Manteca Dolphins Swim Team2010
Weekly Newsletter for week of April 30 to May 7
One month of swimming is complete!! Our team has grown. We currently have 140+swimmers.
Please be patient with us as we add new swimmers and work out our roster. Pool and swim practice times are always subject to change and we promise to do our best in giving you as much notice as possible. Please check the website daily for updates. A good piece of advice would be to check the website in the afternoon prior to practice.
This newsletter will be a bit lengthy this week. We are trying to make sure that all of our new parents continue to get the information they need. We are going to recap all the information from last week.
Our coaching staff consists of:
Head CoachesAssistant Coaches
Clayton BasepayneRebekah DoranScott Toone
Pat WindschitlChristina Ngo
Clay and Pat are back for another year; this is their 4th year as the coaches for MDST (Manteca Dolphins Swim Team). All of our coaches are previous Dolphin team members.
Parents – please be advised that when your child is swimming the coaches are busy coaching from the deck. Please hold all questions that you may have until the end of practice or you may speak with a Board Member.
Current Practice Times are as follows:
5:00 – 6:00 / 9 – 10 years old / Sierra Pool5:30 – 6:15 / 8 and under / East Union Pool
6:15 – 7:30 / 11 and up / East Union Pool
Friday Night Practice
All practices on Friday nights will be at Sierra Pool. Times will be as follows:
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. / 9 – 10 years old / Sierra Pool5:30 – 6:15 p.m. / 8 and under / Sierra Pool
6:00 – 7:15 p.m. / 11 and up / Sierra Pool
If you are in the 1st or last swim times, we can use your help to take off or put the pool cover back on the pool. Your help is greatly appreciated. – A big thank you to the parents that have been helping with the covers.
Please note that times and locations are subject to change. As the team continues to grow, we will balance the swim practices as needed (especially during May). We will do our best to give you adequate notice of all time or location changes.
NO PRACTICE ON: Thursday, May 27th at any pool due to High School Graduation
Tryouts and Swim Clinics at Sierra High:
We are still accepting swimmers to the team. If you know anyone who is interested in trying out for the Dolphins, please send them to the pool during practice sessions.
The current roster has 140+ registered swimmers.
Practice Observation
Practices are for swimmers and coaches. Parents may observe their swimmer from OUTSIDEthe pool area at Sierra on the East side of the pool, ONLY. Parents may observe from the GRASS AREA ONLY at East Union.
Bring chairs or blankets to sit on. Bleachers are off limits at all times. No parents are permitted to coach their swimmer from the swim deck. No parents are allowed on the swim deck during
practice times.
Our liability insurance has required Manteca Dolphins to do this. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
PRACTICE NOTES – UPDATES:
It is important that you DO NOT approach coaches during practice time.
They are being paid to coach; therefore their focus needs to be on the safety and instruction for all swimmers. If you have an item of concern, please contact a Board Member that can further assist you. You can always e-mail at and we will respond as soon as possible.
There are no changes to practices at this time. Your child will be swimming with their appropriate age group.
Pool Covers:
We could use parents to help take off pool covers prior to the 5:30 practice at East Union. We REALLY - REALLYneed help in putting the covers on the pool as the children exit the pool. If you are in the 6:15 – 7:30 group at East Union. If you commit to putting the pool covers on after practice, please speak with a board member and we can excuse you from volunteering at a meet.
Time Trials – May 9th at Sierra Pool
The signup binder is available at both pools. Time Trials are scheduled for Saturday, May 8th at Sierra Pool. The deadline to sign up is Thursday, May 6th. We need all parents to sign up your swimmers in the events they wish to swim. Place a circle around the events that they will be swimming. There are no fees associated with Time Trials.
Parents need to volunteer for a 2 hour shift during the day. The volunteer book is also located with the sign up sheets. If you have not already signed up for a shift please do so. If your swimmer is swimming, it is necessary for you to work a 2 hour shift. We need all parents to participate. Without parent volunteers…then the events can not happen. If you have not signed up to volunteer then a position will be assigned to you. It is EXTREMELY important that all parents sign up to work. We are the only team swimming and must have all volunteers to run this event.
If you need to scratch the night before then please e-mail Jean Doran at . The e-mail will also be checked the morning of trials. You may also call Jean before 9:00 p.m. on Friday, May 8th at 209-404-2467. You can reach Jean after 5:30 a.m. at the same number on Saturday (day of) of trials. If you are running into difficulties and are going to be late or have questions, you can also call Lori Brubaker at 925-451-2333.
It is much easier to scratch a swimmer from an event then to add them in. All IM’s will be seeded on Friday night. There will be no changes on this event. We want to start on time.
Additional Time Trial Information:
Time Trials begin at 8:00 a.m. We should end around 12 or 1:00 p.m. depending on how fast we go.
Pool Deck and Parking Lot opens at 6:15 a.m.
Swimmer and Parent Check in begins at 6:30 a.m. Check in closes at 7:15 a.m. – NO EXCEPTIONS
Warm ups start at 7:00 a.m. Meet starts at 8:00 a.m.
There is no staging for events. It is your responsibility to get your swimmer to their event on time.
There are no canopies or tents on the pool deck. All tents and canopies must be outside of the fenced area. You may have a chair on the deck for viewing.
Your child’s times will be posted on the deck during Trials on Saturday. They will also be placed in a book and placed at each pool the following week.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact a Board Member. You can also e-mail us at .
Family Donations for Time Trials:
If your family last name begins with A-I please bring one 12 pack of water (16 ounces) to donate to our Snack Bar.
If your family last name begins with J-R please bring one 12 pack of Gatorade or Juice (12 ounces) to donate to our Snack Bar.
