Hello everyone! 

First, if you have recently registered, please check out our News tab on the website for info sent in previous emails that you didn't receive, covering items such as suits, spirit wear, etc.  If you have any questions, please reach out! https://herndonswims.swimtopia.com/news

Second, before I go into practice times, the current policy for parents viewing practices is that they must be in the grass area or seated at the big picnic pavilion. We are not able to accommodate parents on the pool deck at this time because it could put us over our allowed pool area capacity.  This may very well change, and I will let you know if/when it does.  For those not yet familiar with our pool, the grass area and big picnic pavilion are directly adjacent to the pool deck and you will have a great view of the pool and be available to your swimmer if needed. For those of you attending the 8u parent meeting on Thursday, I will point out this area. 

After much thought, we have finalized our practice times for 2021!  Here is the link to practice times on the website

https://herndonswims.swimtopia.com/practice-times

Please note that we did end up having to make a few changes this year.  Our 8u swimmers comprise a large part of our team this year and to accommodate them safely and in keeping with covid regulations, we need to break up the mini-hammerheads into two practice groups. 

If you have an 8u swimmer who was on the Hammerheads in 2019 and swam in the 8u practice lane (NOT the minis practice) OR has been part of another competitive swim team, they can go ahead and attend the afternoon 6th grade and younger practice. They MUST feel comfortable swimming laps in order to attend the afternoon 6th grade and younger practice. 

If you have an 8u swimmer that has NOT participated on a competitive swim team, we ask that you please come to the first two days of afternoon practice where our coaches will evaluate the skills of your swimmer and will alert you to which practice your child should attend moving forward. We have two afternoon mini-hammerheads practice times, 5:30-6:00 and 6:00-6:30.  For the first two days of practice only, we ask that 8u swimmers who are being evaluated attend practice accordingly:

5:30-6:00 Last name A-K

6:00-6:30 Last name L-Z

After the first two days of practice, the coaches will divide up the swimmers based on skill level and you will be informed of which practice time to attend moving forward. 

8u parents- Feel free to email me with questions and we will definitely go over this more in depth at our 8u parent meeting on Thursday May 27th at 7:00. Rest assured, we will help figure out the best spot for your swimmer where they will be with like-skilled peers! 

And everyone- I know that change can be difficult and that the afternoon practice times are a little more spread out than they were in 2019.  I get it.  I have one kid in the 4:30-5:30 and one in the 6:30-7:30. I want to remind everyone that afternoon practices only run for 9 DAYS, so this is temporary and we will be doing morning practices before you know it, which stick more closely to our traditional practice times.  

If you have a conflict or need for your child to attend a different practice time, please just let me know and we'll try to figure something out! We ask of course that you try your hardest to stick with your assigned practice time, but in the end we want as many swimmers to participate as possible and can be flexible. We totally understand carpools and camps and all the other activities you have going on and will work with you!

Dreaming of pool weather on this dreary day! 

-Jill