Hello Gators Families! 

We have had a few days of great practices, it's so nice to see so many kids in the water! We wanted to remind everyone that there is NO PRACTICE tomorrow, Memorial Day, we hope you can enjoy the day with your family and honor all those who have served our country. 

 One very important change for practices, we had to change our time slightly because the lap swim and lessons are scheduled to start at 10:15 each day. In order to make this work, our Green group will now end at 8:55 instead of 9:00. Purple session 1 will start at 8:55 and end at 9:35 and Purple session 2 will start at 9:35 and end at 10:15. We know it's only 5 minutes, but please let us know if this causes any issues for your family and we'll try to problem solve with you. 

The Season Kick-Off Picnic is on Tuesday! We hope to see as many of you as we can, 6:00 at Grant (Ladybug) Park. I apologize that the link I sent out last week wasn't working. You can still RSVP by signing in on the website, click on Season Kick-Off Picnic and click RSVP. Please RSVP, we want to make sure that the buddies know who to expect and make sure we know who needs t-shirts made! 

Our first meet is quickly approaching! This Saturday, June 4th we will be swimming against the Platte Canyon Piranhas at their pool: Normandy Swim Club 5380 W. Coal Mine Rd. The meet sign up is open, please make sure you submit the races your swimmer will be competing in by 11 am on Wednesday in order to participate. To sign up: Go to "Schedule/Signup" tab and click on "Meet Sign-up Instructions". If you will not be attending, please make sure to mark that. Warmup starts at 6:00am for the upper division (Silver, Junior, Senior) and 6:30am for lower division (Green & Purple). If you are volunteering, make sure you find Kirsten Suazo to check in. If you are on the second shift, please listen for the announcement for volunteers to meet before the break, which happens after event number 48. If you are wondering what you should bring and what to expect please check the website under Meets-Prep for Meets. If your child is nervous about the meets, you can always come watch the meet without participating, so that they will feel more comfortable in the future. 

Our team pictures this year will be on June 14th. Pictures begin at 8 am so please make sure you are there and ready before then. If you want to pre-order pictures you can use this link: https://forms.gle/GWFqsnUp6DAG2DDN9 or to find the link on the website, click on "Team Pictures" under the "Home" tab. Please make sure everyone is at the pool by 8 for the team photo. Individual photos will happen after the group photo. We will still hold practice on this day with some slight modifications. The Senior, Junior and Silver groups will end at 8 for the group photo. The Green group will begin practice immediately following the group photo and do their individual pictures after practice. The two purple groups will do individual photos following the group photo, and then practice at their normal time. 

You will get to meet your big/little buddies at the Kick-Off Picnic on Tuesday. You can find the buddy list by going to the "Resources" tab on the website and selecting "Swim Buddies". This program is designed to help our younger swimmers get to know someone older and encourage team spirit as they can cheer for each other during races. Often they will write encouraging notes or give small gifts if you want to. It really helps promote team spirit and connection. 

It is so good to be back at the pool with everyone! We had a chilly and quiet start to practice this past week. After Memorial Day things will begin to pick up. The State times have been announced and will be posted on our team website. The times for the Ken Caryl Invite have not been finalized, but those will be posted as soon as we receive them. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

The start of a new season, whether it’s sports, school, or life, is a great time to think about setting new goals. We encourage you to take a few minutes to consider what you would like to accomplish during this swim season. Perhaps it’s a specific time in a particular event, or a State qualifying time. Others may be working to master a particular stroke, or even to be able to independently swim across the pool. Having a specific goal gives you something to work toward at every practice. This gives purpose and focus to each lap and each set that you swim. Share your goal with your family, as well as your coaches. We are here to help support you in reaching these goals and when you share them with us we are better able to help you achieve them. The coaching staff is very excited to be back with you at the pool and we look forward to all the fun, hard work, and growth that is going to take place this summer!

-Coach Meagan, Coach Avery, and your Junior Coaches