Happy Sunday Everyone!

I have a big email for you that basically covers the whole rest of the season. Buckle up, this email is so long it probably should be accompanied by a table of contents.

It is hard to believe that we only have 3 weeks left!! The summer really flies by! I love watching your swimmer’s progress over the course of the season. It is amazing what can happen over the course of just a few weeks with consistent swimming.

At our 2 meets this past week (BCC and Distance Meet) we showed some progress with a few more kids adding another event or events to their usual line up. We had a few 8&unders complete their first legal breastrokes and butterflies (yay Zara King and Fiona Sheahan). At the distance meet I was inspired as I watched kids battle their fears and conquer a tough distance and a new event. Yay Marin Schwartz for her first 500 free at 11 years old. Also great job to our 11-12 200 freestylers Norbu Lama, Aviv Singh, Paige Buchanan, Sumi Koerner, and Hazel Derry! Great job tackling that tough event. We now have a few more events for swimmers to swim at the State Champs! I have attached results to this email and under the schedule tab and past events.

Details for This Week-

Tuesday Night- Family Night at BTC starting at 5:30pm we will have a low key night of family fun at the pool. So please come if you can. Pack your own picnic diner and share in the festivities. We will have family relays, games, and cannonball contests. If you want to let us know who will be coming by RSVPing on swimtopia that would be great. Then I will see if I have to bring my tech suit (just kidding- I don’t have a tech suit- and it’s not that kind of party). Seriously, just come, have fun, and then we will gear up for the championship season.

Thursday- Home Meet vs. Winooski-Team Photo at 4:30pm before warm-ups. Wear your team t-shirt! Sign up today! Deadline is 9pm the night before the meet, as it has been this whole season. Team shirts have been handed out to most people during morning practice sessions. We will continue to hand them out in morning practices (thank you Kelly Melasky). So please pick yours up by Thursday or have a friend pick up yours for you.

Details for the Following Week-

Tuesday Home Meet vs. TEST 7/21- Please edit your sign-ups. I have opened it back up for editing. However, you cannot edit attendance on the app. You have to go through the website- Schedule- sign-up calendar-TEST meet- Meet Entry Sign-up. Sign up for a job while you are at it too!

League Championships at Vergennes 7/24 & 25 - Friday night distance, Saturday Morning 10&Unders, and Saturday Afternoon 11&Overs.

League Championships have no qualification standards, however you must have competed in 2 dual meets with the team to compete with us at League Championships. People needing our rain date with TEST to compete at Leagues will be fine, I will just have to submit your entries later than the rest of the team. At League Champs, we are given a certain number of entries per team and I work hard to balance the needs of the individuals with the needs of the team. Usually it works out well in the end and people mostly get what they want. Please indicate whether your swimmer will be attending Leagues or not by this Friday the 17th at 9pm. I will be doing League entries all weekend. I need that time, so please commit today! If you are undeclared at the time of entry closing I assume you are not going to the meet.

I need parent help for League Buddy Bag Item Procurement and Buddy Bag Assembly. It is a fun psyche up tradition for swimmers going to League Champs to have as a gift from the team. Please sign up here to donate items or your time or both.

The last week of the season(!!)-

Tuesday (7/28) Swim Banquet at BTC- We have a potluck and hand out awards. RSVP on the website. Here is the Potluck sign-up.

State Champs at UVAC at White River Junction, VT - 8/1 and 8/2- You need 2 meets and to meet the qualification standards. Over the 2 day meet you can do up to 5 events. If you make it in 1 event you can swim in up to 4 bonus events as long as you make the bonus cut time for those 4 events. Here is the order of events for the State Meet. Please sign-up for this meet today. You can come for the whole weekend of fun or just a session. I recommend the whole weekend, why limit yourself?! 10&Unders are in the morning and 11&Overs are in the afternoon. If you have any questions about entries let me know sooner, rather than later.

My last order of business is the Food Shelf donation week is this week.

I would love to have someone's help bringing the COTS items from last week to COTS and help bringing these donations to the food shelf after this week. Please reach out to me if you are interested in helping me out. I am pretty maxed out on errands this time of year and would love to give this very worthy task to someone else.

Here is the CVSL blurb I will share with you all:

The Week of 7/13-7/17 is a Food Shelf Donation Week

The CVSL (our swim league) will continue our tradition of collecting donations to give to the local Food Shelf which provides non-perishable food items to people and families in need. This year we will expand our donation period to an entire week. Each age group is assigned suggested items to bring as donations (see chart below).

8 & Under- Peanut butter or jelly

9-10- Cereal

11-12 – Soup, chili, beans or other canned goods

13-14- Boxed Pasta, Mac & Cheese or hamburger helper

15 & Up – Tomato sauce or canned pasta

For those that prefer to support this great organization through a cash donation:

Aunt Dot's Place, Essex

Feeding Champlain Valley- serving Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle Counties

Ok, you all deserve a pat on the back and big kudos for making it here with me. Here is where I leave you to go have a fun Sunday afternoon. I hope to head to the lake or maybe the pool! Have a great night and see you all later!

Coach Hilary