Wall-e-pop girls at The Carson meet

Macey and Hannah duet partners.

Wall-e-pop girls.

Tucson meet

Great job to Wall-e-pop girls here you are in your deck formation!!!

Annual Watershow!!

Please join us for our Annual Watershow, dinner and silent auction on May 2, 2009. All proceeds benefit the Arizona Desert Dolphins in support of our synchronized swimming goals and education.

Dinner and Silent Auction begin at 5:00 pm.

Show begins at 6:00 pm.

Brimhall Aquatic Complex

4949 E. Southern Ave., Mesa

Dinner and show: $10

Show only: $5

Raffle tickets: $2 each or 3 for $5

To purchase tickets please see a member of the team, or contact us (see contact info on sidebar). Show and raffle tickets will also be available at the door.

We have many wonderful items donated for the Silent Auction as well as the raffle. Check back often for updates! See you at the show!!

West Zones

Seven members of the Desert Dolphins traveled to Northern California for West Zones in March.
They had a good time and swam well.

Cactus Classic Awards Photos

Thanks to Jordyn Hurley's family for sending in some photos of our Cactus Classic Awards Ceremony!

Cactus Classic Professional Action Shots

Hey! If anyone's looking for the actions shots from the meet this weekend. Here's the link for the professional photographer. 

www.sportseye.com

There are some pretty good ones!

Enjoy.

Cactus Classic Meet Results!

Here are the routine results for the 2009 Cactus Classic Invitational

Trios

9-10 Age Group Trio

3rd Place: Jenna Nichols, mcKenzie Phelps, Jordyn Hurley

4th Place: Nickelle Haynes, Daisy Wax, Brynly Williams

11-12 Age Group Trio

1st Place: Olivia Ekberg, Shannon Chott, Emily Cluff

6th Place: Alejandra Payan, Ashlynn Ely, Star Dujnic

9th Place: Claire Eustace, Melissa Royer, Olivia Larsen

13-15 Age Group Trio

7th Place: Bethany Adair, Vanessa Bodrero, Justine Horne

16-17 Age Group Trio

6th Place: Jennifer Kurtz, Haley Kurtz, Alexandra Metcalf

8 & Under Age Group Duet

1st Place Nickelle Haynes, Jenna Nichols

9-10 Age Group Duet

6th Place: Addisyn Nichols, Jordyn Hurley

7th Place: Daisy Wax, Brynly Williams

11-12 Age Group Duet

3rd Place: Shannon Chott,  Emily Cluff

6th Place: Alejandra Payan, Ashlynn Ely

9th Place: Macey Beecroft, Hannah Manis

14th Place: Claire Eustace, Olivia Larson

15th Place: Olivia Frey, Melissa Royer

13-15 Age Group Duet

4th Place: Kaylee Bowman, Olivia Ekberg

16-17 Age Group Duet

8th Place: Haley Kurtz, Alexandra Metcalf

9th Place: Kai Bowen, Renee Layja

10th Place: Marisa Cluff, Kelcie Formanack

11th Place: Lindsay Boizelle, Nicole Grimes

18-19 Age Group Duet

5th Place: Scarlett DeLaney

Solos

13-15 Intermediate Solo

1st Place: Tania Castenada

8 & Under Age Group Solo

1st Place: Nickelle Haynes

9-10 Age Group Solo

3rd Place: Addisyn Nichols

11-12 Age Group Solo

6th Place: Star Dujnic

13-15 Age Group Solo

3rd Place: Kaylee Bowman

Teams

9-10 Intermediate Teams

1st Place: Larissa Zeigler, Mia McClory, Delany Wiley, Amber DiDomenico, Myka Lance

3rd Place: Haylee Haynes, Alexis Doucet, Lexie Phelps, Taylor Price, Diana Pelestor, Kiara Pelestor

11-12 Intermediate Teams

1st Place: Savannah Davis, Jena Bowman, Ashlyn DiDomenico, Savannah Dickerson, Michelle Correa

