Swim Team Families,

Welcome to the 2026 swim season! Please add this email address to your contacts list and use [email protected] for ALL swim team communications.

As our first weekly email for the summer, this is a long one. Summary information is at the top with more details and directions below. Following is important information for both new and returning swimmers, please read.

Week of 5/25:

• Adjusted Practice Schedule Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 5.45-7.00pm (time varies by swim group, see details below)
• Time Trials RSVP required (instructions below) by Friday 5/29 at 8pm. *Swimmers not declared by deadline will not be able to participate in the time trials*

Looking ahead, week of 6/2:

• Adjusted Practice Schedule Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 5.45-7.00pm (time varies by swim group, see details below)
• Time Trials on Tuesday, 6/2 5.45-7.00pm (approx) for all swimmers
• RSVP required for 6/9 meet at Manchester by Friday 6/5 at 8pm. *Swimmers not declared by deadline will not be able to participate in the meet*

Swim Groups
Returning swimmers - please use the same group you ended in last year.
New swimmers - Parents, use your best judgement based on your child’s swimming ability (descriptions below include approx ages, but groups are determined by swimming ability regardless of age). If unsure, we recommend coming to an easier group with the flexibility to stay for the later group once the coaches have assessed your swimmer.

• Guppies: unable to swim a lap independently
• Minnow (approx age 6-9): swim 1 lap (25y) independently
• Tetra (approx age 6-9): learning all 4 strokes
• Dolphins (approx age 10+): know all four strokes and can swim 2 laps (50y) without stopping
• Barracuda (approx age 10+): swim 5x50 on 2 min interval
• Sharks (approx age 10+): swim 5x50 on 1:15 interval

Adjusted Practice Schedule (May 26 through June 11)
In order to maintain the safety of younger swimmers on our growing team, the first three weeks of practice will run on an adjusted schedule - organized by swim groups (see above). Please note, the coaches may make additional adjustments for the next couple of weeks as we try this new format (any updates will be in the weekly email).

For this first week (5/26), the schedule is as follows.

5.45-6.15pm - Guppies
6.00-6.45pm - Minnow, Tetra
6.15-7.00pm - Dolphins, Sharks, Barracudas

Regular Practice Schedule (June 15 onward)
Practice will return to our regular am/pm schedule on 6/15.

9.00-10.00am on Monday, Thursday, Friday
5.45-6.45pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday

All swimmers should bring swim caps*, goggles, towels, and water bottles
*Caps are REQUIRED for all swimmers with hair that passes their eyebrows (boys and girls), this is a safety issue to prevent hair from getting in eyes or tangled in lane ropes.

Time Trials (Tuesday, 6/2)
Time Trials are a chance for swimmers to have a baseline time for the start of the season. This runs like a meet with no competing team, just Southall swimmers! It’s also a great opportunity to practice doing a meet, especially for younger or new swimmers.

Swim Meets
Swim meets are every Tuesday evening 6/9 through 7/14, three home meets and three away meets. Swimmers must RSVP by the deadline (Friday before) for every meet.

Declaring Participation for Meets
RSVPs are required for meets, even if your child is not participating. Please declare your swimmer’s participation for meets by the Friday evening deadline before the Tuesday meet or they will not be able to participate (teams are required to organize relay teams and submit swimmer names for all events PRIOR to the meet).

To declare your swimmer’s participation (whether YES or NO):
Go to meet signup calendar, click on the green “Meet Entry” box in the Time Trials section. Click the blue “Edit” button below swimmer name(s). Use the drop down to select “Attending” or “Not Attending” for each swimmer, then click the blue “save” button.

Volunteer sign up
Families are required to sign up for a minimum of 2 points (4 half-shifts) per swim season. Meets are run solely by volunteers and it takes all of us to make the meets run smoothly and efficiently.

To view the meet schedule and sign up for volunteer shifts, go to meet signup calendar, click the green “Job Signup” button. Then click the blue “Sign up for Jobs” button, select shifts, then click the blue “save” button.

Still have questions?
Feel free to email us anytime at [email protected].

GO SEAHORSES!