Green Mountain Swim Club Black Friday Sale

The Green Mountain Swim Club's first sale for the 2020 pool season is near!  They will run a Black Friday Blowout Sale which will be limited in time and quantity.  Any purchased Black Friday Sale memberships will need to be paid via PayPal when signing up.  Please remember the price will never go down for a pool membership, so don’t miss the bargain price of the year, $395.00.   The membership prices will NOT be lower, and will only move up to full price as opening day approaches.

Only 4 days until the Fall Swim Clinic starts!

Sunday evening swims start this weekend, going through November 17th.  5:00-6:00pm at the
Green Mountain Rec Center.  Cost is $100.  Click here to register!

GMST FALL SWIM CLINIC

The Fall swim clinic dates have been set! Please join us on Sundays for some indoor pool time. Keep your stroke in line and your swimmer legs kicking.

Sunday 9/15 - Sunday 11/17
Sundays only from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Green Mountain Rec Center
Cost: $100
Registration:  click here
** Note all ages will swim from 5-6pm. If we have more than 35 swimmers register, we will add an upper division specific session from 6-7pm.

Swimmer Files are Full and Waiting to be Picked Up!

Gator Families -- I have moved the swimmer file box into the Guards Office at the pool. Please stop by any time the pool is open to get your items from the box.  The box includes: awards from State, awards and ribbons from the Banquet, awards from Ken Caryl Invite (we just got these for some reason), Swimmer Profile of all races this season and any/all ribbons that weren't picked up this season. 

Thank you for a successful (and fast!) 2019 summer swim session. We look forward to seeing you at Clinic in the off-season or for the 2020 summer season.

We need 2 more timers for the 400;s tonight

Please volunteer if you can. thank you.

Friday practice news

For practice on Friday, tomorrow, swimmers can wear socks in the pool. Also, if you are a 400 swimmer, your practice will start at 9:00. The 400 swimmer breakfast will be at Denny's and we will be getting there sometime between 10:00 and 10:30. Anyone is welcome, though only 400 swimmers will get their breakfast paid for.

Warm up Times + Parent Volunteers for State

They kept us waiting but warm up times and parent volunteer slots were finally released.  Please see the side of the blog.  Note:  they are splitting up the 8&unders to their very own warm up time.  If you are a Saturday swimmer, please make sure you pick the correct warm up time. We have two different slots based on age.  See you at State. SWIM FAST GATORS!

TEAM BANQUET- GATOR STYLE - WEDNESDAY NIGHT

We will get together to recognize our swimmers and coaches for an outstanding season, share our thank yous and hand out some awards. We would like to invite all swimmers and their families to our end of the season banquet.  This will be at the Green Mountain Swim Club (which will be closed for our event). The team will provide pizza and water/lemonade.  We are asking families to bring a side dish and/or dessert based on your Last Name to share in our potluck style dinner. 

Time:  5:30 pm - 8:30 pm (or early or later. Hard to say exactly)

Date:  Wednesday, July 24

Place:  GMSC

Bring:  last name begins with A-L: side dish //  last name begins with M-Z: dessert

Also, you may want to bring a camp chair to sit in, a camera to take pics, and cocktails for the board members :)

We look forward to seeing all of our Gator families on Wednesday!

BANQUET, PHOTOS, AND STATE OH MY!

Congratulations to all our League swimmers and all our non-League swimmers that helped the whole team swim faster! We took 3rd in League and had some amazing record breaking swims.  Good night do we have some fast kids!!

Monday 7/22: practice for State swimmers only (see time details below)
Tuesday 7/23: practice for State swimmers only
Wednesday 7/24:  TEAM BANQUET @ 5:30 pm!!!
Thursday 7/25: practice for State swimmers only / State T-Shirt-Making Party @ 5:30-6:30pm
Friday 7/26: practice for State swimmers only / State 400's
Saturday 7/27:  STATE - Lower Division
Sunday 7/28:  STATE - Upper Division

- Photos:  I will have all the team photos that were ordered on picture day at the Banquet. If you miss the Banquet, your photos will be in your swimmer file in the Guards Office at the pool.
- Practices:  Upper Division(age 13+) practice will be from 7:00 am - 8:00 am ALL WEEK / Lower Division(all age 12 and under)  practice will be from 8:00 am - 9:00 am ALL WEEK
- Team Banquet: We will get together to recognize our swimmers and coaches for an outstanding season, share our thank yous and hand out some awards. We would like to invite all swimmers and their families to our end of the season banquet.  This will be at the Green Mountain Swim Club (which will be closed for our event). The team will provide pizza and water/lemonade.  We are asking families to bring a side dish and/or dessert based on your Last Name to share in our potluck style dinner. 
Time:  5:30 pm - 8:30 pm (or early or later. Hard to say exactly)
Date:  Wednesday, July 24
Place:  GMSC
Bring:  last name begins with A-L: side dish //  last name begins with M-Z: dessert
Also, you may want to bring a camp chair to sit in, a camera to take pics, and cocktails for the board members :)
- State T-shirt Party:  Every year we like to spray paint t-shirts to pump up for State! Please bring a white t-shirt/tank top and $5. We will supply the spray paint and stencils.  We will be at the pool from 5:30 - 6:30 pm on Thursday night.
- State Meet:  The State Meet is at Stapleton this year. I will have volunteer opportunities posted as soon as they assign our team the responsibilities. We will have a few pop-up tents, so feel free to add to the tent village when you show up. We love having all our swimmers and parents in the same area :)

WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS AT LEAGUE!

