SHST Weekly Report - February 21, 2022
New Swimmer Assessments, Food, Fun, & Spirit Wear!
Hello SHST Families - We hope you had a nice long weekend and enjoy the rest of the mid-winter break!
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Remember, all NEW swimmers MUST ATTEND BOTH SESSIONS (Feb 26th & 27th) of our MANDATORY swim clinics with Coach Mark. The schedule and more details are below.
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For those new to the team, parents sign up to bring dinner(s) (breakfasts for summer practices) to our wonderful coaches. Mark and his team really appreciate it! Sign up here for 2022 - THANK YOU!
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Mark your calendars for our team kickoff dinner on Friday, March 11th! More details and other fun events listed below!
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We have a fantastic 2022 Sleepy Hollow Swim Team spirit wear line that will be sold at home meets this year. See the attached for a sneakpeak!
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And read on... much more important info below!
IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL SWIMMERS
Saturday/Sunday February 26st and 27th: Mandatory assessments for all NEW swimmers (more information below)
Sunday, February 27th: You will receive additional information via email about practice group placements.
Monday, February 28th: Practice begins!!
Wednesday, March 9th: T&B Sports will be at the pool for swimmers to try-on team Uniform.
Wednesday, March 9th: Last day to drop from the team and receive a refund - email Erin Hill.
Friday, March 11th: Season Kick-Off Team Dinner (BYOD) @5.30-7pm; more information below
Friday, March 11th: No Practice for Group 3 & 4 due to Season Kick-Off Team Dinner
Sunday, March 13th: Last day to order Uniform gear from the online T&B store
Mandatory Pre-Season Assessment for All NEW Swimmers - Sat AND Sun, Feb 26-27th
The coaches will work with the new swimmers to assess their readiness for swim team and help them prepare for the upcoming season. At the end of the clinic, our head coach, Mark Anderson will let you know if he feels that your child is not ready for the swim team. You will receive a full refund (minus processing fees if you paid by credit card). This assessment is solely at the coach’s discretion. If you have questions regarding the swim assessments or your child's swim readiness, please contact head coach Mark Anderson.
If your child decides not to swim this year, please let us know ASAP!!! There is a waitlist of swimmers hoping to join the team. Refunds are available if the swimmer drops off the team and notice is emailed to Erin Hill no later than on or before March 9th, 2022. We will deduct a $10.00 processing fee per dropped application and credit card fees will not be refunded. There will be no refunds processed under any circumstances, after March 9th, 2022.
Saturday, February 26th
10:30-11:00am: NEW 8 & Under swimmers- last names A – L
11:00-11:30am: NEW 8 & Under swimmers- last names M – Z
11:30-12:00pm: ALL NEW 9/10 swimmers
12:00-12:30pm: ALL NEW 11 & Up swimmers
AND
Sunday, February 27th
10:30-11:00am: NEW 8 & Under swimmers- last names A – L
11:00-11:30am: NEW 8 & Under swimmers- last names M – Z
11:30-12:00pm: ALL NEW 9/10 swimmers
12:00-12:30pm: ALL NEW 11 & Up swimmers
Practice Groups and Practice Schedule
Swim practice starts on Monday, February 28th. 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.
Swimmers will be placed in one of four practice groups prior to the start of the season. You will receive an email on Sunday February 27th stating which group your child/children are placed. 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 start on Monday, February 28th and go through June 10th.
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 from 6:15 PM- 7:10 PM
A few important notes about practices:
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We ask that parents of Group 3 & 4 NOT hang around the pool deck/watch practices.
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Swimmers must arrive in their swimsuits, and ready to swim. No deck changing or using the locker room. Bathrooms and locker rooms are not available until further notice due to construction.
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Please no unsupervised hanging around before or after practice
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Due to the nature of the new landscaping, we ask that all swimmers wear shoes when entering the site to keep the pool clean.
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Practices will change from the afternoons to the mornings starting Monday, June 13th.
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Read more about our strict Covid Protocols, 2022 Practices, and Getting Prepared for Practice.
Parking and Driver Safety
Please be aware of increased pedestrian traffic around the Clubhouse and drive carefully. Use your common sense while walking on and crossing Butterfield Road. Help teach our Sea Lions to be responsible pedestrians. When dropping off your swimmer and/or parking for practice:
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Do not park in front of the Clubhouse, this is strictly for drop off.
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Park perpendicular (not parallel) in the gravel spaces to maximize space for other people.
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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.
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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.
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Use the walkway on Butterfield from Katrina Ct. to the clubhouse.
