How is it possible that we are at the last week of swim team for 2026?! 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 NO PM practice
• Tuesday: Normal AM practice
• Wednesday:
  • 13 & Over: Come help coach at 8AM or 9AM
  • 11 & 12’s: 7:15AM Sharks-n-Minnows with just your age group!
  • 10 & Unders: Normal practice time 8:00-9:00AM
  • 8 & Unders: Normal practice time 9:00-9:40AM
  • 12 & Over Fun PM Practice: See Coach Marion for details!
• Thursday:
  • 13 & Over: 7:15AM One last Sharks and Minnows Game
  • 10 & Unders: Normal practice time 8:00-9:00AM
  • 8 & Unders: Normal practice time 9:00-9:40AM
• Friday: Team Celebration Brunch with families (details below)

Champs Information:

Entry Timeline

• Entries have been submitted!
• Last minute changes can be sent to Coach Marion by 8pm today(Sat 7/25)for both Big and Little Champs!
• Pre-ordered Champs shirts can be picked up at practice at the lifeguard table! Ask a Coach for help!

Tuesday, July 28th: 11 and Over Champs at Lewistown

• Morning Breakfast: Surprise!! We are having another Pancake Day for our 11 & overs!
• Meet Details:
  • Meet Volunteers needed
  • Meet Times:
    • Arrive: 5:00PM
    • Warm Ups: 5:15-5:30PM
    • Team Meeting 5:45PM
    • Timers/Officials Meeting: 5:45PM
    • Meet Starts: 6:05PM
    • Meet Theme: Pajama Night – this is for swimmers and parents!

Thursday, July 30th: 10 and Under Champs at Welch

• Morning Breakfast: Surprise!! We will have some pancakes!!
• Meet Details:
  • Meet Volunteers needed (13 and over swimmers can volunteer too!!)
  • Pizza Pre-Order: Pre-order your pizza(s) for your family at the meet!
    • Place your order by Wednesday, July 29th at Noon!
    • 5:00pm pickup at the concession stand on meet day!
  • Meet Theme: Pajama Night – this is for swimmers and parents!
  • Meet Times:
    • Arrive: 4:45PM
    • Warm Ups: 5:00-5:15PM
    • Temp Tattoo Time & Team Meeting: 5:25
    • Timers/Officials Meeting: 5:45PM
    • Meet Starts: 6:05PM

Team Celebration Brunch and Awards – for swimmers and families

• Friday, July 31st 8:30-10:30AM at Welch Pool
  • Join us for a fun morning as we celebrate a great season! There are also additional awards: Coaches Award, Most Improved, Most Dedicated, ALL IN Award, and the coveted Cheeze-it Award!
  • Wear your Black and Gold Team Gear and bring chairs!
  • 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: Breakfast muffins or coffee cake
    • I-Q: Individual quiches
    • R-Z: Fruit, fruit cup, Jello cup, or yogurt
    • 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!!

Looking Ahead:

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 12th 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) and you can pick up your awards from Champs!

Interested in Swimming Year Round! Check out details about two great local options! Coach Marion is happy to talk with you about winter swimming!

• NLAC- Nittany Lion Aquatic Club
  • Information Poster
  • Website
• SCAY – State College Area YMCA
  • Website

See you at the pool! Let’s go Sharks!

Coach Marion

Great racing against Park Forest, a super fun morning at Day of Joy, lots of laughs at DelGrosso’s and a good week of practice! Keep up the good work Sharks!

We were disappointed that the meet was canceled on Thursday and we missed having practice Friday morning but it was the right decision to keep our swimmers and families safe. We are NOT rescheduling our meet from Thursday!

We are looking forward to a great week of practice! Champs sign ups, SPRA meet, Brunch celebration info and 2026 Slide Show Date announced(8/12)! See all the details below!

Champs sign-ups will be posted at practice near the flag pole

• Sign up before Wednesday, July 22^nd
  • Tuesday, July 28^th – Big Kid Champs at Lewistown (11 and older)
  • Thursday, July 30^th Little Kid Champs at Welch (10 and younger)

• Swimmers may swim up to four events, maximum of three individual events.
• Coaches will determine relays, but you have to let us know you if you would like to be in one or both relays!
• Championships are for EVERYONE!!! Sign up by Wednesday, July 22nd
• If you are traveling this week but can make it to Champs next please email Coach Marion your events by Wednesday! There will be no adds after the CPSL deadline of Sunday at 5PM.