We have open spots for Deck Marshall at every single shift for League!  We don't exactly know what this position does, but they'll tell us when we get there. You'll probably just get to boss people around and tell them to get back to the parent side of the pool. Could be fun :) If your child is swimming, you are expected to help in some way.  The Board has been working overtime filling in missing volunteer spots and we can't do it alone.  Thank you in advance for stepping up.

LEAGUE REMINDERS

Friday 7/19:  400's are at the Stingrays pool
Saturday 7/20: Events 7-64 @ Splash
Sunday 7/21:  Events 65-110 @ Splash
** see blog for warm up and start time details **

We are not allowed to have our circus tent at League.  We will bring all 4 of our pop-up tents to make a team area. It will be HOT so please bring your own pop up tent to add to the team village if you can.

Night Practices - Done

Night practices will not be held during League and State week.

Pool is Open (and other fun things this week)!

We normally start League swimming on Monday, however all swimmers are welcome to Monday practice since we have an Intrasquad on Monday night.

Monday:  all swimmer practice / INTRASQUD #3 @ 6:00pm
Tuesday:  start of League practice - only athletes swimming at League should attend practice
Wednesday: TEAM MOVIE NIGHT @ 8:30 pm (weather permitting)
Friday: practice a.m. / League 400's
Saturday:  League
Sunday:  League
Wednesday 7/24:  TEAM BANQUET @ 5:30pm

Details:
- Practices:  League practice will be @ GMSC at the standard times they have been all season.  State practices (starting Monday 7/22) will shift a bit.  All Upper Division 6:30 am - 8: am / All Lower Division (12 and under)  8:00 am - 9:00 am
- Intrasquad:  Yes, your times count towards League and State. Swim Fast!  We will be serving pizza and snacks. Bring your cash :)
- Movie Night: All swim team families/kids are welcome. The pool closes at 8pm and we will start getting settled into movie time starting at 8:30pm. We will be movie watching only, no swimming. Kids are welcome to bring blankets, pillows and come dressed in pajamas. This is our end of year treat for our swimmers.  We will be showing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Intrsquad - Rescheduled to Monday 7/15

The Intrasquad has been rescheduled to Monday night. Warm up at 6:00 pm, start 6:30 pm.
Note: We are asking all athletes to swim only 2 events, unless they are trying to qualify for League/State. Thanks.

Reminder: We still need volunteers for all meets. Thanks.

Meet Sign up + Volunteers Needed

Meet Sign up Sheets:  Coach Ben has the sign up sheets for the Saturday meet in Golden and the Sunday Last Chance meet at Stingrays.  Please have your swimmers check in with their coaches to sign up.

Volunteers Needed:  We need 24 timers for Saturday (3 shifts of 8) and 10 timers (2 shifts of 5) for this weekend. Thank you in advance for volunteering.

PS. We have no update on the pool as of Wednesday night. 

No Night Practice Tonight, Tuesday 7/9

due to the pool being closed, there will be no night practice tonight

Pool Closure + Updates on Practices and Meets

The pool will be closed for a few days. We do not have a date for re-opening.

PRACTICES:  all practices will be held at Green Mountain Rec the remainder of the week. The times have changed. Please see below for your age group.

Wednesday 7/10 & Thursday 7/11 @ Green Mountain Rec (Night Practices- all age groups) Please meet outside the rec center on the lawn between the pickle ball courts and the pool.  Please come dressed in your swim suits with shoes and dry land training clothes on top of your suits. These will tight practices with quick turn-around times and we don't want to see kids waste 20 minutes in the locker rooms between transitions.
-6:30 pm - 7:30 pm:  8 & Unders:  dryland first 30 minutes, swimming last 30 minutes
-7:00 pm - 8:00 pm: 9 - 12 yr olds: dryland first 30 minutes, swimming last 30 minutes
-7:30 pm - 8:30 pm: Upper Division: dryland first 30 minutes, swimming last 30 minutes

Friday 7/12 @ Green Mountain Rec (Morning Practices- all age groups)
-7:00 am - 8:00 am: Upper Division:  dryland first 30 minutes, swimming last 30 minutes
-7:30 am  -8:30 am:  9 - 12 yr olds:  dryland first 30 minutes, swimming last 30 minutes
-8:00 am - 9:00 am: 8 & Unders: dryland first 30 minutes, swimming last 30 minutes

INTRASQUAD:  The Wednesday meet has been cancelled.  However, we are trying to re-schedule for Monday night. This is TBD, so stay tuned.

