Swim Team – Spring #1

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Hello Swim Team Families,

Spring practice starts TODAY! For the rest of the season, you can expect Sunday emails each week…this one is a little late, am still knocking off the rust.

Practices

Practice starts today, refer to this practice schedule if you need it. Bring suit, googles, towel, and a swim cap if you have one- they aren’t necessary but a lot of kids wear them, and they’re nice for keeping hair off the face and limiting chlorine damage.

At your first practice, please check in with the coaches at the start of your practice time. Speedy Six families- you start tomorrow. Practice is Tues/Th for the spring and there are 2 timeslots to choose from– feel free to show up for the one that works best for you- we’ll see how the numbers balance out and make adjustments as needed. Spring is preseason, and practice is optional. We know many are juggling other sports and activities, and practice times conflict with tennis or dive for most age groups. If you have conflicts and can only make some practices- that is ok! If you have a schedule conflict, there may also be some flexibility in swimming up or down an age group for the spring depending on your swimmer’s ability – talk with Coach Chris if you are interested in exploring this option. While spring practice is optional… if your swimmer is young or a new to swim team, we hope you’ll prioritize making time for practice. Time invested in the water during preseason is so valuable for building strength and endurance, which improves water safety and will help your swimmer be more successful during the summer when the pace picks up. (And it will pick up!)

Registration

If you are getting this email, it means you’ve registered for swim team/Starter Swim. Thank you! We have 150 signed up so far, and I anticipate our numbers will grow to about 200 as we get closer to summer. Registration closes June 20.

Season Schedule 

Check out our season overview calendar for information about upcoming events, and if you use an electronic calendar, here’s the ics URL if you want to subscribe to the swim team calendar.

Team Suits & Caps

Team suits are available in our Team Store! Our 2025 team suit is the same as last year-  a solid red printed with the AH Otters logo. If you are ordering a team suit, order early to ensure you have your suit in time for Picture Day on June 27. Plain red suits are also fine- and the team suit isn’t required. The most important thing is that your swimmer is comfortable. Email me if you have any questions! As is our tradition, team caps will be distributed at the Red & Blue meet – we will also offer silicone team caps for purchase ($10 ea).

Coaching Update

This season we are welcoming back our head coach Chris Veraya, and Assistant Coach Jojo Southwell, who will be moving into the lead assistant role this year. Rounding out our coaching team is Ty Sunderland, Julia Bentler, and finally Addie Wisen, who will be joining us nearer to the summer once she’s home from college. We are also happy to have Intern Coach Sadie Pallotta returning to lead the Speedy Sixers, and will be adding one more speedy coach TBA.

Volunteering

We are a community club and working together to make things happen is how we do things at the Arb! Running a swim team, and swim meets, is not possible without volunteers, and every family is expected to do a minimum of 4 volunteer hours per swimmer.

I am also looking for a few leaders to step in and fill some key roles this year in officiating, volunteer coordination, and swim meet logistics. We have 3 home meets this year, plus Red and Blue and B-Champs and I would love some help– email me if you’re willing to step into the otter magic inner circle this season and let’s chat!   😉

New to Swim Team

Are you new to the team this year? Welcome! We are happy you’re here. You may be feeling somewhat overwhelmed… we’re kind of a lot, I know. But I promise that it gets easier! For families who are new and/or who have questions about swim team, I’ll be doing a virtual orientation on Tuesday May 20 8-9 pm here is the  Google Meet Link 

For those still reading and are new here– Hi! I’m Kirsty, I’m the AHSTC board member who coordinates the swim team. I’m a volunteer and also have a day job… so thanks in advance for your patience with my communications. I have two teens on the swim team:  Avi who is almost-16 (almost driving!!) and Helena who is 13. They have been on swim team since they were littles and are not serious year-round swimmers, we do other sports/activities in the offseason and return to the pool each summer for summer swim league. I am an OG West Seattleite, I grew up at the Arb and swam on the swim team at the Arb from age 7-17. My flex is that I still have one record on the AHSTC board, the 8U medley relay. I’d love to see it broken someday- but it’s a tough one because back then it was normal to let swimmers dive on both sides of the pool for races… because…well, it was the 80’s. If you can believe it, when I first started swimming at the Arb, the blocks were located at the shallow end of the pool–  what were they thinking??

Anyway, looking forward to a safe, sunny and fabulous summer of swim team! Can’t wait to see you all at the Arb!

 

 

Kirsty Grainger

[email protected]  |  ig: @ahstc.otters @arborheightspool

AHSTC News 5/12

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Tennis courts closed on 5/18, parties and rental reservations, and tennis clinics

 

Dear Members,

We are so excited to see all of you back at the pool. It was wonderful to meet new members at our Opening Day BBQ and we appreciate all that came out.

A few quick notes and reminders

Please remember to drive no faster than 25 mph along 31st Ave SW and be respectful of our neighbors who are walking, biking, and often out with their children. Thank you!

Tennis Courts reserved for event May 18, 9:00 – 11:30 am

In an effort to keep costs down for members, we are experimenting with short-term rentals to high school tennis teams in the off-season for the Club. The first rental will be Sunday, May 18 from 9 am – 11:30 am. The O’Dea tennis team (the club has four member boys on the team, Roll Irish!) will also have a brunch in front of Court 1 on the grass at 11:30, and the courts will then re-open for members. Since the tennis season for Metro League is in the Spring (March- May), this opens the door to future rentals in 2026, and potentially rentals for other leagues in the fall. We do not plan to rent the courts during the summer, this is an exception we are making because of the number of Arb boys on the team.

Parties in 2025

We know members love to host parties at the Arb, and we love for you to host them. A series of noise complaints and a visit from the Seattle Police Department last year (that Dive party is always…loud) alerted us that quiet hours in the Arb’s neighborhood begin at 10 pm on weekend nights, not 11 pm as we previously thought. As such, the Club is at risk for fines and potential legal action from neighbors if we don’t quiet our wild, partying ways.

As such, we are going to move private rentals to a new time, from 8 pm – 10 pm instead of the 9 pm- 11 pm time slot we are all familiar with. This means two things: 1) the pool will still be open for members during the first hour of the party, and 2), the parties will need to wrap up quickly at 10 pm. A straw poll with some of you suggests that the earlier hours may be better for many, but we realize this is a change and sometimes change is hard. The staff and guards will endeavor to be extra helpful for party people to set up and take down events. Thank you for understanding, and we note this is a work in progress.

Teams Reminders

Registration for Dive Team is now open –  Team Registration

For those new to Dive, suits must be plain red or can be ordered online with custom Otters Logo here :  https://www.swimoutlet.com/collections/arborheights

Youth Tennis 

There will be a free youth tennis clinic for those youth who want to explore the upcoming Advanced Tennis Clinic on Saturday 5/17 at 1:00 PM

Ready to sign up – use this link: Advanced Performance (AP) Tennis clinic series on Saturdays for intermediate to advanced level juniors wanting to refine their technique, strategy, and physical conditioning.

Adult Tennis

Registration is open for Adult Tennis Doubles Clinic on May 24 from 10:30 – 12:30

Stay tuned for more 2025 clinics and play instructs including Live Ball coming in July

Want to get ready for the season, check out the new Tennis items for sale and rent our new lightweight ball machine.

Ball Machine Rental Process. 

1. Machine is available on a first come first serve basis at the Front Desk during open pool hours

2. Must be a minimum of 16 years old to rent

3. Ball Machine can be rented at the Front Desk, pay using credit card – $15/hr

4. Machines are rented for one hour duration and credit card or Driver License will be collected

5. Upon returning the ball machine, your DL or CC will be returned