Last Winter swim clinic--December 14th

This is just a reminder that our last swim clinic for the Winter session is this Sunday, Decmeber 14th. We hope to see you there.
Wishing all our Gator families Happy Holidays.
Please check back soon for Spring clinic registration.

Need a Christmas gift for your swimmer?

Do you need a Christmas gift for your swimmer?  We will be selling Gator apparel during swim clinics on December 7th and December 14th from 5-7pm.  We will have Adult size zip-up jackets ($25.00/ea) and Adult and Kid size pull-over hoodies ($20.00/ea).  Please stop buy and purchase one for your swimmer.
Happy Holidays!

No swim clinic Sunday, November 30th

Please remember that there is NO swim clinic on Sunday, November 30th due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
We have two sessions in December.  Clinics will be held December 7th and December 14th.
Our Spring Clinic will start again in February.  Please watch the blog for those details.

Winter Swim Clinics-new schedule

We have added an additional week to our Winter swim clinics.  As many of you know there was a miscommunication by the recreation center which didn't allow us to have swim clinics last Sunday evening.  I have confirmed and we are on for this Sunday, October 5th.  We will now have swim clinics October 5th-December 14th (with no practice November 30th).  We hope to see you all on Sunday.

Swim clinic canceled

We are sorry for the inconvience but practice is canceled due to no pool staff. We are on for next week.
Thanks

Winter swim clinics

Hello Gator Families,
      Hope the school year is going well for everyone.  I just wanted to let you know we have our dates for the Winter swim clinics scheduled.  We will get our registration up soon for you to complete but you can start planning around these Sunday evenings.
Swim clinics will begin on Sunday, September 28th.  They will be held September 28th-December 7th.  No clinic on November 30th due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Winter swim clinics will be held from 5-6 pm for swimmers 12&under and from 6-7 pm for swimmers 13-18.  These will be held at the Green Mountain Recreation Center.
Each swimmer that participates the cost will be $80 for the winter session (10 weeks).
If you didn't swim for the Gators over the summer we will need the Emergency Consent Form and the Liability Release completed for each swimmer.  These forms can be found on the right side of the blog and we will also have copies at the first session. 
See you soon!

State Ribbons

Hi Gators! I hope you all are enjoying sleeping in! I just made it over to Green Mountain today to put the State medals and ribbons in your folders. You can stop by the pool anytime and ask the lifeguards if you can get them.

I had such a fun season with you all, and I hope you have a great school year!

Nothing to do? Go to Water World

Gators,
Now that swim team is over and you don't know what to do with your time think about going to Water World.  We still have discounted Water World tickets for sale.  These can be used any day of the 2014 Water World Season.  These tickets are just $30.00 each.  Please spread the word to your family and friends.  Once these tickets are gone they are gone, don't miss out!
Please contact Jennifer Friedrichs at 303-358-8721 or cjmfriedrichs@aol.com to make arrangements to get these. 

Un-Believable

Gators,

I just wanted to take a moment this morning to congratulate everybody on a fantastic season.  But this wasn't just your typical season at Green Mountain.  We've accomplished one of the biggest feats in team history

In case you missed the big news - your Green Mountain Gators took home the 3rd place trophy for Division 1 at state yesterday.  I can't state in words how HUGE this is.

Historically, I don't know if the Gators have ever placed this well, but the coaches couldn't be any more proud of you all. When I first began swimming for this club we would take a handful of swimmers to the state meet. I've been on and with the swim team for 10 years now; it's unbelievable to see that we have become one of the big titans at the state meet.

We had some outstanding swims all three days and there are simply too many of you to mention individually, but I applaud all of you that did swim at this meet.

To all swimmers - thank you for your efforts at the pool this year.  I've been so lucky to be a part of this team as long as I have and every single one of you makes it worth coming back each year.  The amount of pride I have being a coach of the Green Mountain Gators is something I simply cannot put in words.  On average, my summers are almost always the most chaotic part of my year.  It would be easy in theory to hang up the stopwatch and eliminate early mornings and long Saturdays in order to find some down time.  The truth is, coaching is one of the most rewarding parts of my life.  Getting to watch all of you swimmers conquer yourself and grow up gives me all the incentive I need to keep coming back.  Point in fact below:

Dylan, Brady, Hannah, Inez & Coaches 2014

Dylan & Coach Josh - 2009

Hannah & Not-Yet-Coach Josh 2007

A moment for some special thank you's:

• Parents - You are perhaps the most under-recognized group that makes this swim team what it is.  Your dedication to getting your kids to the pool, motivating them, timing at meets, working alongside the coaching staff, helping set up the pool on meet days, running the heating shed, and all of the various other roles you take on, make our season flow as smoothly as it does.  So thank you, for all that you do for your kids and for our team - we are unbelievable lucky to have you.
• Board Members - These people are who make the season possible. A lot of people don't realize how much effort goes into planning the summer season alone, let alone planning activities like fall/winter clinics (more on that later). More importantly they are the coaching staff's support net and gave us all the opportunity to be here this summer.  It's an indescribable feeling to be able to share our knowledge of a sport we're passionate about with these athletes, and you all make that possible.
• My Fellow Coaches - Porter, Jaimie and Ethan deserve a standing ovation for their efforts this season.  I've been so fortunate to share this pool deck with some great minds and phenomenal coaches including Rich, Shelby, and now these three. 
•  I first got to meet Porter in an on-the-job interview of sorts over the spring while finishing up winter-clinics.  It was admittedly a sink-or-swim scenario when I let him take the reins with minimal guidance, just to see how he would do.  He took the opportunity and ran with it. His amount of knowledge in this sport has made a significant impact on this team and I'm lucky to be able to have him as a colleague. I want to wish him the best in this coming year as a freshman at CU (Go Buffs!)
• Jaimie - I don't even know where to begin. Jaimie has dedicated an incredible amount of time and effort this season and is undoubtedly responsible for much of the success we've had.  Not only did she take on an incredible amount of responsibility with this team, but she also had another job to tend to this summer. She managed her time wonderfully and never once showed up to practice with anything but a smile.  Her ambitions to see this team succeed drove us to being able to hold that 3rd place trophy.  While Porter will be just starting his college career, Jaimie's is drawing to a close this year as she finishes up her nursing degree.  I want to wish her an expedient yet fun-filled final year.  Best of luck in what will surely be a challenging year.
• Ethan - I look at Ethan and it's hard to believe he's only going to be a senior in high school.  He is one of the most well put together 17 year old's I have ever met.  I look at myself when I was his age and he is eon's ahead of where I was in cognizance and composure.  As a swimmer there's not enough I can say about Ethan. To watch him progress from when I first started coaching to the remarkable athlete he is now makes me immensely proud.  Perhaps the more outstanding feature of this season though is watching Ethan develop as a coach.  He has a natural confidence in coaching the lower division and was crucial in taking on the 8 & under division this year. Thank you for your dedication this year and I hope your senior year is nothing but amazing.

Best of luck to you all in this coming year!  Keep in touch with the Gator Blog.  We will be posting information about the Fall/Winter Clinics sometime soon.  I hope to see you there!

-Coach Josh

State Meet

The time has come, Gators! I hope you're all ready to swim fast at State this weekend!! I just had a couple notes for you all about the meet:

Friday: 400 swimmers should still come to practice at 8am to do a wake up swim and some pacing. It won't be anything hard, but it is important to get a warm up in. Warm ups for the 400s on Friday will start at 2:00pm, and the meet will start at 3:00pm. 

There is still practice for all the State swimmers on Friday morning. 

Saturday: 12 and Unders Since there will be limited lane space at Splash, we have decided to hold warm ups at Green Mountain again this weekend (it worked well for League!). We will be warming up at GMSC from 7:00-7:30am, then we will head over to Splash to do some starts. The meet will start at 9am.

Sunday: 13 and Up We will also be doing our warm up at Green Mountain so the lanes aren't as crowded. Warm up will be from 7:00-7:30am, then we will head to Splash to do some starts. The meet will start at 9:00am. 

There will be NO PARKING in the parking lot, but there is plenty of parking in the parking lots across the street!

Will they win?

To keep with tradition, the coaches have agreed to a relay swim tonight.  If there is time after the awards are completed tonight the coaches will challenge other age groups as well as parents to a relay swim.  So swimmers and parents bring your swimming suits and be ready to swim fast. Hope we can all witness this event.  We can't wait to see if the coaches have what it takes to swim with the Gators!

End of year banquet

As we bring our swim season to a close we would like everyone to join us for our end of the season banquet on Wednesday evening.  We will be having a "pot luck" dinner at the pool beginning at 5:30 p.m.  We will begin dinner at 5:30 p.m. and awards will follow shortly after.  We ask that each family bring a side dish or dessert to share (depending on your last name).  Please make sure you bring a serving utensil for your dish if necessary.  We will be serving pizza and water.
If your last name begins with A-P please bring a side dish to share
If your last name begins with Q-Z please provide a dessert

Weekly Update

AWESOME JOB GATORS!!! We won SECOND PLACE at League, which is very exciting! We had some unbelievable time drops, best times, broken records, and new State cuts. I could not be more proud of any of you!

