Important Updates for the week of July 10th

Sign-up for Thursday's Home Meet vs Penns Valley/Lewistown
The sign-up boards will be available Monday through Wednesday during practice for Thursday's home meet against Penns Valley and Lewistown. The sign-up deadline is Wednesday at the end of practice (9:45am).

Parent Volunteer/Concessions Sign-up
Please sign-up to help with this Thursday's home meet using the links below.

• Volunteer Sign-up for the Penns Valley/Lewistown Home Meet (7/13/2017)
• Concession Donations for Penns Vally/Lewistown Home Meet (baked goods, etc.)

Late Night Pool Party on Tuesday
We will be hosting a pool party from 7:00-9:30pm at Welch Pool on Tuesday, July 11. Please bring a dessert (finger-food only) to share. No sign-up required.

• 7:00-8:00pm: General Swim
• 8:00pm: Dessert time!
• 8:10-9:00pm: Fun Swim in Both Pools
• 9:00-9:30pm: Sharks and Minnows

Donut Day at Practice Thursday
The team will supply donuts for all the swimmers after their practice time on Thursday! See you then!

Relay Meet: "Day of Joy" on Saturday
Join all of the league teams for a morning of fun relays for all ages. No sign-up required. A headcount will be taken on Tuesday at practice.

• WHAT: A morning full of fun relays
• WHEN: Saturday, July 15th from 8:00am to noon
• WHERE: Park Forest Pool
• Additional details available in the display case at Welch

Championships
All swimmers are invited to participate in the league championships (Champs) on Tuesday, July 25th (11 and up at Park Forest) and Thursday, July 27th (10 and under at SPRA). Sign-ups for Champs will be available during practices beginning this Wednesday and running through Thursday, July 20th.

• Sign-ups will be on a separate sign-up board from regular meets. 
• Each swimmer selects their top five preferred events. Each swimmer is allowed to swim up to four events -- coaches will determine relays.
• If you cannot sign-up in person or if you know that you cannot attend Champs, please send an email to our coaches: welchcoaches@gmail.com -- We want to make sure everyone gets a chance to swim at Champs!
• Please sign-up to volunteer at Champs (Big Champs / Little Champs)
• If you have any questions, please ask another parent or a coach.

T-Shirt Design Contest
Coach Marion is looking for a new t-shirt design for next year's gear, and she wants to see your ideas! Entries can be given to Coach Marion or placed in the team dropbox. We hope to show our new logo at the team brunch at the end of the season. Parents can participate too!

Monday/Wednesday Evening Practices for 11+
Please note that our Monday and Wednesday practices are for swimmers from ages 11-18 only. Thank you!

Lost and Found
Please remember to put your name on your team swimsuits and caps. Please check your boys suits – a size 28 jammer has been found and a size 22 jammer is missing. Please return/pickup from Coach Marion.

Important Updates for the Week of July 3rd

We have a fun week ahead! Please make an extra effort to be on time for practice so we can maximize our time in the water. You should be aiming to be at the pool 10 to 15 minutes before the beginning of your practice time. Thank you!

Be extra careful when signing up for a swim meet that you are checking the boxes next to your name!! Don't be surprised if you don't get to swim exactly what you signed up for – coaches enter you into events that are also best for the team! – Your Coaches

Happy 4th of July! Fun Practice!
We will follow our modified practice schedule on Tuesday. This is a practice you won't want to miss!

Sign-up for Thursday's Park Forest Meet
The sign-up boards will be available Monday-Wednesday during practice for Thursday's meet at Park Forest. The sign-up deadline is Wednesday at the end of practice (9:45am). This is an important meet, and we want to make sure that all swimmers are signed-up!

• Arrive at 5:15pm for warm-ups (directions available on team site)
• Special relays for parents and coaches after the last event. Sign-ups available during practice.

Parent Volunteer Sign-up for Park Forest Meet
Our parent volunteers help with getting kids ready to swim, timing events, helping with concessions, and more. Please sign-up to help with the Park Forest meet. A description of each volunteer position is available on the blog.

