March Newsletter
Letter from Coach Aidan
I have been back on deck for three weeks and everything is going very well.
I’ve set aside some time on Thursdays to work with Junior Coaches. We’re putting a big focus on coaching mentorship to ensure the teenagers know how to teach kids to swim in a fun way. This extra training will not only be great for our pups, but it will also give the junior coaches a skill they can take with them to university. Coaching swimming can be a great side job to complement post-secondary studies.
As far as the other coaches, the three of us (myself, Spencer, and Angie) are working together very well as a team. Our focus in my first month back has been on technique and fun. I’ve also been emailing back and forth with Spencer and Angie to set up a season plan.
Aysha and I met with a Kootenay coach from Nelson during the Divisional Championships in Penticton. We’re working on putting together a Kootenay circuit. The Cranbook coach is also on board as well as potentially the Invermere coach. We might also look for a nearby club in Alberta (maybe Lethbridge) and Montana (maybe Kalispell). The goal is to get a series of meets that are close by and non-intimidating so that we can introduce our young swimmers to competition in a non-expensive, non-stressful way. We intend to have this set up for the 2022-2023 season, though we already have a series of Kootenay meets coming up this spring.
As well as improving the swimming experience for our swimmers, this circuit will also provide more coaching opportunities for our team and help build the junior coaches’ confidence and expertise.
The Divisional Championships meet in Penticton was awesome. For four kids (Jackson Radkie, Kaiely Edwards, Lily Barden, and Josie Howse), it was their first time attending a championship meet. Despite some pre-event nerves, they all had great swims. Our two more experienced swimmers – Leah Soetaert and Kiera Hansen – also did fantastic. Both set club records – Leah in the 50 fly and Kiera in the 200 fly. Kiera swam a total of 2.5 K in races and took nearly 40 seconds off her 800 free time. Watch The Fernie Free Press this week for more details on the competition.
During spring break, Olivia Howse will be traveling to Edmonton to compete in the Alberta provincials. Go, Olivia!
Cranbrook might host a clinic over spring break, aimed at 11 to 13 year-olds, so keep an eye open for that. We’re looking forward to a fun spring of nearby meets! Watch the website and your email for more details.
Dolphins in the News
Dolphins qualify record number of swimmers for Divisional Championships – The Free Press
Watch this week’s paper for an article on the results.
Open Water Swimming
To mark her 13th birthday, Katherine Hafke joined her mom (coach Angie) and grandma in an open water swimming competition in Mexico. Read about it here: Three generations of Fernie family complete open water challenge in Mexico – The Free Press.
Open water swimming can be a great way to stay active during the offseason. Last year, Kiera Hansen, Leah Soetaert, and Coach Angie attended an open water swim camp in Kelowna, which was great fun. This year some swimmers might attend a fun race with Coach Aidan in Idaho in early August. Stay tuned for more details!
Sponsorship News!
The Fernie Fox Hotel has come on as an official team sponsor. Our spring meet (April 22-24) will now be named after the Fernie Fox. Congratulations sponsorship director Jillian Rutherford for this big development. Thank you and welcome to Fernie Fox!
Fundraising!
Big thanks to families who helped at Griz Days or at the hockey concession. It’s been a successful season of fundraising for the Dolphins.
Pink Cap Day
So fun! Thanks to everyone who came and high fives to Swim BC for a great initiative!
SWIM MEETS: A reminder to sign in to https://www.evdsc.com/ and "Declare" your swimmer for any meets you intend to go to. After you press declare, another screen will pop up with a choice of buttons. Please choose Accept or Decline. We have a list of events now listed for the whole season. Watch for a volunteer call for home meet help too (April 22-24).
Clothing Swap Check out the Elk Valley Dolphins Gear and Clothes Swap Group on Facebook. Are you looking for some gear or clothes for your swimmer? Do you have gently used gear or clothing that have been outgrown? That’s your place!
Contacts
Aidan Chudleigh - headcoach@evdsc.com (cell: 250-946-7008)
General inquiries info@evdsc.com
Registration questions registrar@evdsc.com
Equipment and clothing orders equipment@evdsc.com
**Please feel welcome to contact us with any questions or concerns at all!**
You can also catch coaches outside the Fernie Aquatic Centre before or after practice.
