Hello Dive Families,

We are looking forward to another fun week of evening practices. As usual, keep your eye on your email for any last-minute cancellations because of thunder.

Are you following our DH Dive Team Instagram page?

Dive Meet Basics: Part 1

We are 3 weeks away from our first meet. In preparation, over the next few weeks, we will send out information to refresh your recollection about how meets work.

DH competes in the Northern Virginia Swimming League (NVSL), a developmental league that divides the 48 member dive teams into 8 divisions of 6 comparably competitive teams. In the 2026 season, DH will compete in Division 4.

Regular Season: "A" Meets

There are five regular season NVSL meets against the other teams within our division held each Tuesday night at either Dominion Hills or the other home-team pool. Each team is permitted to send 32 divers to each meet, however, each diver must meet a basic level of skill for their age group to qualify.

Regulation Season: "B" Meets

In Arlington, we are very fortunate to have other nearby NVSL teams who have many divers who aren't quite ready for the A Meets but desire an opportunity to experience the fun and excitement of a meet - and maybe compete against friends they know from school or other sports. Those meets are typically held on Thursday nights at either Dominion Hills or another NVSL pool.

B Meets are open to all divers who have not yet finished in the top three places of an A meet in that season.

A Meet or B Meet? How do I know in which meets my diver will compete?

During the competition season, you will indicate availability for your diver in the event calendar for each meet (this is also where you will volunteer to work for specific meets and social events).

The coaches will track diver qualifications as the divers work on their skills and will let you know if your diver meets or is close to meeting the requirements for A meets. If you ever have any questions about requirements or how your diver is tracking, please reach out and let us know.

Each Monday, a list of qualified and available divers for the next A meet will be emailed. For weeks with a B meet, eligible divers will also be notified by email. (All divers that do not finish in the top 3 in an A meet are eligible to compete in B meets).

We encourage our entire team to come out and cheer for their teammates at all of our meets.

Age Groups

Today is a great day to cover age groups. For the majority of our meets (with the exception of Cracker Jack), divers compete in age groups: 

• Freshmen: 10 and under
• Juniors: 11-12
• Intermediates: 13-14
• Seniors: 15-18

One of the most common points of confusion is how a diver’s age is determined. We use the diver’s age as of today – June 1, 2026, for the whole season. This means that even if your diver has a birthday during the season, their dive group will be based on their age today.

Volunteer Clinics

We strongly encourage all parents to attend one of the upcoming NVSL clinics to learn more about the roles at dive meets or to refresh your recollection. The first clinics were held this weekend, but judging clinics are scheduled for June 9 at Chesterbrook and June 24 at Wakefield Chapel, both starting at 6:30 pm.

More information about clinic dates and locations and more details can be found on our website and through NVSL.

You do not have to attend the judging clinic to judge, but we strongly encourage everyone to attend even if you do not intend to judge a meet. It is a great way to learn more about the sport and what your child is attempting to do. Very few new parents to diving understand the ins and outs of this niche sport, so these judge clinics provide a great foundation for what diving is and will help you talk to your child about it, which can help them remain interested in the sport.

Connect with Other Dive Families

We heard that was difficult for dive families to connect with each other. We have set up a discussion group on the groups.me platform. Dive families can use this group to reach out to other about issues adjacent to the team. We will not be managing the group, but we will monitor it.

Please note that we will continue to use Swimtopia for all dive team communications and parents should continue to reach out directly to Kirsten and Junewith questions and concerns.

You can request access to the group here.

Want More Opportunities to Dive?

Has the diving bug struck and you just can't get enough? Please contact Kirsten and June, if you are interested in private dive lessons. We will connect you with available coaches, so that you can schedule for a mutually agreed time, subject to dive well availability.

Many Thunderducks are also members of school dive teams and participate in dive activities outside of the DH summer team. We put together a quick survey about these activities that will help us connect parents who may have questions.

You can access the survey here.

Please note that will not post the results from the survey. We will make any connections with inquiring parents in person or by email.

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That's all for today. Please find us if you have any questions. See you on deck, 

Kirsten and June