Welcome to the
Old Bridge Estates
Breakers Swim Team
Eight Time PWSL Divisional Champions
2015 Parent’s Handbook
Old Bridge Estates
Volunteer Swim Team Committee
Director
Assistant Director
Treasurer
Communications
Meet Manager
Teamwear
Fundraising
Concessions
PWSL
Representative
Ribbons
Social Coordinator
Stephanie Martin
Emily Griese
Danielle Quick
Jill Powell
Lori Benson
Erin Simmons
Lisa Good
Pam Thoren
Sherry Martin
Tina Neff
703-897-6124
703-680-6004
703-580-7979
703-680-1835
703-680- 6792
540-336-6491
520-465-4055
703-663-3776
571-259-2173
703-380-2743
Kelly Wilbanks
Keri Fields
571-232-6380
703-897-4722
Online at www.obebreakers.org
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PRINCE WILLIAM SWIM LEAGUE
The Prince William Swim League (PWSL) was founded in 1972 to sponsor swimming in and
among the communities in Prince William County. All PWSL policies and procedures focus on
providing a safe, fun, fair, and athletically challenging program for all swimmers while
developing the principles of good sportsmanship, advanced swimming skills, and teamwork.
Teams are grouped in divisions based on factors such as team size (number of swimmers), team
depth (distribution of swimmers across the age ranges), and the quality of the swimmers (based
on CyberMeet results). The alignment of teams is done with the intent of maximizing
competitiveness within the league.
The teams and divisions making up the Prince William Swim League for the 2015 season are as
follows:
BLUE DIVISION
Braemar
Piedmont
Sudley
RED DIVISION
Dominion Valley
Kingsbrooke
Ashland
WHITE DIVISION
Victory Lakes
Ridgewood*
Lake Ridge
YELLOW DIVISION
Dale City
Wellington
Brookside
GREEN DIVISION
Westridge
Bridlewood
Old Bridge
BLACK DIVISION
VA Oaks*
Montclair*
Stonewall
ORANGE DIVISION
Ben Lomond
Veterans Park*
Meadowbrook
PURPLE DIVISION
Lake Manassas
Southbridge*
Urbanna*
*Denotes a 2015 Breaker opponent
*Divisional Host
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PWSL MEETS
PWSL dual meets are comprised of 67 events: 19 relay events and 48 individual events.
Swimmers earn points for their team by competing in relay events and by being one of
the six fastest finishers on their team in individual events.
The individual events are: Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Individual Medley
(an event involving Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly).
Swimmers compete in one of the following age groups: 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18.
In almost all cases, Boys and Girls do not compete against each other. The exception is the 8 &
under Medley Relay where there can be a mix of Boys and Girls.
Each swimmer may compete in a maximum of three individual events and two relays per meet.
Swimmers are chosen for relay events based upon their individual times.
The team with the most points wins the meet. Ribbons are awarded to the top 12 legal* finishes,
regardless of team, based on time. Ribbons are also awarded to the top twelve 6 & Unders in
Free and Back events based on time. Ribbons are awarded to each relay swimmer in the first,
second, and third legal swims based on time.
* No lawyers are involved! A legal finish is one in which the swimmer successfully
completes the race without being disqualified. Please note that disqualifications
(DQs) are very common for younger swimmers who are still learning the strokes.
You and your swimmer should not be discouraged if a DQ occurs. It happens to
every swimmer, even Olympians.
2015 Meet Schedule
DATE
OPPONENT
LOCATION
Sat. June 6th
Time Trials – Boys vs. Girls
Home
Sat. June 13th
Montclair
Away
Sat. June 20th
Urbanna
Home
Sat. June 27th
VA Oaks
Away
Sat. July 11th
Ridgewood
Home
Sat. July 18th
Vets Park
Home
Sat. July 19th
Southbridge
Away
Sat. July 26th
Divisionals with Westridge &
Bridlewood
Home
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COACHING STAFF
DEBBY HENRY – Head Coach - Debby enters her 15th year as a Breaker coach, with 2015
being the 11th in which she serves as the Breakers Head Coach. The Breakers were able to
capture divisional championships in her first two seasons, captured her third divisional
championship win in 2007, her fourth in 2009, a fifth in 2010, a sixth in 2011 and a seventh in
2013.