Even though you already got to push the coaches in, I would also like to reward you by letting you sleep in tomorrow, so there will be NO PRACTICE Monday morning!

Practices this week will be for State swimmers and will be held from 8-10am. Swimmers ages 13&up will practice from 8-9, and swimmers ages 12&under will practice from 9-10.

The coaches will be making State entries tomorrow morning, and I will be sending in the final entries before I go to work tomorrow morning at 10am. There will be NO late entries accepted, so if you have not signed up online or on the papers I had today, you need to sign up this afternoon. I would also appreciate it if you could let me know if you will not be at State so I know not to put you in a relay.

We still need swimmers who are willing to swim on relays at State, so if you are available, PLEASE sign up!!

State Entries

The links for State entries are up!! I will let the swimmers choose whatever they want to swim at State since I chose what they swam at League. Please make sure to sign up by Sunday night so the coaches can check times and make relays before the entries are due on Monday morning. The host team will not accept late entries for the State meet.

If you have not qualified for State, but are available for relays, please make sure to sign up as well!

Thanks!

Important Information About This Weekend

Hi Gators! I have a few important announcements about practice this week, warm up times, and parking for League:

• This Friday, Upper Division swimmers will start at 7am instead of 6:30am. Swimmers who will be competing in the 400 at League will be expected to show up to the pool at 9am to do a wake up swim and some pace work. All other practices will be at the normal times. 
• On Friday, 400 swimmers will need to arrive to the Stingrays' pool at 4pm. Positive check-in and warm up will start at 4:15pm, and the meet will start at 5pm. 
• Saturday and Sunday's warm ups will be held at Green Mountain from 6:15-6:45am. At 6:45 we will get out of the water and head over to Columbine Knolls. All swimmers will need to arrive at Columbine Knolls by 7:30am at the latest in order to do a few starts before the meet begins. The meet will start at 8am. 
• The reason for this is that at Columbine Knolls, we would only have 3 lanes and 20 minutes for our 79 swimmers to warm up. We will get a much better warm up in at Green Mountain.
• On Saturday and Sunday there will be no parking in the parking lot at Columbine Knolls. The parking lot is only for coaches. There will be parking just north of the pool at Normandy Elementary School. There is also neighborhood parking, but I have been asked to let you all know that they will be ticketing any cars that are blocking driveways. 

Here is the League psych sheet. I hope all you swimmers are getting excited! It's going to be a great meet and I can't wait to see all of you swim fast :) 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_AXeYFOZE3xVExwb1NMTWZZX3BaZGYzT1ROYUtEc3hSVXcw/edit?usp=sharing

No Night Practices This Week

There will be no night practices this week leading up to League, or next week leading up to State. Upper division swimmers will be able to work on their strokes at morning practice with Josh, Porter, or me since there are less swimmers at practice now. See you all in the morning and tomorrow night for the tye dye party!

Tie-Dye Party

Tomorrow we will be having our Gator tie-dye and ice cream party. We will begin at 5:30. You will need to bring your own item to tie-dye. We will also have white Green Mountain Gator swim team t-shirts and tank tops available for purchase($12.00 each) to be dyed. We ask that you bring your items already rubber banded in the design you would like. We will have yellow, green and blue dye.
We will also be serving ice cream. We would like a few parents help to help scoop ice cream and monitor the ice cream toppings.
If the weather cooperates the kids will be allowed to swim in the pool.
And last, there was a note in each swimmers folder regarding collecting new/unopened school supplies.  Please consider donating new school supplies tomorrow. These will be collected and donated to less privileged families.

Weekly Update- IMPORTANT LEAGUE INFORMATION

Awesome job this season Gators! After yesterday's dual meet against AAC, we are UNDEFEATED in dual meets for the summer! We also had some swimmers make new League and State times today at the Last Chance meet, which is great.

Practices this week will only be for swimmers who have League qualifying times or are swimming in relays at League. Everyone else gets to sleep in and I will see you all for the tye dye party this Wednesday and the banquet next Wednesday!

The revised League entries will be available on Tuesday. Please make sure to look at them. Thank you!

