Mon to Fri: Age Group 2, 5:00 to 6:00 PM / Age Group 1, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Age Group swimming in Atlanta for competitive youth, age 7 and up
The Dolphins age-group program trains five nights a week in two groups, and races in front of the city four times a year at meets the team hosts itself.
Chapter 01
Two groups, placed by stroke evaluation and progress
The City of Atlanta Dolphins Swim Team runs its age-group youth program for children age 7 and up, Monday to Friday. Age Group 2 trains from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. Age Group 1 trains from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, an hour and a half in the water for swimmers who are further along.
Which group a swimmer joins comes from two things: the stroke evaluation every new member completes, and the progress the coaches see afterwards. Evaluations run Monday through Thursday from 4:00 to 4:45 PM, and a swimmer can be moved as the strokes develop. To book, call (404) 505-3189, the team's published stroke evaluation line, or email coachjackson@swimcad.com.
Wide view down the lanes of an empty natatorium pool, Atlanta
Training concepts and goals the coaches put in writing
The coaching staff has written down how the team trains. The team's pages carry guides on Team Training Concepts, Short-range Performance Goals, Types of Goals and Motivation, so a swimmer and a parent can read the thinking behind a set rather than guess at it.
Goal-setting is the spine of it. A short-range goal is the one a swimmer can reach this month: a turn, a dive, a stroke count, a split. Bigger goals are then built out of those. It fits the team's stated philosophy of self-discipline, a consistent work ethic and courage, and the six words on its homepage: Enthusiasm, Commitment, Brave, Focus, Dedication and Discipline.
Founded in 1984 with nine swimmers, the program has grown to include training and strategy for members who aim at athletic or academic scholarships.
Chapter 03
Four hosted meets a year, and where parents fit
The Dolphins host four meets a year: two short course at 25 yards and two long course at 50 meter. The team's meet pages name the invitationals it has run, including the Luqman R. El-Amin Invitational, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Invite and the Black History Invitational, and they list the away meets the squad has travelled to.
Meet entry fees are owed by the date on the event form, and they are payable whether or not the swimmer swims once entered. Entries are not submitted without the fee. Registration is $225.00 a year for City of Atlanta residents and $425.00 for non-residents, as listed on the team's procedures page.
Parents are part of the machine. Volunteers are needed at every meet, and timers are the most needed of all. The team's Role of the Parents guide explains how parents and coaches divide the work.
From the team's own introduction: a competitive age-group youth program for children age 7 and up, "from the beginning swimmer to the most competitive and skilled swimmer."