We are looking forward to a great season! Spread the word about how much you love swim team!

If you’re a new parent considering swim team this summer please reach out to Coach Marion with questions! I am offering swim tryouts (Saturdays, May 31st and June 7th between 9 and 10 am at Welch Pool) if you are unsure if your swimmer is ready! The try out will take about 15 mins.

If you are a returning swimmer please fill out the 2025 Family Contact Form so you don’t miss important team updates.

If your worried that you missed the May 3rd info session, don’t be! All the info is available on the 2025 Team Info link and will be reviewed during practice! Suit try-on is also available May 31st and June 7th from 9-10AM at Welch! Apparel will be available at our Shark Tank meet on June 14th!

Let’s Go Sharks!

Stop by Welch Pool any time on Saturday, May 3rd between 11am to 1pm to:

• Meet the Coaches — say hello to the 2025 coaches and ask your questions
• Welch Apparel Sale — come get this year’s sizes and see our new shirt design!
• Try on Our New Team Suit — cash and carry suits available

We can’t wait to meet this year’s swimmers and families! See you at the pool on Saturday!

It’s officially spring, and we’ve already updated our website for the 2025 Welch season!

• 2025 Detailed Welch Calendar — We’ve added all the meets, practice times, meet themes, and some fun team events. Check it out!
• 2025 Family Contact Form — Please provide your contact information for this summer, so you don’t miss important team updates.
• 2025 Team Info — We’ve provided the latest information about the 2025 season. You can also find links to register your swimmer through CRPR.
• Team Suits — We have a new team suit design for this season. Suits are available for order from our SwimOutlet team store.

Mark your calendars for our team information session on Saturday, May 3rd from 11am-1pm at Welch Pool. Our coaches will be there to answer questions, try on team suits, purchase a limited number of cash-and-carry suits, and purchase team apparel. We can’t wait to see you there!

Regular practices will begin on Monday, June 9th. We are looking forward to a great season!

End of Season Slide Show & Late Night Swim on Sunday

Sunday, August 11th 6:00PM Team Slide Show at the State College High School Auditorium (located behind the cafeteria). Then we’ll head to the pool for a Late Night Swim for the team (7:00-8:30PM).

• Join us to celebrate the season in pictures at the State College High School Auditorium!
  • Park behind the high school and enter through the back entrance
• Head to Welch Pool after the slide show to pick up Champs Awards and Top Times for your swimmers!
• We will have organized games and a Belly Flop contest going on all evening!
• No RSVP needed, we will see you there!

If you cannot make the slide show/late night swim, Champs Awards will be available at the lifeguard area (not the front desk) during the month of August. Hopefully, you’ll see a coach at the pool and can get your awards from them!

Just Keep Swimming: Info Session for Winter Swimming on Thursday

What a GREAT Summer! So many memories made, new friends, faster swimming each meet, and lots of fun each day. The coaches are so proud of each of you!! So what’s next? The State College/Bellefonte area offers excellent school-year swimming programs. Get signed up and “Just Keep Swimming!”

Want to learn more? Coach Marion will be hosting an info session on winter swim team via Zoom this week: Thursday, August 8th from 7-7:30pm. The Zoom link for the info session will be sent via Remind Thursday at noon. This is a great opportunity to learn more about swimming during the school year and ask questions. We’ve included links for several winter teams below.

• Bellefonte YMCA Swim Team
• Nittany Lion Aquatic Club — Swim Tests are offered August 20th and 21st. Contact Coach Aaron and Team Coordinator Tracy Boone if interested
• State College YMCA Swim Team

If you have questions, I hope to see you at the meeting!

Coach Marion

How is it possible that we are at the last week of swim team for 2024?! What a great summer it has been! Let’s finish strong with a great week of Champs and our Team Celebration Brunch. See you at the pool!

Practice Schedule:

• Monday: Normal AM and PM practice
• Tuesday: Normal AM practice
• Wednesday:
  • 13 & Overs: Come help coach a practice at 8AM or 9AM (no early practice)
  • 10 & Unders: Normal practice time 8:00-9:00AM
  • 8 & Unders: Normal practice time 9:00-9:45AM
  • 11 & Over PM Practice Fun: See Coach Marion for details!
• Thursday:
  • 11 & Over: One last Sharks and Minnows Game (maybe 2!) 7:00-8:00AM
  • 10 & Unders: Normal practice time 8:00-9:00AM
  • 8 & Unders: Normal practice time 9:00-9:45AM
• Friday: Team Celebration Brunch with families (details below)

Champs Information:

Entry Timeline

• Champs Psych Sheets (each event with swimmers listed by time) will be published Monday, July 21st at practice.
• Final changes due Monday, July 22nd at noon for both Big and Little Champs!