3rd Place: Breckyn Anderson, Jenna Formanck, Olivia Frey, Melissa, Royer, Claire Eustace, Olivia Larsen

9-10 Age Group Teams

2nd Place: Jenna Nichols, Daisy Wax, Brynly Williams, Addisyn Nichols, McKenzie Phelps, Jordyn Hurley, Ella Bowman, Claire Wallentine

11-12 Age Group Teams

1st Place: Olivia Ekberg, Alejandra Payan, Macey Beecroft, Ashlynn Ely, Shannon Chott, Star Dujnic, Emily Cluff, Hannah Manis

13-15 Age Group Teams

5th Place: Bethany Adair, Vanessa Bodrero, Kaylee Bowman, Nicole Grimes, Holly Grimes, Justine Horne, Renee Layja, Bailey Sien

16-17 Age Group Teams 

5th Place: Lindsay Boizelle, Kai Bowen, Marisa Cluff, Kelcie Formanack

18-19 Age Group Teams

3rd Place: Scarlett DeLaney, Jennifer Kurtz, Haley Kurtz, Alexandra Metcalf

Great Job Desert Dolphins!!

Cactus Classic.
The 3 Desert Dolphins 9-10 age group duets. Good job girls!

Knoxing 101

Click below for an informative video on knoxing hair.

Daddy Daughter Night

We had a great time with all the Desert Dolphin Dads last night. Here's a video:

London's Run Update

Hey Desert Dolphins: I wanted to pass along this thank you letter on behalf of London's Family for participation in the run.

Thanks to all of you for your support at London's Run. It was a perfect morning, and we had an awesome turnout!

It was an incredible day, filled with common people doing uncommon things. As I ran the 10k, I found myself getting choked up to look out across the beautiful farm fields and see hundreds of you running for this common cause. If you ran, did you see those horses at the beginning of the race? They wanted to run along with us! It was as if they knew that this run was something special. It was something greater than just a bunch of people jogging. 

The thing I love most about London's Run is that it reminds me that with all the bad news in the world - there is still good news. There are still good people willing to help others. There are still good people who are willing to go above and beyond, or try something new, just to help out others. 

If London and her family have shown us anything, it is that it is possible to take negative life experiences and make them positive. It is all about our attitude, and our resolve. Turning the frown upside down doesn't happen overnight, it is a journey, that we take one step at a time. And we make that journey together. 

I hope you all keep running, and that we will see you again next year! ~~ Dave Haynes

Daddy/Daughter night: Feb. 12th

Calling all Desert Dolphin Dads.... (or brothers, or uncles, or grandpas)

Join us for the 1st Annual Daddy Daughter event!

Thursday Feb. 12th from 5:30-6:30.
We'll be enjoying special time together, eating donuts, sipping hot chocolate, and of course making a few necessities!!

We'll be making Foot Boards, a MUST for any synchronized swimmer. Athletes use these to help stretch their feet and toe points. We have some for the team, but now... all the girls will have the opportunity to make their own to use at home. (And you will use them right???)

We'll also be making special AZD Dad Shirts! Dad's just bring your own T-shirt and we'll supply the picture to be ironed on. What's it a picture of you may wonder.... well, your daughter of course!!

**No cost is involved.... so come! We'll bring all the materials, except for the T-shirts, and we'll need Dad's to bring their drills!

London's Run

Great job to everyone who participated in the London's Run Saturday morning. What a great event and a great cause!

We are so lucky to have such a great Desert Dolphin family.

Here are a few pictures from the event. 

Get ready for next year.... here we come 10K!!

Proper Suit Care

With the coming meet season, it is important to properly take care of your routine swimsuit. After all, a lot of time and effort went into making and embellishing them! Here are a few do's and don'ts.

1. ALWAYS rinse your suit with plain water after you swim in it. The sooner the better. Chlorine will fade the colors and make the elastic brittle.

2. ALWAYS hang your suit to dry. NEVER, EVER, EVER leave it in a heap, wrapped up in a towel or put it in a bag while it is wet.

