Prepare to Eat Pasta!

Kelly Crossley

Prepare to Eat Pasta!

HIGHLIGHTS & NEWS

Last Week to Order Team Uniforms!

On Wednesday, March 13th, our vendor T&B sports along with parent volunteers will be at the pool allowing swimmers to try on uniform swimsuits, sweats, and parkas. You can make all purchases of our Team Uniform & Swimsuits  online  NOW, including Sea Lion TYR swimsuits, sweatshirts, parkas, sweatpants, pajama pants and caps. The ordering window is quick, so please make sure you put in your order ASAP.
 
The online store will close this Sunday, March 17th and all merchandise will hopefully be ready before our Practice Meet on April 20th. If you  miss the Try Ons, have questions, or need help with sizing, please contact Winona at T&B Sports ([email protected]) or visit their store in San Rafael.
 
 

Last Day to Drop The Swim Team is TOMORROW

If you have decided to drop from Swim Team, tomorrow, Tuesday, March 12th is the last day to drop and receive a refund. Please  email Kerry Dahnke . Credit card fees will not be refunded.  There will be no refunds processed, under any circumstances, after March 12, 2024.
 
 

Congrats to the Swimmers of the Week!

Group 1: Penny Porter & Zach Williams

Group 2: Evie Davis & Oliver Hutchinson

Group 3: Heidi Heller & Christian Clarke

Group 4: Lily Wilde & Henry Rhode (from last week) Aria Uzri & Mac Porter

 

Your Volunteer Commitment

Sleepy Hollow Swim Team is a 100% Volunteer run organization. It takes over 80 people to run each Home swim meet and more at the pools that have more than 6 lanes. Not only is your contribution valuable, it is essential. Unless you have paid the opt out fee or have high school swimmers, each family is assigned a job and must fulfill 5 shifts as part of the registration agreement.

 

On Saturday, March 16, you will receive an email from the SHST Meet Chair indicating your 2024 Volunteer Job. If you are assigned a Poolside Job (Timer, Clerk of Course, Runner, Marshall or Trash), a Meet Official Job (Starter, Announcer, Meet Referee, Stroke and Turn/Relay Exchange Judge, or Head Timer), or a job on the Medical Crew, your email will identify which crew you are part of. It will also include a link to the relevant Sign-Up Genius(es) where you can commit to the 5 volunteer shifts that best match your availability. Shifts fill on a first come, first serve basis. Job descriptions are outlined here.

 

The email and Sign-Up Genius will be sent at approximately 9am on Saturday, March 16.

 

Note: This year, one of the meet options to volunteer for will be the All Star Meet held at Archie Williams and hosted by our Sleepy Hollow Swim Team on Saturday, June 15. The All Star Meet is a qualifying meet, which means your swimmer is eligible to participate only if he or she achieves an All Star qualifying time in an event. See SHST website for additional information about this meet. If you know that your swimmer will qualify, please go ahead and sign up for a shift at All Stars.  Alternatively, if the date works for you as a way to complete one of your five required shifts, and you wish to do so regardless of whether you have a swimmer competing, please do so as well.

 

If you have been assigned to Awards, Fun Committee, Snack Bar, Meet Set Up,Timing Desk, Photography or Traffic, your Board Lead will reach (or already has reached) out to you separately with a crew sign-up link.

 

Note: As in past years, the Champs Meet requires an additional volunteer commitment from all families who participate in the meet. Sign-ups for the Champs meet will be sent out toward the end of the season.

 

Timeline Recap:

 

Saturday, March 16 (9am): Volunteer assignments emailed. Sign-Up Genius link provided and will be live.

 

Sunday, March 31: Sign-up Genius closes at end of day.  After this point, your commitments are set. If you need to swap a volunteer shift, it is your responsibility to find a replacement, with $150 fine assessed for a missed shift.

 

First week in April: Volunteer shifts finalized internally by Meet Chair.

 

Let’s have a great season! Thank you in advance for your volunteer contributions.

 

 

Help Feed Our Coaches

Thank you to those who have already signed up and/or delivered dinner! For those new to the team, parents sign up to bring dinner(s) (breakfasts for summer practices) to our wonderful coaches. Mark and Paul really appreciate it! Sign up here for 2024.​

 

Season Kick-Off Team Event! Pasta Potluck This Friday!

8 & Under Movie Night

8 & Under swimmers enjoyed themselves at a pizza and movie night this past Friday watching The Peanuts movie. Thanks to our awesome parents who helped with the event: Sophie Baxley & Lisa Brethauer.