Tuesday, July 23rd: 11 and Over Champs at Welch

• Morning Breakfast: Surprise!! We are having another Pancake Day for our 11 & overs!
• Meet Details:
  • Meet Volunteers needed
  • Concessions needed
  • Meet Times:
    • Arrive: 4:45PM
    • Warm Ups: 5:00-5:15PM
    • Timers/Officials Meeting: 5:45PM
    • Meet Starts: 6:05PM
  • Family Pizzas: You can pre-order a whole pizza for Big Champs. Deadline is Monday at 11:00AM.
  • Meet Theme: Christmas in July – this is for swimmers and parents!

Thursday, July 25th: 10 and Under Champs at SPRA

• Morning Breakfast: Surprise!! We will have some pancakes!!
• Meet Details:
  • Meet Volunteers needed
  • Meet Times:
    • Arrive: 5:10PM
    • Warm Ups: 5:30PM
    • Timers/Officials Meeting: 5:45PM
    • Meet Starts: 6:05PM
  • Meet Theme: Christmas in July – this is for swimmers and parents!

Team Celebration Brunch and Awards – for swimmers and families

• Friday, July 26th 8:30-10:30AM at Welch Pool
  • Join us for a fun morning as we celebrate a great season!
  • Each swimmer receives their top times! There are also additional awards: Coaches Award, Most Improved, Most Dedicated, ALL IN Award, and the coveted Cheeze-it Award!
  • The team will supply juice, paper goods, and dessert.
  • Families are asked to bring an individually-packed breakfast item to share that will serve 12-15 hungry swimmers:
    • A-H: Fruit, fruit cup, Jello cup, or yogurt
    • I-Q: Breakfast muffins or coffee cake
    • R-Z: Individual quiches
    • Please remember no glass containers are permitted at the pool! This includes Pyrex and other breakable serving dishes!
    • Don’t forget to bring chairs
  • We want everyone to attend!
  • Please RSVP!!

See you at the pool! Let’s go Sharks!

Coach Marion

Another great week to be a Shark! Lots of teamwork was required for Thursday’s win over SPRA! Congratulations team, you did it! It was great to see you cheering each other on, getting best times and shaking hands at the end of your races! A special THANK YOU to all our parent volunteers! We have the best parents around. It is really great to have so many helping hands at the meet! And those parent relays at the end…so fun!!

Sunday, July 14th: Champs Shirt Order Due TODAY! See Details in the post below.

Monday, July 15th:

• Delgrosso’s Day: NO AM or PM Practice!
• We’ll be providing ice cream sandwiches for our swimmers and their families during our day of fun on Monday, July 15th at Delgrosso’s. We meet at 2:00pm on the water park side to enjoy our cool treats together. Please RSVP so we have enough ice cream for your family on Monday!!

Tuesday, July 16^th:

• Welch Coffee Morning! Bring your Welch Cup!
• Post Card Addressing!
  • We have a tradition of writing and sending post cards to teammates the last week of practice to get excited for Champs, but you don’t have to be going to Champs to participate!
  • Tuesday and Wednesday we will address a post card to yourself- know your address or bring it on a card to copy on to the postcard! On Thursday at practice we will be writing the post cards to mail them out on Friday!!
• Champs sign-ups will be posted at practice near the flag pole
  • Sign up before July 19^th
    • Tuesday, July 23^rd – Big Kid Champs at Welch (11 and older)
    • Thursday, July 25^th Little Kid Champs at SPRA (10 and younger)
  • Swimmers may swim up to four events, maximum of three individual events.
  • Coaches will determine relays.
  • If you have competed in two swim meets this summer you qualify for Champs!
  • Championships are for EVERYONE!!!Sign up by Friday, July 19th
  • If you are traveling this week but can make it to Champs next please email Coach Marion your events! There will be no adds after the CPSL deadline of Sunday at 5PM.

Friday, July 19^th:

• Modified practice times

Looking Ahead:

• Champs are coming up!
  • Tuesday, July 23^rd – Big Kid Champs at Welch (11 and older)
  • Thursday, July 25^th Little Kid Champs at SPRA (10 and younger)
  • Please sign up to volunteer at the Champs meets!
• Team Celebration Brunch and Awards, Friday July 28th 8:30-10:30 at Welch Pool
  • Join us for a fun morning as we celebrate a great season!
  • The Team will supply juice, paper goods, and dessert.
  • Families are asked to bring an individually packed breakfast item to share that will serve 12-15 hungry swimmers:
    • A–H: Fruit, Fruit Cup, Jello Cup or Yogurt
    • I-Q: Breakfast muffins or coffee cake
    • R–Z: Individual Quiches
  • We want everyone to attend!
  • Please RSVP!!

