Do Not Miss It!

Do Not Miss It!

Sign up for the Swim Team in April!
The Answerman

Brian: I was thinking of getting my son Mark some more swimming lessons this summer. He did pretty well last year, and enjoyed it. What do you think?

Answerman: Well Brian, this response is going to be longer than you want and full of verbiage meant to tug at your heart strings and put a potential load of guilt on you.

Brian: Must you?

Answerman: Yes I must. Brian, if your son can make it one length of the pool on his back and one length on his belly(no matter how ugly his technique) my wife and I would recommend putting him on the Chantilly Highlands Dolphins swim team. Our family is going into our 15th year on the team, and we have had the best time. Our children have both learned to swim all four competitive swim strokes, made new friends and have had a great time. So have me and the missus. The swim team is not just for really good swimmers…it is a combination of swimming instruction and introduction to swimming competition. It is open to both boys and girls from 5-18 years of age (who are water safe), and runs from the end of May to the end of July. Sign up is in April. Go to the website: http://www.chdolphins.net/... the exact dates and times for registration will soon be posted there.
The swim team has been an integral part of our lives as a family and we are so grateful to have had such a great program available to us…. with fine coaches and great parent volunteers…and I cannot emphasize this enough….your kid does not have to be a great swimmer to be on the team…and he does not have to be a star to have fun. One of our children is not a natural athlete and one is…they both learned to swim well and had fun…the only difference was that one was faster than the other. The coaches and knowledgeable swim parents judge a child’s progress not on comparison with others….but with the child’s individual progress measured by his or her attainment of personal best times. At this summer level, swimming is a laid back, no pressure good time…and your son will learn to swim better, faster and with more endurance by joining the swim team than with additional swim lessons. That is a proven fact. Food is better too.
Brian: This sounds like it requires more commitment than I had hoped to make.
Answerman: It does require a few hours of volunteer help from you. We have around 180 kids on the team, with lots of stuff that needs to happen….but you will have something easy to do, as a new guy. The old parents do all the jobs that require some knowledge. You will have a blast. Watching all the kids get better over the summer will be very enjoyable….seeing them overcome their fears and inexperience will be rewarding to you. I cannot explain this part…but it is probably the best part from a parent’s perspective. It is what keeps coaches coaching and volunteers helping.

Brian: Well, I certainly do not want my child to miss out on such a wonderful experience. I will sign him up in April.

Answerman: My work here is done.