Tuesday, July 21st – Welch Coffee Morning! Bring your Welch Cup!

Thursday, July 23rd – AWAY swim meet @ SPRA

• Morning Practice:
  • Golden Pancakes– We need a few parents to help serve, please sign up here!
• Meet Details – At SPRA:
  • Deadline to sign up is Tuesday, July 21st 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!

Looking Ahead:

• Champs are next week!
  • Tuesday, July 28th – Big Kid Champs at Lewistown (11 and older)
  • Thursday, July 30^th Little Kid Champs at Welch (10 and younger)
  • Please sign up to volunteer at the Champs meets!
• Team Celebration Brunch and Awards, Friday July 31st 8:30-10:30am at Welch Pool
  • Join us for a fun morning as we celebrate a great season!
  • No swimming, come in your casual Black and Gold brunch clothes!
    • Bring Chairs!
    • 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: Breakfast muffins or coffee cake
      • I-Q: Individual Quiches
      • R–Z: Fruit, Fruit Cup, Jello Cup or Yogurt
    • We want everyone to attend!
    • Please remember no glass dishes or bakeware at the pool!
    • Please RSVP!!
• Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 12th 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) and you can pick up your awards from Champs!

See you at the pool!

Coach Marion

Monday, July 13th –Delgrosso’s Day(No Am or Pm Practice!)

• Water park and rides open from 11am-7pm
• $22 Coupon for your ticket available at the front gate of DelGrossos 10:30-11:30am, AND right at 1:30! Thanks Parent Rep Melinda for setting this up and meeting our families 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 13th. 
• This is not a drop off event—swimmers must attend with a responsible adult.

Tuesday, July 14th – Welch Coffee Morning! Bring your Welch cup in for free coffee or $1 for a cup! No glass or ceramic mugs at the pool please.

Wednesday, July 15th – Extended meet sign up day!

Thursday, July 16th- AWAY Meet at Lewistown Pool:

• Deadline to sign up is Wednesday, July 15th at practice
• The meet lineup will be posted Thursday morning at practice. Changes are accepted until 10:00am.
• Morning Breakfast Helpers – Trail Mix Morning!
• Meet Volunteers Sign Up – Please sign up to volunteer!
• Arrive at Lewistown: 5:15pm
• Directions to Lewistown Pool
• Team Meeting: 5:20pm
• Warm Ups: 5:30pm
• Meet Starts: 6:00pm
• Meet Theme: Hawaiian!
• Champs Shirt Pre-Orders Payments due Thursday! Team Drop box or Venmo -please label with your swimmer’s name and “Champs shirt” Thank you!

Friday, July 17th – Modified practice times(11&over 8-8:50, 5-10’s 8:55-9:40)

Looking Ahead: Champs sign-ups will be posted Monday, July 20th

• Sign up between July 20^th – 23^rd
  • Tuesday, July 28^th – Big Kid Champs at Lewistown (11 and older)
  • Thursday, July 30^th – Little Kid Champs at Welch (10 and younger)
• Sign-ups for Champs will be on a board near the flag pole.
• Swimmers may swim up to four events, maximum of three individual events.
• Swimmer will select if they want to be in a relay by circling Y or N on the sign up sheet. Coaches will use that information to determine relays.
• Championships are for EVERYONE!!! Sign up by Wednesday, July 23rd

Let’s have a great week!

Coach Marion

Champs t-shirts order deadline is Friday, July 10th at Noon. Champs is for all swimmers! Order your shirt today! Youth and adult sizes available. Deadline is Tuesday, so don’t miss out! You can pay for shirts with Venmo, cash, or check (use the dropbox at practice). Please label your payment “champs shirt & your swimmers last name”. Payment due by 7/16, please! Thank you!

Saturday, July 11^th – Day of Joy

• Day of Joy Relay Event at Park Forest for all CPSL Teams!(info link)
  • WHAT: A morning full of fun relay events for all ages
  • WHEN: Saturday, July 11^th – from 8:00am to 11:30ish!
  • WHERE: Park Forest Pool
  • WHO: Everyone! All ages participate, parents too!
  • Arrive at 8:00am. First event begins at 8:30am.
  • You can come for an hour or come for the whole morning!
  • This is not a drop off event, parents bring your suits and swim with your swimmers!
  • Food available for purchase. Even if you don’t sign up but can come last minute, please do!! Let’s fill the pool with Welch Sharks!

