Sunday, June 11, 2017

Happy Last Week of School! Regular Practice Begins Thursday!

Regular Practice Begins on Thursday
Our first regular practice will be Thursday morning (June 15th). Practice times are listed below. The coaches would like to invite any 10-12 year old swimmers who also swim on a winter swim team to come to the early morning practice. These swimmers can join practice at 7:00am to give the big kids a head start. Please talk to Coach Marion if this is an option for your family.

Practice Schedule:
  • 13-18 year olds: 6:45-8:00am
    • Evening practice on Mondays and Wednesdays: 8:00-9:00pm
  • 9-12 year olds: 8:00-9:00am
  • 5-8 year olds: 9:00-9:45am
Team Swim SuitsKathryn Witt will be at practice on Thursday, June 15th for the final suit try-on and to pass out suits that have already been ordered. Try-on suits will be available before each practice time. You must pick up your swim suit from Kathryn Witt by June 20th for our first meet!

Black and Gold Meet: Saturday, June 17th @ 7:30-10:00
All swimmers should attend this inter-squad, sprint meet. All races will be 25 yards.  Coaches will collect times at the meet -- it's also a great opportunity for parents to learn about the volunteer positions needed for each meet. You can sign-up online to be a timer for the Black and Gold meet (no prior experience needed!).

Meet with Park Forest on Tuesday, June 20th (home)
Our first league meet will be here soon! There are a few important notes to get you ready for this meet:
  • Sign-up by Monday, June 19th - The sign-up boards will be available Thursday through Monday during practice. The sign-up deadline is Monday, June 19th at the end of practice (9:45am). This is an important meet, and we want to make sure that all swimmers are signed-up. IMPORTANT: Only swimmers who have registered through CRPR are eligible to participate in the meet.
  • Parent Volunteer Sign-up - Unlike many other sports, swim meets would not be possible without most parents taking an active volunteer role at each event. Our parent volunteers help with getting kids ready to swim, timing events, helping with concessions, and more. Please sign-up to help at the Park Forest meet using the links below. A description of each volunteer position is available on the blog:
  • Collecting Food Donations – Each family is asked to donate food items that are sold in the concession stand at all home meets. Please drop off donations during practice times by Monday, June 19th. Please refer to the list on the general information tab for the food item you should purchase and donate (one item per family).
Activities Donation/Welch Car Magnets
Each family is asked to donate $10 per swimmer to cover the expenses of team activities and gifts (e.g., ice cream social, tie dye, team brunch, coaches’ gifts). When a swimmer has donated their $10, they will receive a Welch Swim Team Car Magnet as a “thank you”!

Share Your Pictures!
We love getting and sharing pictures. If you have pictures of practices and meets, please send them (or a link to your album) to welchcoaches[at]gmail.com.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

First Weekly Update: Week of May 29th

Hello Welch Swim Team!

We are excited for a great summer! Each week we provide a brief update of the upcoming week's events here on our blog – so be on the lookout each week. The season is a fast one with lots of things going on, and we don't want you to miss out!

Saturday Practice Schedules (June 3rd and 10th):
  • 11 and older: 8:00-9:00am
  • 10 and under: 9:00-10:00am
  • Swim Suit Try Ons and order forms will be available. The final order the this season will be placed on June 10th, so get your order in!
Regular Practice (begins Thursday, June 15th):
  • 13-18 year olds: 6:45-8:00am
    • Evening practice on Mondays and Wednesdays: 8:00-9:00pm
  • 9-12 year olds: 8:00-9:00am
  • 5-8 year olds: 9:00-9:45am

Activities Donation/Welch Car Magnets
Each family is asked to donate $10 per swimmer to cover the expenses of team activities and gifts (e.g., ice cream social, tie dye, team brunch, coaches’ gifts). When a swimmer has donated their $10, they will receive a Welch Swim Team Car Magnet as a “thank you!”

Collecting Food Donations
Each family is asked to donate food items that are sold in the concession stand at all home meets. Please drop off donations during practice times by Monday, June 19th. Please refer to the list below for the food item you should purchase and donate (one item per family):
  • Family Name A-C: 24 bottle case of water
  • Family Name D-G: 12 count bottle pack of Gatorade (12 oz./each)
  • Family Name H-K: 24 cans of soda (Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Sierra Mist)
  • Family Name L-P: One large package of individually wrapped candy (M&M’s, Skittles, Starburst)
  • Family Name R-S: Large box of individual chip bags
  • Family Name T-Z: Large box of individual granola bars

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Parent Meeting This Sunday - May 7 from 2:00-4:00pm


A parent meeting and information session will be held for all Welch swimmers on Sunday, May 7 from 2:00-4:00pm. Families may register, try on/order team suits, and get team apparel.

ALL PARENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!

The meeting will be held at the following address:

Our Lady of Victory: Activity Center (behind church)
820 Westerly Parkway
State College, PA 16801

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Updated 2017 Schedule


The beginning of the 2017 Welch Sharks schedule has been updated due to the additional snow days. Please download the latest schedule.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

2017 Welch Calendar Posted


Since it feels like summer outside, we wanted to give you a head start on your summer planning. The 2017 Welch Calendar has been posted. You can also download and print it.

Important scheduling notes:
  • A meeting for parents and swimmers will be held on Sunday, May 7th at the Our Lady of Victory Activity Center (820 Westerly Parkway) from 2:00-4:00pm.
  • The first team practice is on Saturday, June 3rd. The Black and Gold Sprint Meet will be on Saturday, June 17th.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

2016 Welch Slide Show Available!

The 2016 Welch Swim Team slide show is available: Slide Show

We've had a great season, and we hope you enjoy finding yourself in these pictures/videos. Get ready for the Black and Gold Meet on June 10th, 2017!

Keep a lookout for our 2017 preseason meeting (sometime in May).


Monday, August 15, 2016

Late Night Swim and Team Slide Show!!

Late Night Swim and Team Slide Show!!

Friday, August 19th 8-10pm at Welch Pool

Looking forward to seeing you all there! All family members are welcome to swim!  Slide Show will be shown at 9:15!

  • Bring $5 for your team magnet to show your pride all winter long!!!
  • A few remaining Champs T-Shirts will also be on sale for $8!
  • Welch Swim Team apparel will also be available for sale! 

If you have not picked up your year end gifts please stop by August Practice this week, M-TH between 8 and 10 am to pick it up. (It includes a pretty cool water bottle!)

Did you like the Welch Water Bottles this year? Left over water bottles will be sold at the Late Night Swim for $5!

The team will be getting rid of the two grills to make room for our new grill next year! If you are interested contact Marion, welchcoaches@gmail.com, before the Late Night Swim!

See you all Friday!! Have a great week!