Debby comes with a varied swimming background that includes many years of competitive
swimming as a child, coaching as a high school and college student, and being a parent of four
swimmers as an adult. She has lived in Old Bridge Estates since 1995. Two of Debby’s children,
Kelly and Brett, will swim for the Breakers this summer. In addition to coaching the summer
swim team, she works as a Fifth Grade Teacher for Prince William County Public Schools.
You may e-mail Coach Debby at DebbyHenry@vahenrys.com
KATHY KARLEN – 2015 will mark Kathy’s 14th season as a coach for the Breakers. Kathy has
lived in Old Bridge since 1989 and has a solo law practice in Occoquan. In addition to her
coaching experience, Kathy is also a swimmer herself as a member of the Virginia Masters Swim
Team. She and her husband Neal have three children; their daughter Kate swims for the
Breakers
JONATHAN JEROTHE – Jonathon just finished his undergraduate degree at the University
of Delaware with a major in Physics and minors in Mathematics, History and Electrical
Engineering. He will return to UD in late summer to begin his PhD in Electrical Engineering.
Jonathon was a Breaker swimmer for 11 years starting with the team in 2001 and has coached
each summer during college. Aside from swimming, Jonathon is an accomplished figure skater
who competed with the University of Delaware Collegiate Figure Skating Team.
JAKE HENRY – Jake has been a Breaker coach on and off for many years and we are happy to
have him return full-time this season. Jake began swimming for the Breakers in 2000. He
lettered in swimming at Garfield High School where he swam for 4 years. He is currently
teaching for Swim Kids and taking classes at NOVA.
MARK KARLEN – Coach Mark is looking forward to another great year as a Breaker Coach.
Mark began swimming with the Breakers when he was five. He graduated from Gar-Field HS
where he was a member of the swim team in high school, lettering each year. This will be Mark’s
third year as a Breaker coach.
KATI GASKILL – Kati is the newest member of the Breaker Coaching staff and comes to us
with a lot of experience with competitive swimming. She swam for the Prince William Swim
Club (The Amberjax) for over 14 years where she achieved junior national qualifying times. She
also spent several summers with the Ashland Stingrays. Kati just completed her freshman year
at Virginia Tech.
COACHING and PRACTICES
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The Breakers’ coaching staff is dedicated to helping every swimmer be the best he/she can be.
To achieve this goal, coaches, swimmers and family members must all work together as a team.
It is important that we all respect the need for coaches to do their jobs without parental or
swimmer interference. Time spent on-deck with swimmers is precious.
It is unsafe for coaches to be interrupted when they are working with children. We need your
cooperation and support to be successful.
Please observe the following:
1) Do not distract coaches by asking them questions or passing along information during a
practice. Place comments, concerns, and questions in the BREAKER BOOK and the head
coach will call or visit with you at a later time. (See the section below on Communication for
information about the Breaker Book).
2) All parents are to remain on the deck outside the pool area during practices.
Parents should avoid communication with swimmers during practice. If you are talking to your
child, your child is not listening to the coach. This is a distraction for everyone.
3) Do not allow swimmers in the pool during practice hours except for their scheduled practice.
This is particularly important during afternoon practices, when we compete with recreational
swimmers for pool space.
4) Siblings of swimmers are not allowed to be in any pool during morning practice
hours. This presents a safety issue as well as a liability issue as there are no guards on duty
during this time.
5) Please make sure that practice is actually being held (inclement weather) before dropping
swimmers at the pool for their scheduled practice time.
6) Please pick up your swimmer at the end of their practice. The OBE Breakers Swim Team is
not responsible for a swimmer before or after their scheduled practice time.
7) Swimmers should have cap and goggles in hand and be ready to swim at the start of their
scheduled practice. Swimmers must stay on the deck outside the pool area until the coaching
staff begins their practice time.
8) During practice, the swimmers are the responsibility of the coach. Swimmers should not
leave the pool area without the coach’s approval. If they must leave early, they must inform their
coach.
