AH Swim Team Summer Week #1

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Hi Swim Team Families,

Thanks to everyone who came out for Red vs. Blue this weekend! For the first day of summer, the weather was not so summer-ey– but we made the best of it! Special thank you to everyone who volunteered— the breakfast crew, timers, and brave officials who were willing to step up and learn the more technical roles in running a swim meet. We appreciate you so much!

This week we kick things into high gear! Morning practices start Monday, we have our first home meet on Thursday, team pictures on Friday, and a clinic on Saturday.

Your must-do’s this week:  1)  RSVP  and volunteer  for Thursday’s home meet, and, if you want them 2)  Order Team Photos for Friday (passcode: AH2025)

Here’s what’s coming up this week: 

Mon Jun 23 we shift to morning practice- here is the Practice schedule. Practices are always optional, but the more you swim, the stronger you get! Looking for something to keep your swimmer busy at the Arb while you work? Check out Otters Club! This is a new program open to all youth members age 8 and older participating on a team, it provides activities and supervision for kids to bridge to open swim time.

Thurs June 26 is our first meet, and it is HOME vs. Gregory Seahurst. The theme is… Lilo & Stitch! (Think tropical vibes …hopefully the weather will cooperate) Please RSVP by midnight Tuesday, we need to know who is coming so we can build our meet lineup. (Can’t remember if you responded? Check this file)  Also, please sign up to volunteer. It takes many hands to run a swim meet, and we need your help! Gates open at 4:00, warm up is at 4:45p, big team cheer at 5:30, meet starts at 6 pm. Your swimmer will also get to meet (or reunited with) their Otter Family!

 

Fri Jun 27 is Team Pictures & Pancake Breakfast. To pre-order, here is the link: Order Team Photos ( passcode: AH2025), orders will be open until Jul 1. Plan to arrive at 8:00 am, we will do individual/sibling photos then the big group photo at 8:30. There’s NO PRACTICE— we won’t get in the pool, we will just take photos and eat pancakes. After the group photo, the team will enjoy a pancake breakfast, and if your swimmer doesn’t participate on dive/tennis teams, they will probably be ready to leave around 9:30-10. If you do other teams, Dive photos are at 9:00 and Tennis is at 10:00. We are working with a new photographer this year. We will give them our roster, and the photographer will match names with orders. Thanks to Cecilia Camino for helping coordinate team photos this year! We also need helpers to make and serve breakfast, plus a couple of people to assist the photographer to ensure things go smoothly. Please sign up to help.

 

Sat June 29 is a swim clinic, this is a chance for swimmers to work on starts, turns, and other technical aspects of swim racing. The clinic is 8:00-9:00 am for age 11+ and 9:00-10:00 am for 10 & under. No RSVP, just show up.

There is still time to order apparel!  

The first apparel order has arrived – you can pick up in the cabana. We will do one more order this summer- use this link and order by June 28.  Order Otters/AH Apparel   We have heard from a few people that they are having trouble with credit card processing with our forms– sorry about that. We are working with our platform provider, Member Splash, to troubleshoot this issue. If you really get stuck, email me and I’ll make sure we get your order in.

 

What to know about swim meets: 

Swim meets are lots of fun! Arbor Heights competes in the Southern Division of the Greater Seattle Summer Swim League – we’ll have 7 dual meets (this season, 3 home and 4 away) and then swimmers with qualifying times move on to compete in three postseason meets that culminate in the All City Finals.

Each meet is made up of 72 events split up by age and gender, the events rotate through the age groups so swimmers have time to rest between their races. This league records file shows you what the 72 events are. Some events will have more than one heat if needed for all swimmers signed up to participate in that event. A swimmer can compete in up to 4 events each meet. The coaches will post event assignments either the night before or the morning of the meet. (How quickly the coaches turn around the meet line up depends on how good we as a team are at opting in/out promptly without making a mess of our RSVP’s. )

Meets start at 6:00 and run until about 9:00pm, but it varies depending on how many swimmers participate and how many heats are needed. Younger (8&U, Speedy 6) swimmers are typically done by 8:00pm, earlier if they don’t do the more technical breaststroke/butterfly individual events which are later in the event sequence.

We suggest packing usual swim stuff plus LOTS of extra towels (the younger your swimmer, the more towels you’ll want), something cozy to layer on over a wet swimsuit, and drinks/food and/or small bills for concession  purchases. (We have great food, support our team by buying dinner at the Arb!) You might bring camp chairs or picnic blankets to create a comfortable spot to hang out between events. Some bring a pop up tent for shelter. Something to write down event #/heat #/lane #  can also be handy for keeping track of your swimmer’s events. Many kids choose to use a sharpie to write their event information directly on their arm.