3. ALWAYS make sure the headpiece and suit are COMPLETELY dry before storing them.

4. If your suit has glitter on it, don't smash it against another suit, this can cause the glitter to transfer from one suit to another, especially if the glue and glitter are still damp. Hang your suits with room to breathe.

5. Make sure your name is written inside your suit.

If you disobey these rules, the Suit Police may come and repossess your beautiful swimsuit!

Desert Dolphins to participate in London's Run

Last year the Desert Dolphins participated in the London's Run at Schnep Farms in Queen Creek, AZ. January 31st.... we're doing it again. 

We all did the 2 Mile Fun run... including parents and coaches!! And Coach Sarah represented us in the 10K!!

You won't want to miss it this year. Check out the website for more information. 

Cost is $15 per person. All participants receive a T-shirt.

**Most swimmers and their families also purchased the BBQ lunch

See you there!

http://londonsrun.org/

Looking for suit decorating ideas...

Check out this gallery from the Olypmics. It's got some wonderful pictures to give you ideas on how to design or decorate your suits!

Team Picture in USA Synchro Magazine!

Hey Everyone....

While browsing the internet, I found a picture of our Hercules Team from last year in the USA Synchro Magazine. If you didn't see/get the hard copy. Check it out!! Click the link above.

Great job ladies!

High intensity interval training (HIiT).

Short bursts of fast cardiovascular exercises will improve your performance!
This means that you will be burning up to nine times more fat while sitting on the couch later that night than you would have if you'd spent an hour on the treadmill at a moderate pace. Obviously, I am talking about intense training. You will need to push yourself out of that comfort zone you have gotten used to and really challenge yourself. If you are willing to do this, however, I can guarantee that you will spend less than half the time you usually do on those machines and get much leaner in the process.
HIIT training has a number of benefits in addition to the reduction in training time. First of all, this type of training is far superior to steady-state exercises when it comes to increasing your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen you can uptake during exercise. This means that you'll be in much better shape when it comes time to swim your routines in competition!

here are some ideas... Do a minute of the high intensity exercise then rest. Try to repeat 10 times!
Put anything on the ground and JUMP over it side to side.

If you have stairs in your house you can jump up onto the step. You could also do this on a curb outside your house!

Some girls want to be cheerleaders. By working on your jumps and flexibility you'll be a better synchro swimmer AND it'll help prepare you for cheer leading. When you do this spread eagle jump try to get height and touch your toes. Repeat until you can't talk comfortably.

Tuck jumps will strengthen you legs and help you abdominal muscles. Try to bring your knees to your chest and land softy. Be sure you wear good shoes if you are on a hard surface.

At synchro we've been working on our high kicks.

I'd LOVE if the girls did AT LEAST 30 HIGH KICKS A DAY ON EACH LEG. It'll help your splits, extension, balance, presentation, endurance and flexibility. Be sure you aren't moving your upper body and your pointing your toes! Try not to hold on to anything. It helps if you look in the mirror while you do it.

Awesome Meet!

Congrats on a great meet, girls!
Here are a few pictures from today. I didn't get pictures of everyone who placed, but we are so proud of all of you! What a great day to be a Desert Dolphin!

10 and under girls!

Meet Tips!

Hello Fellow Dolphins!!

I hope you are all feeling great and ready to go for the competition this weekend!

We wanted to give you some tips to help make your competition the best it can be!

*Remember to stay warm when you're out of the water. Bring lots of towels (3-4), a parka or a big jacket, socks, shoes, boots, mittens, etc. Anything to keep you warm. 

When you get out of the water between figures, the cold air will tighten up your muscles, and we all know how relaxed our muscles should be so we have great splits!

*Drink water! It's a long day, and even though it's cold outside, you can still get dehydrated. So drink, drink, drink, even if you feel like you don't need to. 

*Layouts and Toes! Remember, our team has a reputation for great layouts! Let's keep it up. Make sure you don't start or end your figures until you've demonstrated the best layout you and do! Also.... point them toes ladies!!

Good Luck this weekend!

The Coaches