On Saturday, the Otters had their last meet of the season against Vienna Aquatic. It was a beautiful day and our Otters came out strong! The final score was 210-210. We tied the last meet of the season - it was amazing to watch!

It is hard to believe the summer swim season is winding down, it always goes by so quickly. What an exciting season! We ended with a 1-3-1 record and D4 relay champions. Congrats to our swimmers and a special shout out to our coaches who got us here this year.

Click here to see photos from all of our meets, pep rallies, and social events!

Action Item: Please RSVP (yes/no) to the End of Season Awards Ceremony and Pool Party by Friday 7/22. It is important that we know who will be there as we plan to expedite the awards ceremony by only recognizing those swimmers who are present.

In this week’s newsletter:

• Coaches Gifts & Scrapbook
• Last day of practice (Tuesday)
• Divisional Swim Meet
• End of Season Awards Banquet & Pool Party
• End of season survey
• 2022 Season
• Season long volunteer roles

COACHES GIFTS

LAST CHANCE: Every season, we ask parents for a donation towards end of season gifts for our coaches. We want to reward our hard working coaches for a great season. Your donation will be split between our seven coaches. However, if you’d like, you can designate an amount(s) to which coach/coaches you would prefer by making a note with your donation. Please consider making a donation before Friday, July 22. We will give these to our coaches at the banquet on 7/23.

There are 3 ways to donate:

1. Cash or check to the Hansen family folder (checks payable to Lauren Hansen)
2. Venmo: @HeatherSmithLim (*please indicate “coaches gift”)
3. Give cash/check directly to Lauren, Heather, or Maggie

COACHES SCRAPBOOK

At the end of the season, we plan to present scrapbooks made by the kids to each of the coaches. There is a box of scrapbook paper on top of the swim team filing cabinet in the pool lobby. Each family is encouraged to take one piece of paper for each coach and decorate it however you like - feel free to draw pictures, use photos, just sign your name or write a nice note. Be creative! Deadline for submission is Thursday (7/21). Any questions, please reach out to Prabhakar Bhagyashree at [email protected].

OR - stay after practice today (7/19) or tomorrow and work on your pages in the social room. We will have supplies on hand.

END OF SEASON PARENT SURVEY

We hope that you will take a few minutes and help us by answering the questions on this SURVEY. This information will help us plan for the 2023 season. Your feedback is important and we value your thoughts.

B MEET @ OSRC (TONIGHT Monday, July 18)

Our final B meet is tonight @ Pleasant Valley.

LAST DAY OF PRACTICE is TOMORROW (Tuesday, July 21)

The last day of practices for Otters and Pups will be on Tuesday, July 21. Donuts will be served! Those swimmers who qualify for Divisionals will continue to have practice Wednesday through Friday. Parents will be notified this week if their swimmer qualifies for Divisionals. Practice times will be sent directly to the families.

DIVISIONAL SWIM MEET (Saturday, July 23)

Selected swimmers will be notified if they have qualified for Divisionals at Cardinal Hill. Parents who have swimmers will be expected to volunteer. Each pool is required to send 17 volunteers. Sign up on SwimTopia if you can help.

END OF SEASON AWARDS BANQUET & POOL PARTY (Saturday, July 23)

Mark your calendar for the Otters end of season awards and banquet on July 23 from 5-10PM. Please bring your own chairs and dinner to Waples Mill Elementary @ 5:00pm. The Otters often like to sit on towels up front with their friends. Please RSVP to this event. It is important that we know who will be there as we plan to expedite the awards ceremony by only recognizing those swimmers who are present.

Following the awards, there will be a pool party at OSRC for all Otter families. There will be light snacks, drinks, and dessert for both children and adults. Please RSVP for a fun evening!

VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK

This week we would like to thank Ed Messina, one of our very talented photographers! Ed is always willing to do what it takes to get the right shot! Please click HERE to see all of the amazing photos he and the rest of our photography team took during Saturday’s meet. We look forward to see Ed work his magic for the end of the season slideshow!

SEASON LONG VOLUNTEER ROLES

Are you interested in a season long swim team job next year? Are you interested in getting certified as a stroke and turn judge, starter or referee? Many of these jobs are essential for our team and we need your help. Please contactour volunteer coordinators now if you are interested or have questions.

2023 SUMMER SEASON
As you begin to plan ahead for summer 2023 (camps, sports and vacation commitments), please consider the swim team as you make these plans. The success of our team is dependent on having all of our swimmers available to swim. Our season is a short one, and our coaches would greatly appreciate having all of their swimmers available if needed for meets. We will update families when we get the NVSL schedule in late winter.

In closing, we want to thank you all for your support and dedication. We could not do this without your help. Our Otter swim family is special.

We hope to see you next season!

Sincerely,

Lauren, Heather, and Maggie