Deadline for photos 7/14

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  We had a lot of swimming going on this weekend.  I just wanted to remind you that if you would like to purchase an age group photo or any additional photos from the photographer I will need all orders and money by tomorrow (Monday 7/14).  If you would like to see what these pictures look like they are posted on our photo board at the pool.  Please let me know if you have any questions.
You can also contact me at 303-358-8721 or cjmfriedrichs@aol.com if you have questions.

Last chance to volunteer

Here is your last chance to volunteer.  Parents we need your help!  We are hosting the last chance meet at our pool tomorrow.  We are in need of some volunteers to help run this meet.  If you child is swimming in this meet we would like you to volunteer your time.  And if you can't think of anything better to do on a Sunday morning you are welcome to stop by the pool, we could always use your help too.  Below is the link to the sign up for the positions we are responsible for.  We may also have additional timer slots available depending on the other teams turn outs.


http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054caba822a75-last1




Thanks so much for your help on this meet and in previous meets.

League Meet Information

Hi Gators! I can't believe that next weekend is already League weekend! Since it is only a week and a half away, and since the coaches will be sending in the entries for the meet this Sunday afternoon, I have a couple notes for all you swimmers and parents:

• Most importantly, I expect everyone who is available next weekend to swim at the League meet. We have very high goals as a team, and in order to do as well as we would like to, we need as many swimmers as possible. Everyone with League qualifying times should be swimming, even if you already have your State times. There will be plenty of time to rest in between the two meets.
• Josh, Ethan, Porter, and I will be deciding on entries, and we would like to have a swimmer in every event. This means that swimmers may not be swimming their favorite events. We want all of our swimmers to do really well, and we will choose events that you will do well in. 
• Every swimmer needs to use the sign-up link to indicate 'yes' or 'no' to swimming at the meet by Saturday evening. There is also an option for swimmers who have not made the qualifying times yet to swim on relays. Relays are worth double points, so I would love to bring as many relays as possible. If you do not have qualifying times, but are available to swim, please say yes to relays.

On Friday, July 18th, the Upper Division swimmers will swim their 400s at the Stingray's pool. Warm-up will start at 4:15pm, and the meet will start at 5:00pm. Upper division swimmers need to talk to me at practice if they are unable to make it to the meet on Friday so I know not to sign them up for the 400. If you do not talk to me, I will assume you are available on Friday if I need 400 swimmers.

Saturday, July 19th will be events 7-64. 

Sunday, July 20th will be events 65-110.

Both Saturday and Sunday, the meet will be held at Columbine Knolls. We will have warm up from 6:20am-6:40am, with the meet starting at 8:00am. 

We will have more information about volunteer duties by early next week.

If there are any questions, do not hesitate to email me at jaimiestevens27@gmail.com or text me at (612) 810-7879. :)

Tuesday's Night Practice Canceled!

Since no coaches are able to make it back to the pool tonight, night practice has been canceled. See you in the morning!

Water World tickets still available

We still have Water World tickets available.  These tickets can by used by anyone for any day in the 2014 Water World season.  These tickets are sold at a discount price of $30.00 per ticket.  Please spread the word to your family and friends.  Please see Jennifer Friedrichs to purchase these tickets.  Once they are gone they are gone! 

Age group photos

Last week when we had our team photos taken the photographer also took age group pictures.  If you purchased a package this age group photo will be provided to you as a gift.  If you would like to purchase your child's age group picture you still can do this.  These pictures are each $7.00.  Please let Jennifer Friedrichs know by Friday, July 11th if you would like to purchase one.  You will need to have the money turned in before the order will be placed (if you are writing a check please make this payable to Mardell Studios).  We apologize for the delay in information about ordering these, but we were not sure if the time would allow the photographer to take separate age group photos.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

This Week's Clinics

Clinics this week will be breaststroke on Tuesday, and starts and turns on Thursday. Please remember each swimmer is limited to 2 clinics for the summer so that everyone gets a chance to work on their strokes. Here is the link to sign up:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PgHoEdCkC-85qkJ5bksL0Buuy0VyFwquK9FsCljDtXA/edit?usp=sharing

Fourth of July

Just a reminder there is no practice tonight or tomorrow morning, and no meet on Saturday. I hope everyone is doing something fun this weekend! See you on Monday!!