See you at the pool! Let’s go Sharks!

Coach Marion

• Champs shirt only available by pre-order!
• Cotton and Dri-Fit options
• $16 per shirt with a $3 up charge for 2-4XL shirts
• Payment is due to WELCH SWIM TEAM via Venmo, cash or check. Please label payment “Champs Shirt & Swimmers’s Name” before placing in team drop box at lifeguard table. Venmo QR code is on the outside of the drop box.
• Order Form Link
• Deadline to order is SUNDAY, JULY 14th!

Normal practice times Monday-Thursday. Modified practice times on Friday.

Thursday, July 11^th: Home Meet vs SPRA

• Morning Practice:
  • Yogurt Parfait Breakfast – We need a few parents to help serve, please sign up here!
  • Gluten Free option sign-up
• Afternoons of meet days are great for some down time and rest. Stay hydrated and eat some healthy carbs to have some good energy for the meet!
• Meet Details – HOME vs SPRA:
  • Deadline to sign up is Wednesday, July 10^th at practice. The meet lineup will be posted Thursday morning at practice—changes are accepted until 11:00am.
    • We need our swimmers this week for a big meet! I know some of you have a band or choir concert. Please consider being at the meet for the medley relay before your concert and coming for the second half of the meet when your concert is over.
  • Pizza Pre-Order: Pre-order your pizza(s) for your family at the meet
    • Place your order by Wednesday, July 10th at 11am
    • 5:00pm pickup at the concession stand on meet day
  • Parent Relays at the End of the Meet
    • All adults are welcome to participate!!
    • We will match swimmers together at the meet
    • Look for a sign-up sheet at the meet, so we can plan for the number of lanes/heats to run
  • Fresh concessions food donations needed
    • Sales have been going great in concessions and we need to replenish some items. Thank you for your donation to our concession stand—it’s our biggest fundraiser for the season!!
  • Meet Volunteers needed
  • Meet Times:
    • Arrive: 4:45pm 
    • Warm Ups: 5:00pm
    • Team Meeting: 5:35pm – We will be honoring our seniors!
    • Meet Starts: 6:00pm
  • Meet Theme: Welch Sharks Rock The 80’s – this is for swimmers and parents!
  • Team Apparel Sale 6:00-7:30pm near the lifeguard table. Last sale of the season!

Friday, July 12^th:

• Modified practice times
• Champs sign-ups will be posted Friday, July 12th
  • Sign up between July 12^th–19^th
    • Tuesday, July 23^rd – Big Kid Champs at Welch (11 and older)
    • Thursday, July 25^th – Little Kid Champs at SPRA (10 and younger)
  • Sign-ups for Champs will be on the board near the flag pole.
  • Swimmers may swim up to four events—maximum of three individual events.
  • You must number your events in order of preference to help coaches with selections!
  • Coaches will determine relays.
  • Championships are for EVERYONE!!! Sign up by Friday, July 19th

Looking Ahead:

• Delgrosso Day – Monday, July 15th
  • Water park and rides open from 11am-7pm
  • Purchase your own discounted tickets through CRPR and we will see you there!
  • Meet at the front entrance of the park (water park side) at 2:00pm for ice cream sandwiches with the coaches! Please RSVP so we have enough ice cream for your family!! 
  • There will be no morning or evening practice at Welch Monday, July 15th. 
  • This is not a drop off event—swimmers must attend with a responsible adult.

An amazing win over SPRA! I just loved all those relays!! What a fun evening! Great to come away with the GOLD! *wink wink*

Monday, July 1^st

• Deadline to sign up for Tuesday’s away meet vs. Park Forest
• Normal morning and evening practices

Tuesday, July 2^nd – AWAY Swim Meet at Park Forest

• Morning Practice:
  • Pancake Breakfast – We need a few parents to help serve, please sign up here!
  • Gluten Free option sign-up
• Afternoons of meet days are a great time for some down time and rest. Stay hydrated and eat some healthy carbs to have some good energy for the meet!
• Meet Details – At Park Forest:
  • Deadline to sign up is Monday, July 1^st at practice. The meet lineup will be posted Monday afternoon via Remind at 4pm. Changes accepted until 7pm on Monday!
  • In order to get through the whole meet before the 10pm noise curfew in the Park Forest neighborhood, swimmers will likely swim 2 or 3 races instead of the normal 3 or 4. Please let Coach Marion know if you have questions!
  • Directions to Park Forest
  • Meet Volunteers needed
  • Arrive: 5:00pm 
  • Team Meeting: 5:15pm  
  • Warm Ups: 5:30pm
  • Meet Starts: 6:00pm
  • Meet Theme: Red, White and Blue – this is for swimmers and parents!

