THIS MESSAGE IS FOR MEMBERS REGISTERED OR ON THE WAITLIST FOR PRE-TEAM ONLY

Hi everyone!

Pre-Team is back! 🎉

Lea Thompson, Sophie Poplin, and Graham Becerra will be stepping in as instructors/coaches for our Pre-Team group this season.

• Lea is one of our assistant coaches for the Dam West Dolphins Swim Team and has competitive swimming experience with both Smoky Hill High School and MACS year-round swimming.

• Sophie is also an assistant coach on the team. She swims competitively for Smoky Hill High School and Aqua Wolves year-round swimming.

• Graham is a former assistant coach for the team and is now a full-time student at Denver University. He previously swam competitively for Cherry Creek High School and also has extensive experience teaching swim lessons outside of swim team.

All three coaches love working with young swimmers and are excited to help our 3–6 year olds build confidence, improve skills, and get “swim team ready” this season! 

Pre-Team Details 🐬

All swimmers must be registered through the Dam West Dolphins website.

Lessons will be held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30–9:00am and 9:00–9:30am.

Pre-Team begins Wednesday, May 28 and runs through the end of the swim season on July 10. In alignment with the team schedule, there will be no lesson on July 3 in observance of Independence Day.

Please Note:
Two lesson times are listed because we hope to separate swimmers into two groups this year based on skill and ability level.

What to Expect

The goal of Dolphins Pre-Team is to help young swimmers build the skills and confidence needed to eventually join swim team.

Children ages 3–6 years old are welcome to participate. All swimmers must be 3 years old by June 1.

Coach Lea, Coach Sophie, and Coach Graham will focus on developing independent swimming skills, with the goal of swimmers being able to swim a full 25-yard length without assistance. Coaches will be in the water with swimmers to help ensure safety and provide support. An additional coach will also be on deck during each session to help supervise.

Pre-Team swimmers are encouraged to experience all the fun of being a Dolphin! They are welcome to attend team social events and cheer on the team at swim meets.

A parent or caregiver must remain on the pool deck during all Pre-Team sessions.

Swimmers are not required to purchase a team suit, but they are welcome to if they would like. Pre-Team families are also encouraged to show their Dolphin spirit with team gear! 💙

Pre-Team Assessment Information 

To better assess your swimmer’s readiness for Pre-Team, we ask that families attend one of the following assessment times based on age group. Assessments will be brief (approximately 10–15 minutes) and are intended to help determine whether Pre-Team is the best fit for your child at this time.

Assessment Times

• 5–6 year olds: Tuesday, May 12 at 5:00pm
• 3–4 year olds: Tuesday, May 27 at 8:30am

If you are unable to attend the assessment time for your child’s age group, please reach out to Coach Emilie so we can work out an alternative arrangement.

Pre-Team Readiness Guidelines

To help families determine whether their child may be ready for Pre-Team, please use the following skills as general guidelines:

1. Swimmer has participated in swim lessons prior to Pre-Team.
2. Swimmer can independently enter and exit the pool.
3. Swimmer can hold onto the side of the pool for at least 2 minutes.
4. Swimmer can retrieve objects in waist-deep water.
5. Swimmer demonstrates safe behavior in the water without requiring an adult within arm’s reach at all times.
6. Swimmer is able to listen to and follow coach instructions without frequent redirection.
7. Swimmer is excited and willing to participate in Pre-Team and is generally able to attend practice successfully and independently.

If you have any questions or are wondering whether Pre-Team is the right fit for your child, please feel free to reach out to Coach Emilie at [email protected].

We are excited for this season’s Pre-Team and look forward to meeting your swimmer!

Sincerely,

The Pre-Team Coaching Team

Emilie, Lea, Sophie, and Graham