Monday, July 13th –Delgrosso’s Day

• Water park and rides open from 11am-7pm
• $22 Coupon for your ticket available at the front gate of DelGrossos 10:30-11:30am, AND right at 1:30! Thanks Parent Rep Melinda for setting this up and meeting our families 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 13th. 
• This is not a drop off event—swimmers must attend with a responsible adult.

Welch 2026 Slide Show is in the making! Be taking pictures of all the fun going on! A link will come out Monday evening for a place to post your pictures! Thank you!

See you at the Pool!

Coach Marion

An amazing win over SPRA! Great teamwork — every point matters! Congratulations to Tenny Babb for breaking the 13/14 Girls 50y Butterfly record on Thursday with a time of 27.24! Way to go Tenny!!

Flopfest and Penny Day were a super way to celebrate the 4th of July weekend! Thank you, parents and swimmers, for a great week!

Champs t-shirts order deadline is Tuesday, July 7th. Champs is for all swimmers! Order your shirt today! Youth and adult sizes available. Deadline is Tuesday, so don’t miss out! You can pay for shirts with Venmo, cash, or check (use the dropbox at practice). Please label your payment “champs shirt & your swimmers last name”. Thank you!

Thursday, July 9^th – Home swim meet vs Park Forest

• Morning Practice:
  • French Toast Sticks Breakfast – We need a few more parents to help serve, please sign up here!
• Meet Details – HOME vs Park Forest:
  • Deadline to sign up is Tuesday, July 7^th at practice. The meet lineup will be posted Wednesday morning at practice—changes are accepted until Noon.
  • Pizza Pre-Order: Pre-order your pizza(s) for your family at the meet!
    • Place your order by Wednesday, July 8th at Noon!
    • 5:00pm pickup at the concession stand on meet day!
  • Fresh concessions food donations needed
  • Meet volunteers needed
  • Meet Times:
    • Arrive: 4:45pm 
    • Warm Ups: 5:00pm
    • Team Meeting: 5:45pm
    • Meet Starts: 6:00pm
  • Meet Theme: 80’s Night – this is for swimmers and parents!
  • Team Apparel Sale 6:00-7:30pm near the lifeguard table. Last apparel sale of the season!

Friday, July 10^th – Modified Practice Times

• Ages 11-18 — 8:00-8:45am
• Ages 5-10 — 8:50-9:40am

Saturday, July 11^th – Day of Joy

• Day of Joy Relay Event at Park Forest for all CPSL Teams!
  • WHAT: A morning full of fun relay events for all ages
  • WHEN: Saturday, July 11^th – from 8:00am to noon
  • WHERE: Park Forest Pool
  • WHO: Everyone! All ages participate, parents too!
  • Arrive at 8:00am. First event begins at 8:30am.
  • Food available for purchase. Please sign up here (by Tuesday, July 7th) so Park Forest has a head count for food prep! Even if you don’t sign up but can come last minute, please do!! Let’s fill the pool with Welch Sharks!

Looking Ahead:

• Delgrosso’s Day – Monday, July 13th
  • 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 13th. 
  • 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

• Order Form Link
• $16 per shirt
• Payment is due to WELCH SWIM TEAM via Venmo, cash or check. Please label payment “Champs Shirt & Swimmer’s Name” before placing in team drop box at lifeguard table or paying by Venmo! Venmo QR code is on the outside of the drop box.
• Champs shirts are available by pre-order!
• Deadline to order is Tuesday, JULY 7th!
• Pick up at practice on Thursday, July 23rd!
• Youth and adult sizes available

It was a fun week to be a Shark! So many smiling faces at the Ice Cream Social! Yummy grilled stickies on Thursday at practice! A very wet swim meet on Thursday, but still a lot of fun! Thank you to all our parent volunteers who made the meet possible, hung in there during the rain, and helped clean up!! We appreciate you!

Penny Day collection – We will be collecting pennies this week so we can have Penny Day on Friday!

