a 200 fly or do 25 push-ups.
Each month we will provide an article as part of our educational series to provide important to parents and swimmer. This information pertains not just to swimming but also provide life information that we feel will be helpful in making your participation in the East Highlands Ranch Swim Program as rewarding as possible.
This month’s installment of our Education Series will focus on supporting your child in swimming. As the Dolphins grow and become a more competitive team it is important for everyone to understand that it will take a lot of hard work from swimmers, coaches, and parents to continue our success. The article in it’s entirety is presented below.
Reprinted with permission from the American Swim Coaches Association
Supporting Your Children in Swimming
1. Support their efforts. Listen to your child's dreams, goals, and ideas and help him to work out the steps of those that seem attainable by organizing them into do-able parts.
2. Encourage follow-through. Praise task completion and encourage them to carry on when the initial excitement fades. Relate your struggles to complete tasks and your satisfaction at having achieved a goal.
3. Offer reinforcement or reward. Give incentive for better efforts, not just accomplishments. Keep a chart with stars tracking progress and reward the task's completion, not its grade. Younger children need quicker rewards and briefer tasks.
4. Recognize his success level. When a child reaches a point of frustration, learning specialists advocate you help him return to a level where he feels successful. Then his enthusiasm will return.
5. Involve others. Tell teachers and coaches that it's more important to you that your child feel successful than to come out on top. Making your values clear to them can make them more effective in helping your child.
6. Point out effort in others. Make your child aware of how others work hard at their daily activities, so they know they're not alone in trying, overcoming discouragement, meeting challenges, and succeeding.
7. Praise him for trying. Point out how much you appreciate your child's doing something that may be difficult for him. Applied to schoolwork, swimming, or other pursuits, these devices can help kids develop a "can-do" attitude.