Let's Eat Some Frogs!!! (Sweet Frogs)
Head to Sweet Frog on July 6th before the Park Forest meet for some delicious frozen yogurt – and help our team too! Mention "Sharks Eat Frogs" during your visit and 15% of your purchase will be donated back to the team! Be on the lookout for fliers to share with friends and join our Facebook event.

Pancakes at Practice on Thursday
The team will be making pancakes for all swimmers after their practice times on Thursday. Come hungry!

T-Shirt Design Contest
Coach Marion is looking for a new t-shirt design for next year's gear, and she wants to see your ideas! Entries can be given to Coach Marion or placed in the team dropbox. We hope to show our new logo at the team brunch at the end of the season. Parents can participate too!

Team Gear
Team sweatshirts and t-shirts will be sold during Friday practices -- just let one of the coaches know what you would like. Items will be sold cash-and-carry.

Meet Results Posted: SPRA (H)

The results from the SPRA at Welch meet have been posted on the team site.

Two records were broken at the meet!

• Coach Ben Gingher broke the Welch 15-18 Boys 50-yard Breaststroke Record with a time of 26.89 seconds
• Noah Witt broke the Welch 15-18 Boys 50-yard Backstroke Record with a time of 25.79 seconds

Congratulations to Ben and Noah on great swims!

Important Updates for the Week of June 26th

New Records: Ben Gingher and Toby Van Dyke

Coach Ben broke the Welch 50-yard butterfly record at last Tuesday's meet. He broke his own record with a time of 24.10 seconds! 
Toby Van Dyke broke the Welch 50-yard freestyle record at last Tuesday's meet with a time of 22.11.
Make sure you congratulate them on their great swims!

Penns Valley Meet Cancelled

Last Thursday's meet at Penns Valley has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Penns Valley was unable to find a day that would work for their pool to host our meet again, so they have forfeited the meet.

Ice Cream Social

Come join us on Monday, June 26 from 6-8pm at Spring Creek Park (901 Houserville Rd, State College) for some ice cream, games, and time to play in the creek! The team provides ice cream and toppings. Feel free to bring some outdoor games. Sign up here. There will be no Monday evening practice.

Tie-Dye - DROP OFF BY THURSDAY

We will be making tie-dye shirts on Friday during practice. Shirts should tied at home and then dropped off at practice no later than Thursday.  You can bring your shirts to practice any day this week. We will apply colors together during practice on Friday. See details here. 

Home Meet with SPRA - Thursday Evening

Sign-up for SPRA Meet

The sign-up boards will be available Monday through Wednesday for Thursday's home meet against SPRA. The sign-up deadline is Tuesday at the end of practice (9:45am). 

• Arrive at 4:45pm for warm-ups
• Team Pictures will follow warm-ups at 5:35pm on the hill behind the pool

Parent Volunteer Sign-up

Our parent volunteers help with getting kids ready to swim, timing events, helping with concessions, and more. Please sign-up to help with the SPRA meet using the links below. A description of each volunteer position is available on the blog:

• Volunteer Sign-up for the SPRA Home Meet (6/29/2017)
• Concession Donations for SPRA Meet (baked goods, etc.)

Flavor Ice at Thursday's Practice

The team will supply Flavor Ice for all the swimmers after their practice time on Thursday! See you then!

Spikes Night - DEADLINE MONDAY

Our swim league (CPSL) coordinates an evening at the Spikes! This year we will be going to the game on Sunday, July 9th at 6:05pm. Tickets are $7 and include admission and a meal voucher. The deadline to sign-up is Monday (June 26th). Checks should be made out to Welch Swim Team. Please put your money in an envelope marked with the number of family members attending the game and place your envelope in the team drop box. Tickets will be available at Will Call on the day of the game. We need lots of Sharks to outnumber the Frogs, so bring the family!!

Champs T-shirts - DEADLINE FRIDAY

You'll start to see some communications about League Championships (Champs). They are for everyone! All swimmers are invited to participate. Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, July 25th (11 and up) and Thursday, July 27th (10 and under). Champs t-shirts are available for order. Order forms are due by Friday, June 30th.

