Hi - here is the previously posted Facebook message and then more info following it...

HELLO MARLINS FAMILIES! HERE WE GO - PRACTICE BEGINS THIS COMING MONDAY, MAY 1ST at 4:45pm - details... 

The Longlake clubhouse had a pipe(s) burst recently causing some damage to some equipment as well as a few small areas of the clubhouse. These repairs are ongoing, specifically the equipment repairs that determine the readiness of the pool. Bad for us because the pool will not be ready on May 1st; good for us because we know the importance of dryland practice (all the year-round teams do it for a reason) and we so rarely can work any in during the season. So that's what we will be doing for week 1. So for May 1st through May 4th (next Mon-Thur) come to practice with appropriate exercise clothes and shoes, a mat and a towel, and your water. Meet in the grass area between the lake and the pool. All groups will practice at the same time > 4:45pm to 6:00pm. Depending on the number of kids we likely will break into 2 groups but both will do dryland practice at the same time. These dryland practices focus on exercises that are specific to swim needs with emphasis on movement and cardio. These joint practice sessions also have the upside of our swimmers getting to know more teammates before we start breaking into our age groups. It also is a great time for parents to come and ask any questions they have for me although you can always email and text me as well. 

Mini-Marlins > the 75 minute drylands would probably not work well with the mini's. So the plan is to have the mini's there only on Thursday - on that day we will cover some water safety habits and then do a more playful dryland that is more game driven specifically for the mini's.

Our plan is to be in the pool on Monday, May 8th, including our mini-Marlins.

OTHER NOTES >>>

There will be an information video coming out towards the end of this week that will walk everyone thru a number of details for this season but here are some quick highlights:

> Once we get into our normal in pool practice routine, we will follow the schedule posted on our websites Practice tab } Practice Schedule - LONGLAKE MARLINS (swimtopia.com)

> Our dual meet schedule is official. It is on our homepage near the bottom right as well as the Meets & Events tab } Meets & Events - LONGLAKE MARLINS (swimtopia.com)

> Other team activities (including Time Trials, Team Pictures, Marlinbration, etc.) and Championship meet details will be added over next couple of weeks.

> We have been working on setting up a team store - it's been a slow process but we hope to have it live in the next week - I'll keep you updated.

> Our Coaches will get a formal announcement on the information video but if you want to get in a quick read just visit our coaches tab under Team Info } Coaches - LONGLAKE MARLINS (swimtopia.com)

> We are looking to add a couple new Junior Coaches; if you go to the Resources tab under Team Info and scroll down close to the bottom (#9 on the legend) you will see a description of the Junior Coach role } Resources - LONGLAKE MARLINS (swimtopia.com)

> Volunteering - I can not stress the importance of our parent volunteers enough - so I'm not going to try right now - I'll do my begging in the information video.

> Volunteer Training - I'll cover this more in the information video as well but we will have a short training session for the parents soon. There are also descriptions of most positions on that same Resources tab (#7) } Resources - LONGLAKE MARLINS (swimtopia.com)

> If you went to the Resources tab to check the previously mentioned info, and you scrolled down somewhat slowly, then you saw that this tab has a lot of information that won't be covered much on the information video - if you are new to competitive swimming, it's definitely worth a read. } Resources - LONGLAKE MARLINS (swimtopia.com)

> Registration is still open - if you know anyone who you think would like to be part of the Summer Swim experience then reach out to them to join our Longlake Marlins.

> It would be great to bring in some more sponsors - if you have a business or know any business that would like to support our team and youth sports for a very low cost then let us know - it's a great way to be part of the community - they will get many benefits including significant exposure at meets and at the Longlake Pool / Clubhouse; and I hear the Announcer does a great job of hyping these sponsors up!  

That covered some key topics - much more will be covered on the upcoming information video. Thanks to everyone - LET'S GO MARLINS!