A quick note about gender identity: 

As we head into the competition season, we want to ensure transparency and accessibility regarding our league’s Gender Identity Participation Policy (see pages 18-21 of the GSSSL Operating Plan). With your swimmer’s swim team registration, you specified a gender identity which we will use for this season- if you specified “non-binary”  we will be reaching out to you to confirm if your swimmer wants to do even-numbered or odd-numbered events this season. Each club designates an Eligibility Officer to assist gender diverse athletes and their families with gender category eligibility for the season. At our pool, the EO is Megan Kelton. If you have any questions or wish to change this, please reach out to Megan at [email protected]. Thank you for supporting our commitment to a safe and inclusive environment for all athletes – for ensuring that the Arb is a place where all athletes belong!

That’s it for now, for more information and resources, check the links below. You can also reach out with any questions, if you hit “reply” it’s just me, and if you do “reply all” you’ll email me + Coach Chris.

Let’s go Arbor!

Kirsty

Swim Rep | Arbor Heights Swim & Tennis Club

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

Useful Links

Season overview calendar

.ics link to subscribe to swim team calendar

Practice schedule

Order a Team Suit

Order Otters/AH Apparel  (Order by June 27)

Selling/gifting/seeking swim gear  | Responses  

Swim Team Emails & RSVP forms    | Check RSVPs

  

Upcoming Events 

Jun 23    Morning practices start!!!

Jun 26    HOME Meet vs. Gregory Seahurst |  RSVP by Tues Jun 24 | volunteer   |  Warm up @4:45p

Jun 27    Picture Day & Pancake Breakfast @8a – no practice | Order Team Photos passcode: AH2025 | volunteer

Jun 28    Start & Turn Clinic | age 11+ @8a   &  age 10 & younger @9a

Jul 1        Away Meet @ Marine Hills |  RSVP by Sun Jun 29 | Warm up @5:15p

Jul 4        No Practice –  Fourth of July

Jul 8        HOME Meet vs Olympic View | RSVP by Sun Jul 6 | volunteer  |  Warm up @4:45p

Jul 10      Away Meet @ Normandy Park |  RSVP by Tues Jul 8 |  Warm up @5:15p

Jul 12      Start & Turn Clinic | age 11+ @8a   &  age 10 & younger @9a

Jul 12      Swim Team Outing: DubSea FishSticks @6   BYO ticket, all are welcome

Jul 15      Away Meet @ Kent   |   RSVP by Sun Jul 13  |  Warm up @5:15p

Jul 17     HOME Meet vs Twin Lakes | SENIOR NIGHT |  RSVP by Tues Jul 15  | volunteer |  Warm up @4:45p

Jul 22     Away Meet @ Lakeridge |  RSVP by Sun Jul 20 |  Warm up @5:15p

Jul 24     B-Champs Meet @ Arbor Heights | RSVP by Tues Jul 22 | volunteer | Warm up @TBD

Jul 24     B-Champs Team Sleepover

Jul 25     Last day of practice! Pancake Breakfast

Aug 8     End of Season Party & Awards Night

Swim team Spring Email #4.5

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Note… this was the second email sent out that said #4… oops I lost count. 

 

Hi Swim Team families,

It’s the last week of spring practice, and things are starting to heat up! Here’s your TLDR to do’s by THURSDAY:  1) RSVP for the all teams party  2)  RSVP and Sign up for a volunteer role for Red & Blue on Saturday.

Read on for more info about the upcoming week:


Thursday Jun 19- No practice, Juneteenth Holiday 

Friday Jun 20 – Summer Kickoff Party 

This party is where the tennis, dive and swim teams come together to celebrate the beginning of the summer season! The whole family is invited, things will get underway between 5:30 and 6:00. (You can stay after practice, or go home and come back) We will be serving up Ezell’s Fried Chicken, with some burgers and dogs, with potluck side dishes. As is our tradition, swimmers will learn more about their Otter family, and will have the opportunity to sign their name on the iconic AH Rock. There will be a special meeting for Seniors & 14&U’s, please meet on the pool deck at 5:00 (your regular practice time). Please RSVP and sign up for your potluck/helping contribution here –> Summer Kickoff Party RSVP

Saturday Jun 21 – Red & Blue Meet 

Red and Blue is a fun scrimmage swim meet- we assign swimmers randomly to either the red or blue team (every participant will get an otters swim cap! We’ll also have blue silicone caps available for $15 ea) and each swimmer will have the chance to race in up to 4 individual events  in each stroke (free, back, breast, fly)  Plan to arrive with your swimmer by 8 am and to stay at the pool until around 11. This is an important event for practicing how a swim meet goes– both for the swimmers and for parent volunteers. We’ll do volunteer training, and there will be Q&A opportunities for new families. There will also be food (John Stivers is planning breakfast!) and fun, and a table for swapping old/outgrown gear. Here’s what you need to do this week to prepare:

1) Please RSVP (AH account login required) | Starter Swim RSVP  (no login required) by EOD Thursday June 19

2) Sign up for a volunteer role, we really, really need your help!