Wednesday, July 3^rd

• Morning: Modified practice times
• Evening: Normal practice (8-9pm)

Thursday, July 4^th – Happy Independence Day! Olympic Games Morning!

• Welch Coffee Morning! Don’t forget to bring your Welch coffee cups for free coffee!
• 7:00-8:00am: Fun and games for 11 and overs
• 8:00-9:00am: Fun and Games for 9-10’s
• 9:00-9:45am: Fun and Games for 8 and unders

Friday, July 5^th – Fun Friday!

• 7:15-8:00am: Relays for 11 and overs
• 8:00-9:00am: Relays for 9-10’s
• 9:00-9:45am: PENNY DAY for 8 & Unders!!!

Looking Ahead:

• Delgrosso Day – Monday, July 15th
  • Water park and rides open from 11am-7pm
  • Purchase your own discounted tickets through CRPR and we will see you there!
  • Meet at the front entrance of the park (water park side) at 2:00pm for ice cream sandwiches with the coaches! Please RSVP so we have enough ice cream for your family!! 
  • There will be no morning or evening practice at Welch Monday, July 15th. 
  • This is not a drop off event—swimmers must attend with a responsible adult.

See you at the pool! Let’s go Sharks!

Coach Marion

A strong win over Park Forest! It was great to see the team come together, swim fast and cheer each other on. A special thank you to all our PARENT VOLUNTEERS who ran an amazing meet—hosting over 350 swimmers and their families! Seriously, we have the best parents volunteers!!

Please remember that it is important to stay to the end of the meet! If you must leave early, please check in with a coach to make sure you are not in or needed for a free relay. Thank you!

Parents, please remember that swim meets are not a drop off event. You or another adult must be directly responsible for your child throughout the meet.

Monday, June 24th – Normal Morning Practice & Evening Ice Cream Social

• Ice Cream Social
  • Monday, June 24^th
  • Holmes-Foster Park
  • 6:00-8:00pm
  • Ice cream will be served by the coaches at 6:15pm
  • This is a family event – everyone gets ice cream!
  • Sign up so we have enough ice cream for everyone
  • NO PM practice for our 11 & Overs on Monday!

Tuesday, June 25th – Coffee Morning and Pick up your 2024 team gift if you haven’t already!!

Thursday, June 27th – AWAY Swim Meet at SPRA

• Morning Practice:
  • French Toast Breakfast – We need a few parents to help serve, please sign up here
  • Gluten Free option sign-up
• Afternoons of meet days are a great time for some down time and rest. Stay hydrated and eat some healthy carbs to have some good energy for the meet!
• Meet Details – At SPRA:
  • Deadline to sign up is Tuesday, June 25^th at practice.
  • The meet lineup will be posted Wednesday morning at practice—changes are accepted until noon.
  • Directions to SPRA
  • Meet Volunteers needed
  • Arrive: 5:10pm 
  • Team Meeting: 5:15pm   
  • Warm Ups: 5:30pm
  • Meet Starts: 6:00pm
  • Meet Theme: Gold Out – this is for swimmers and parents!

Friday, June 28th – Modified Practice Times!

• 11 and Overs: 8:00-8:45am
• 9-10 year olds: 8:45-9:30am
• 8 and unders: 9:20-9:55am

Looking Ahead:

• Welch at Park Forest is TUESDAY, July 2nd. Sign-ups will end Mon, July 1st. Entries posted via Remind at 3pm. Changes accepted until 6pm on Monday!
• Thursday, July 4^th: Normal Practice Times – Olympic Games!
• Friday, July 5^th: Modified Practice Times, 8 and unders: Penny Day!!
• Make sure you mark your calendars for all the fun things happening in July!!
• Community Happenings:
  • Sat, June 29th – CRPR Cardboard Regatta
  • Sun, July 7th – SPRA Dolphin Dash Kids Triathlon Facebook info page and SIGN UP
  • Sat, July 20th – CRPR Peddle, Splash and Dash Triathlon

A busy week for Welch Sharks! See you at the pool! Let’s Go Sharks!

Coach Marion