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Remind your swimmer(s) not to walk behind parked cars.
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Do not block gates, driveways or mailboxes. Please be respectful of our neighbors!
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And again, please slow down, and watch out for Sea Lions and parents crossing Butterfield and riding and walking in the bike lanes. Our swimmers all thank you!
Bikes
Bikes are NOT allowed inside the gated pool area. 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.
We Need Photographers!
Thank you for who already signed up as a photographer as your volunteer assignment, but we are calling on all SHST members who have experience in this field to please reach out to Nicole Cibelis.
Volunteer Assignments
Except for those of you involved with the "Fun" Committee, Family Commitment volunteer assignments will not be sent out until later in March. In the meantime, read more about the Family Commitment, or if you have questions about volunteering please contact Nicole Cibellis.
Note: "Fun" Committee members will be contacted by Melissa Wahlstrom and Leigh Reichley within the next few weeks.
A Note from Coach Mark
I am incredibly excited to welcome you all back to swimming. Thank you for entrusting your children to me and my coaching staff. We have over 100 new swimmers ready to join the Sealions! Getting to know these kids and giving them some goals for the future is my main goal for this season. This season is going to be much more than swimming. Teaching kids how to compete and how to respect competition is my favorite part of the sport. Everyday checking in, looking each other in the eye, saying hello, how are you and thank you are all the things we will preach. As always, if there is anyone I need to keep a special eye on, please let me know in confidence.
I am really looking forward to coaching this spring again with my son, Keenan. Keenan swam for 13 years on the team graduated from UC Davis where he played water polo. I am excited to also announce that Emma Sampson and Jake Dixon will also be helping me coach this spring. They both will graduate from Archie Williams this year and are awesome young coaches.
We have a big job of rebuilding this team and I cannot wait to get started.
See everybody soon,
Coach Mark
And of course, make sure to tell your swimmer that…
IT’S TIME TO START KICKING BOOTYAKUM!
GO SEA LIONS!!!
Meets
As we are planning a normal season with normal practices, we are also getting prepared for 'normal' Dual Meets. Our first meet will be April 23rd and is our Practice Meet. This meet is just Sleepy Hollow Swim team for our swimmers to record their first times and for our volunteers to get comfortable with their poolside job. April 30st will be our first Dual Meet which will be a home meet. To have a look at our full Meet schedule look here and for more information on meets look here.
T&B Sports Uniform & Swimsuits TRY-ONS at the pool
On Wednesday March 9th, our vendor T&B sports will be at the pool allowing swimmers to try on gear. You will be able to make all purchases of Team Uniform online starting February 28, including Sea Lion TYR swimsuits, sweatshirts, parkas, sweatpants and caps. The online store will close March 13th and all merchandise will hopefully be ready before our Practice Meet on April 23rd. If you have questions or need help with sizing, please contact Winona at T&B Sports or visit their store in San Rafael.
Fun Activities 2022
Friday, March 11: Season Kick-Off Team Dinner (BYOD)
Let's Get Ready To Rumble with a team dinner to kick off the season on Friday, March 11th @5.30-7pm!! We are THRILLED to be back in action this year and look forward to our first family Fun event of the season. It's a great opportunity to meet new families and learn more about the upcoming season.
Out of extra precaution, we have opted for a Bring Your Own Dinner (BYOD) event. Please bring your own meal and utensils. The Fun Committee will provide juice boxes, sparkling water, and cookies. Please remember that we are a dry team (no alcohol). This event will be outside so please bundle up and bring layers!
This event is also a fundraiser for the team. We sell raffle tickets ($20/arms length) with the chance to win some awesome prizes, so bring some cash! Invitation to follow!
Friday, March 18: 9/10 Movie Night
We will send out more information on this Fun event soon!
Friday, March 25: 8 & Under Movie Night
We will send out more information on this Fun event soon!
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
If you didn’t get a chance to donate during the registration process, please help us maintain and build upon our incredible community. Donations to our team help us do this while expenses continue to rise. Please donate to the Sea Lions – thank you!
The SHST board feels strongly that we do not want our registration fee to prohibit or deter families from joining our team. We want to maintain and build upon our incredible community; donations to our team help us do this while expenses 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. As we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donation will be tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. You can donate any amount to our team HERE and if you would like to sponsor a specific event, you can donate HERE.
A huge thank you to Zamira Solari, Realtor Compass for sponsoring all of our Fun Fridays!
Another massive thank you to Sushi69 for sponsoring one of the 11+ Pizza Nights!
Thank you for these very generous donations!
