SHST Weekly Newsletter - June 23, 2025
This is it - Champs Weekend!
HIGHLIGHTS & NEWS
Summer Practice Schedule Until Thursday, Pups Pancake Breakfast Friday, Champs on Saturday!
Practice will remain in the morning this week Monday - Thursday. Friday is the Pups meet and Pancake Breakfast - there will not be swim practice. The practice schedule is:
11 & Ups 7:00 AM - 8:10 AM
9 & 10's 8:10 AM - 9:00 AM
8 & Unders 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Recap - Home Meet vs. Swimarin Saturday, June 21, 2025
The Sleepy Hollow Sea Lions hosted the Swim Marin Sharks on Saturday for the last regular season meet of the year. Beautiful weather treated swimmers and guests, as our Sea Lions looked to nab some best times before heading into Champs. Swimmers demonstrated their sportsmanship and support to the Sharks with smiles and handshakes after every heat. After a lovely national anthem sung by Ariana Biesecker, the medleys were underway, featuring several ‘new’ swimmers who proudly represented Sleepy Hollow. Hailey Bennett moved onto the Top Ten leaderboard in her 100Y I.M. with a best time of 1:06.85. The Sea Lions achieved a whopping 161 best times on Saturday, looking strong and ready for Champs next weekend!
Once again, a HUGE thank you to all of those who stepped up to be timers (and those who offered but were not needed!) to fill in the holes left by the visiting team. They are a very small team and it shows the true spirit of our team when we offer a hand where needed. It never goes unnoticed!! Thank you.
TOP TEN BOARD:
Hailey Bennett, Girls 11-12 100Y I.M., moved onto board into 8 th place (1:06.85)
BIGGEST DROPS:
William Buennagel, Boys 9-10 50Y Fly, -13.12
Grace Dempsey, Girls 9-10 50Y Breast, -7.35
Ellery Olson, Girls 9-10 100Y I.M., -6.31
Caleb Giese, Boys 11-12 100Y I.M., -6.29
Ella Marom, Girls 9-10 50Y Back, -5.72
Cash Martin, Boys 11-12 100Y I.M., -5.50
TRIPLE CROWN WINNERS:
Baxter Dixon (Boys 11-12) 50Y Free, 50Y Breast, 100Y I.M.
Zoe Singleton (Girls 13-14) 50Y Free, 50Y Fly, 100Y I.M.
MSL Championship Meet - June 28, 2025
If you have not already, DO THESE THINGS NOW for Champs Weekend:
1) Finalize your swimmer(s) events. This closes at 11:59pm tonight. Remember - we are not in charge of the meet, so there are absolutely NO late additions/changes. Swimmers can sign up for up to 3 strokes.
2) Volunteer - If you have a swimmer participating in Champs, you MUST volunteer. High School parents and those who opted out of the Family Commitment also MUST volunteer. If you have a swimmer swimming and have not signed up for a volunteer shift, contact Kerry (the Board Meet Chair) or sign up for a shift at Champs Dinner.
3) Buy tickets for Champs Dinner!
The Championship Meet, aka "Champs" is the final meet of the season, where every MSL team participates. Every swimmer swims! No qualifications are necessary. The Sleepy Hollow Swim Team has won Champs for 29 years in a row and we have every intention of keeping this incredible streak going! Coach Mark asks that everyone come to this meet! Each and every Sea Lion is important to our success at Champs.
To inform you on what you can expect and what is expected of you on this exciting day, please read below in its entirety.
WHEN & WHERE
The Tidalwaves are excited to host Championships this year on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at Miwok Aquatic Center, IVC College of Marin. Warm ups will start at 7:15am, and the meet starts at 8:30am.
LOGISTICS
HERE is the 2025 CHAMPS Meet Packet, which everyone MUST read. It has details about everything (timing, meet format, parking, spectators, awards ceremony) and will answer your questions.
Champs will run like last year- two meets will be happening simultaneously- on opposite ends of the pool- a girl’s side (closer to the warm up pool), and boy's side (closer to the dive tank). 10 lanes per side! All 60 events will run in order.
All Medley Relays will be swum on the dive tank side of the pool.
