Winter Swim
Hello SHRA Shark parents,
We’re only days away from the end of swim team season 2018 and faced with our “off season” swim opportunity. Keep your swim-loving SHRA child(ren) fully engaged in swim team! They’ll stay conditioned, exercising, and seeing their summer SHRA friends. Time needed next May getting back into the swing of swim team will be minimal and it’s nice for us to see our other SHRA parents’ faces in the bleachers, too during weekly practices. Here is the critical information:
STARTS: SUNDAY, September 16, 2018 and ENDS: SUNDAY, May 19, 2019
LOCATION: Providence Rec Center on Marc Drive behind Falls Church HS
NOTE THE TIME CHANGE, one hour shift later this year to start at 6pm. Sorry. I tried hard for our usual 5pm but we didn’t get it.
6:00PM to 6:45 PM - If your child will be an 8 and under swimmer next year- Summer 2019
6:45PM to 8:00 PM - All swimmers age 9+ next year, summer 2019
COST*: $150, checks to be made payable to SHRA and put in my folder “Graham” by Sunday 8/26/18. (No Paypal this year, sorry)
Coach Evelyn Kirby will be back (YEAH!). We’re discussing options to back up and support Evelyn with 1-2 secondary volunteer coaches, too.
SCHEDULE NOTE: We swim a few weeks less than in the past over the course of Sept-May (lots of Sunday holidays!), but lane rental costs went up, so the price is stable with past years. As is customary, we will not swim between Thanksgiving and New Years, and we have a few more dates thrown in that we’ll take off in the winter/spring, such as Super Bowl Sunday, both Sundays of FCPS Spring break, and Mother’s Day. You’ll get my email reminders of “we take this week off, don’t show up” or “come back and swim” as applicable.
We have room for about 45 kids again this year. It is necessary that your child can swim the full 25m length of the pool, and back (with a brief pause/rest at the other end is completely ok). We certainly never expect all the kids to make it to every session. One caveat: if you found your kids barely available by mid-winter and not able to come to about half of the sessions thereafter, please consider this when signing up again for this year. While the winter swim program is laid back, fun and a great chance to keep the SHRA spirit during the off season, there were many children from last year’s waiting list who really wanted to participate and would have enthusiastically used those spots.
So, to finalize all this, please submit your child’s entry via this link. If you have more than one child you’d like to participate, please fill out the form as many times needed for multiple children. [The date/timestamp will assist with building the waitlist.] We had a waitlist of over 13 kids last summer. We were only able to take 3-5 of them by the time we started. Do not underestimate the importance of being a “first responder.” (Somewhat different context, similar meaning). Placement on past year(s) SHRA winter swim teams doesn’t guarantee placement on the following year’s team, so please sign up and don’t assume you’re “in” by 9/16 unless you’ve heard from me confirming that. I should send out confirms in mid-August. Finally, if cost is a factor, or you would like to work out a payment plan, please let me know. Though contrary to last year, all payments, even on an installment plan, need to be made to SHRA by Sunday 11/18/18 when we break for the holidays.
Thanks for your patience to the long email and many details! Speak up with questions and/or concerns.
-Janeen Graham