Team Gear

Team sweatshirts and t-shirts will be sold during Friday practices -- just let one of the coaches know what you would like. Items will be sold cash-and-carry.

Pickup Suits

If you have not picked up a team suit that you ordered, make sure to contact Kathryn Witt at luopawitt@hotmail.com to setup a time to meet.

Meet Results Posted: Park Forest (H)

The results for the Park Forest meet have been posted on the team website. It was a very close meet, and we are so proud of each swimmer!

Sign-ups for the Penns Valley meet will be available at practice on Wednesday (June 21). We will also be running a modified practice schedule on Wednesday:

• 5-8 year olds: 9:20–9:55am
• 9-10 year olds: 8:45–9:30am
• 11-18 year olds: 8:00–8:45am

Important Updates for the Week of June 19th

Thank you to everyone for a successful Black and Gold Meet! This is one of the busiest weeks of the season with two meets and lots of team activities. Please read through all the items below to make sure you don’t miss any important announcements!

Meet Sign-ups
Sign-up for Tuesday’s Park Forest home meet by the end of practice on Monday (9:45am). This is an important meet, and we want to make sure that all swimmers are signed-up! Arrive at 4:45pm for warm-ups. Thank you for your concession stand donations!

Sign-up for Thursday’s Penns Valley away meet on Tuesday or Wednesday during practice. The sign-up deadline is Wednesday by 9:45am. Arrive at 5:15pm for warm-ups. Directions/GPS coordinates for the Penns Valley pool in Millheim (as well as all league pools) are available on the team website.

IMPORTANT: Only swimmers who have registered through CRPR are eligible to participate in the meet.

Parent Volunteer Sign-up
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, selling concessions, and more. Please sign-up to help with the Park Forest and Penns Valley meets using the links below. Descriptions of volunteer positions are available on the team website.

• Volunteer Sign-up for the Park Forest Home Meet (6/20/2017)
• Concession Donations for Park Forest Meet (baked goods, etc.)
• Volunteer Sign-up for the Penns Valley Away Meet (6/22/2017)

Meet Event Order Change
Attention 8 and unders! Your 100 Freestyle Relay is right after the big kids swim butterfly! Parents - please make sure you get your swimmers to the record board at home meets or Coach Marion's white canopy at away meets to join up with the other swimmers in their relays by event #54!

Free Stroke and Turn Training
Each team provides stroke and turn judges for meets. These volunteers ensure swimmers are following the stroke guidelines properly during races. If you are interested in becoming a stroke and turn judge or would like to know more about the proper rules for each stroke, you can attend a free clinic at Park Forest Pool this Wednesday evening from 8-9pm (June 21st).

Monday/Wednesday Evening Practices for 11+
Evening practices are available for swimmers ages 11 and over on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 8:00-9:00pm. These practices will begin this Monday (June 19th).

Bagel Day at Thursday’s Practice
The team will provide bagels for all swimmers after their practice times on Thursday!

Friday – Modified Practice
For the rest of the season, each Friday will follow this schedule:

• 11-18 year olds: 8:00–8:45am
• 9-10 year olds: 8:45–9:30am
• 5-8 year olds: 9:20–9:55am

Ice Cream Social – Monday, June 26th from 6-8pm at Spring Creak Park
We will gather to enjoy ice cream together and play some games! The team will provide the ice cream and toppings. Please bring some outdoor games. Sign up online by Friday, June 23rd.

Spikes Baseball Game
Our swim league (CPSL) coordinates an evening at the Spikes! This year we will be going to the game on Sunday, July 9th at 6:05pm. Tickets are $7 and include admission and a meal voucher. The deadline to sign-up is next Monday (June 26th). Checks should be made out to Welch Swim Team. Please put your money in an envelope marked with the number of family members attending the game and place your envelope in the team drop box. Tickets will be available at Will Call on the day of the game. We need lots of Sharks to outnumber the Frogs, so bring the family!!

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:
• Volunteer Sign-up for the Park Forest Home Meet (6/20/2017)
• Concession Donations for Park Forest Meet (baked goods, etc.)
• 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.