Hey all!

I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend so far. Summer 2024/Long Course season is indeed upon us!  On behalf of Coach Brenda and Coach Jordan, I just wanted to pass along a warm welcome, and thank you for swimming with us. We look forward to a fun summer in the sun, fast swims, and what will hopefully be a great all around time for your kiddos! 

A few housekeeping notes, reminders and such...sorry this is a big one...I'm long winded kind of typer, HA!

*First day of practice: Tuesday, May 29

*Practice Schedule May 29 - June 14. Aside from the first week with Memorial Day, practices are each morning, Monday-Friday. Gold* and Silver groups will start at 8:00 and go till 9:30 for the first 3 weeks of practice. Bronze group swimmers will start at 8:30 and go until 9:30 for those first 3 weeks.
***Gold Group may stay later depending on a given days workout plan 

*Practice Schedule June 17 - July 12:
Gold: 8:00-10:00
Silver: 8:00-9:30
Bronze: number of kiddos making the jump from camp to full team will determine what time frame we utilize. Given the coaching staffs other work schedules, I would very much like to have all groups wrapped up at 10:00, so my hope would be to have bronze go from 9-10. But if we get a bunch of campers joining, and we run out of lane space, we'll make it work to have bronze go from 9:30-10:30!  Final decision will be made by the 2nd week of camp (Monday, June 10).

Schedule Changes
With the July 4th holiday being on a Thursday this year, we will not practice both that day, and then take Friday, July 5th off as well.  

The only other non-weather related schedule changes may be the days after weekday meets. Depending on how late they run, we may push the start of practice back a little bit, or may just give the kiddos a day off. 

When it comes to that wonderful Kansas weather...for weather cancellations, we will send messages out ASAP if bad weather is in the area and we have to cancel. You can always assume that practice is on, unless you here differently from us. If it's "just a bit chilly" outside, we do press on! But of course, parents, if you don't feel comfortable sending your kid to practice if conditions are chilly/questionable/otherwise, then please, by all means, keep them home, we will not hold that against you!  

Then the challenge of early season chilly water...the coaching staff doesn't have time to argue with swimmers about getting in the pool. So we will be in touch if we encounter consistent issues with a swimmers not participating because of chilly conditions. Though we do utilize dry land training on occasion, our primary focus is swimming, and that is what we expect. If Water Park management informs us that the water is too cold to safely swim, then we will adjust schedule/plans accordingly.

*District and Champ Qualifiers and Practice.
For those who qualify for either of the Championship level meets, Practices will be July 15-18 for Districts (times to be announced later), and July 22-25 for Champs (again, times TBD). 

*First swim meet opportunity: June 8-9 - Derby - Summer Sizzler
***All swim meets are optional, especially the away meets. But we encourage the competitions when/if it works with your schedule.
The HOME MEETS are HIGHLY/GREATLY encouraged. Even for first timers, our home meets are a welcoming environment. The first home meet is Thursday, June 13. Full meet calendar will be loaded on the website events page by the end of the first week of practice. 

*Aqua Pups Camp: kicks off on Monday, June 3rd. Start time is 9:30 each morning, and will wrap up at 10:30. Last day of camp is Friday, June 14th.
-Just a reminder that is is NOT a swim lesson program. Camp is intended to be a means of giving curious swimmers a taste of what being on the team is all about, and then of course we hope they like it well enough that they are motivated to hop on with the full squad. We will focus on stroke technique, but we are also going to be looking to challenge their endurance, give them knowledge of proper turns & starts, and to generally get them swim team ready!
-We invite all camp participants and parents to attend our first home meet on June 13th as guests/fans! Though we will talk about competition and meets during the sessions, getting to see what competitive swimming is all about live and in person can make a big difference, and can be very beneficial for camp swimmers who may be unsure about taking the leap to full team members.  

*Practice items to bring: 
-Towel - Cap/Goggles - Water Bottle - Old pair of socks (we do use fins for training on occasion, and these definitely help with blisters) - Sunscreen (mornings aren't too bad, but this is always important, especially for meets!!!)

Thank you all once again for being a part of our team, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns!

Coach Kyle Banman
620-245-6562