SATURDAY MEET v. GENESSE:   Our meet has been moved to Golden for a Tri-meet with Golden and AAC.  Genesse will be going to Wheatridge for a tri-meet with other teams. I will update the sign up genius once we know our responsibilities.  Warm up time is TBD.

Dry land Practice on Tuesday

The pool was temporarily closed tonight due to the cloudy nature of the water.  We will not be allowed to swim until further notice. 

It's Gator week, so we got this!  We will be doing dry land training at practice.  Same practice times, same location, different shoes. (as in, wear shoes, along with your workout clothes).

Intrasquad - Coaches & Parent Relay

Hey Parents! It's your time to show off your swimming skills to our gator-athletes. Or flop around, look silly, and give the gator kids a good laugh.  --- We are looking for 4 to 8 parents that are willing to be on a relay team to race the coaches at the end of our last Intrasquad Meet (this Wednesday 7/10).  Bring your suit and check in with Danielle when you get to the meet.  THANKS!!

Gator Week Update

Hey all, we have gator week ahead of us, which means practices will be more difficult. As a result, there will be a no tolerance policy for tardiness at practice. Hopping in the pool late has been an issue this whole season, and so starting Monday, those who are late to warm up will be asked to head home and make up the practice time Tuesday and Thursday night. I'm implementing this policy to prevent injuries, as warm up and cool down are important when it comes to alleviating strain on joints and muscles. Spread the word, I would hate to have to send swimmers home. Let's all have a great gator week!

The Final Push to League and State!

IT'S GATOR WEEK!! This is the last big push to qualify for League and State and practice gets a little exciting this week. Plan for your kids to be tired :)

Monday 7/8: Gator Week practices start.
Tuesday 7/9: upper division night practice 8:00 pm
Wednesday 7/10:  Instrasquad Meet - starts at 5:30 pm
Thursday 7/11:  upper division night practice 8:00 pm
Friday: End of Gator Week!
Saturday:  GMST vs. GEN at our pool
Sunday: Last Chance Meet at Stingrays
Wednesday 7/25: Team Banquet @ GMSC.

Practice Schedule:  If your athlete does not qualify for league or state, then this will be their last week of practice. 
- Practice for League Athletes:  Monday 7/15 - Friday 7/19
- Practice for State Athletes: Monday 7/22 - 7/26 (practices times may change. Stay tuned)

Last Chance Meet:  This meet is a last ditch effort to qualify for League or State.  You must have a B time or better or have a reasonable chance of getting close to a league time to sign up for this meet. There are no relays and the meet runs pretty fast.

Team Banquet:  The team banquet is in two weeks, but I wanted to make sure that it was on your calendar. This is a fun night to celebrate your athletes, hand out some awards and eat awesome food from all the families!

No tents at AAC

I received N update from AAC today. Probably best to leave tents at home (see below):
We’re looking forward to our meet tomorrow.  I wanted to give you a heads up about our grounds.  I understand from speaking with our pool management that our grounds are a bit of a mess with the foot traffic from the 4^th and the rain and hail that came in late yesterday.  As a result, the grass may not be available for the meet tomorrow.  If that happens we should have more than enough space for both teams within the confines of our pool deck and pavilions.

July 5th Upper Division practice late start

Hey all, to ensure that we can all enjoy the 4th to the fullest, upper division practice will start at 7:00 instead of 6:30. Try to spread the word to those who might not see this post, as I don't want anyone to show up at 6:30 to find no one there. So enjoy your 4th knowing that you won't have to wake up quite as early.

Volunteers Needed for AAC Meet

We are still in need of 9 timers for the meet on Saturday.  AAC a smaller than normal team this weekend because of the July 4th holiday and we will only be having 2 timing shifts.  Please sign up. We plan to be done with the meet around 11 am.  Thanks.

Reminders for Week of 7/1

Tuesday:  Upper Division Night Practice - 8-9pm
Thursday:  NO PRACTICES - JULY 4TH
Saturday:  Away meet @ Applewood Athletic

Volunteers for AAC Meet: Timers are still needed! Please sign up.
Team Photos- you can still order team photos or Age Group Photos from our awesome Photographer, Alex Hearn. Orders forms and her contact info is on the right side of the blog.
WaterWorld:  you can purchase discounted tickets all season long with our swim team link. Details on the right side of the blog.

Reminders for Week of 6/24

Monday 6/24:  No practice
Wednesday 6/26:  no practice - team/individual picture day / pancake breakfast / WaterWorld
Saturday 6/28: BYE weekend, no meets

Details:
- Please find the order form for pictures on the blog, as well as the link to buy discounted tickets to Waterworld.
- We still need volunteers for the pancake breakfast. Click here to sign up.

