Dear DH Dive Parents,

This will be a long email, but the upcoming week is extraordinarily busy as we hit the meat of our annual schedule where everything comes together at once: A meet, B meet, social event, NVSL meet - it has it all. So, let’s jump right in.

BUT FIRST. As you probably noticed in the email that went out Wednesday, Angela has stepped down as co-dive rep this season. Angela has been the heart of the dive team for the past decade and has poured so much into this team. When my family joined the pool the team competed in division 8 (the lowest one) and had about 20 divers. We have seen the dive team grow to over twice that size and we are killing it in division 4! We will honor Angela’s contributions later, but I wanted to express my personal appreciation for all she has done for this community. She’s still a dive parent, so she’s not going anywhere!

I’ll be around for at least one more year after this one, so if anyone is interested in working with me for the remainder of this season and into next year to be the co-rep, please let me know. I’m happy to provide all the details on what this job entails before you commit to it. 

Volunteers Needed 

We need volunteers to assist with several remaining functions. I have just updated all the jobs within the events on Swimtopia. I’m sure everyone can find something they are suited for, including… 

• Setup/Take Down for the lip sync and end of year banquet 
• Ordering catering for the end of year banquet 
• Decorating for the end of year banquet 
• Purchasing awards (we’ll tell you want to order) - Not on swimtopia. Contact me if you are interested. 
• Friday donuts 
• Meet support, including purchasing/selling pizza, table workers, judges for our 3 remaining home meets. Judges and table workers for our 2 remaining away meets. 

As a reminder, you can find these in the schedule here https://dhdive.swimtopia.com/manage/calendar_even... click on Job Sign up to pick a job. If you have questions about any of them, please let me know. 

While you are there, please take a moment to indicate your diver’s availability for the upcoming meets for this week (Away at Crosspointe (A) and Home against Tuckahoe(B)). Remember, it’s available or not available; not will compete or will not compete. We pick the eligible competitors from those that are marked as available.

Tuesday’s A Meet 7/5

Tuesday’s away meet is our second and final away A meet of the season. With the holiday Monday, the official list of competitors will be delayed. Given this, and the B meet on Thursday, everyone is invited to attend practice every day next week. We’ll send out the official list of meet attendees by noon on Tuesday. 

If your child has done an A meet this season, it is safe to assume they’ll remain on the list this week. If you have a potential conflict for Tuesday night and cannot wait that long to find out, please contact me. 

Thursday’s B Meet 7/7

For those new to the team, B meets are run like an A meet, but with modified rules to allow everyone to compete. Divers don’t need the full set of required dives that they do for A meets. To keep it competitive for everyone, we exclude A meet divers that have placed (1st, 2nd or 3rd) in a meet already this season.

These meets are very casual and if you’ve thought about working or judging a meet, this is an excellent opportunity for you to try it out in a pressure-free environment. If your child is interested in diving in this meet, please be at the pool at 4:00 for a pre-meet warm-up/practice. 

Friday’s Lip Sync “Contest” 7/8

It’s not really a contest, but it sounds better that way. This event will be held on the front lawn, so BYO Chair, food, drinks and let your kids (and the coaches) show you what they’ve been working on the past few days. Starts at 6:30. 

Sunday’s Wally Martin Meet 7/10

This is the first of four opportunities the kids have to compete in a league-wide individual championship meet. The Wally Martin meet is two meets in one.

Three Meter Event – Like regular diving, but off a 3 meter springboard. If you went to the Tuckahoe meet last year, you’ve seen a 3M board.  Video from this year’s NCAA 3 Meter competition. 

Synchronized Event – This is on one meter, but is two divers attempting the same dive simultaneously on different boards side-by-side. It's the dives the kids already know, but working with a partner adds an extra challenge (and they are judged on how well they are synchronized). This is great for siblings or best friends and it can be a LOT of fun. If your child has a best friend at another NVSL pool, they can still compete in this together.  Synchronized diving on 3M (1M isn’t competed internationally, but you get the idea)

If your child would like to do either or both of those, please let me know. We will be able to schedule practice time at the facility, because obviously, we have neither 3M nor twin 1M boards at DH.

Weekly COVID Update

This week one member of our team informed us of a positive test. This diver attended practice on Wednesday and not the meet on Tuesday. Please keep your divers at home if they are unwell or displaying even minor symptoms. We thank this family for their commitment to the health of our entire team.

Looking Ahead

Next week, we’ll have details on the following upcoming events 

• Home A Meet Tuesday 
• All Arlington Meet at Donaldson Run (B Meet) 
• Cracker Jack Meet 

Thanks everyone and have a great holiday weekend!

-Thomas