 

This Friday, March 15! Season Kick-Off Team Pasta Potluck Dinner 

Let's Get Ready To Rumble at the team Pasta Potluck on March 15th, 6 pm - 8 pm at the Clubhouse! This family fun event is a great opportunity to meet new families, learn more about the season from Coach Mark and Coach Paul, enjoy a night with this amazing community, and win prizes! 

 

Families are asked to bring the following: 

  • Last names A through E: Bring a pasta dish to share (with serving utensils)
  • Last names F through Z: Bring a salad to share (with serving utensils)

The Fun Committee will provide lemonade, sparkling water, and cookies. 

 

Note that Group 3 practice will end at 6pm and Group 4 practice will be cancelled on March 15th for the Pasta Potluck.  

 

Please RSVP here by Wednesday, March 13!

 

Friday, March 22: SLIC Store

8 & Under swimmers will be coming home with plastic yellow coins each Friday. These are Sea Lion Incentive Coins or SLICs for short. Your swimmer can collect them and then "spend" them at our SLIC stores for little prizes and candy. We will have two stores during the season. The first one is on March 22nd. The shop will be open from 4:30-5pm in the courtyard at the pool.

 

Friday, March 22: 9/10 Movie Night

Attention all 9 and 10 year old swimmers: Friday, March 22nd is Movie Night! Wear something comfy, bring a sleeping bag and pillow, and come watch a movie with your friends after practice! Swimmers will enjoy bean and cheese burritos for dinner followed by some yummy treats for the movie! Event details and invitation coming soon!

 

Friday, March 29: 11+ Pizza Night

Pizza night for our 11+ swimmers will be Friday, March 29th and will take place directly after group 4 practice. Parents, please pick your swimmers up at 7:15 pm.  

 

A reminder about the evening…The older swimmers grab some pizza, chat about weekend plans, high five the coaches, and head out to start their weekend...sometimes shoveling food in their mouths as they walk out the gate. We only serve the food after Group 4 swims, but this event is for all 11+ swimmers. So if your 11+ swimmer is not in Group 4, it's up to you if you want to bring your swimmer back to the pool. Please keep in mind, this event is very quick and it is only for the swimmers (no parents). It lasts about 10 minutes from about 7:05- 7:15 ish.​

Mark Your Calendars: Sunday, April 14th is our Annual Pool Clean Up!

Parents and swimmers, bring the whole family for pool clean up day on Sunday, April 14th from 9 am - 12 pm! Every year before our first meet, we gather to get the pool area ready for the season. We scrub, sponge, sweep, whack some weeds and have fun as a community to get our pool in tip top shape. Bagels and coffee will be provided. We have some cleaning equipment, but if you have Mr. Clean MagicEraser pads, brooms, rakes, pruning tools, or a good pressure washer, please let us know by emailing Erin Hill at [email protected]. 

 

 

IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL SWIMMERS

Tuesday, March 12th:  Last day to drop from the team and receive a refund - email Kerry Dahnke.

Wednesday, March 13th: T&B Sports will be at the pool for swimmers to try-on team Uniform.

Friday, March 15th: Pasta Potluck @ 6pm - 8pm. More information above.

Friday, March 15th: Practice will end @ 6:00 for Group 3; Practice cancelled for Group 4 due to Pasta Potluck.

Sunday, March 17th: Last day to order Uniform gear from the online T&B store. More information above.

Friday, March 22nd:  SLIC Store & 9/10 Movie Night. More information above.

Friday, March 29th: 11 & Up Pizza Night

Sunday, March 31st: Deadline to sign up for Volunteer Commitments

Sunday, April 14th: Annual Pool Clean Up Day @ 9am-12pm

 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....

Practice Groups and Practice Schedule

Practices are Monday through Friday and swimmers may attend as often as they like. Our coaches recommend that swimmers attend practice at least three days a week in order to progress throughout the season. Click here for more information.

If you have not received your email(s), please contact Kerry Dahnke. Remember, practice groups are based on ability and motivation, not age. We recommend you give it at least two weeks of practice before requesting a change to another group. Questions regarding your child's practice group should be directed to Mark Anderson.

Practice Schedule

Swim practices times until June 14th. 

Group 1             4:00 PM - 4:40 PM

Group 2             4:40 PM - 5:25 PM

Group 3             5:25 PM - 6:15 PM

Group 4             6:15 PM - 7:25 PM *

*on Fridays Group 4 practices from 6:15 PM - 7:10 PM

A few important notes about practices:

  • We ask that parents of groups 3 & 4 not hang around the pool deck/watch practices.
  • Due to the nature of the landscaping, we ask that all swimmers wear shoes when entering the site to keep the pool clean.
  • Practices will change from the afternoons to the mornings starting Monday, June 17th.
  • For more information, please read Getting Prepared for Practice.​

​Gear Swap Box

Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce... Sea Lion gear!  We encourage families to drop off outgrown sweats, tee shirts, and swim suits that your swimmer no longer uses, to the bin sitting near the snack bar during practices.  Please wash before dropping off clothing and suits ;). Anyone is welcome to look through the bin and take an item or two for your swimmer this season. 

