The Otter Kelp

October 17, 2005

 

            Hello Otters!  Welcome to a chilling first few weeks at the High School.  I am proud to say that even though we are not used to the current temperature of the pool (74 on most days-with no breeze at night) that you are truly Otters.  It is sad to say, on the other hand, that you have to endure the temperature until the heater arrives, keep our fingers crossed, sometime this week hopefully.  You are all troupers!  I am planning to do dry land training for the first part of practice everyday until the heater arrives.  This will keep you in shape as well as limit the time in the pool.  YES, you still have to swim most of the practice! :>) I hope this will make everyone happy since it takes most of you a better part of 30 minutes, much to Coach Potter’s dismay, to get in the pool anyway.  So bring your running shoes everyday until further notice.

 

Swim Suits

            Swim Suits will be here this week, if not while you are reading this, you may already have them.   This will allow us to finally set our picture day.  Look for a flier in your file boxes, soon, with information on pricing as well as the day.

 

Fundraisers

            The cookie dough pick-up is Tuesday October 18, from 4pm – 6pm at the High School pool.  We do not have storage for the cookie dough so please plan on picking it up that day.

            The winner, or shall I say winners of the fundraiser cookie dough sale is Taylor and Lacey Hill.  They will be coaching a practice, hopefully, Thursday October 20.  Their practice outline is being reviewed by Coach Potter.  If not this Thursday then a later time will be announced this week during practice.  We may need to wait until the heater is in, because we all know how unruly some of you get when you get cold!

            Corporate Sponsorships are still being accepted.  It is not to late to get in your business, your brother or sister’s business, your mom or dad’s business, uncle, nephew, grandparents, neighbors, the guy you met at the oil changing place in town, anyone and everyone’s business is accepted.  They get their name on a T-Shirt for just a $150, not to mention a nice tax right off.  Now I know everyone knows someone with a business.  Heck, we are all merely separated by 6 degrees anyway. :>) So come on Otter families get those sponsorships turned in quickly.  If you need more forms, because you used the one you already had (maybe for a napkin or a coaster for your drink) we have more.  Just see me at the pool or drop a line to Fran Brossman (Colie and Andrea’s Mom). 

 

Website

        Yes it’s true we have a website!  You can find out information about the team, see what the coach has to say ;>), read this newsletter, get apparel information and order forms, contact me through E-mail, cool links to swim related information, and even check you best times.  That’s right, check your up-to-date best times as well as other Otters.  Some of the site is still under construction but be patient it will be up and running fully in a short time.  If you have any ideas of things to be put on the site, links to your favorite swim store, or a nice recipe for granola bars, let me, or Jean Bennett (Dominique’s Mom) know and we will see what we can do.  Oh, by the way, thank you Jean the site is amazing.  You can see the site by logging onto www.galtotters.org. 

 

 

Swim Meets

            I would like to apologize for any miscommunication on my part about attending the meet this past weekend.  As you all know, I live swimming and would love to be at every meet, but I also need time to do the things that keep me sane in my “other life” outside of the Otters.  Yeah, I know it is hard to believe that I actually don’t have a bed, living room and kitchen at the pool, I feel like I do sometimes, but I just can’t make it to all meets.  I am truly sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused on anyone.  I know that warm-ups can be a little tricky, especially if you are waiting for me. I have a solution for this if it should arise again.  I will have the swimmers practice a general warm-up that will cover all things that we do to warm-up on meet days.  This warm-up will be easy to remember and should come quite easily to veteran swimmers whom should know already how to warm-up properly.  Remembering of course, swimmers, that you need to warm down after every race regardless of how you feel at the time.  As well, you should all warm-up before a race if you have been sitting for more than 30 minutes. 

 

            I would also like to have people that sign up for meets make a copy of that meet and drop it in my box or E-mail me with what you entered and the times you put down.  This way, I will be able to track who is going where and doing what.  Remember you are only required to attend one meet a month, so plan ahead.  I will have something on the website that denotes which meets I will be attending in the future.

 

            Finally, I need a copy of all swimmers’ USS registration cards.  If you received your card in your box last week at the pool I already have a copy.  I need to know who isn’t registered so we can get them registered or we are swimming illegally!  Everyone that swims under my coaching has to be a registered member of the United States Swimming.  You can find a link to register on-line at www.swimconnection.com. Or you may get the forms at the Gora Aquatic Center during normal business hours.

Thank you to everyone for being patient on the heater, I know it is cold but hang in there. 

Thank you to everyone who times at the meets.  We all need to do our part and share the timing responsibilities with all parents attending meets.  It is not difficult to time and you get free food.  If you need any pointers or need to familiarize yourself with a stop watch see me and I will talk you through it.

Thank you to all our wonderful Officials!

Thank you to everyone for selling cookie dough.

Thank you to all of you, ahead of time, for getting those Corporate Sponsors.

 

See you at the pool!

            Coach Potter