Hi everyone,

Several things (these emails will end soon, and won't you miss them when they're gone), email 1 of 2:

1. Winter swim registration is open! We need folks to sign up as soon as possible to justify the added expense of moving to the JCC as detailed in my previous email. (I've pasted those details at the bottom of this email.) Couple of notes: first, make sure you're registering for the right program, Little Lazers vs. Big Lazers/Transitional. If you're not sure, ask Kate, Catherine, or me. Second, we are generally an all electronic payment organization, but if you really need to avoid the transaction fees, we'll take a check. Your registration isn't complete until the check is in hand, and we may have limited space, so electronic is the safest way to reserve your spot.
   1. BIG LAZER/TRANSITIONAL REGISTRATION LINK!
   2. LITTLE LAZER REGISTRATION LINK!
   3. We will handle parent registration separately soon.
2. We're still collecting for coaches' gifts. Please see this page for details and give a little something to the coaches who worked so hard this summer.
3. Last call for the pancake breakfast volunteering and RSVP. We're a little short on some items and volunteer categories, but I am sure we can make it work. Please look and see if you can come/help/bring something.

Thanks!

WINTER SWIM DETAILS:

Catherine and I went and toured the potential new site for winter swim (the JCC just outside the beltway) and were very impressed. It's not as fancy as The St. James, but the pool would be all ours and we could run all levels of our program throughout the winter. Therefore, we think we could offer the following program throughout the winter, Saturdays 5:15-6:15PM (possibly moving the start time back to 5), as before beginning the first weekend in October and running through the weekend before the pool opens in May, roughly 24 sessions after accounting for holiday weekends off but not accounting for weather cancelations:

1. We will be able to have Little Lazers of all levels, 1-5. We are planning on running 2 half-hour sessions within the hour, but now we can accommodate all swimmers due to the configuration of the pool. The cost for the half hour session will be $250 per Little Lazer, and if they graduate to the big kid practice, we will be able to accommodate this. We are hopeful that we can move kids ahead over the winter rather than having them regress, and that those in Levels 4 and 5 can be ready for the big kid team by summer. This will be critical for continued success of the team. Looking at the cost of Goldfish Academy and other similar programs, our program will cost roughly one-third as much for the same number of lessons; in our experience, our program is much more effective than those programs, so you'll save money and your kids will learn to swim faster.
2. Transitional swimmers will practice for an hour and the price will be the same as big kid swimmers ($310 for the first swimmer, $285 for the second, and $260 for each additional swimmer) but they will have access to shallower water than at TSJ and thus will likely be more comfortable. We had good success last winter graduating transitional level swimmers to the big kid team and anticipate the ability to do as well or better this winter.
3. The big kid swimmers will have their own lanes and in the less chaotic environment that this pool allows should be easier to coach. I think we do a fine job at TSJ, but competing with swim meets and the water park sometimes gets overwhelming.
4. With sufficient interest, we can reserve a lane for adults and they would have their own workout. The pricing will be the same as for the big kid team. Additionally, the JCC has very nice workout facilities (including indoor basketball and pickleball courts and a full gym for workouts) and for a $10 guest fee you can workout while the kids swim. Since we have the whole pool, in order for adults to swim, you have to sign up for our program.