Pentathlon and C/D meet cancelled

Due to poor weather this weekend, the Pentathlon and C/D meet, which were scheduled for this Sunday, have been cancelled. We will still be taking Monday off from practice, so I'm looking forward to us all being rested up and ready to go on Tuesday. Have a good extended weekend!

Friday 6/20/19 Upper division practice update

Tomorrow's upper division practice will be optional for those swimming at the Ken Caryl meet that night. The later sessions, held by Lexie and Emma, will be mandatory as usual. I'm looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow, whether at the meet or at practice.

Please pick up your trash

Several people approached me after the intrasquad tonight and told me that the area near the shelter was left in a mess that they cleaned up.  Swimmers - please make sure to pick up your trash before you leave from practices or meets!

REMINDER: INTRASQUAD ON WEDNESDAY

Intrasquad Meet on 6/19 @ GMSC -- Warm up @5:00 pm / start @ 5:30pm -- Concessions and Gator gear will be sold at the meet. Get your hoodies and tank tops. You never know which one you'll need this season!

No night practice tonight, 6/18/19

Because I'm really not feeling well, I'd like to focus my energies on morning practices. Sorry for the inconvenience, I'll do my best to get better ASAP.

Swimmers of the Week

The swimmers of the week are Everett Tompkins and Lily Bell. Both of these swimmers were chosen not only for their great swims this weekend, but also because of their amazing attitudes at practice and at meets. Everett is always active at meets, cheering for his friends and giving advice to anyone who needs it. Lily is always a champ at practice, pushing herself every day in order to improve while also leading her lane and doing her best to keep them on task.

Congratulations to both of you swimmers, for your hard work both in the pool and as leaders among your peers. Come see me tomorrow for your prizes.

Week of 6/17: Another Big Week!!

We have an exciting swim week with lots happening!

Monday:    practice
Tuesday:    practice
Wednesday: practice a.m. // Intrasquad 5pm
Thursday:    practice (entries due to Coach Ben for Pentathlon)
Friday:       practice a.m. // KC Invite upper division
Saturday:   KC Invite lower divisions
Sunday:     C/D Meet @ Splash // Pentathlon @ AAC
Monday     6/24:  NO PRACTICE!

Details:-- Intrasquad Meet:  All swimmers can swim up to 3 events. No relays.  Warm up @ 5:00, start @ 5:30pm
We will be selling Gator gear at the Intrasquad meet :)

-- Ken Caryl Invite:Friday, June 21, 2019
Ages 13-14 and 15-18
Events: 1-4 (400’s)
Warm-Up: 12:30 PM
Start 1:00 PM
Events: 5-40
Warm-Up: 3:00 PM
Start: 4:00 PM

Saturday, June 22, 2019
Ages 9-10 Boys, 11-12 ALL
Events: 42-67
Warm-Up: 6:00 AM
Start: 7:00 AM

Ages 9-10 Girls, 8 & Unders All
Events: 68-94
Warm-Up: 12:00 PM
Start: 1:00 PM

-- C/D Meet:
This meet is for athletes who have NO Time in an event or have C or D times in their events.  This is a fun meet for swimmers that are still building their strength and want to compete against athletes at their same level. This meet is generally over by 10-10:30 am.  If you plan to attend this meet, we will need you to help time. Thank you!
warm up time:  TBD, we have not received yet / start: 7:00 am

-- Pentathlon:
This is an I.M. meet. Athletes will swim in all 5 events at the meet. Swimmers must have a B time or better in 3 of the 5 events.
- 8 and unders (i) 25 Fly; (ii) 25 Back; (iii) 25 Breast; (iv) 25 Free; and (v) 100 IM
- 9-12 (i) 50 Fly; (ii) 50 Back; (iii) 50 Breast; (iv) 50 Free; and (v) 100 IM
- 13-18 (i) 100 Fly; (ii) 100 Back; (iii) 100 Breast; (iv) 100 Free; and (v) 200 IM
warm up time:  6:40 am - 7:00 am / start 7:00 am

Evening practice is cancelled tomorrow night

The club is hosting movie night Thursday, June 13th.  After hours swimming will be allowed, which means that we'll have to cancel evening practice.  It will resume next Tuesday.

Pictures, Pancakes & WaterWorld

It's only 2 weeks away, so start planning!

I wanted to give all the swimmer families (new and old) an idea of what our Pictures, Pancakes  and Water World day will look like.  These fun activities are scheduled for Wednesday, June 26th. 
Please note there is no regular morning swim practice on this day.

Starting at 7:30am we will begin taking individual/buddy swimmer pictures.  There will be an order form on the right side of blog, as well as some copies at picture day. Please have this form completed when you arrive.

At 8:00am we will begin our BIG team picture. If you aren't getting individual pictures taken we ask you arrive no later than 8:00am so you can be included in the team picture.  Please make sure you wear your team swimming suit. 

