March Newsletter
ELK VALLEY DOLPHINS
Letter from Coach Aidan:
Hello, swim families! We hope you’re all enjoying a relaxing spring break. We have piled up some impressive results since our recent newsletter. Prepare for a March newsletter full of good news. First, we had a fantastic turnout at the Griz Parade. Thank you to the parent volunteers and coaches who helped rally the kids. They all had a fun time (with special thanks to Fernie Brewing Company for the toques full of saltwater taffy!).
That same weekend, Olivia Howse and Leah Soetaert represented the club at Alberta Provincials. Those qualifying standards are quite speedy, so congratulations to both for qualifying. Olivia Howse made finals in the 100 free and 200 free and placed 11th and 12th respectively. This competition was the club’s first long course (50 meter pool) competition of the year. Since we don’t have the opportunity to train long course in Fernie, the seasonal transition can be challenging. Nonetheless, both Leah and Olivia did best times. Way to go, girls!
The following week had we nearly forty swimmers compete at the Cranbrook meet, with our swimmers ranging from 7 years old (way to go, Tommy Cain!) to 15-year-olds (Adam Hayden, Abbi Wannamaker, and Ava Pollock). The range in experience was also quite broad. The coaching staff is happy to see all the kids out racing. Competitions are truly what make swim club fun; there, our athletes start to understand why they’re spending all that time swimming back and forth and working to remember a long list of rules. We always see the stoke factor running high right after a meet. When swimmers come back fired up after a competition, coaches notice a marked difference in how well they listen to the different rules or how much effort they put into training sets. All the swimmers did great at the meet – very fun to watch! (They also enjoyed the team lunch and yummy drinks!)
For the newer parents, we also want to emphasize don’t worry about the disqualifications. Swimming has a lot of rules, and the little kids are held to the same standards as elite swimmers. These rules can be everything from don’t touch with one hand in the breast and fly to don’t glide too far into your turn on your back to don’t kick with the front of your foot in breast to don’t touch on your front in backstroke. Most of the mistakes that our young swimmers get disqualified for don’t make them faster – so we still make note of their time (the time isn’t official with a DQ but we still get a chance to see how fast they can go). Once swimmers start getting competitive (and get tired of getting disqualified), they will begin to remember all those little rules. In the meantime, don’t let a disqualification get in the way of you celebrating their swim. You can still tell them “great swim!” and praise them on what they did well. They’ll figure out the rule next time (or the time after that …). If they seem confused why they got disqualified, you can encourage them to follow-up with their coach. Rest assured that coaches use the disqualifications as an indication of what we need to work on at practice.
Thanks to Cole Bailey for lending Coach Angie a dolphin to wear. That was a fun addition to the meet and made it absolutely clear who she was cheering for. Hopefully, Willy will make frequent appearances at our local meets.
After Cranbrook, we had a smaller group travel to Moose Jaw for Manitoba-Saskatchewan Provincials (from picture above: Josie Howse, Kiera Hansen, Jackson Radkie, Katie Hafke, Cadence Prefontaine, and Layla Rella). Our club has previously competed in the AA Manitoba-Saskatchewan Provincials. These Junior Provincials have easier qualifying times. Those A standards are a good goal for many of our swimmers, and the JR Provinicals was a really fun meet! Coach, swimmers, and parents all had a great time. The swimmers were so fired up and swam a record number of best times – over 95%. Even the swims that weren’t very best times were so very close. Our Dolphins put in a truly impressive weekend of racing! We came home with a stack of medals. Watch the Free Press this week (or see link below) for detailed results. Congratulations to all six swimmers for great effort, improved technique, good focus, enthusiastic racing, positive attitude, and impressive results. Congratulations also to 10-year-old Layla Rella who set 2 club records in the 11 & over division (50 & 100 breast).
Speaking of Layla’s accomplishments, she also recently (in a club first) achieved a Swim Alberta Top Five Youth Recognition Standard in 10 & under, for the 50 fly. Congratulations, Layla!
We also like to celebrate the accomplishments of our multi-sport athletes so high fives to Maddox Johnson, who recently won a bronze medal at the Canada Games in ski cross. Way to go, Maddox!
You probably also noticed in the Fernie Free Press that senior swimmer Kiera Hansen has won a big scholarship to study journalism at University of Montana. Dolphins are on fire! Also, in case you missed it on social media, here’s a crowd favourite photo of Kiera’s mom checking out her medals in Moose Jaw. A lot of proud parents on this club, that’s for sure!
Over the break, Blue Pod will be meeting up during lane swim (unofficially) to do group workouts. Check your email for the practices each week. Get in touch with your teammates to have company for the sets and help each other stay motivated. The other pods can enjoy a holiday. We’ll be back in the pool on April 3 at our regular schedule.
Red Pod will notice a slight change. Coach Spencer and Coach Angie have switched things up to create a dedicated technique lane. Coach Spencer will run regular practice while four swimmers per week cycle through the technique lane and work on stroke details with Coach Angie. We’ve already had some swimmers cycle through a freestyle week with Coach Angie and noticed fast improvement. We’re happy with the change and look forward to seeing the results.
At the end of March and start of April, we have a competition-free stretch to focus on training. Our next meet will be the weekend of April 22nd – our home meet which is always lots of fun for everyone. Then in May, we have a few meets to choose from (Nelson, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat). If you’re not sure whether a meet is right for your swimmer, be sure to contact the coach to ask. Then declare here: Elk Valley Dolphins Swim Club | Events (evdsc.com)
Great work, Dolphins! Let’s use this competition-free stretch to focus and work hard and be ready to be our best for the next meet!
Dolphins in the news
Howse and Soetaert compete in Alberta Provincial Championships - The Free Press
Hansen wins big with US Scholarship - The Free Press
38 Gold Medal Finishes for Dolphins in Cranbrook - The Free Press
Dolphins Shine at Manitoba-Saskatchewan Provincial Championships - The Free Press
SWIM MEETS: A reminder to sign in to https://www.evdsc.com/ and "Declare" your swimmers for any final meets they intend to attend. After you press declare, another screen will pop up with a choice of buttons. Please choose Accept or Decline.
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: 250-946-7472)
Spencer Robertson – coachspencer@evdsc.com
Angie Abdou – coachangie@evdsc.com
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
.