3) Do you have old swim or Arbor gear that you’ve outgrown? (suits, AH/Otter tees, hoodies, caps, goggles, etc. ) Gather it up and bring it on Saturday so it can find a new family!   (If you are willing to help out with this, pls email me)

Looking Ahead to the Rest of the Summer …

We shift to morning practices starting next week, and then the summer will be in full swing!  Next week’s email will be all about volunteering, and planning events for the summer season. Volunteering is a big part of our Arbor Heights community and our team fees are low because we rely on volunteer help to host meets, team events, and generally make all our Otter magic happen. Every family is expected to help out at every swim meet they attend, and a minimum four hours over the season. Are you a returning family, with kids who are getting to the age where they are growing more independent at the pool? What are you going to do with all that free time? Give that some thought, check out the volunteer sign up and reach out if you have questions or want to chat– more on this next week.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Arb soon!

Cheers,

Kirsty

Swim Rep | Arbor Heights Swim & Tennis Club

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

 

Useful Links

Season overview calendar

.ics link to subscribe to swim team calendar

Practice schedule

Order a Team Suit

Order Otters/AH Apparel  (Order by June 27)

Selling/gifting/seeking swim gear  | Responses  

Swim Team Emails & RSVPs

 

 

 

 

Swim Team Week Spring Email #4

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Hi Swim Team families!

It’s graduation and spring fever season- hope everyone is enjoying these last few weeks of school. For swim team this week is a quiet one, but we are just getting started… read on if you want more information on next few weeks.

Apparel

Apparel orders were technically due Friday, but if you get yours in before the end of today I’ll try to squeeze it in with the first order: https://ahstc.com/apparel/  We will also do another order that will arrive in July.

Team Suits 

Reminder: order your Team Suit (if you want one) ASAP — the customization takes an extra couple of weeks and team picture day is Jun 27. Sizing can be tricky- most suits don’t come in adult/youth sizes, they’re just numbers. A plain red suit also works, and all team suits are optional. Feel free to email if you want help or advice.

Buy/Sell/Swap Gear 

Looking to sell a team suit you can’t use, or have outgrown swim parkas or other swim gear you’d like to sell? Use this google form and response sheet to connect with other AH families: Selling/gifting/seeking swim gear  | Responses  We will also have a gear swap pile at Red & Blue Meet June 21. Gather up your hand-me-downs (suits, AH/Otter tees, hoodies, caps, goggles, etc. ) for the 21st, so they can find a new home!

Farther out… but since some are asking, here’s some information about upcoming events:

Jun 19- No practice, Juneteenth Holiday 

Jun 20 – Summer Kickoff Party 

Just a couple more weeks until summer, and we are starting to plan our summer kickoff bbq. This party is where the tennis, dive and swim teams come together to celebrate the beginning of the summer season. The whole family is invited, things will get underway between 5:30 and 6:00. (You can stay after practice, or go home and come back) We will be serving up Ezell’s Fried Chicken, with some burgers and dogs, with potluck side dishes. As is our tradition, swimmers will learn more about their Otter family, and will have the opportunity to sign their name on the iconic AH Rock. There will be a special meeting for Seniors & 14&U’s, please meet on the pool deck at 5:00 (your regular practice time).

To help us plan food please RSVP here, we also need volunteers to help out!   Summer Kickoff Party RSVP

Jun 21 – Red & Blue Time Trials

Please save the date for Saturday morning June 21 for Red & Blue, plan to  arrive with your swimmer by 8 am and to stay at the pool until around 11. This event is like a scrimmage swim meet- we assign swimmers randomly to either the red or blue team, and each swimmer will have the change to race in up to 4 individual events in each stroke (free, back, breast, fly)  This is an important event for practicing how a swim meet goes– both for the swimmers and for parent volunteers. We’ll do volunteer training, and there will be Q&A opportunities for new families. There will also be food (John Stivers is planning breakfast!) and fun, and a table for swapping old/outgrown gear. Please use these forms RSVP (AH account login required) | Starter Swim RSVP  (no login required) by June 19 so we can assemble a line up. Volunteer sign up form is coming next week!