While the pictures are being taken we will have people preparing Gatorcakes (green pancakes).  There is a volunteer sign-up on the right side of the blog for parents to help cook and also bring some food. 

After the pictures have been taken and Gatorcakes have been eaten, it is off to WaterWorld.  Please know this is not a required event.  Also know that there is no adult supervision so you will need to plan accordingly.  Below is a link and instructions on how to purchase discounted WaterWorld tickets.  Our team receives discounted tickets which can be purchased and printed online.

To purchase WaterWorld tickets please visit:
 https://calypsoclub.waterworldcolorado.com/affiliate.asp?ID=50F8949F-61B1-4EE7-8F31-52797430F005  Once on this page you will be prompted for a Password. 
The password to purchase tickets is GMGators.

You can purchase tickets for your family and friends to go on this day or any day in the 2019 season.

This link will also allow you to purchase discounted for Adventure Golf and Raceway, in case you
need something to do during the summer.

Find Your Buddy

If you do not see your name on the list, then talk to Emma. She has been taking names and assigning buddies trying to make sure everyone is included and a good fit.

Boys
big buddy     -----     little buddy(ies)     
Beck Nicholson   ---   Beckett Holcomb Patrick Davis
Ben Rommel   ---   Jack Donati
Bradley Hall   ---   John Neuroth
Cesar Rosales   ---   David Neuroth Calvin Jones
Charles Wahlberg   ---   Justin Collins
Coleton Carroll   ---   Dean Christensen
Evan Neuroth   ---   Aaron Davis
Evan Walls   ---   Jack Hutchison
Everett Tomkins   ---   Luke Jones
Harry Wahlberg   ---   Benjamin Holcomb    Dominic Anderson
Jacob Swanson   ---   Bryce Elsner
Kaden Fuller   ---   Hunter Biezychudek
Kai Langan   ---   Ian Guenther
Noah Slowey   ---   Connor Burgin
Owen Berg ---   Elijah Polgar
Spencer Coffey   ---   Caleb Eggebeen
William Klein   ---   Benjamin Swanson Dean Christensen

Girls
big buddy     -----     little buddy(ies)
Anisa Valdez   ---   Madison Nash
Anna Sullivan   ---   Sarah Reither    Taetum Fuller
Ayden Fearn   ---   Allison Ives  Olive Petrash
Eden Kuipoff   ---   Isabel Ballard
Elsa Debrunner   ---   Lucy Voss Delilah Adams
Emma Neuroth   ---   Sophie Oliver Amelie Dillon
Jensen Wehri   ---   Teagan Fuller
Jessa Wehri   ---   Alison Barrett
Alexis Ballard   ---   Sloane Gesick
Kati Livingood   ---   Lynae Rivers   Tenley Fuller
Kayli Langan   ---   Phoebe Petrash
Lea Gorter   ---   Allison Polgar
Leah Felton   ---   Giulianna Biezychdek
Lexi Merrill   ---   Lily Bell  Althea Adams
Lucille Wright    ---   Charlize Smith Addy Berg
Lucy Klein   ---   Gianna Murray
Madison Friedrichs    ---   Allie Reither   Rachel Bakkum
Madison Merrill   ---   Raymee Mitchell Chloe Phair
Makenna Maloch   ---   Scarlett Baker
Marie Handy   ---   Lucy Bell Mystic Craig
Marisabel Santistevan   ---   Sevi Gesick
Megan Cooper   ---   Fiona Oliver Tegan Moore
Mia Slowey   ---   Ava Dolan-Stevens
Neva Nicholson   ---   Taylor Guenther
Olivia Kuipoff   ---   Kaelyn McNeilly  Hallie Johns
Sammy Skrzekut   ---   Beth Guenther  Vivianna Mino
Whitney Price   ---   Mbili Boyd

Need Volunteers for Saturday 6/15

Hi Gators. We will be swimming against Mount Vernon this weekend at our pool. They reached out to say that they have a very small team this year (about 35 kids), so I adjusted the sign up genius to reflect what volunteers we need. We will only have two shifts and should be done with the meet much quicker than normal. However, we need lots of timers from our team for those two shifts! Thanks in advance for your help.

Swimmers of the Week

After some tough consideration, the first two swimmers of the week have been decided! This decision is based on performance in both practices and meets, and an overall positive attitude. The choice was difficult to say the least, as so many of our swimmers are starting off strong and with smiles on their faces. But without further ado, the two swimmers of the week are Tenley Fuller and Dominic Anderson. Come find me at practice for a toy gator and a $5 Dairy Queen gift card.
Tenley has been trying extra hard in practice this week with the goal to move up to the top lane with all her friends, and that effort has not gone unnoticed. On top of that, she swam in both the 5 Parks meet and the freestyle frenzy this weekend, and worked interactively with her coaches to perform "swimingly." As the cherry on top, she was one of the five winners of the gator toss at the end of the freestyle frenzy. Good job Tenley!
Dominic has also been exceeding in practice, and he swam both meets this weekend. He swam out of his mind at 5 Parks, and got first place in his age group at the freestyle frenzy. Dominic, if you keep up the good work you are sure to improve faster than your dad can start a race. Good job Dominic!

