VAST News Monday, December 15th, 2025

Valley Aquatics News 

Monday, December 15th, 2025 

Don’t Forget our Mini-Spirit Week this week: VAST Holiday Events 

PRACTICE CHANGES THIS WEEK: 

Thursday, December 18th & Friday, December 19th: No practice at KCAC due to Washington State Senior Champs.  Swimmers will practice at Sumner 

Practice Schedule for Sumner on 12/18 and 12/19. FWCC remains the same as normal

Saturday practice this week:  NO Saturday practice this week 

Gold Elite/Silver Elite: due to preparations for the championship meets, practices will be revised over the next two weeks.   

Silver Elite: no dryland this week: Monday: 6-7:30,  Tuesday/Wednesday: 6-7:45 PM 

Gold Elite: no dryland this week: Monday-Wednesday: 4:30-6:30 PM, Thursday should be at KCAC for meet warmup 

Winter Break practice (December 22nd-January 3rd) schedule is posted here: WINTER BREAK PRACTICE SCHEDULE 

VAST Holiday Celebration: will be Monday, December 22nd in Sumner.   

Gold Elite/Gold/Sprint Performance/Silver Elite: 5-6:30 PM 

Silver, Bronze, Blue: 6-7:30 PM 

Please RSVP so we know how many cookies to purchase. 

 Valley Aquatics - Events 

14 & under Champs Update: Wow! We had an amazing weekend at age groups champs! There were tons of best times, great finals performances, new regionals and zones times, and new team records! Well done VAST! New team top 10 swims were Henry Bennett (200 free relay, 400 free relay), Corbin Collier (50 fly, 50 breast), Roe Conner (100 back, 400 IM, 50 back, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Kenedee Hillis (200 back), Yanika Himsoon (200 breast), Andrew Luebke (200 fly, 400 IM, 50 fly, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Evan Mitchell (100 back, 400 IM, 200 IM, 500 free, 200 back, 200 free, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Lucas Palomo (50 breast, 200 medley relay), Kennedy Skidds (100 back, 50 free, 50 fly, 100 free, 200 free), Sebastian Uy (100 back, 100 fly), and Ethan Wolf (200 breast, 50 breast). 

Swim Meets:   

Upcoming Meets: Please commit by Monday, December 22nd for the next two meets:  

Washington Open (January 15-18th) :   Swimmers in Silver Elite, Gold Elite, and Sprint Performance meet qualifying standards.   You can see qualifiers through December 3rd posted here: 1493834_8219220d-f8be-4bd7-a53c-8cfd48802c2b.pdf 

For those swimmers not at the Washington Open, we will be participating in the PDST winter invite. 

PDST Winter Invite (January 24th/25th) at Mary Wayte Pool in Mercer Island.   We may take 40 12 and under swimmers (so please commit right away if you are planning on attending) and unlimited 13 & over swimmers. There are no time standards at this meet. Please commit by Monday, January 24th 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED at Washington OPEN: Volunteer Signups are open for the Washington Open.  This high-level meet is generally for swimmers in Gold Elite/Sprint Performance (and a few Gold/Silver Elite swimmers).   Even if your swimmer is not swimming, all families are expected to volunteer.  

Please don’t forget that all members must reregister for 2026! 

USA Swimming registration for 2025-26 NOW AVAILABLE: All Members new to VAST, must complete USA swimming registration to practice (this covers insurance).   Swimmers need to complete this within a week of starting practices.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  

VAST Specific Registration link: https://omr.usaswimming.org/omr/welcome/A52F8A5114D44E 

Swimsuits & Practice Gear: Please order your supplies for practice and swim meets through our team store on swimoutlet.   

Team Store  

Swimmers should wear a “competitive style” swimsuit for practice and should be a TYR swimsuit for swim meets.  You can either order a team suit or wear a black suit or a black suit with green ascents for swim meets (Tech suits should be TYR brand) Males can wear either jammers or briefs. The team store on swimoutlet has a lot of options.   

 How do I enter swim meets? 

To enter meets, log on to your account on the website, go to the events tab, click on edit commitment and select "Yes". If you do not wish to attend, you can select "No", but this is not necessary. In the notes field, enter days your child can attend and if there are any other special requests for events. Please note that you can select events on your own, but the coach may change them based on what they would like to see your swimmer compete in. You must enter the event by the deadline which is posted under the event itself. Most meets need to be entered at least 3 weeks in advance. 

 USA Swimming registration: All Members new to VAST, must complete USA swimming registration to practice and compete in meets (this covers insurance).    

VAST Specific Registration link: https://omr.usaswimming.org/omr/welcome/A52F8A5114D44E 

If you do not have a USA swimming account, please follow these steps first:  

2024_NEW_USA_Swimming_Registration.pdf 

 TEAM GEAR: We are a TYR team.  Swimmers are expected to wear TYR suits at championship meets.   Check out the team store to place an order for gear.  Swimmers that will be attending practices at an outdoor pool may want to order a parka for the upcoming colder months. Swimoutlet.com is our team dealer. 

Parent Resources:   We will continually update our parent resources on the website.   Here you can find information about the best way to support your athletes.  Links to resources to explain meet expectations (and what to expect at different times of the season), nutrition for your swimmers, and other frequently asked questions.   

Valley Aquatics - Parent Info (teamunify.com) 

Time standards:  For swimmers looking for setting goals, Time standards for championship meets can be found here. 

QUESTIONS ON PRACTICE/ GROUPS/MEETS, ETC: Questions regarding the “wet” side of VAST should be directed to your child's coach, or the Head Age Group Coach, Derek Frenzel.  He can be reached at [email protected] or by text at 208-310-3317. 

VOLUNTEERING: As a member of VAST, there are volunteer requirements.  You can find more information here.  For questions, contact Charis Tucker, Volunteer coordinator @ [email protected] 

QUESTIONS ON BILLING: should you have any question about the “dry” side of the sport (billing, etc.), please contact Suzanne at [email protected] or by text at 253-241-4827 

MEMBERSHIP SUSPENSION: If during the year, you are taking time off/canceling your membership, please fill out the following survey link to put your membership on hold/cancel. This should be completed by the 20th of the month before.    https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/vastsuspension