Donaldson Run - Home of the Thunderbolts!

The 2008 swim season will start on May 11th with the Ice Cream Social from 4 to 6 pm. Come down to the pool to register your swimmers and kick off the new season!

Afternoon practice for 7 and older swimmers will start on May 12th. Swimmers 6 and under will start afternoon practices on Tuesday, May 27th.

Welcome

It's time to forget about the cold and start thinking about the sunny, fun-filled days of summer. This upcoming season promises to be our best ever and we hope every Donaldson Run member, 18 years and under, who is willing and able to swim the length of the pool will join our team. This summer we will compete in Division 2 against teams we have met in the past: Vienna Woods, Tuckahoe, Hunter Mill, Fairfax Station and Oakton.

How Do You Spell DRRA?

Sarah Myers will return to DRRA after a year hiatus to head up our coaching staff. She will be joined by Ellen Boryan, Erin McCracken, Molly Schmalzbach and Enser Cole, all very experienced swimmers who competed in the NVSL as well as other USA Swim Leagues and college teams.

Registration

It all starts with the Ice Cream Social at the pool on May 11th from 4 to 6 pm. Come and enjoy some ice cream, talk with the coaches, and renew summer acquaintances. Plan to purchase a team suit and other team apparel. This is also an opportunity for parents to volunteer to help make our season a success. Parents are instrumental in running all aspects of the swim team and we need every swim team parent to volunteer!

Donaldson Run Relay Swimmers

Plan Now to Be Here

The summer swimming season is short, and leaves plenty of room for other activities after the season. There are only five meets with team scores that determine team standings. For the team to do its best, we need every swimmer every Saturday from June 21 through July 19. Please schedule vacations and other activities to start after July 19th - the team needs you! The Divisional Meet is scheduled for July 26th and Individual All-Stars for August 2nd.

Practice Schedule

Afternoon practices will start May 12 for all swimmers 7 and older. Older swimmers, 9 and over, will practice first from 4:00 - 5:15 pm and younger swimmers (7 - 8 years old) will practice from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. Practice for our youngest swimmers (6 and under) starts May 27, when the weather should be warmer. Morning practices begin when school ends.

Morning Practice

Once morning practices begin, afternoon practices will continue for swimmers who cannot attend in the morning. The coaches, however, encourage swimmers to attend morning practice since so many afternoons are lost to Monday night meets, Friday spirit events, dive meets, relay events, and the inevitable late afternoon thunderstorm (even the Thunderbolts can't dodge a thunderstorm!).

DRRA Developmental Swimmers

Developmental Swimmers - The Future of the Thunderbolts!

Our younger swimmers are strongly encouraged to participate. Coaches focus on the younger developmental swimmers so they get as much individualized attention as possible. Our developmental swimmers did a great job last year, and we expect many of them to be the rising stars of our team! So if you or your swimmer is unsure whether he or she has the requisite swimming skills to participate on the team, we encourage you to come out and talk to the coaches before or after practice.

Communication

We rely extensively on email to communicate important information. If you are interested in participating or just want to learn more, please make sure we have your current email address. Email your address to Nita Wade, Communications Coordinator, at SwimTeamMailList.

Swim Fast, Live Slow!