FREESTYLE FRENZY - WARM UP TIME HAS CHANGED!

Warm up for the Frenzy has moved to 7:00 am. More sleep, maybe a few extra degrees on the thermometer and we got ourselves some fast swimmers!  Start time for the meet is 8:00 am.

BIG BUDDY / LITTLE BUDDY PROGRAM

We are excited to continue our Big/Little buddy program.  The purpose of the Big/Little buddy swim program is to help younger swimmers transition into becoming Gators and to help them navigate swim meets.  The program also fosters team spirit, family and camaraderie by connecting the older swimmers with the younger ones.  Big buddies are generally 11&older while Little buddies are 10&under.  This partnership should focus on team unity, spirit and sportsmanship.  The buddy program is not about elaborate gifts-it is about being a supportive teammate! 
There is no requirement that swimmers participate in the buddy program but we strongly encourage everyone to participate.  The coaching staff will organize the buddy program and pair swimmers together.  Once buddies are assigned, we expect the Big buddies to introduce themselves and get to know their buddy.
Responsibilities of buddies include but are not limited to:

• meeting your buddy and introducing yourself
• greet your buddy at each meet
• Big buddies help Little buddies at meets with event numbers
• Create something for your buddy:  write a note, draw a picture, make a friendship bracelet
• CHEER, CHEER, CHEER, CHEER and CHEER!!!
• Congratulate your buddy after their swim

All kids under the age of 11 will be assigned a big buddy. ALL KIDS OVER 11 YEARS OF AGE NEED TO TELL COACH EMMA IF THEY WANT TO BE A BIG BUDDY.  Please let Emma know by this weekend (Sunday 6/9).

WEEK OF JUNE 3RD

Night Practices: will start for "real" this week as long as the weather holds. Between bad weather and the instrasquad rescheduling, we never got off the ground last week.  8:00pm-9:00pm for Upper Divison swimmers.  Lower Division swimmers can attend only with the approval of Coach Ben.

Results and Qual Times:  We had a slight technical screw up last week. We had 2018 Qual Times in our system to start this season. We will get them changed this week and post updated Top Times.  Please note that there will be a few of you that qualified for League or State but didn't actually make it based on the 2019 standards.  Updated results coming soon. (So Sorry!!)

Saturday 6/8 Meet at 5Parks  See the "Next Event" section on the right side of the blog for more information.

Sunday 6/9 FREESTYLE FRENZY:  This is an optional meet (hosted by GMST + our competitors in the Foothills Swim Association) for swimmers that have a "B" time or better in any freestyle race.  Swimmers will swim in all 4 events at the meet which include: 
Upper Divison:  200 free, 100 free, 50 free, 25 fun free
9-12 year olds: 200 free, 100 free, 50 free, 25 fun free
8 and unders:  100 free, 50 free, 25 free, 25 fun free
Swimmers must tell their Coach if they want to swim on Sunday. There is no paper sign up on the board. They must talk to the coach.

REMINDER: TURN IN ALL REGISTRATION FORMS

There are 3 registration forms that need to be printed and turned in for the summer season. If you turned in these forms during the clinic, you still need to do these. Please click here to be taken to the online forms, Print them and bring to the next practice. Thanks!
1- Emergency Contact Form
2- Code of Conduct
3- Liability Waiver

INTRASQUAD MOVED TO THURSDAY EVENING

Given the weather forecast, the decision has been made to move the Intrasquad from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening.

Some swimmers, families, and volunteers probably cannot make the meet now.  Others who couldn't on Wednesday, can attend now.  We apologize for the short notice, but this seems to give us our best chance to actually let the swimmers swim.

Volunteers, if this affects your availability, please visit the Signup Genius and modify as needed: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D4DABAC28A1FF2-intrasquad6

Now let's hope for some normal summer weather!

Tuesday Practice Cancelled

Due to poor conditions, the Tuesday morning practices have been cancelled. Get some rest and be ready to start strong tomorrow!

Big Week! Please Read Through

We are starting off the Gator summer season with a BIG WEEK!
Monday (5/27):  Memorial Day - no practice
Tuesday (5/28): Register by Tuesday if you want to participate in the Intrasquad / Night Practices Start
Wednesday (5/29): Intrasquad Meet at 5:30 pm / We need volunteers for every meet! Please sign up on the blog under the Parent Volunteer section.  MOVED TO THURSDAY!
Thursday (5/30): LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR THE SUMMER SEASON. Please tell your Gator friends to get it together if they want to join the team :)

Intrasquad Meet at 5:30 pm / We need volunteers for every meet! Please sign up on the blog under the Parent Volunteer section.