Stroke Clinic Sign Ups

Here is the link to sign up for Tuesday's butterfly clinic, and Thursday's starts and turns clinic.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ND5dyPuwrJckTEZgaBatPcPq4JsCQhk5OGecIM-LCjY/edit?usp=sharing

Weekly Update

Hi Gators! This week there will only be practice Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Wednesday we will take our team picture, have some pancakes, and then head over to WaterWorld! Friday is the Fourth of July, so there will be no practice. Hopefully everyone gets to do something fun! I know all of you are tired coming off of Gator Week and all four meets we had this week, but we had some great swims this weekend.We did win our dual meet on Saturday, so we have won all of our dual meets so far. Keep up the good work!!
Clinics this week will be butterfly on Tuesday, and starts and turns on Thursday. Sign ups will be posted tomorrow morning.

AAC Relay Meet

There have been several questions about the AAC Relay Meet that will take place this Wednesday, June 25th, and I just got more information about the meet. Relay meets are super fun meets to go to, and swimmers have a lot of fun competing in different relay events! For this meet, each relay will consist of two girls and two boys, and each swimmer can compete in up to four relays. The entries for this meet are due tomorrow night, so I will be making relays and turning in the entries some time later tonight or in the morning. Please sign up tonight so that I know you will be there!

On Wednesday, the meet will be at the Applewood Athletic Club pool. Our warm-up will be from 2-2:30pm, and the meet will start at 3pm. 

Some examples of events for this meet are a medley relay, back/breast relay, fly relay, back relay, IM relay (where each swimmer swims a 100IM), fly/free relay, etc. 

GO GATORS!!

Awesome job this weekend Gators!! We had lots of best times, new cuts, and lots of team spirit. Because of all your hard work, Green Mountain placed SECOND overall, and because of all your cheering and excitement, we also won the SPIRIT AWARD! At the end of the meet, a couple coaches from other teams came up to me to congratulate our team on really stepping it up this year. I could not be more happy or more proud of every single one of you who swam this weekend!

Keep up the good work! :)

Friday Practice

Hi Gators, there is still practice tomorrow! We will be doing some warm up sets for the meet. Upper division practice will start at 7am instead of 6:30am, but all other practices will be the same.

I really want to win the Spirit Award again this year, so I would love it if all swimmers could come up with something fun to show our team spirit!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PRACTICE CANCELLED!!

I wanted to give you all plenty of notice that practice tonight will be cancelled due to the thunder and lightning. We will try again tomorrow night!

Gator Week:

The time has come.  Time to lift the shroud of mystery that surrounds what has infamously become known as "Gator Week".  

Undoubtedly you have by now come to know the phrase "Gator Week"; either from your fellow swimmers or even directly from one of the coaches.  And I'm also sure by now that you have gathered, to a small degree, what this week will entail.  The coaches have been dropping hints and writing menacing messages on the white board at practice for a couple of weeks. Perhaps by now, you may even be slightly afraid.  You may be thinking to yourself, "Maybe this will be the week I take an unexpected vacation".  But you shouldn't....and you won't. The magnitude of "Gator Week" is truly incomprehensible to all of you....At least it was, until now.

"Gator Week" is coming and it's time you got the 411 on what it is, when it is, and how to prepare - so here it is.

"Gator Week" begins next Monday and will persist through the whole week of practice.  You may feel nervous about it, and that's exactly how us coaches want you to feel.  But the reasons why we want you to feel this way are different than what you may expect.  "Gator Week" (I'm considering getting the phrase trade-marked) is more than just a week of hard practice.  It is more than the coaches laying down the hammer for seemingly no reason at all.  "Gator Week" is an obstacle or better yet, a challenge.  One which we hope all of you strive to conquer.  Practices during this week are going to be exceedingly difficult, but not a single one of them will be impossible.  

"Gator Week" isn't simply a week of physical punishment.  It's more importantly about a mind-set.  Our hope for you as coaches is that you will come to practice during "Gator Week" and approach each day with the confidence that you can accomplish something great by just putting your mind to it.  This is the week where that voice in your head that whispers "I can't do it" is put to rest.  We challenge every single one of you to make every practice possible during this week and approach each one of them with the attitude that you are unbeatable.  More importantly,we would like to see all of you walk away from this week with a new sense of confidence that every goal you set is achievable - if you decide to work at it.

The coaches are getting creative with the workouts and each day will have a particular "flavor" to it.  Not every day is going to consist of a soul-crushing amount of yards or an over-abundance of sprint, but every day will be a challenge that we want to see you overcome.