9) Contact the head coach, Debby Henry, if you have any questions or concerns about the
coaching.
10) Follow all posted safety rules.
Age 6 & Under Policy
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In an effort to provide the best swimming experience for all swimmers, it has been decided that
there will be an assessment session for all 6 & under swimmers who are new to the team.
This assessment will be done by the coaches and will take place on May 26th from
4:45 – 5:45 p.m. (just before the scheduled start time for the first practice).
The purpose of this session is to quickly determine whether each child has the basic skills
necessary to be swim on a competitive swim team. The coaches will evaluate these basic skills:
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The child’s ability to swim across the pool (stopping on lane lines allowed).
The child’s ability to float on their back for 10 seconds.
The child’s ability to float on their stomach for 10 seconds.
The reason for this is simple. The main issue is the safety of the swimmer. In the afternoon,
space is somewhat limited and the team does not have access to the small, shallow area outside
the main, rectangular part of the pool. Thus everyone must swim in the deeper area of the pool.
For a child without the basic skills, this is the scariest and the most dangerous place to begin
their swimming career.
If you are unsure of your child’s ability, it might be a good idea to take them to the Chinn Center
a few times before the first practice and get them acclimated to swimming and learning some
basic swimming skills.
Another interim step might be to put them in a basic swimming lesson prior to the season. This
will likely make their Breaker experience a lot more fun, both during practices and during meets.
As confident as we are that each child will improve during the season, the Breakers are not
meant to be a substitute for swimming lessons.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this policy, feel free to give Head Coach
Debby Henry a call at (703) 730-6554.
OBB SWIMMER CODE OF CONDUCT
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Good sportsmanship is something the Old Bridge Breaker coaching staff, swim committee and
parents seek to instill in each swimmer. Athletes are taught to encourage and motivate through
cheers, positive focus, and praise. After a hard race, acknowledging the efforts of your opponent,
win or lose, always speaks volumes in developing the character of our swimmers. We know that
the competitive nature of sports often makes for emotional events. No matter the age, Breakers
are encouraged, and shown by example, to be in control of their actions and to be aware of the
perceptions of those around them. Each swimmer is expected to be fully committed to following
the Breaker Code of Conduct at all times.
 Exercise good sportsmanship during practices, as well as at all swim meets.
This includes but is not limited to:
o No trash talking, taunting or teasing
o Shaking hands with opponents after events
o Staying in the water, allowing each swimmer to finish their event
o Being in control of, and responsible for, your actions
 Respect and cooperate with Coaches, Lifeguards, Officials, Teammates, Opponents, and
Parents
 Respect all equipment while at home or another teams’ pool
 Practice good communication with the coaching staff and provide adequate notice of
intent to miss extensive practices or any meets
 Use appropriate language - use of profane, abusive or inappropriate language or obscene
gestures will not be tolerated
 Promote a positive team atmosphere by being supportive of your team and teammates
and those competing; feel free to cheer for friends/teammates but not against others
 Attend, to the best of your ability, all practices and swim meets
 Be on time and prepared to swim
 Always try to do your personal best
REGISTRATION REFUND SCHEDULE
Date of Resignation from Team
Prior to midnight on June 10th
After June 10th
Amount of Refund per Swimmer
Refund all but $50 of your registration fee
No Refund
COMMUNICATION
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BREAKER BULLETIN - The Breaker Bulletin is published every week during the swim team
season, and periodically during the off-season. It has the latest, updated info on the Breakers,
and everything you need to know about upcoming meets and social events. Your copy will arrive
via email and a copy will be placed on the Breakers website.
OLD BRIDGE BREAKERS WEBSITE - www.obebreakers.org
Check out the latest news, info, and pictures on the Breakers Swim Team website.
COACHING QUESTIONS? Here are the best ways to get in touch with Coach Debby:
 Email her at debbyhenry@vahenrys.com
 Call her at 703-730-6554
TEAM POLICIES
PRACTICES - Practices may be canceled due to thunderstorms or air temperature. The air
temperature and water temperature must be 68 degrees Fahrenheit in order to swim.