Friday (5/31): Tie-Dye/Ice-cream Social + Parent Meeting - starts at 5pm
Saturday (6/1): First home meet @7am, warm up at 6am -- Jolyn Trunk show / We need volunteers for every meet! Please sign up on the blog under the Parent Volunteer section.
Sunday (6/2): rest

Details:
Practice Times:We may have to shift the age groups around for practice times based on the number of swimmers in each age group. We want your swimmer to have the best experience possible. Please do your best to bring your swimmer at the time allotted for their age group. STAY TUNED FOR ANY CHANGES.

Registration: If you have not registered for team yet, you need to do it ASAP. All swimmers must be registered and in our computer system before they can race in a meet. The absolute last day cutoff is Thursday, May 30th. Please register before then if possible. We need time to import your swimmers into our system and do 20 things behind the scenes to make them eligible. Thanks!!

Intrasquad Meet:  This is our first meet at the pool and it is against our team only.  The times your swimmer receives are qualifying times for League and State.

Tie-Dye /Ice cream Social / Parent Meeting: Please bring a white colored item (shirt, socks, towel, pillow case, etc) to tie-dye in team colors or you can purchase a gator shirt / tank top to tie dye so your swimmers can represent the team all season.  Event starts at 5pm / Ice Cream at 5:30 pm and Parent Meeting at 6:00 pm.  All swim team families are welcome.

Parent Volunteers:  The Gator team is one of the last remaining teams that does not charge you $$ or keep meticulous notes on volunteer hours per family.  We would really love to keep it that way!!!  All families are expected to volunteer at the meets. If you don't know how to do something, don't worry. It's both simple and the veteran Gators will show you how to do it!  There is a sign up genius created for every event this season. Please sign up.

Night Practices: Night practices will be held on Tuesdays / Thursdays from 8:00pm - 9:00pm starting on 6/4. These practices are for upper division swimmers (13 years and older) or for younger swimmers at the discretion of the coach.  If your swimmer is younger than 13, you will need to get approval from Coach Ben to attend the night sessions.  ** All night sessions will be dependent on the weather and attendance. **  Please contact Coach Ben if you have any questions.

Team Swim Suits:  If you would like to get a team suit for your swimmer (not required) you should order it this week at the latest. They do take 1-2 weeks to get delivered and our swim season is only 10 weeks in total.

REMINDER: RAIN OR SHINE

Practice will be held Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - Rain or Shine this week.   Athletes will perform dryland training with the coaches if the weather/pool temperature does not allow them to swim. We are excited to get started!

Practice Cancelled Today & Tuesday

Gator practice is cancelled today and Tuesday due to weather. Practices will run Wednesday - Friday this week rain or shine.

If it's too cold to get in the pool once practices start on Wednesday, the athletes will meet the coaches and do dry land training to kick off the season. Please bring your normal swim gear, as well as athletic clothing and sneakers to practice so you are fully prepared.

Reminder: Swim Team Registration

Just a quick reminder to get your registration done for summer swim team.  https://form.jotform.com/90816187272159

The deadline is Thursday, May 30th. However, if you plan to swim at the Intrasquad on Wednesday 5/29, you will need to be registered to swim in the event.

Swim Team Practices Start Next Week!

Oh my!!! The summer swim season is almost here and we couldn't be more excited! The Swim Club Board is working hard on the pool and it will be ready for us on Monday.

May 20th: After School Practices Start -- Monday 5/20 - Thursday 5/24 (No Friday practice)
- 4:00 - 5:00 pm 12 and unders
- 5:00 - 6:00 pm 13 and older

May 28th: Morning Practices Start
- 6:30-8:00 AM - Upper Division 13+ practice
- 8:00-9:00 AM - 10-12 year olds practice
- 9:00-9:50 AM - 9 & under practice

Did you miss the Swim Suit Fitting/Ordering Night?

No Problem. You can order your suit directly from Colorado Swim Shop. See details below.

Colorado Swim Shop
303-545-2090
coloradoswimshop.com
Click on Teams Store,
Click on teams store again to pull down the list, chose Green Mountain.
team password is: Greenmtn19 (case sensitive)

Order before 5/21 and receive free shipping:
choose "in store pickup" and the suits will be delivered to you at practice.

Orders after 5/21 will need to be shipped directly to your house.

POOL CLEAN UP DAY MAY 4

SATURDAY 5/4 FROM 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM

It's pool clean up day. Whether you are a member of the pool or not, please consider pitching in to clean up the pool and get it ready for swim season.  The GMSC Board is already working hard to have the pool ready on May 20th for the start of our swim season. They need help cleaning, weeding, raking, sweeping, hauling, etc so they can also focus on making needed repairs to the pool.

If you volunteer for 2 hours, you will receive 10 guest passes for the summer. If you tell them you are from the Swim Team, you'll also get a big hug (or a handshake if that's your jam)!