A couple quick notes:

• Asthma - Swimmers with asthma; please be sure to bring your inhalers this week!  There will be some days that may trigger an asthma attack due to the nature of the practice.  While our goal is not to give anybody an asthma attack we would like you to be prepared.
• Breakfast - If you wish to get the most out of these practices it would be wise to eat a light breakfast beforehand. Banana's, granola, yogurt,and whole-grain cereals are good options.
• Hydration - Try to bring a water bottle or better yet a bottle of Gatorade to every practice.

More tips will follow in the days to come.

Sincerely,

Josh, Jaimie, Porter.  

Weekly Update

Hi Gators! I sent in Ken Caryl entries this morning, and will have them at practice tomorrow. A couple of you who do not have individual qualifying times may be on relays, so make sure to check with me!

Swim clinics this week will be breaststroke on Tuesday, June 17, and starts and turns on Thursday, June 19. The link to sign up is below. Please remember there is a limit of 8 swimmers per clinic, and each swimmer gets 2 clinics for the summer. Clinics are held from 9:45am-10:30am. I think they have really been helping so far!

See you all at the pool :)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BuI4OFLiCIu458r3JTNG5T159jGox4TEo6e8GGD20bE/edit?usp=sharing

Ken Caryl Invite

Great job this morning Gators! 

Next weekend we will be swimming at Ken Caryl Ranch for the Ken Caryl Invite. I am doing the entries tonight for those who have qualified (there will be NO ONLINE entries for this meet). Please TEXT me at (612) 810-7879 by 8am Sunday morning (tomorrow) if you have qualified but DO NOT plan to attend.

On Friday June 20th, the 13-18 400 frees start at 1pm. All other events for upper division start at 4pm on Friday.

On Saturday June 21st, the 9-10 boys and 11-12 boys and girls start at 7am. 

Also on Saturday June 21st, 9-10 girls and all 8&unders start at noon.

I will let everyone know at practice what time warm ups will be.

This is a big meet where lots of League or State cuts can be made, so please try your best to come and swim fast! Last year we won the Team Spirit award at this meet, and I would love to win it again! Come ready to cheer :)

Email me or text me with any questions!

Stop by to see me...

I have been doing the computer work for the Gators for many years. I don't even know how many! My swimmer is getting older and it is time to start training someone to take over.

Stop by the computer table on Saturday during the meet if you are interested in learning about this job. If you like data and running pretty decent software + doing some work on The Swamp (blog web site) this is fun. At meets you get to see who wins (officially) first! It is easy to watch your child swim because you are right there, and can hop up to watch any race. You get to be in the shade and everyone thinks you are important!

See me to learn more. If you aren't at the meet Saturday, feel free to contact me another time.
Carol

Night Practice Canceled

Happy Thursday gators! Awesome job at the meet last night. I was impressed with how well you all swam even with the cold weather.

Night practice tonight is canceled--Porter and Ethan are out of town, Josh is working tonight, and I'm not feeling well. I'm really sorry, and I hope you enjoy the rest!

Have a Hamburger!

During the intrasquad meet on Wednesday evening enjoy a hamburger or hot dog (and all the other goodies they sell) from the Snack Shack at the pool. The grill will be up and running so you won't have to go hungry.

Weekly Update

AWESOME JOB THIS WEEKEND GATORS!! We had some unbelievable time drops, and we won our second meet!

This Wednesday we will have our second Intrasquad meet. Warm up will start at 5pm, and the meet will start at 5:30. Please sign up online by Tuesday at 5pm so we can start getting everything together. If you do not get signed up on time, please show up to Green Mountain around 4:45 on Wednesday to deck enter by the heating shed.

Swim clinics this week will be backstroke on Tuesday, and another starts and turns clinic on Thursday. The clinics will run from 9:45-10:30am and there is an 8 swimmer limit in each clinic. Please remember each swimmer is only allowed 2 clinics so that everyone has a chance to come to one. There is a link to sign up for this week below.

Let's have another great week Gators!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V-MnKSNwEL7jIYutxg-UiN2g1PZTz2piMvMBzy4NZvA/edit?usp=sharing

Water World Tickets

Tickets now available. See the "Important Information" section on the right for complete information.

Heat Shed Training Friday Morning

Volunteer where the action is!

We are in need of heating shed volunteers. We are going to hold an informal training session led by experienced parents this Friday (June 6th) at 9:00 am at the pool.

We would like to shoot for having 10 parents there. We encourage all families to be involved and we can't run meets without these important people.

What happens in the heating shed? (No, it's not a place to get warm when it's a cold morning!)
Volunteers sort entry cards and help swimmers get to their correct lanes. The little kids especially need help, particularly on the 8 & under relays.
Hope to see you there!