Please make sure practices are being held before dropping off your swimmer!
We will make every effort to send an email and update the website as far in advance as possible
alerting you to cancelled practices.
MEETS - If weather is too severe to swim, a meet may be postponed/canceled per agreement of
the teams’ PWSL representatives. We will try to do this the evening before the meet and post the
information at www.obebreakers.org
IMPORTANT! Please be sure to sign up for Breaker emails on our web site, and be
sure to check your e-mail if you believe a practice or a meet may be postponed.
MEETS
DURATION
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Swim meets occur on Saturday mornings in June and July and this year, the 1st Saturday in
August. Warm-ups typically begin between 6:00 – 6:30 am and the meets usually start around 7
am. Meets take about 4 hours to complete, but this can vary depending upon the number of
swimmers competing.
WHAT TO BRING TO A MEET
1)
Team Uniform: Meet suit, cap and goggles are required.
2)
Towels, two or more.
3)
Something to sit on, and under, such as lawn chairs, blankets and tarps, or sunshades.
4)
Sunscreen and hats, for both swimmers and parents.
5)
Sweat suits to wear after warm-ups and a T-shirt to wear later in the day.
6)
Games, deck of cards, coloring books, etc. Please do not bring Frisbees or balls.
7)
Food - Bring a small cooler with water, drinks and snacks. Suggestions: Water, granola
bars, power bars, fruit, yogurt, dry cereal, bagels, etc.
NOTE: All meets have concessions stands where you can purchase food and
beverages at a reasonable cost.
ARRIVAL
1)
Arrive at the pool at least 15 minutes before the scheduled warm-up time.
2) Upon arrival, please look for the Breaker section. Please adhere to our team locations at all
meets. There is usually limited space available at most pools, so please keep space requirements
to a minimum.
3) All swimmers check in with the coaches upon arrival.
4) For meets, programs (a/k/a Heat Sheets) are available that show the swimmers in each
event. These are a great way to find out what events your child is swimming. They show your
child’s times, league and team records, and generally make it easier to follow the meet. They are
usually sold for a small fee at the concessions stand. For Breakers’ home meets, heat sheets are
posted on our website and are available for download the day before the meet. Please print these
before leaving home, they will not be available for purchase at the meet.
WARM-UPS
1) Listen for the Breaker warm-up announcement. All swimmers should warm-up with the
team. Warm-ups reduce the chance of injury and familiarize the swimmer with the pool and the
backstroke flags.
2) After warm-ups, swimmers go back to the team area and wait until their events are called.
This is a good time to get something to eat, drink some water and use the restroom.
3) It is important for all swimmers to know what events they are swimming. Many swimmers
write the events they are swimming on their hand. Parents should familiarize themselves with
their swimmers events too. This ensures that you don’t miss your child’s performance, and is
also a nice safeguard against your child missing their events.
SWIMMING THE MEET
1) When a swimmer’s event is called, they report to the Clerk of Course area. The
Clerk of Course is a volunteer who helps to ensure that swimmers are organized and ready to
swim their events.
2) After swimming each event, swimmers should get their time (unofficial) by asking the timers
and then go directly to the coaches. One of the coaches will discuss the race with the swimmer.
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3) When swimmers have completed all of their events, they may go home or stay to cheer on the
rest of the team. Please, do not leave the meet without first checking in with the
coaches. They may need swimmers to stay and swim a relay.
4) Parents are not allowed on deck (the area surrounding the pool) during a swim
meet. If you wish to be on deck, you must be there in a working capacity, (timer, recorder,
runner, announcer, official). If you want to be close to the action VOLUNTEER for one of these
positions!
5) Parents are responsible for children when they are not swimming!
RESULTS
1)
Official event results are posted on the fence next to the concessions area. They are
usually available about 15 - 30 minutes after the conclusion of the event.
2)
If you believe a result is in error, please bring it to the attention of the coaches
immediately. Mistakes are rare, but they can occur.
3)
Ribbons will be handed out at the Monday morning practice following the meet.
4) Final event results will be posted at www.obebreakers.org a few days after the meet ends.
