August 2026 Newsletter
SAVE THE DATE
August 10 - Labor Day week (Sept 10) - break between Long Course and Short Course Season
Nov 20 - Annual Silent Auction Event (Travel Meet Fundraiser)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Hello from the Coaches
Volunteer Info
Swimmer of the Month
August Birthday’s
Thank you to our official team sponsor Arena
Shop online at SwimOutlet to support the team! Select "David Douglas Aquatics Club" as your team and every purchase gives back to DDAC with a 10% kickback! https://www.swimoutlet.com/collections/ddac
RESOURCES:
Volunteer Hours / Event Sign Up / OSI Time Standards / USA Swimming / DDAC Facebook
Translated versions: RUSSIAN SPANISH VIETNAMESE
FROM THE COACHES
COACH JIM
Hi DDAC families,
Congratulations to all DDAC swimmers and coaches for a great spring/summer season! Practice attendance was excellent all summer long, and we had fantastic participation in swim meets. Great job to coaches Bobby, Brayden, Matt, Jamie and Rudi, for their hard work with our athletes.
I hope all of you have a restful August and take some time to enjoy some non-swimming-related activities.
As we look ahead to next year, we have several challenges to address.
First of all, we have several board members leaving their positions. Andrea G. (Volunteer Coordinator and Fundraising), Jennifer L. (Secretary), and Crystal M. (Vice President) are all stepping aside at the beginning of the short course season. I want to thank all three of these individuals for the countless volunteer hours they have contributed to make this a great experience for our swimmers. They will be greatly missed.
We will need current parents to help fill these roles.
Extra strain on the budget:
Beginning next season, the club will be paying for a lifeguard to monitor the pool during all afternoon practices. This is to ensure we are following Oregon Health Authority rules and regulations. The board will be looking for the best way to manage these costs without significantly changing the dues structure.
We have seen continued success in the pool at all levels. While we are improving as a team, we still have age groups with room to develop. Continuing to refine our groups and our training habits will be a major emphasis moving forward.
With the strength of our community, coaches, and families, I am sure we will find the right people and solutions for all the challenges the next year brings.
Have a great summer and see you at the pool in the fall!
Coach Jim
COACH BOBBY
It’s Break Time
As one swim season ends and another approaches, it can be tempting to jump right back into the pool. Many swimmers worry that taking time off will cause them to lose progress or fall behind. A well-planned break is one of the most important parts of long-term athletic development.
Swimming is a demanding sport. Hours of training place stress on muscles, joints, and the cardiovascular system. A break between seasons gives the body time to recover from months of hard work, repair minor aches, and reduce the risk of overuse injuries. Athletes who allow themselves time to recover often return feeling stronger and more prepared for the next season.
The mental benefits are just as important. Competitive swimming requires focus, discipline, and commitment. Time away from structured practices allows swimmers to recharge, spend time with family and friends, and rediscover their motivation. Returning to the pool with renewed excitement often leads to better effort and improved performance throughout the season.
A break doesn't have to mean being lazy or inactive. Staying generally active through biking, hiking, playing other sports, strength training, or simply enjoying outdoor activities helps maintain fitness while giving swimming-specific muscles a chance to recover. Exploring different activities can also improve coordination, balance, and overall athleticism.
Parents can support this recovery period by encouraging healthy habits, including regular sleep, balanced nutrition, and active play without the pressure of competition. Coaches also recognize that recovery is part of training, not a break from training.
When the new season begins, swimmers should expect to ease back into workouts. It is normal for the first few practices to feel challenging. Fitness returns more quickly than most people expect, and the foundation built during the previous season doesn't disappear after a few weeks away.
The time between seasons is an opportunity, not a setback. Recovery, reflection, and renewed enthusiasm help swimmers stay healthy, prevent burnout, and continue improving year after year. Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to take a well-earned step back before diving into the next challenge.
Enjoy the break, stay active, and come back ready to make Short Course 26-27 your best season yet!
COACH BRAYDEN
DDAC Family,
What an incredible Long Course season! I couldn't be more proud of everything this team accomplished. Whether you achieved a personal best, qualified for a championship meet, learned a new skill, or simply stayed committed all season long, every swimmer should be proud of the work they put in.
A special congratulations goes out to our Top 10 Percentage Time Droppers this season! These swimmers demonstrated outstanding dedication, consistency, and determination throughout the summer. Improvement like this doesn't happen overnight; it comes from showing up to practice, trusting your coaches, supporting your teammates, and giving your best effort every single day.
Congratulations to each of these swimmers! Your hard work has paid off, and it has been exciting watching your growth throughout the season. Keep building on this momentum. We can't wait to see what you'll accomplish next!
Enjoy Your Break!
As we head into our break, I encourage everyone to enjoy it!
Swimming is a huge part of our lives, but it's also important to experience everything else life has to offer. Spend time with family and friends, ride your bike, go hiking, go camping, play outside, learn a new skill, pick up an instrument, practice your cursive, or simply relax. Taking a mental break from swimming is healthy and will help you come back refreshed, motivated, and excited for the upcoming Short Course season.
Want to Stay Ready? Here Are My Three Biggest Tips
1. Stay Active
Even if you're not swimming every day, keep your body moving! Try to stay active for at least the amount of time you would normally spend at practice. Go on walks, hikes, bike rides, play pickleball, basketball, soccer, or simply get outside and move. Staying active now will make getting back into the water much easier.
