All About The Lake Erie Silver Dolphins

 Coach Jerry Holtrey's Lake Erie Silver Dolphins (LESD) are a member of Lake Erie Swimming, Inc., the northeast Ohio affiliate of USA Swimming, the sports national governing body.  There are over 3000 registered athletes within Lake Erie Swimming, with LESD having a membership of more than 350 of these. Since Lake Erie Swimming was established in the late 1960's, LESD has won every District championship meet.  LESD swimmers hold a vast majority of the district records in all age groups.  Almost unique among the better swim teams nationally, LESD offers top flight coaching to swimmers from the novice through national championship levels. 

The team operates on a 12-month basis, with short breaks between seasons. The summer ("long course") season starts early in April and extends through mid-August, while the winter season ("short course") runs from September through late March.

 The team is divided into separate groups designated by color: GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE, BLUE, RED, and WHITE. The gold group is the senior level of swimming, while the red and white children are learning the basics of competitive stroke mechanics. Each group is made up of swimmers who are similar in ability, experience, and age. To allow for reasonable practice times for all, several pools are used: Cleveland State University, and Hawken Lower and Upper School, and Notre Dame.

LESD's program is aimed at developing young swimmers' skills and conditioning so that they have the opportunity to succeed not only at each of the various age groups along the way, but also at the senior level. Swimmers entering the team at the red or white grouping generally move up through the ranks as they improve over the years.

New swimmers join LESD on the basis of tryouts held twice a year at Hawken.

Current LESD swimmers and their families should alert interested friends and neighbors to these tryouts with the understanding that LESD is not a "learn-to-swim"; program. Parents of new swimmers will have the opportunity to meet parents of current LESD swimmers to discuss the team's policies and procedures.

 The following represents a brief summary of the distinctions among the several components of LESD's levels:

 RED & WHITE: Beginning competitive swimming

·         frequent repeats of 25-yard swims with constant stroke technique teaching 

              ensuring that each swimmer has legal strokes in backstroke, butterfly, and 

              breaststroke 

·         frequent use of kickboards 

·         entry in "B" and "C" level meets as well as the team-sponsored events 

·         maintaining interest through games and other novelty activities 

·         promotion to BLUE & BRONZE when skill levels, attitude toward practice, and

              endurance is shown. 

 BLUE & BRONZE:

·         Continues emphasis on stroke development and technique through many drills 

·         introduction to serious training methods, including interval work and

              over distance swimming 

·         emphasis on all four strokes for all of the Blue & Bronze swimmers 

·         starts and turns are practiced and improved

 Blue & Bronze participation marks a critical time in a young swimmer's career. Many Blue & Bronze swimmers with LESD have risen to the top of Lake Erie District rankings and several have achieved regional and even national ranking in the 10-Under age group. These youngsters have decided to make the commitment mentally, physically, and emotionally necessary to achieve. Other young swimmers find that the commitment is more than they are ready to give, and their improvement is sometimes slower. When the swimmer's age (often 11 or 12) and skills warrant promotion, the SILVER group is next.

SILVER & GOLD: LESD's elite swimmers

·         rigorous workout schedule with maintenance of stroke instruction when

              appropriate 

·         over distance training for the first third of a season to establish a

              conditioning base 

·         work on racing techniques 

·         older swimmers in this group practice twice a day most of the time 

·         land exercise programs are stressed

Silver and Gold swimmers may go the fewer meets, but these will be large meets with a high level of competition. The coaches place emphasis on reaching a peak at the end of the season. At this level, the commitment to swimming should be such that there is not time for full participation in another sport. Silver swimmers regularly qualify for the Central Zone Championship in the summer and the Mid-States (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, & Illinois) Quadrangular Championship in the winter. In addition to these meets, Gold swimmers often qualify for USA Sectionals, the US Open and Senior National competitions.