SWIMMER NUTRITION
Before and during swim meets, nutrition plays an important role in your swimmer’s
performance. Swimmers should eat a light breakfast prior to entering the pool. Fresh fruit and
cereal are good choices.
The coaches request that you provide healthy foods and snacks, high in complex carbohydrates
and low in fat and sugar the day before and the morning of swim meets. Examples of good,
complex carbohydrate snacks are fruits, bagels, pretzels, pasta, and whole-grain and multi-grain
breads.
Swimmers should avoid sodas, hot dogs, candy, etc. until after they have finished swimming for
the day. Water is the best beverage during a meet, especially if it is very hot.
Swimmers should wait until the meet is over before consuming sport drinks.
TIME IMPROVEMENT INCENTIVES
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The Breakers emphasize personal improvement within the team framework. Swimmers receive
special time improvement ribbons each time they complete a race with a faster time in a specific
stroke. We hope you and your swimmer will value these time improvement ribbons as much as
we do.
Please remember that heats are seeded so that swimmers compete against athletes of similar
ability. The coaches teach our swimmers to concentrate on their own races and times.
Swimmers who try the hardest should always be appreciated and rewarded, regardless of where
they place in their respective heats and events.
Although some swimmers may seem to have improvements each week, do not despair if your
swimmer has an ‘off’ meet. Individual improvement means more than ‘dropping time’, it also
means swimming ‘legal’ strokes*.
Swimmers may ‘add time’ when they swim a stroke ‘legally’. Again, encourage and reward effort,
the improvements will come!
* No lawyers are involved! A legal finish is one in which the swimmer successfully
completes the race without being disqualified. Please note that disqualifications
(DQ’s) are very common for younger swimmers who are still learning the strokes.
You and your swimmer should not be discouraged if a DQ occurs. It happens to
every swimmer, even Olympians.
VOLUNTEERS
The Breakers run on volunteer power and the team depends on you, the parents, to
participate. This team would not be successful; indeed it could not even exist if not for our
parent volunteers. We require more than 90 volunteers a meet to ensure an efficient, smoothly
run event. Therefore, we need parents to volunteer to help at each and every meet. No matter
what your skill level or how long your children have been involved in this sport, we have a job
for you. If your child is swimming, we ask that you volunteer for at least one session per meet
and volunteer for at least 1 set up and 1 tear down per season. Please help when asked and
volunteer.
Meets are more enjoyable, you meet lots of great people, and you can get a front row view of all
the action! 1 – 2 hours per week is all we ask. Things go much smoother if everyone chips in a
bit. Please don’t let it all come down to just a few families carrying the load.
Lori Benson is our Volunteer Coordinators and you can contact Lori by phone at (703) 5933213 or email at loribenson1@verizon.net. The best way to sign up to volunteer is on-line at
www.obebreakers.org . You can also email Lori with your volunteer choice. More details will be
provided on how to do this at a later date.
We need your help!!!!
See below for the type of help we need. All volunteers will get adequate training
before the first meet.
MEET VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
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STROKE & TURN OFFICIAL
Prerequisites
Attendance at a PWSL sponsored workshop plus on-the-job training.
Primary Duty
Observe swimmers and determine if they are swimming ‘legally’
Work Conditions
Standing, poolside, with occasional breaks.
Needed At
All Meets.
HEAD TIMER & TIMERS
Prerequisites
Ability to start and stop a stopwatch.
Primary Duty
Determine swimmer time and relay to Recorder.
Work Conditions
Standing, poolside, generally in 1.5 hour shifts.
Needed At
All Meets.
RESULT RECORDERS
Prerequisites
Ability to write legibly.
Primary Duty
Record times give by Timers and pass on to Deck Runner.
Work Conditions
Sitting, poolside, generally in 1.5 hour shifts.
Needed At
All Meets.
DECK RUNNER
Prerequisites
Primary Duty
Work Conditions
Needed At
SCORER
Prerequisites
Primary Duty
Work Conditions
Needed At
RIBBON WRITER
Prerequisites
Primary Duty
Work Conditions
Needed At
CLERK OF COURSE
Prerequisites
Primary Duty
Ability to walk at a reasonably quick pace.