Weekly Update

Great job at the meet Gators!! We had some great swims, and all that hard work helped us win our first dual meet. We're off to a great start!

This week, we will start swim clinics for 12 and under swimmers. Tuesday's swim clinic will focus on freestyle, and Thursday's swim clinic will focus on starts and turns. There is a limit of 8 swimmers per clinic, and it will be first come, first served. The sign up is available through this link. If you sign up and realize you cannot make it, please remove your name so someone else can have a chance. 

See you tomorrow!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/169uxAJn4b4WhHQKvg6i1xdPpvPFumI1dugKiUXSUjjE/edit?usp=sharing

Have you ever wondered how you can volunteer your time with your child's swim team? Let me tell you a few ways…..

It is very important that we have parent volunteers to help our swim meets and swim team functions run smoothly.  Below you will find a brief list of possible volunteering opportunities and a description of what what is involved.

Timing:  (Home meets, Away meets, Intrasquad and Special meets)

Green Mountain Swim Team is responsible for providing volunteers to time swimmers at home meets, away meets, intrasquad meets and special meets.  You would sign up for a 2 hour shift and will be assigned a lane to record during this time.  As a timer you will be required to start the stopwatch when the buzzer/horn sounds and stop this when the swimmer reaches the wall.  Then these times will be recorded.

Head Timer:  responsible for making sure all timing slots are filled

Timer:  volunteers for 2 hour shift

Back-up timer: will be used at home meets to provide back-up if someones stopwatch didn’t work correctly

Card Runner:  (Home meets)

This person is responsible for collecting the swimmers cards from the timers after each event is swam and deliver these to the entry recorder.  

Concessions:  (Home meets)

We are looking for people that would work the concession area for a period of time during the home meet until the swim meet is over.  These people would be required to collect money and hand out food as purchased.

Hospitality:  (Home meets)

These people would be in charge of periodically delivering refreshments  to the volunteers that are working the meet.  

Set-up/Clean up: (Home meets, Away meets, Intrasquad and Special meets)

These people would show up early and/or stay after the meet to see that we are ready for the event and/or cleaned up. Team tent transport to & from meets with set-up and take-down is also required.

Heating Shed:  (Home meets and Intrasquad meets)

These people will be responsible for sorting entry cards into heats and then distributing the entry cards to the swimmers prior to them going to their lane.  These people will also assist in getting the 8 and Under relays to their appropriate lane.  

Entries/Ribbons: (Home meets)

These people would assist in sorting the cards as they are turned in after the event has occurred.  These people would also assist in adhering the label to the swimmer ribbons.  Looking for detail oriented people :)

Officials: (Home meets, Away meets, Intrasquad and Special meets)

These people have to be trained.  There needs to be head official, starter,starts/finished and stokes/turns.  Again these people have to have participated in the required training.

Please help our team and the kids swimming by volunteering.  We can’t put on these meets without all of your help.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

Jennifer Friedrichs

First Intrasquad - Wednesday May 28th

Volunteers and swimmers, it is time to return to the SWAMP!

4:30-5:00 Pool set-up
4:45-5:00 Deck entries, fill out cards for your 2 events and take them to the heating shed.
Only for swimmers who haven't told Jaimie what they want to swim.
5:00-5:15 Lower Division Warm Up
5:15-5:30 Upper Division Warm Up
5:15-5:30 Timers meeting and instruction
5:30-5:45 Parent meeting
5:45 Meet Begins
8:45 Meet Ends, Pool clean-up

The snack shack will be serving hot dogs, burgers etc. during the meet.

Go Gators!

This Week

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all are enjoying your day off of school. Just a reminder, there is NO practice today, and tomorrow there is ONLY practice for upper division from 6:30-8pm. There will be no practice for the lower division tomorrow. 

Sign-ups for Saturday's meet will be up soon; make sure to sign up by Thursday at 5pm at the latest. Also, if you haven't signed up for a buddy yet and want one, make sure to sign up so I can let everyone know who their buddies are on Wednesday! See you all for our first intrasquad meet!

New officials training

The Gators could use another official.
Training is on Thursday May 29th at Applewood Knolls – dry lecture 6pm, in water demonstrations around 7pm.

Practice Cancelled

Hi Gators! The weather is looking pretty bad right now, and there is some lightning. It's looking like it might be like this for the rest of the afternoon, so we will not be swimming today. I will see everyone tomorrow for more stroke work! If you did not sign up for the intrasquad meet with me yesterday, think about what you want to swim and I will bring the sign ups again tomorrow. I'm sorry for the late notice! I was hoping the weather would clear up by now. See you tomorrow!

