Happy Sunday Sharks!

I hope everyone had a joyous, patriotic, and safe holiday weekend. This is the last week of the regular season before we enter our championship week! Below are some crucial pieces of information, after a brief talk about personal bests.

I meant to touch on this at the beginning of the season but it escaped me. I want to emphasize the value of personal improvements over placement. For many of our swimmers, especially those just starting out, they may have found themselves in earlier heats, swimming alongside others at a similar level. They may not "win" their heat or place in a final, but that does not mean they aren't succeeding. Every race that a swimmer improves their own time, even by a fraction of a second, is a win worth celebrating. We emphasize personal bests because they’re the clearest sign of progress. A swimmer who drops time, no matter their heat or place, is showing discipline, hard work, and improvement, and that’s what truly matters. These values are what help build confidence, perseverance, and a love for the sport.

• This Wednesday July 8th at 6:00pm will be our Swim-A-Thon make up date. I will be at the pool until 7:30pm. Swimmers will go for 60 minutes. Come support!
• There will be clinics this week from 7:00-7:30am on Tu/Th/Fri. Come with $5 cash and a skill or stroke that you would like extra help with. This is a great way to learn a new stroke! The goal this week is to solidify a new stroke for those that cannot swim all 4 strokes legally.
• We will swim away at Truxtun Park this week. This will be our toughest competition yet! I mentioned this before and you’ll hear me say it all week but their pool is in meters so it will be longer. Please arrive at the pool by 7:10am. Tess will send details later in the week. There are some specifics about our seating and viewing area.
• Everyone that has swam in at least 2 dual meets is eligible to swim in the Bronze, Silver, OR Gold meet. If your swimmer is not attending a Medal Meet, for whatever reason, then this will be their last week of practice. We will have a super Fun Friday in the water and craft time afterward. Next week’s practice will only be for swimmers attending the Bronze, Silver, or Gold meet.
• At this point, you should have a good idea of which meet your swimmer plans to attend. After our final meet, there will be additional cuts made. Entries for all 3 Medal Meets will be locked and closed at 3pm on Saturday. This gives your family an additional few hours to make your final decisions. Entries for all 3 meets are due to the league on Sunday afternoon and there will NOT be any changes that are allowed unless there is an illness or injury.
• Our end of season Banquet will be on Sunday July 19th at 5:00pm at the Southdown pool. RSVPs are open. This gives us a headcount for hot dogs and tacos in a bag and cake. We ask you to bring your best side, or salad, or another dessert!
• Club swimming tryouts will continue through mid-July! Sign your swimmers up and let me know so we can get the details in their technique cleaned up. 

We are always available to answer any questions you have. If you need any advice or help then let us know! Let’s make it a great week. See you in the morning.

-Coach Nastya :-)