Thursday, July 2^nd: Home Swim Meet vs SPRA

• Morning Practice:
  • Yogurt Parfait Breakfast – We have all the parent helpers signed up already!!! Thank you!
  • We need one more parent to help with the temporary tattoos, please sign up here!
• 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:
  • Meet Volunteers needed
  • Fresh concessions food donations needed
  • Deadline to sign up is Tuesday, June 30^th at practice. The meet lineup will be posted Wednesday morning at practice—changes are accepted until noon.
  • Pizza Pre-Order: Pre-order your pizza(s) for your family at the meet!
    • Place your order by Wednesday, July 1st at Noon!
    • 5:00pm pickup at the concession stand on meet day!
  • Parent Relays at End of Meet
    • Everyone is welcome to participate
    • Look for a sign-up sheet at the meet, so we can plan for the number of lanes/heats to run
  • Meet Times:
    • Arrive: 4:45pm 
    • Warm Ups: 5:00pm
    • Team Meeting: 5:45pm
    • Meet Starts: 6:00pm
  • Meet Theme: Red, White and Blue!
  • Team Apparel Sale 6:00-7:30pm near the lifeguard table.

Friday, July 3rd – Flopfest and Penny Day Activities

• Welch Coffee Morning – bring your Welch cup for free coffee or $1 in your own mug (no glass or ceramic at the pool, please!)
• See you at the pool for a fun morning! Come to your correct age group time!
  • Ages 13-18 — 7:15-7:45am: Sharks-n-Minnows
  • Ages 11-12 — 7:45-8:45am: Flop Fest Games
  • Ages 9-10 — 8:15-9:00am: Penny Day and Flop Fest
  • Ages 5-8 — 9:00-9:45am: Flop Fest and Penny Day

Looking forward to a great week with a lot of fun at our meet and on July 3rd!

See you at the pool!

Coach Marion

What a great week! So many smiling faces! Great to be back with the Shark Summer Swim Team Family!!

Team Ice Cream Social

• Rescheduled to Wed, June 24th due to weather forecast
• Holmes-Foster Park
• 6:00-8:00pm on Wednesday
• Ice cream will be served at 6:00pm
• This is a free family event – everyone gets ice cream!
• Sign up so we have enough ice cream for everyone — please update your RSVP if you can/cannot make it on Wednesday
• NO Monday or Wednesday PM practice!

Tuesday, June 23rd — Team Gift Morning!!

We are going to hand out our team gift for the summer now, so swimmers can use them throughout the season! Be there Tuesday to see what it is and get yours! If you miss Tuesday, you can pick up your team gift on Thursday at the meet!

Thursday, June 25th – Home Swim Meet vs. Penns Valley, Juniata Valley, and Bellefonte

• Morning Practice:
  • Grilled Stickies: 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.
• Pizza Pre-Order & Details: Order an entire pizza for your family at the meet!
  • SUBMIT your order by Wednesday, June 24th at Noon
  • 5:00pm pickup at the concession stand on meet day!!
  • Pizza will also be available by the slice at the meet
• Meet Details:
  • Deadline for event sign-up is Tuesday, June 23^rd at practice
  • The meet lineup will be posted Wednesday morning at practice for review—changes are accepted until noon on Wednesday
  • Meet Volunteers needed
  • Home Meet fresh food concessions needed
  • Arrive: 4:45pm    
  • Warm Ups: 5:00pm
  • Team Picture: 5:40pm on the hill near the slides
  • Meet Starts: 6:00pm
  • Meet Theme: Sharks and Team Gear – this is for swimmers and parents!
    • Team Gear will also be on sale during the meet 5:30-7:30pm!

Friday, June 26th – Modified Practice Times!

• 11 and Overs: 8:00-8:45am
• 5-10 year olds: 8:50-9:40am

Community Happenings!!

• Sat, June 27th – CRPR Cardboard Regatta
• Sat, July 25th – CRPR Pedal, Splash and Dash Triathlon

Make sure to check out and follow us on our Instagram page: @welchsharks

See you at the pool! Let’s Go Sharks!

Coach Marion

Arrive by 5:10:

• Review your event list posted at bath house
• Write Event/Heat/Lane neatly on hand or arm with sharpie
• Team meeting at 5:20 in the grass by the back fence! All swimmers.

