Normal Practice Monday-Thursday. Modified practice schedule on Friday (times below).

Olympic Trials Viewing at Welch (6:30-10am): Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week you can watch the US Swimming Olympic Trials on replay at Welch! Swimmers will have normal practice times, so plan to come early or stay after your practice to watch some great racing!

Tuesday, June 18th – Team Gift Morning!! Also, Coffee Morning-bring your team cup!

• Something new! 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 or at other Team Coffee Mornings!

Thursday, June 20th – Home Swim Meet vs. Park Forest

• 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: Order pizza for your family at the meet!
  • Place your order by Wednesday, June 19th at 11 AM
  • 5:00pm pick-up at the concession stand on meet day
• Meet Details:
  • Deadline to sign up is Wednesday, June 19^th at practice
  • The meet lineup will be posted Thursday morning at practice for review—changes are accepted until 11:00am
  • 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 21st – 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

Mark your Calendars: Monday, June 24th – Team Ice Cream Social

• Holmes-Foster Park
• 6:00-8:00pm
• Ice cream will be served at 6:30pm
• This is a free family event – everyone gets ice cream!
• Sign up so we have enough ice cream for everyone

See you at the pool! Let’s Go Sharks!

Coach Marion

And Coach Adam, Marek, Kennedy, Christine and a recent add…Molly Staniar! Molly is a great addition to our coaching team!!

Welcome to Week Two of Welch 2024!

Practice Notes:

• Kids did a super terrific job of following directions and being flexible with everyone learning what practice will look like! Thank you!
• 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 and/or see lightning. If this would ever happen during practice, a Remind would be sent out with practice information.
• 8 and Under swimmers will continue to be evaluated this week in regards for their readiness for swim team. Please come talk to me after practice if your swimmer is stoping for air on the lane line repeatedly. As a reminder, parents should not be standing next to the pool or instructing their children during practice.

Normal Practice times all week! Monday and Wednesday optional evening practice for our 11 and over swimmers 8:00-9:00pm.

• 13 and Overs: 6:45-8:00am
• 9-12 year olds: 8:00-9:00am
• 8 and unders: 9:00-9:45am

Monday

• Meet sign up deadline at practice by 10am
• Each family is asked to donate food items that are sold in the concession stand and support our team breakfasts on meet mornings. Please drop off donations any time during practice hours by Monday, June 10th. Click here to sign up for your food donation.
• Families can pre-order pizzas for pickup during the meeting. Place your pizza pre-order by Monday, June 9th at 11am!
  • 5:00pm pizza pick up at the concession stand on meet day

Tuesday – Meet Day, Home vs. Penns Valley!

Tuesday Morning:

• Get your Temporary Welch Tatto before you leave practice!!
• Breakfast snack for swimmers is BAGELS!
• We need a few more parent volunteers to help with breakfast: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D49AEA62EA02-43116815-thursday#/

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!

Tuesday Meet Details:

• Deadline to sign up is Monday, June 10th at practice
• The meet lineup will be posted Tuesday morning at practice. Changes are accepted until 11:00am.
• Volunteers Sign Up – Please sign up for one of our volunteer positions for the meet. Most positions require no previous experience!
• Fresh Concessions– We need a few fresh items brought to each home meet. There are a few more items needed for Tuesday
• Arrive at Welch: 4:45pm
• Warm Ups: 5:00pm
• Team Meeting: 5:45pm at the round grass by the slides
• Meet Starts: 6:00pm
• Meet Theme: Wild, Wild, Welch – this is for parents and swimmers! Get out your cowboy hats and boots (NO toy guns, please)!

Officials Training – At each meet, several volunteers serve as stroke and turn judges. A free training has been scheduled–pick which day works best for you. This is a great way for parents to help the team!!

• Wednesday, June 12^th 7:30pm at Welch
• Monday, June 17^th 7:30pm at Park Forest
• We appreciate your time! Thank you!!

Saturday, June 15th – 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, June 15^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 Wed so Park Forest has a head count for food prep!
• Let’s fill the pool with Welch Sharks!
• Our team theme for this event is Hawaiian!

Calendar Update

Olympic Trials Viewing Party change! We will be watching a replay of the USA Olympic Trials on the mornings of Monday-Wednesday, June 17th-19th at practice!! You can watch either before or after your practice time, since we will still have practice!

Coaches are looking forward to a full week of practice!!

See you at the pool!

Coach Marion

Adam, Marek, Kennedy and Christine too!

Thursday, June 6th is Day 1 of our 2024 Summer Swim Season!!

Sign up for meet volunteer positions, team events, and other donations – All of the season sign-ups are already available on our website, so you can plan ahead for the entire season. Here are a few specific links for events that are within the first 5 days of practice!!