Collect results from Recorders and deliver to Scorers.
Walking, poolside, generally 1.5 hour shifts.
Home meets only.
Comfortable with numbers and detail-oriented.
Determine each swimmer’s official time, occasional averaging of
numbers, checking of all results, and calculation of scores.
Sitting, often in air-conditioned environment. 1.5 hr shifts.
All Meets, though more needed at home meets.
Detail-oriented.
Apply ribbon labels, sort ribbons and get the ribbons ready for the
coaches.
Sitting, often in a/c environment. Usually 1.5 hour shifts.
All Meets.
Comfortable dealing with children. Take charge personality.
Assemble swimmers into their correct heat & lane. Distribute deck
cards to swimmers.
Work Conditions
Standing, close to but not next to pool. Usually 1.5 hour shifts.
Needed At
Most important at home meets, lesser role at away meets.
CLERK OF COURSE ASSISTANTS
Prerequisites
Comfortable dealing with little kids. Often the parent of a 10 & under
swimmer.
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STARTER
Prerequisites
Primary Duty
Work Conditions
Needed At
CONCESSIONS
Prerequisites
Primary Duty
Work Conditions
Needed At
Primary Duty
Work Conditions
Needed At
MARSHALS
Prerequisites
Primary Duty
Work Conditions
Needed At
ANNOUNCER
Prerequisites
Primary Duty
Work Conditions
Needed At
Attendance at a PWSL sponsored workshop plus on-the-job training.
Starts each heat/race during the meet.
Standing, poolside, generally in 1.5 hour shifts
All Meets.
None.
Working in the concession stand, food preparation, or sales to the swim
meet participants and families.
Standing, away from the pool, generally in 1.5 hour shifts
Home meets only.
Gather and deliver 10 & under swimmers to the Clerk of Course.
Standing, close to but not next to pool. Usually 1.5 hour shifts.
Most important at home meets, lesser role at away meets.
None
Crowd control on the pool deck.
Sitting, close to the pool. Good view of events.
Home meets only.
Strong, clear voice.
Keep swimmers & spectators up to date on meet developments.
Sitting, close to the pool, good view of events.
Home meets only.
Other Activities That Require Help
Meet Set-Up the night before a home meet
Meet Tear-Down following a home meet
Team Photographers with digital cameras
Volunteer Help with Team Photo Day
Awards Ceremony Planning & Set-Up
Divisionals Week Coordination & support
Donut Friday
Home Meet Pep Rallies
SWIM TEAM COMMITTEE
Another great way to help out is to join the Breaker Swim Team Committee.
Typical commitment is for two seasons. Committee members meet once a week
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during the season for about 1 ½ hours, and about six times during the off-season
for about 1 hour at a time. There are generally a handful of committee members
who need to be replaced after the season. Why not look into joining the
committee? It is a wonderful way to help the kids and the team! For more
information, feel free to contact any of the current committee members.
Committee positions are:
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Director
Assistant Director
Treasurer
Communications
Fundraising Coordinator
Social Event Coordinator
Meet Manager
Concessions Coordinator
PWSL Representative
Teamwear Coordinator
Ribbons Coordinator
Afternoon Practice Schedule
From Tuesday, May 26th through Thursday, June 18th
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Afternoon Practice Schedule
From Tuesday, May 26th through Thursday, June 18th
8 and under age group
5:45 – 6:15 pm
9-12 year old age group
6:15 – 7:00 pm
13-18 year old age group
7:00 – 7:45 pm
OBE RESIDENTS! Please bring your pool card to afternoon practices!
Monday Morning Schedule
June 22nd - July 31st
13 – 18 year old age group
8:00 – 9:00 am
12 and Under
9:00 – 10:00 am
Any 11-12 who would like to play
water polo is welcome at 8:00
Tuesday – Friday Morning Schedule
June 22nd - July 31st
All 8 & under swimmers
7:45 – 8:30 am
9 - 12 year old swimmers
8:30 – 9: 20 am
12 and over swimmers
9:20 – 10:20 am
Swimmers should have cap and goggles in hand and be ready to swim at the start
of their scheduled practice.
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