Greenbriar team update week 1
Hi Greenbriar Dolphin families,
Summer is officially under way! The pool is open and practices start this week-- Tuesday, May 26! Thank you to everyone who attended the parent meeting last weekend. We were excited to welcome so many new families. Congratulations to all of our young swimmers who already passed the swim safe test at the early option.
Please read this email carefully for team updates and information for afternoon practices.
Afternoon Practices
Meet the coaches at the flag pole.
Assigned Practice Times: Due to our large team and limited practice/lane space, we are unable to accommodate periodic requests to switch practice times. The head coaches recognize that families have many other commitments in the evenings while school is still in session and spring sports are finishing up. They understand your swimmer may not be able to attend afternoon practice every day. Please have your swimmers come to their assigned practice on the days they are able, and don’t worry about missing practice on the days they have a conflict. Please do not make requests to the coaches to switch times. See the team reps if you have any questions or concerns about this policy. Note: parents of 10-12 year old swimmers, please see follow up email about requests for a permanent change in afternoon practice session if you have a conflict every day.
Our practice schedule can be viewed by logging onto our team website or navigating directly to the practice tab at https://www.
Inclement Weather: The rain and cold is here! Coaches will make decisions about practices the day of. One option may to keep swimmers out of the water and conduct a dryland practice. Please make sure you have downloaded the Swimtopia app and have enabled notifications (directions at the end of this email). We will make all announcements regarding last minute practice delays, cancellations or changes through Swimtopia. During afternoon practices, you can also check the “today at the pool” tab on the pool website for operating status.
Fins: Please bring fins to practices, if you have them.
Questions during practices: Our head coaches will be very busy leading practices and ensuring swimmer safety and success. If you have any questions, please look for any of our team reps (Stephanie Kim, Sharon Grogan and Sarah Murphy). There will usually be one of us on deck during afternoon practices. You can also email your questions to the team reps at any time. We are here to help!
Safety reminders: Swimmers under age 10 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Parents are asked to view practices from the sides of the pool, and keep the ends of the pool clear for coaches and swimmers.
Pool Capacity: Until school is out and we switch to morning practices, our afternoon practices will be held while the pool is open to all pool members for recreational swim. This means that there may be days, especially as the weather warms, when you arrive at the pool to find it at full capacity. If this should occur, you must simply wait until patrons already in the pool depart. We do not have any priority over any other member to access the pool. Here are some hints and requests from us to help alleviate this situation:
●Please limit the number of family members who accompany your swimmer to the pool for practice. Every person through the gate counts towards the pool capacity of 248 whether they are in the actual pool or just on the pool deck.
●Please leave the pool as soon as your swimmer has finished their practice. This will allow those swimmers waiting outside the pool to enter to start their practice.
●As your swimmers become more familiar and comfortable with the routine they may enter and exit the pool for practice unaccompanied.
Should the pool reach capacity, and you are unable to enter the pool, please remember above all else to be patient and kind to the front desk staff. They really do want to let you and your swimmer in the pool, but until other patrons depart their hands are tied.
Early Bird Morning Practices: A request form was sent to parents of swimmers ages 10-12 to use if they would like to attend the early bird practice at 7:30am on particular dates. “Early bird practice” is one lane of younger swimmers who practice concurrently with the 13 and older swimmers. Space is very limited and there are no coaches in the water with these swimmers, so these spots are by coach approval only. If interested, please complete the form as soon as possible. Submitting a form does not guarantee a spot in this practice.
Calendar Reminders
- May 30 NVSL University; Chipotle Fair Lakes fundraiser 4:00-8:00pm
- June 12 ice cream social 6:30-8:00pm
- June 13 time trials (all swimmers invited to swim to get baseline time(s) for the season)
- June 17: no practice. FCPS last day of school
- June 18: morning practices begin
WE NEED YOUR HELP PARENTS: It takes a lot of parent volunteers to run our swim team program. Most require no previous experience or training, and you will be able to sign up for them on a per-event basis. If you do not already have an assigned volunteer role, please be ready to have at least one family member fill a volunteer job at every swim meet your family participates in. Don't worry if you are new. There are a lot of great job for beginners and we will ensure you know what to do!
Reminder to officials: If you have agreed to become a stroke and turn, or to recertify, please remember to attend one of the NVSL required clinics.
It is not too late for any new members who want to train to become a meet official. Please let the team reps know if you are interested.
Here's to a great 2026 season! Go, Dolphins!
Your reps,
Stephanie Kim, Sharon Grogan and Sarah Murphy
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Swimtopia
Mobile App/Website: To survive summer swim as a parent requires you to keep on top of the schedule. The best way to do that is through the team website. Once you’ve logged in you’ll have access to everything you need. Another way to keep up with your swimmer’s times and the jobs you sign up for is the Swimtopia Mobile App for Android or Apple iOS. For the mobile app, there is NO NEED to upgrade to the Pro version as we don’t use any features paying for the app will unlock. You may also find keeping a link to the website on the home screen of your mobile device is equally, if not the best way to keep track of things.
Facebook Page: Besides our website and the other resources mentioned above, we’ve fostered a great community of current and former parents and swimmers on our team Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/