Warm Ups (ready to dive in at the blocks):

• 5:30: 9 and under swimmers
• 5:40: 10-12 year old swimmers
• 5:50: 13 and over swimmers

During the Meet:

• QUESTIONS AT ANY TIME – See the BEST Assistant to the Head Coach at the Yellow Canopy, Dave Ulmer!
• 10 and 8 & under swimmers in the Medley Relay report to your end of the pool before the national anthem – that’s swimmers in all events #1 thru #4
• Free relays go to their end of the pool by event 55
• Seeding area is under the red slide
• The event being called to the seeding area is shown on a flip chart near lane 6
• Follow the pool rules
• Don’t run or roll on the hill

Race TIme!

• Be at the seeding area on time!
• Shake hands before the race
• SWIM FAST
• Shake hands after the race too!
• Ask for your time from the timers

After the Meet

• Check in with Coach Marion before you leave to make sure your races are done
• Because of a noise ordinance the meet must end by 10pm
• We will have the results and the score for the meet in the morning at practice!

QUESTIONS – See the BEST Assistant to the Head Coach at the Yellow Canopy, Dave Ulmer!

Shark Tank Meet Success!! What a fun morning at the pool! Great swimming and cheering! Let’s Go Sharks! All the coaches are super excited for the season ahead! Let’s get ready for another great week:

Practice Notes:

• The kids did a super terrific job of following directions and being flexible with everyone learning what practice looks like. Thank you! It was an amazing 5 days of practice!!
• Hair Ties and Caps: If your swimmers have hair that covers their eyes, please pull it back in a secure hair tie or wear a cap. It makes a big difference when they practice!
• Thunder/Lightning: Swimmers love water and swimming in the rain is a treat! But we do clear the pool when we hear thunder or see lightning. If this would ever happen during practice, a text would be sent out with updates.

We have normal practice times Monday-Thursday this week

• Modified Practice Times for all remaining Fridays:
  • 11 and Overs: 8:00-8:45am
  • 5-10 year olds: 8:50-9:40am

Meet Sign Ups:

• Sign ups will be located in front of the lifeguard house at the pool during practices.
• Please sign up by marking an “X” under the events you would like to swim next to YOUR name
• Please do not sign up friends who you think might be there — let them sign up
• Other notes about arriving late or leaving early should be sent to Coach Marion by email ([email protected]) or by replying to team text messages — replies only go to Marion!
• Remember, coaches make the final event assignments, but they try to honor preferences when possible
• If your swimmer is not listed on the meet sign up sheet it means they are not registered for the team. Please call CRPR at 814-231-3071 to confirm your swimmer is signed up for the Welch swim team. Thank you!

Thursday – Meet Day, AWAY AT Park Forest!

Thursday Morning:

• Get your temporary Welch tattoo before you leave practice!!
• Breakfast snack for swimmers is BAGELS!
• We need a few more parent volunteers to help with breakfast

Afternoons of meet days are a great opportunity for some down time and rest. Stay hydrated and eat healthy carbs to have some good energy for the meet!

Thursday Meet Details:

• Deadline to sign up is Tuesday, June 16th at practice
  • Welch Coffee Cup Morning on Tuesday! Bring your Welch cup for free coffee!
• The meet lineup will be posted Wednesday morning at practice. Changes are accepted until 2pm.
• Volunteers Sign Up – Please sign up to volunteer! Most positions require no previous experience.
• Arrive at Park Forest by: 5:15pm
• Directions to Park Forest Pool
• Team Meeting: 5:20pm
• Warm Ups: 5:30pm
• Meet Starts: 6:00pm
• Meet Theme: Minions!

Family Food Donation Deadline, Friday, June 19th: Each family is asked to donate food items that are sold in our concession stand and support our team breakfasts on meet mornings. Please drop off donations any time during practice hours by Friday, June 19th (deadline extended!!). Click here to sign up for your food donation.

Looking Ahead – Mark your calendars:

• Monday, June 22nd – Welch Swim Team Ice Cream Social
  • Holmes-Foster Park
  • 6:00-8:00pm
  • Ice cream will be served at 6:10pm
  • This is a free family event – everyone gets ice cream!
  • Sign up so we have enough ice cream for everyone
• CRPR Cardboard Regatta
  • Sat, Jun 27, 8:30 AM at Welch pool
  • Build your cardboard boat at home and race it at Welch Pool! Register as a single racer or race with a buddy!
  • Register through CRPR

See you at the pool!

Coach Marion

Coaches Dane, Emily, Natalie, Reagan and Christine too!