2. Build Strength
For our older swimmers, this is a fantastic opportunity to begin building strength. Whether you have access to a gym, resistance bands, dumbbells, or even homemade weights using milk jugs filled with water or sand, building strength now will pay dividends once we're back in the pool.
Remember: proper form and consistency are far more important than lifting heavy weights.
3. Try Another Sport
One of the best things you can do as an athlete is play another sport. Different sports improve coordination, balance, agility, strength, and overall athleticism while keeping competition fun.
Personally, I'll be spending A LOT of my break playing pickleball, and I can't wait! Find something you enjoy and have fun with it!
One Final Thought...
Not every practice, workout, or day is going to be perfect and that's okay.
Progress isn't measured by perfection. It's measured by consistency.
If you can strive to become just 0.01% better every single day, you're moving in the right direction. Those tiny improvements may not seem like much today, but over weeks, months, and years they become something extraordinary.
Believe in yourself.
Trust the process.
Support your teammates.
Keep showing up.
You all have the potential to accomplish amazing things, and I truly believe the best is still ahead for this team.
Thank you for making this Long Course season one to remember. Have a safe, fun, and relaxing break, and we'll see you all back on deck ready for another amazing season!
VOLUNTEER INFO
Volunteer Updates
Log Your Volunteer Hours
Any unfulfilled service hours for the Long Course Season are billed to accounts on August 1st. Any volunteer hours accrued in the month of August can still count and will be credited to your account. Log hours using this form. Email andrea.guillet@ddacswim.org with any questions.
Volunteer Opportunities
Front Desk Point Person
We are seeking a knowledgeable volunteer to step into a leadership role as our Front Desk Point Person. Key responsibilities include: managing volunteer sign-ups and schedules, communicating monthly updates to volunteers and conducting one training session per month for new volunteers. This is a great ongoing way to fulfill your own service hours every season. If you are familiar with our front desk operations and interested in this role, please email andrea.guillet@ddacswim.org
Silent Auction Helpers - Save the Date - November 20th!
After last year's success, we are gearing up for another Silent Auction event this fall and we need your help to make it a success! We are looking for energetic volunteers to solicit donations before the event. Jennifer Robinson, our silent auction mastermind, is already mapping out an outreach list, so you will have plenty of direction. If outreach isn't your jam, we have plenty of other critical tasks where your skills can shine. Every bit of support makes a difference for our team. Please email Jennifer.robinsonddac@gmail.com today to get involved!
Star Parents
We still need parent volunteers from Bronze, Bronze+, Gold+, Senior, and Senior+ squads to help celebrate our athletes' hard work! We need help tracking swimmer achievements on the squad posters located in the back hallway near the locker rooms. The task is to check results after each swim meet, place star stickers next to names for qualifying times (State, Regionals, etc.) and keep the visual board updated to motivate swimmers to reach the next level. This is a good task for ongoing volunteer hours each season. If you can help represent your child's squad, please reach out to brayden.franzke@ddacswim.org
Become an Official
We are still in need of more swim officials to represent DDAC. We are required to provide officials at every meet we host and attend. The more officials we have, the more opportunities it creates for our swimmers.
Becoming an official is not only a key way to support our swimmers, but it also provides an excellent opportunity to earn volunteer hours and comes with many perks. Please review this info document for detailed information on the roles, benefits, and steps required to become an official.
SWIMMER’S OF THE MONTH - JULY
Senior+ = Topher Ashmore
Senior = Violeta Arancibia
Gold+ = Will Worthing
Gold = Ethan Chen
Silver+ = Grigorii Vasilenko
Silver = Josie Hoang
Bronze+ = Holly Chen
Bronze = Alex Chen
BIRTHDAY’S
08/01/2010 Aaron Lei Senior
08/05/2015 Victoria Nguyen Bronze
08/30/2013 Ivy Nguyen Gold
08/01/2016 Ananda OngVo Pre-Comp
08/08/2015 Nehemiah Petros Bronze II
08/19/2015 Sofia Ursu Bronze
08/13/2015 Oliver Wynn Bronze
08/07/2016 Azalea Zedonek Bronze
08/25/2014 Emeline Bowe Silver II
08/15/2015 Donald Carpenter Bronze
08/12/2011 Journey Ceaser Gold
08/16/2017 Holly Chen Bronze
08/08/2013 Sukey Chen Silver II
08/25/2014 Mara Davis Silver II
08/20/2011 Jason Huang Silver II
08/18/2011 Adrian Kue Silver II
BOARD MEMBERS
Jennifer Robinson – Member Representative
jennifer.robinson@ddacswim.org
Halle Cisco – Marketing & Communications
halle.cisco@ddacswim.org
Jamie King – Coach
jamie.king@ddacswim.org
Coaches:
bobby.deroest@ddacswim.org
brayden.franzke@ddacswim.org
James Bowe – President
jim.bowe@ddacswim.org
Crystal Mandery – Vice President
crystal.mandery@ddacswim.org
Jennifer Lindeman – Secretary
jennifer.lindeman@ddacswim.org
Heather Franklin – Treasurer
heather.franklin@ddacswim.org
Andrea Guillet – Volunteer Coordinator
andrea.guillet@ddacswim.org