That’s it for now- please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Warmly,

Kirsty

ARBOR HEIGHTS SWIM REP

[email protected]

Useful Links

Season overview calendar

.ics link to subscribe to swim team calendar

Practice schedule

Order a Team Suit

Order Otters Apparel

Swim gear buy/sell/gift  | Responses

Swim Team Emails & RSVPs

Upcoming Events  

Jun 19     No Practice – Juneteenth Holiday

Jun 20    All Teams Summer Kickoff Party @5:30p   | RSVP

Jun 20    Registration closes for swim team

Jun 21    Red & Blue Time Trials  @8a |  RSVP by Th Jun 19 | Starter Swim RSVP

Jun 23    Morning practices start

Jun 26    HOME Meet vs. Gregory Seahurst |  RSVP by Tues Jun 24 | Warm up @4:45p  | Volunteer Link Coming Soon

Jun 27    Picture Day & Pancake Breakfast @8a – no practice |

Jun 28    Start & Turn Clinic | age 11+ @8a   &  age 10 & younger @9a

Jul 1        Away Meet @ Marine Hills |  RSVP by Sun Jun 29 | Warm up @5:15p

Jul 4        No Practice –  Fourth of July

Jul 8        HOME Meet vs Olympic View | RSVP by Sun Jul 6 |  Warm up @4:45p | Volunteer Link Coming Soon

Jul 10     Away Meet @ Normandy Park |  RSVP by Tues Jul 8 |  Warm up @5:15p

Jul 12     Start & Turn Clinic | age 11+ @8a   &  age 10 & younger @9a

Jul 12      Swim Team Outing: DubSea FishSticks @6   BYO ticket, all are welcome

Jul 15     Away Meet @ Kent   |   RSVP by Sun Jul 13  |  Warm up @5:15p

Jul 17     HOME Meet vs Twin Lakes | SENIOR NIGHT |  RSVP by Tues Jul 15  |  Warm up @4:45p | Volunteer Link Coming Soon

Jul 22     Away Meet @ Lakeridge |  RSVP by Sun Jul 20 |  Warm up @5:15p

Jul 24     B-Champs Meet @ Arbor Heights | RSVP by Tues Jul 22 | Warm up @TBD

Jul 24      End of Season Team Sleepover

Jul 25     Last day of practice! Pancake Breakfast

Aug 8     Swim Team Party & Awards Night

Swim Team – Spring Week #3

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Hello swim team families,

Just two things for this week:
1. No practice tomorrow, Memorial Day.
2. The Team Store is open! Order by Friday May 30 if you want your apparel to arrive before summer starts. If you miss this deadline, we will also do another order in June, but it won’t arrive until July.
Otter Tees ($15 cotton, $17 poly) & Hoodies ($25)
 
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AH Wave tees ($20), tanks ($20), hoodies ($30) & quarter or full zip ($35)

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Swim Team – Spring week 2

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Well… that was a cold and rainy first week of practice. Hopefully the weather will start looking more summery soon!
Here’s some reminders about what’s coming up:
Swim Team 101 Orientation on Tuesday
Join us Tuesday May 20 8-9 pm for a virtual orientation about swim team. Everyone is welcome-  if you’re new, have questions, want to talk about swim team, or just say hello, drop on in!  Here is the  Google Meet Link 
Team Suits 
We have the same team suit as last year. If you don’t have one, or need a new one- they’re available in the Team Store (if you want one).   I am behind on getting apparel set up but we’ll also have an order form up soon for t-shirts, hoodies, etc. (also same designs as last year… if you have thoughts or ideas for apparel reach out, there’s still time!)
No Practice on Memorial Day 
No practice next Monday due to the Memorial Day holiday. Enjoy the long weekend! There is also no practice on Juneteenth June 19. 
 
All Teams Party June 20 Evening
Mark your calendars! The all teams party is for everyone in swim, dive, and tennis team to celebrate the start of summer. It will start at 5:30 and go until the pool closes. We’ll be serving up burgers and dogs, with potluck sides and desserts. 
 
Red & Blue Time Trials Meet June 21 Morning
The morning after our all teams party is Red and Blue — plan to arrive with your swimmer by 8 am, and to stay at the pool until around 11. I’ll have a link for volunteers posted soon. Red & Blue is an important event for practicing how a swim meet goes– both for swimmers and for parent volunteers.
That’s it for now- feel free to reach out if you have questions.
Warmly,
Kirsty

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