Pre-team is back! Lea Thompson and Graham Becerra will be stepping up as the instructor/coaches for this swim group! Lea is one of our assistant coaches for the Dam West Dolphins swim team and also has experience swimming competitively for Smoky Hill High School and MACS year round swimming.  Graham was a previous assistant coach on the team and is now a full time student at Denver University.  Graham swam competitively for Cherry Creek High School and also has LOTS of experience teaching swim lessons outside of swim team. Both coaches love working with young kids and are looking forward to helping our 3-6 year old swimmers get "swim team ready" this season.

Pre-Team Details All swimmers must be registered on the Dam West Dolphins website. Lessons are Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 8:30-9:00am and 9:00-9:30am. Lessons start Wednesday, May 28 and continue until the end of the swim season (July 12). In alliance with the team schedule, there will be no lesson July 4th in recognition of Independence Day.

Note: there are two times listed for pre-team. We are hoping to separate swimmers by abilities into two different leveled groups this year.

What to expect: The intention of the Dolphins Pre-Team is to assist swimmers who are interested in joining the swim team, but are not quite ready to swim the full length of the pool. Swimmers ages 3-6 are welcome to participate. All swimmers must be 3 by June 1. Coach Lea and Coach Graham will work on skills to encourage swimmers to independently swim a 25 yd length without assistance. They will be in the water with the kids to ensure safety for all swimmers. We will also have a coach on deck to help supervise swimmers at each session.

 The pre-team swimmers will experience all the aspects of being a Dolphin. They are invited to participate in all social activities for the team and are encouraged to attend meets to cheer for the Team. Parents or caregivers of the pre-team swimmer must remain on the pool deck during practices. Swimmers are not required to purchase a team suit, but can do so if they choose. They are also welcome to show their team support with Dolphin gear.

Assessment To better assess your swimmer for readiness, we ask that you attend practice Tuesday May 27. Assessment will be a quick 10-15min assessment of your child's swim abilities to make sure they are a good fit for the pre-team.

In order to help you assess your child's readiness for Pre-Team, please use the following skills as a guideline:

1. Swimmer has had swim lessons prior to Pre-Team.

2. Swimmer can enter and exit the pool on their own.

3. Swimmers can hold on to the side of the pool for 2 min

4. Swimmers can retrieve objects waist deep.

5. Swimmer will be safe in the water without an adult within reach.

6. Swimmer can listen and follow coaches direction without consistent redirection.

7. Swimmer is excited and willing to be part of Pre-Team and will attend practice without incident on the majority of days

If you have any questions or are wondering whether pre-team is right for your child, please feel free to reach out to Coach Emilie DWDCoachEmilie@gmail.com. We are excited about this season's pre-team and look forward to meeting your child!

Coach Emilie and Coach Lea and Coach Graham