Leagues Update

LEAGUES!
This Saturday, July 28th, we have the Southern Vermont Swim League Championships at Rutland.  This meet will feature all the teams in our league so, needless to say, it's going to be quite the event!  Our 10 and Unders will be swimming during the morning session which starts at 9:00.  All the 11 and Overs will be be swimming during the afternoon session, starting at 1:30.  We do not yet have specific warmup times but we do know that they will be between 7:30-8:30 for the morning session and between 12:00-1:00 for the afternoon session.  There will also be a concession stand running all day that will sell food, swimsuits, and goggles.  Meet programs (which are very helpful to have) will be sold at the gate when entering the pool area.  We are really excited about this meet and we hope all our swimmers are too!

Picnic Reminder!
Don't forget: next Tuesday evening, July 31st, will be our annual Swim Team Picnic!  The event will be a potluck and we'll be sure to let you know more specifically what to bring.  This night is always a ton of fun and we hope that everyone will be able to make it, so mark your calendars!

Happy Swimming
Nicola, Maddie, and Sam

Two Meets and a Picnic 7/18/12

Hello WST!

Last night's meet was a great (albeit slightly stormy) success!  We are so happy with the way everyone swam.  We have three swimmers for whom this was their first WST meet.  Congratulations to Will Duane, Liam Harper, and Norah Harper on a great first meet!  In addition we had a number of kids qualify for states by dropping time on some of their swims.  One thing to keep in mind: swimmers need to compete in at least three meets (including Leagues) in order to be eligible to participate in States.  We have one more away meet and then Leagues so if your swimmer doesn't quite have enough meets, make sure they're swimming in both.

Quechee Meet
Next Tuesday, the 24th, we will be travelling to Quechee for our last regular season meet before Leagues.  We ask that swimmers arrive by 4:15 in order to have plenty of time to get ready for warmups.

Team Picnic
Our end of year Team Picnic is July 31st, the Tuesday right before States, so make sure it's marked on your calendars.  We hope that everyone will be able to attend, and we'll be sure and supply more details in the coming weeks!

Happy Swimming!
Nicola, Maddie, and Sam

7/9/12 Update!

Hi All!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

Tomorrow, July 10^th, is our Team Picture Day!  Pictures will be at 12:45 so our younger swimmers will already be here but our older group needs to arrive to practice early so they can be in the picture too.  We also would like swimmers to wear their team bathing suits so that we can have something of a uniform look for our team.

Pancake Brunch

Thank you, thank you, and thank you to everyone who came to the brunch and donated money for this fundraiser.  Even though this was our first go around running the Pancake Brunch as a fundraiser it was wonderfully successful!  Our hope was to raise at least $150, but we more than doubled that with over $300 donated!  We are so happy about the equipment that this money will allow us to purchase for the team.

Rutland Sprints Overview.

At Sprints this past weekend all of the swimmers in attendance performed extremely well with a number of them taking top finishes, and even a broken record.  For the coaches though we were most pleased by all the swimmers’ improvement in regards to disqualifications.  Our swimmers have really worked hard to improve their strokes and it showed Saturday as our disqualifications decreased dramatically!

Meet Reminder for July 14^th

On Saturday, July 14^th we have a home meet.  We’re asking swimmers to arrive by 8:45 that morning so we can be in the water for warm-ups at 9:00.  It’s going to be a great meet so make sure we’re all there ready to go!

Happy Swimming!

Nicola, Maddie, and Sam

Pancakes on Friday, July 6th 2012

And don’t forget!  PANCAKE BRUNCH this Friday!  12:00-2:00 out on the pool deck.  Be sure and RSVP by signing up on the swim team bulletin board so that we know how many people will be in attendance.

7/3/12 Update

Well done on our meet tonight, swimmers!  We want to say a special thank you to all our parent volunteers; without you this meet would not have happened!  And swimmers: job well done!  Rutland won this meet by a slim two points, but all of our swimmers put in such an excellent effort we as a coaching staff could not be happier.  Ribbons will be available after practice on Thursday.  Our meet was a rousing success not only in terms of the effort put in by all of our swimmers, but also in regards to the number of swimmers competing in their first WST swim meet ever!    We want to say a special congratulations to our new swimmers who have competed in at least one meet this year: Sarah Lackley, Khara Brettell, Ben Johnson, Joe Johnson, Tamsin Mueller, Tatum Mueller, Jake Carey, Andrew Feddersen, Katrina Feddersen, Declan McCullough, Lilia McCullough, Sola Minotti, Endine Peters, Gaven Schain, Anna Steele, Kendall Taylor, Emma Webb and Keira Zayas!  Everyone has been swimming so well and we are so excited to see this many new swimmers so willing to hop in the water and take part in meets!   One more reminder about Rutland Sprints: money needs to be turned in by 11 AM on the 6th, this is a change from the previous due time.  We will not enter a swimmer if we do not have money by this time.   Tomorrow during the 4th of July coaches will not be returning emails as we will be out of the office.  We will reply when we are back in on Thursday! No practice tomorrow. Enjoy the holiday, and we will see you on Thursday!

7/2/12 Update!

Stroke and Turn Clinic #3 (Quechee)

Monday July 2nd in Quechee at 7:00pm

Location: Quechee Club Base Lodge:

This is it folks!  Tonight is the final stroke and turn clinic in Quechee.  The clinic will be held in the Queche Club Base Lodge.  The Base Lodge is the white building diagonally across from the Club House.  For those of you looking for an address for map quest or GPS, it is 3268 Quechee Main St. The Base Lodge is across the street from this address.

Rutland Meet is Tomorrow!