Volunteer sign-up for the First Intrasquad Swim Meet

Gator Nation,

We can't run a meet with out your help!

If you haven't volunteered before, the First Intrasquad is a great place to start.

Click on the URL to sign-up for specific roles at the meet.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054CABA822A75-intrasquad

Buddies

I have also gotten a lot of feedback from the swimmers that having Big/Little Buddies this summer would be fun. Buddies could cheer each other on at meets, leave good luck notes in each others' folders at the pool, and maybe leave some treats or small prizes in each others' folders before meets. This is a great way for our Upper Division swimmers to get to know our younger swimmers and to show our team spirit at meets! In my experience, swimmers have really enjoyed it.

If you are interested in having a Big or Little Buddy this season, please sign up on the attached google doc and I will let you know who your buddy is once I have enough names. You can also email me with any questions at jaimiestevens27@gmail.com.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hQXZCPkwL9FzNrIyDRtggLL3U-1tzMbjLohZ0pMAtKs/edit?usp=sharing

First Intrasquad Meet!

Hi Gators! Our first intrasquad meet is coming up next Wednesday, May 28th at Green Mountain! Swimmers will be able to register for their events with the coaches at practice this week, so please make sure to come see us! Each swimmer is allowed 2 events. Warm-up will start at 5:00pm, and the meet will start at 5:30pm. If you are unable to make it to practice this week, please show up at the meet on Wednesday by 4:45pm to deck enter. It's going to be a lot of fun, so please try to come!

Practice Is Still On!

Hi everyone! Welcome back! Yesterday we had a great first day, and I was hoping we'd have the nice weather all week. It was looking a little stormy earlier this afternoon, but it's looking good now so we will still have practice. If we have more stormy weather later this week, make sure you check the blog before coming in case we have to cancel due to lightning. I'll see you all there!

Monday after school practice is a go!

The water is warm and the weather looks promising, so it's time for all Gators to return to the SWAMP.

Need a Green Mtn. Gators swim suit?

Call or e-mail Christine at Colorado Swim Shop to place an order.
303-545-2090
christine@coloradoswimshop.com
http://www.coloradoswimshop.com

After school practice begins Monday May 19th

The pool was filled today!
Once the boilers kick in, we should have warm water by Monday.
Jaimie, Porter, Ethan, and Josh are ready to rock!
Are you?

9 & unders   4:30-5:30pm
10-12           5:30-6:30pm
13-18           6:30-8:00pm

This schedule will hold until Tuesday May 27th when the 12 & under swimmers have a day off due to a party at the pool. On that day only the 13-18 will practice at their normal time.

Remember, the first Intrasquad is May 28th and the first dual meet is May 31st.

Go Gators!

2014 Coaching Staff

The Green Mountain Swim Team is pleased to announce that we have a new head coach, Jaimie Stevens.  Jaimie is a former summer club and year round swimmer (mainly fly and sprint free) that began coaching in 2011 for the Foothills swim team. She did a great job with our 8 & under Gators last year and looks forward to working with all age groups this summer. We also have 2 new assistant coaches. Porter Bennett swims year round for the Jeffco Hurricanes and at Lakewood HS (breast, IM, distance free) where he is team captain and has been a GM lifeguard the past 2 summers. Ethan Schick is a long time Gator and summer club state record holder (100 Fly) who swims for Green Mountain HS. Ethan did such a great job with the hatchlings this winter that we asked him to coach the 8 & unders this summer. Last, but not least, we are glad to have Josh Peterson back on an intermittent schedule to help out as needed. So come on out and join the Gators for summer time fun and conditioning!

Register for Swim Team 2014

See forms and information on the right. Deadline to register is June 5. See you soon!

Returning Officials

The refresher course will be held at 4:30pm on April 27th and May 18th at the Green Mtn. Rec. Center.

Swim Suit Fitting Scheduled for May 4 during Clinics

If your swimmer needs a new suit for the 2014 season there will be an opportunity to try on suits and place an order on May 4 during the swim clinics from 4:45 until 6:20 pm. It's best if you come early and have your child try on a suit before getting wet.

Session II of Swim Clinics begins Sunday, February 23

See the information on the right about the winter swim clinic and to register. Complete the registration online and then bring a check to the first clinic. Summer is almost here! (I wish...)