• Family Food Donations: Due Mon, June 10th
• Shark Tank Inter-squad Meet: Sat, June 8th — We need some pancake helpers!
• Home Meet vs. Penns Valley: Tues, June 11th — Volunteers needed
  • Home Meet Concession Sign-Ups — Fresh food sign-up for our Home Meets
  • Meet Morning Breakfast Helpers — Sign-up to help serve our swimmers a breakfast item
  • Meet Morning Breakfasts: Gluten Free Sign-Up – If your swimmer has gluten sensitivities please use this sign-up to let us know so we can plan!

Officials Training – At each meet, several volunteers serve as stroke and turn judges. A free training has been scheduled, pick which day works for you. This is a great way for parents to help the team!!

• Wednesday, June 12^th 7:30PM at Welch
• Monday, June 17^th 7:30PM at Park Forest
• We appreciate your time! Thank you!!

Signing up for Swim Meet Events

• Meet Sign-Ups for our first dual meet HOME vs. Penns Valley, Tuesday, June 11th, will be available at the first day of practice and run until Monday, June 10th at morning practice!
  • 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
  • Other notes about arriving late or leaving early should be sent to Coach Marion by email ([email protected]) or by replying to the Remind message, which only goes to Marion!
  • Remember, coaches make the final event assignments, but they try to honor preferences when possible

Shark Tank – Black vs. Gold Meet Saturday, June 8th Meet Details

• No sign ups are required – Just Show Up!
• Arrive 7:40AM. Team Warm Up at 7:50AM (on land!). Meet starts 8:00AM.
• We move quickly through all the age groups swimming 25s of all the strokes
• It’s a great way to practice being in the seeding area on time for each race!
• Team Swim Caps will be handed out for you to show your team pride at meets!
• Team Apparel will be on sale! We have recycled (gently used) suits for $10!
• Bring $1 for a plate of pancakes and a juice box to keep you energized for the morning!
• We will also be introducing our Family Groups! A new adventure that will help our families and swimmers to connect. Details will be shared at the pool!

Other important notes

• Team Suit Try-Ons will be available Thursday and Friday at practice and Saturday at the Shark Tank meet (7:30-8:00AM)! Suits from the try-on kit will go on sale at the Penns Valley Meet!
• 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 swim cap. It makes a big difference when they practice! We have practice caps available at practice for $3.
• Dream Big Item: Do you have a fridge/freezer not being used? Would you consider donating it to the team? We store breakfast, concession items, and freeze pops in our back room and makes meet days a lot easier!! Contact Coach Marion if interested in helping out! Thank you!!

Finish up your school year with a big smile! See you Thursday, June 6th for our first practice!!

Let’s Go Sharks!

Our season starts faster than Michael Phelps off the blocks! (FAST!) Let’s be Ready!!

We’re two weeks away from our first day of practice (Thursday, June 6th), and we’ve been busy getting things ready for our 2024 swimmers!!!

Here’s your checklist to be ready for the first day of swim practice:

• Register for the team – You can call the CRPR office at (814) 231-3071 or register online. When registering, make sure you tell the CRPR staff that you’re registering for the Welch Swim Team or if you’re registering online, search for “Swim Team Welch” to make sure you get assigned to the team properly.
• Provide your family contact info – Stay informed about the team throughout the season. Fill out the 2024 Contact Information Form to get on our communication lists.
• Read through the 2024 season info – We’ve provided a dedicated webpage that overviews the season—full of details for new and returning families.
• Checkout the team calendar – The 2024 season calendar is available with week-by-week details about meets and other team activities.
• Purchase team suit – Team suits are optional, but encouraged. You can order directly through our team store on Swim Outlet (they’ll ship directly to you). If you don’t know your swimmer’s suit size, we’ll have sample suits available for sizing at the first two practices and at the Shark Tank Meet. In general, it’s better to get smaller/tighter suits for racing.

We’ve got one more item to help us get a jump start on the season:

• Sign-up for meet volunteer positions, team events, and other donations – All of the season sign-ups are already available on our website. So, you can plan ahead for the entire season. Here are a few specific links for events that are within the first 5 days of practice!!
  • Family Food Donations — Due Mon., June 10th
  • Sat., June 8th — Shark Tank Inter-squad Meet — We need timers and some pancake helpers!
  • Tues. June 11th — vs. Penns Valley (HOME) — Volunteers needed
    • Home Meet Concession Sign-Ups — Fresh food sign-up for our Home Meets
    • Meet Morning Breakfast Helpers — Sign-up to help serve our swimmers a breakfast item
    • Meet Morning Breakfasts: Gluten Free Sign-Up – If your swimmer has gluten sensitivities please use this sign-up to let us know so we can plan!

We can’t wait to see our swimmers and families again! Plan to arrive a little early on the first day of practice to make sure you don’t miss any announcements from the coaches. We will have a welcome/Q&A session for parents during the first day of practice too. As a reminder, here are practice times for the first day:

• 6:45-8:00am – 13 and over
• 8:00-9:00am – 9-12 year olds
• 9:00-9:45am – 8 and under

See you soon!

Coach Marion

Coaches Adam, Kennedy, Marek and Christine too!!