May 21, 2009

This message concerns the number of practices swimmers attend each week. The number of practices offered for each group each week is the recommended number of practices swimmers should attend to have the greatest chance of success. That means a Group 1 or 2 swimmer is recommended to attend up to 4 practices each week; Group 3's recommendation is 5 practices/week; Group 4 & 5's recommendation is 6 practices/week. Dolfins do not have practice requirements and families can decide how many practices they wish their swimmer to attend.

In order to be successful and competitive in swimming as Dolfins get older, they need to attend more practices. This is not a rule; it is a fact of swimming. At this point, Group 4 swimmers average 4 to 6 practices/week. The work they do during a practice session is quite challenging. In order for a swimmer to gain the endurance, strength, and skill level to move from Group 1 to Group 2 to Group 3 by a reasonable age (let's say moving to Group 3 during their 11th year), the swimmer must be able to handle a fairly difficult workout or he/she will not be able to keep up with the other swimmers. Some swimmers are strong enough to be able to handle a Group 3 workout during their 11th year attending fewer than the recommended number of practices/week, but the majority of our swimmers cannot do this.
Eventually, most swimmers will be able to enter Group 4. Most swimmers could enter Group 4 by 8th or 9th grade if they attend the recommended number of weekly practices throughout their swimming career with Dolfins, and some could enter earlier. However, those members who attend practice once or twice each week and miss weeks at a time, may not be strong enough to move to Group 4 until they are much older.

The Dolfin program tries to be as family friendly as possible. Unfortunately, the sport of swimming is not as family-friendly. I know most families are not interested in their swimmer becoming an Olympian, but the sport is driven by the "more is better" philosophy and that actually works. A swimmer may be motivated to become very committed and they will improve quickly. If another swimmer is not interested in making the same commitment, he/she will most likely fall behind but still improve at a slower pace.

The point I'm attempting to make here is that a swimmer may not have the necessary training to easily move from group to group without attending enough practices each week. I'm confident all our swimmers will eventually have the ability to move into Group 4, but it will most likely take longer if they don't attend practice enough.