Swimmers are asked to be here tomorrow at 3:45 ready to go.  In addition, for all home meets our concession stand will need plenty of food so we're asking parents to bring food for the concession stand so we have something to sell during the meet!  For parents of first year swimmers especially, our handbook has a whole section on what things are important to bring to meets; this includes everything from multiple towels, to water and food.  So please check the handbook if you're not sure what should be brought to meets!

PANCAKES!

This Friday, July 6th, from 12:00-2:00 is our annual Pancake Breakfast!  This event is always tons of fun and this year looks to be no different.  Our one change for this year is the fact that we will be running the breakfast as a fundraiser.  We have a number of pieces of swim equipment that we would like to purchase for the team but we need to funds to do so.  Our minumum goal is to raise at least $150 from this event, and with close to 90 swimmers on the team this year we're really hoping to pull in even more than that!  We will supply the food and some of our older swimmers will be doing the cooking so parents are only asked to bring themselves and their families!  A sign up sheet is on the Swim Team Bulletin Board so if parents could stop by and sign up that would be much appreciated.  The suggested donation is $3 per person, and remember: whole family is invited, not just the swimmers!

Rutland Sprints on 7/7/12

For those going to Rutland Sprints this Saturday we're asking swimmers to arrive by 8:00 and be ready to warmup by 8:15.  For those going the $5 entrance fee needs to be paid by 2:00 PM on the 6th, otherwise the swimmer will not be entered.

Housekeeping Items

- Caps are for sale in the upstairs Rec office for $6.  If your swimmer does not own a cap, especially our female swimmers, it would be a good idea to purchase one

- There are still swimmers for whom we do not have meet sign up sheets and/or health forms.  Check the bulletin board to see if your swimmer is still missing one or both of these items.

- The only meets that require a separate entrance fee are invitational meets.  Our normal meets do not cost anything extra!

Happy Swimming!

Nicola, Maddie, and Sam

Suits, Ribbons, and Pancakes!

Hi all,
Great job to all the swimmers who braved the cold and attended the meet at Manchester yesterday and thank you to all of our volunteers who helped the meet run smoothly.  We couldn't have done it without you!
Team suits are in!  Swimmers can pick them up at practice from a coach.
Ribbons from Manchester are also in!  They can be picked up from the ribbon box at practice in folders with swimmers' names on them.

Upcoming events:
-Final Stroke & Turn Clinic: Monday, July 2nd at 7:00pm at the Quechee pool
-Our annual Pancake Breakfast will take place on Friday, July 6th from 12:00-2:00pm.  This year the event will be a FUNdraiser for our team.  More details to come!
-We have a home meet against Rutland on Tuesday, July 2nd.  Be sure to let us know if something changes with a swimmer's entry status. 

Happy swimming :)
Maddie and Sam

Manchester Meet

Hi all,
The weather predicted for the meet in Manchester this afternoon is not ideal, and it is especially important that swimmers bring warm clothes, extra towels, and any other items they need to stay warm and dry.  As of now, the meet is on.  If at some point today it is canceled, we will let you know through the blog and by email.  Otherwise, we will see you in Manchester!

Icebreaker Invitational Results and Manchester

Hi everyone,
Congratulations to all of the swimmers who participated in the meet in Springfield!  Results are posted on our swim team bulletin board (in the downstairs of the Rec near the entrance) and will be emailed out.  Also, on the bulletin board there is a sheet indicating those from whom we do not yet have Meet Sign-up sheets.  Without these we cannot enter swimmers into meets so please make sure to turn them in to a coach. 
As a reminder, there is no afternoon practice tomorrow, June 26th because of our away meet in Manchester (for those in the meet, arrive at 4:15, warm-ups at 4:30).
Happy swimming!
 

First Day of Practice!

Hi WST Families!

We are so excited to have everyone swimming with us this summer!  Our first day of practice was an absolute success!  Our returning swimmers were on the ball and excited to get back in the pool which was very encouraging to see.  We want to offer a special welcome to our new swimmers who did an excellent job on their first day! This summer looks like it’s shaping up to be a great one.  There are a few things for parents to keep in mind as they’re sending kids to practice though.  The first is sunscreen!  Especially early in the year swimmers are going to be very prone to burns, so please make sure that your swimmers have plenty of protection while they’re at practice.  The second is water!  Because swimmers are surrounded by water during workouts they often forget that they actually are exercising, sweating, and in need of fluid replenishment, so please make sure your child has a water bottle from which to drink during and after practice.  Again, welcome to our new swimmers and welcome back to our returners!

Thanks so much!

Nicola, Maddie, and Sam

Icebreaker Invitational and Stroke & Turn Clinics

Icebreaker Invitational
When: Sunday, June 24th (warmup time TBD)
Where: CRVS (Springfield).  Directions available at www.svslvt.org under "Pool directions" in the column on the left
There is a $5 fee per swimmer.  We need this money BEFORE we can enter your swimmer, so please either leave it at the front desk or bring it on the first day of practice!


Stroke & Turn Clinics

Clinic #1 (Brattleboro)
Wednesday June 13th in Brattleboro at 6:30 pm.
Location: Brattleboro Savings and Loan Community Room on Main St. in Brattleboro

Clinic #2 (Springfield)
Sunday June 24th in Springfield at 8:00 am
Location: Edgar May Health and Recreation Center
Mentoring Program to follow during IceBreaker Meet

Clinic #3 (Quechee)
Monday July 2nd in Quechee at 7:00pm
Location: Quechee Club Base Lodge

Summer 2012

Registration Night is June 6th.

First Day of Practice is June 20th.

Last Practice is August 3rd.

Don't forget, we will need Stroke and Turn officials for the 2012 season. Please contact WSTcoaches@gmail.com if you would like to get involved or have questions.