If your family last name begins with S-Z please bring one 12 pack of soda or diet soda to donate to our Snack Bar. Please bring name brands only (Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, etc).
Manteca Dolphins Swim Team (MDST) Apparel:
Order form is located on the webpage.
Parent Meeting
Thank you to all of the parents who attended. It was nice to hear your concerns and to answer your questions. It was also nice to meet new faces. WELCOME TO SWIMMING!
Omelet Breakfast:
Please pick up your Omelet Breakfast tickets during practice. Lori Brubaker has all the tickets and signup sheets for family food donations and volunteering to work during the breakfast.
Each family is required to sale 6 tickets at $5.00 each. Prizes will be given to the individual who sells the most tickets.
Donations will need to be delivered to the SeniorCenter on Friday, May 22nd between 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The SeniorCenter is located at 295 Cherry Lane. Take Union Road to Eucalyptus Street. The drop off point will be located at the 1st drive way after MantecaParks and Recreation building. Drive around the back of the SeniorCenter and drop off your donations.
Do not take your donations to the pool. Thank you! If you have difficulty with your donation drop off please see a Board Member.
Donations:
The team is looking for donations to our Omelet Breakfast on Saturday, May 22nd. We are looking for food donations and raffle donations. If you own a company or know of a company that would be willing to provide a donation, then please e-mail us at
We would like to expand the fundraiser to include donations from local businesses. We would like to raffle some donations to raise additional money for our team. Some ideas are: Free carwash, Pedicure/Manicure, Tanning, Target, dining, gym membership, and other gift certificates or baskets.
Our team parents are our greatest asset in terms of us getting donations. Can you please help us? Do you own a business and want to advertise your business? Every little bit helps!
Fins
Parents if you have fins at home, please bring them for your child to use. Parents with older swimmers….if you have used fins that you would like to sell….please bring them to the pool or contact Candy. We have many new parents that are willing to purchase old fins. Used fins usually are sold for $10.00 a pair.
Fins, Goggles, Suits, misc. swim gear:
NorSki will be at the Omelet Breakfast. You can purchase fins, goggles, suits (girls and boys) and misc. swim gear. Another great resource for equipment is www. Swimoutlet.com. They are a great resource for all of your needs at a reasonable price, quick turn around, and reliable products.
Team Suits and Caps:
Gender appropriate suits are required for all swimmers. Speedo or jammers are required for the boys at meets. A one piece suit is also required for a girl. A team suit is not mandatory.
Team swim caps are mandatory for all swimmers at meets. Silicone caps are now available and can be purchased at the pool for $12.00. Latex caps are also available for $5.00. The caps will be on sale this Saturday during Time Trials and during all home meets at the Snack Bar.
Lost and Found
Please write your name on EVERYTHING….Lost and Found items are already growing.
Parking at the Pools
Please make sure you are parking in a spot in the parking lot. We have had some cars that were locked in at East Union because they parked in the wrong area. Do not block fire lanes or handicap spots, please. Thank you!
Smoking:
There is to be absolutely no smoking at Sierra or East Union(even in the Parking Lot). Manteca Unified prohibits the use of any tobacco product.
Starter Clinic:
A Starter clinic is being offered this Wednesday, May 5th at SierraHigh School. The clinic will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the pool deck. Please be at pool by 6:30 p.m.
Starter Clinic is not for the swimmer. It is a class that we offer to our SWIM PARENTS who may become interested in volunteering their 2 hour work shift at meets to be the Starter during a meet.
To volunteer for this position, you must have taken the clinic class. A DVD will be shown regarding the strokes, talk about starter responsibilities and the rules.
For those who take the clinic, we will buddy you up with someone who has held this role before so they can mentor and answer any questions you might have.
If you are interested please email us at
Stroke and Turn Clinic:
A Stroke and Turn Clinic will be offered on Thursday, May 6th at SierraHigh School. The clinic will begin at 6:30 on the pool deck. Please be at the pool by 6:30 p.m.
Stroke and Turn Clinic is not for our swimmers. It is a class that we offer to our SWIM PARENTS who may become interested in volunteering their 2 hour work shift at meets to be Stroke and Turn Judges.
To volunteer for this position, you must have taken the clinic classes. A movie will be shown regarding the strokes, talk about judging responsibilities and the rules. As first year parents are still learning the strokes, they may only judge freestyle and backstroke.
We never want anyone to feel uncomfortable in judging. For those who take the clinic, we will buddy you up with someone who has volunteered before so that they may answer any questions you might have.
Please respond ASAP to if you are interested in attending.
Important Dates to remember:
5/5Starter Clinic at 6:30 p.m. at Sierra Pool
5/6Stroke and Turn Clinic at 6:30 p.m. at Sierra Pool
5/8 Time Trials at Sierra Pool – Norski at Time Trials
5/21 Family donations delivered to MantecaSeniorCenter from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
5/22 Omelet Breakfast at SeniorCenter from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m.
5/27 No Practice at any pool – High School Graduation
5/29-30Tracy Invitational at Sierra High
6/5Manteca at Oakdale
6/12-13Oakdale Invitational
6/16Team Photos at Sierra Pool
6/16Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser/BBQ
6/19Sea Dogs and Turlock at Manteca
6/26Sea Dog Invitational at Pitman
7/3-5 No practice
7/10Ceres and Ripon at Manteca
7/18Manteca at Tracy
7/24-25Championship at Pitman
7/27End of Season Awards and Swim Party at Sierra
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at . We will continue to update you and our website as additional information becomes available.
Thank you,
Lori Brubaker
925-451-2333