We hope to see you there!

Green Mountain Swim Club Membership Deal

GMSC is having a sale on memberships through the end of the month ($450 for a family membership, discounted from the regular price of $495).

Remember, Swim Team fees are $60 less per child for pool members!

The sale can be found on the GMSC website here: https://www.greenmountainswimclub.org/neighbors/

We are excited to announce our 2019 Summer Coaching Staff! We searched high and low and discovered a whole bunch a great talent right in our midst!

Head Coach:  BEN HOFSTRA will lead the team this summer.  He has coached with the Gators for the last two years as an Assistant Coach and a Clinic coach.  Ben has great relationships with our current swimmers and brings a multitude of swimming knowledge to the pool.

Assistant Coach:  LEXIE LAMPING will coach our 9-12 Division.  She is currently assisting with the GMHS Boys Swim and Dive Team and is passionate about all things swimming-related. Lexie is full of Gator spirit and takes a hands-on approach that will help our swimmers succeed this summer.

Assistant Coach:  EMMA BERG will coach our 8 & Under Division.  Emma was a Junior Coach last season and has been an in-water clinic coach for the last two years. Emma has a strong background in coaching the technical side of swimming and connecting with our youngest swimmers. She is excited to cultivate our youngest group into proud Gator swimmers.

Junior Coach: AVA ANDERSON will be our in-water coach for our 8 & Under swimmers, working with Emma.  Ava has been our in-water coach at clinics for 2 sessions and has been fantastic with our newest swimmers.  She is a top-level competitive swimmer, so she is very familiar with proper stroke technique.  She is a great teacher and makes it a lot of fun for the kids.

Mark Your Calendars for the Summer Swimsuit Ordering/Fitting Night

Mark your calendars: Sunday, April 28th, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm for the Gator team swimming suit fitting

We will be at the Green Mountain Rec Center with the Colorado Swim Shop on this date to start our countdown to summer swim season! Our swimming suit vendor will be taking orders for the team swimming suit. They will have different sizes on hand for swimmers to try on so that the correct size suit can be ordered.

If you can't make this date, we will post information for ordering at a later date. You will not have the option to try suits on in advance of your order if you miss the 4/28 fitting. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this gmstgators@aol.com

REMINDER: No Swim Clinic Sunday 3/24

Swimmers- This is a quick reminder that we do not have swim clinic this Sunday. See below for the schedule:

3/17 (skip 3/24 due to Spring Break)
3/31
4/7
4/14 (skip 4/21 due to Easter)
4/28
5/5 (last day)

WANTED: HEAD COACH + ASSITANT COACH

Gators, family & friends,

We are looking to fill our Head Coach and 1 Assistant Coaching position for this upcoming summer. At this time, we have Ben Hofstra as our Assistant and need to round out the team. We are looking for individuals with a swimming background who can teach proper stroke technique to various age levels, can devote 10 weeks to the team during the summer (20 May - 28 Jul), and wants to have fun.

Preferred (not required):

• Applicants with valid lifeguard and CPR certifications
• Prior coaching experience

Pay depends on coaching experience.

If you or somebody you know is interested, please have them email the Green Mountain Gators at gmstgators@gmail.com

Summer Schedule Posted

For those families that are already planning their summer fun, the full swim team schedule has been posted both on the google calendar and listed under the "SwimTeam Events" on the right side of the blog.

Registration for summer swim team will be posted at the beginning of May.

REMINDER: SPRING SWIM CLINIC STARTS 2/17

Hey Gators! Are you ready for some Spring swimming? We are!!

The Spring swim clinic starts in 18 days. We'd love to see you in the water.

Dates: 2/17 - 5/5 (no clinic on 3/24 and 4/21)
Times: 5-6pm (12 and under) / 6-7pm (13 and up) ** please note the upper division time slot is subject to change to 5pm depending on the overall number of swimmers that register**
Cost: $90 for full clinic, we do not prorate

sign up on the right side of the blog.

Spring Swim Clinic

The Swim Clinic Dates have been set. You can start signing up now!
If your swimmer would like to stay in the water this Spring, then join us at the Green Mountain Rec Center for one hour of swimming on Sundays.
Dates:  2/17 - 5/5 (no clinic on 3/24 and 4/21)
Times:  5-6pm (12 and under) / 6-7pm (13 and up) ** please note the upper division time slot is subject to change to 5pm depending on the overall number of swimmers that register**
Cost:  $90 for full clinic, we do not prorate

Registration link can be found here or on the right side of the blog. If you were a 2018 summer swimmer, then you do not need to fill out paperwork. If you are new to the team, please bring new swimmer paperwork to the first practice.

We hope to see you in the pool this Spring.

2/17 (first practice)
2/24
3/3
3/10
3/17 (skip 3/24 due to Spring Break)
3/31
4/7
4/14 (skip 4/21 due to Easter)
4/28
5/5 (last day)