​New Family Buddies

In order to help orient our new families and ensure a smooth transition onto the team, we have kicked off our buddy program!   All new families who joined this year 2024, have been assigned to a returning family and should be in communication. New families: Please don't hesitate to reach out to your buddy family after you receive an email from them--they are ready for your questions and happy to help! If your are new and have not heard from a returning family yet, please contact Kerry Dahnke. Also, don't forget to explore our website as well as there is a ton of very helpful information there.

​Paul's Swim Lessons and Clinics

Coach Paul is offering private lessons and clinics during the early season to SHST members. Early season is the best time to work on technique and set good habits and intentions for the season ahead. This season, Coach Paul is offering Private Lessons and Clinics in March and April, along with a Spring Break Swim Camp. Please sign up via the links below.

Raising the Bar

The Sleepy Hollow Swim Team is proud to be partnering again with Raising the Bar, Keep Youth Events Substance Free. The goal of this important county-wide initiative is to shift the norms of substance use and encourage healthy choices by keeping youth events substance free. Data shows that adults have a significant impact on kids' decisions regarding alcohol and by working together to prevent under-age substance use, we can have a direct impact on the health of our local youth and decrease the short and long-term consequences to adolescents, families, and our community as a whole.   

Parking and Driver Safety

Please be aware of increased pedestrians and bikers around the Clubhouse, with the start of swim team. Be very careful when walking along and crossing Butterfield Road. Help teach our Sea Lions to be responsible pedestrians and bikers. If driving, slow down and focus. When dropping off your swimmer and/or parking for practice:

  • Do not park in front of the Clubhouse, this is strictly for drop off.  

  • Park perpendicular (not parallel) in the gravel spaces to maximize space for other people.

  • Please don’t ever park in the no parking zones across from the Clubhouse or in the handicapped parking spot in front of the Clubhouse - not even to wait for your swimmer after practice/if you remain in the car.

  • Please do not let your child "jump quickly out of the car" in the middle of the road.  This is not safe!  Please take the extra minute and use the drop off circle.

  • Use the dirt walkway in front of parked cars, and do not walk on the bike path on Butterfield, behind parked cars.

  • Do not block driveways or mailboxes.  Please be respectful of our neighbors!

  • And again, please slow down, and watch out for Sea Lions and parents crossing Butterfield and riding and walking in the bike lanes. These Sea Lions are all of our children!

Bikes

 

As we partner with the Sleepy Hollow Homes Assocation to increase safety along Butterfield Road, we encourage families to bike to and from practice, if your child is ready for this.  As a community, we are working to decrease the number of cars along Butterfield Road. If you bike, please remember:

  • Please use the bike racks outside of the main black gate and do not block the Fire Zone/No Parking area. 
  • Don’t forget to bring bike locks! SHST and SHHA are not responsible for lost or stolen bikes.
  • Bikes are not allowed inside the gated pool area.​

Meets

Our first meet is Saturday, April 20th and is our Practice Meet. This meet is just for Sleepy Hollow Swim team swimmers to record their first times and for our volunteers to get comfortable with their poolside jobs. April 27th will be our first Dual Meet which will be an away meet. To have a look at our full Meet schedule look here and for more information on meets look here.

No Dogs

Please remember that the Sleepy Hollow Homes Association forbids dogs at the Clubhouse and pool area.  Swim team families MAY NOT BRING DOGS to practices or meets.     Dogs may not be tied up or left outside the gates and fence in front of the Clubhouse  ,   even if you are just running in to drop off your swimmer. Please help us abide by this SHHA rule and leave your dog at home. Thank you!
 

Donations

As a volunteer based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, we rely on swimmer registration fees and generous donations to help us operate while maintaining and building upon our incredible community. Donations specifically help us do this while expenses and costs continue to rise. Donations to our team also help us fund the many FUN events that we host during the season where kids build camaraderie and get to know each other outside of the pool (movie nights, karaoke, casino night, etc). 
 
Every dollar and donation counts! You can donate any amount to our team HERE, and/or donate/sponsor a specific Fun event HERE. Your donation will be tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. 
 
We would like to thank Zamira Solari Realty for sponsoring the team's Fun Fridays again this season! We appreciate your generosity and support!

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