Please plan on the first half of the meet running roughly 8:30 am -11:30 am with the second half running 11:45 am - 2:30 pm. There will be a 15 minute break after backstroke for volunteer changes. There will be an awards ceremony at the conclusion of the meet.
The Miwok pool has extremely limited deck space, therefore this will be a closed deck meet. No spectators will be allowed on the pool deck. Only swimmers, coaches, and volunteers! There are bleachers, but they are not huge. The best way to watch your swimmer swim is to volunteer!
Also note, to allow for viewing from the bleachers, there will not be tents over the blocks. Please keep this in mind if you are a timer. Wear a hat!
Our team will set up in the grassy field outside the pool gates. Like always, it is important to pay attention to the event numbers on the board so your swimmer does not miss a race. If you have never attended Champs, it’s helpful to know that it will be crowded -- 1000 swimmers, 400 volunteers and lots of spectators.
VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN
SHST Volunteers must check in at the SHST tents no later than 7:15am, unless you have a job that requires an earlier check-in (like Parking, Announcers, or Tech Desk). All position descriptions and meeting times are listed in the 2025 CHAMPS Meet Packet.
If you have questions, please refer to the Meet Packet.
Thanks All! This is the finale of our season! Lets go out with a bang and Kick Bootyakum!
Congrats to the Swimmers of the Week!
Group 1: Reagan Sullivan and Wilder Larson
Group 2: Sophie Felice and Cash Martin
Group 3: Mia Bablitch and Faris Kahn
Group 4: Lucy Coughlin and Gus Mullen
A Note for 8th Grade Families
There's so much that happens at the end of 8th grade, but graduating from the Sleepy Hollow Swim Team is not one of them! Your children are welcome members of the team for their entire high school journey.
What changes in high school: There's no practice for high school swimmers. There is also no registration fee or volunteer requirement (with the exception of All Stars and Champs if your swimmer swims).
What stays the same: You register for the team at the start of the season, you declare for a meet every Tuesday. Swimmers are encouraged to swim in the Saturday meets (after the conclusion of thier HS swim season) and in Champs. Your 12th grader will be honored at the end of the season Champs dinner celebration.
Fun Committee Updates
Friday, June 27: Pups Meet & Pancake Breakfast
While the entire team has been practicing and racing this season, we have little Sea Lions just starting out through the Pups program. On Friday, June 27 we get to see all of the Pups’ hard work pay off at their very own home meet where they race each other and get a little sense of what these Sea Lion meets are all about. Come to the pool and support our soon to be Sea Lions at this adorable and special event! We can cheer on these Pups as they swim and race each other. Come enjoy the last day of the season with pancakes, followed by a lot of cheering for this year's Pups. Breakfast is served for the 10&Unders starting at 8:00AM, followed by the 11&ups at 8:30 AM. The Pups meet starts at 9:00AM. There is no SHST practice that day.
Friday, June 27: Shave Down
All 11 & Ups are invited to come to a Shave Down & Pasta Potluck Dinner to get ready for Champs. Shaving is a ritual swimmers perform before a big meet to reduce frictional drag and get into a fast mindset! And don’t worry, if you don’t want to shave, you don’t have to! Come have fun with your teammates and carb-load before Champs!
If you do want to shave, please bring your own razor and shaving cream. We'll have buckets of water and band-aids on hand in the unlikely event of a nick.
Dinner is a Pasta Potluck so each family is asked to send their 11+ swimmers with food to share. Evite was sent out last week. Please RSVP and remember to sign up to bring food to share.
A Note From Coach Mark
A huge thank you to The Board for all their work this season. They have been nothing short of fantastic. We appreciate all that everyone has done to make this a successful and flawless season. The board members have gone above and beyond for years. Please think about saying yes to joining the board, we know everyone is super busy but we can’t continue to thrive without new help.
Please email [email protected] if interested in learning more about the Board and needs for next season.
July 4th in the Hollow!
Be sure to come out for a wonderful day of family, friends and fun! Sleepy Hollow's 4th of July begins with the fun run, then the parade, and a celebration at the pool for swimming, a cook out, and live music.
Swim Team families are encouraged to join the parade.
On July 3rd from 4-6pm at the Clubhouse courtyard, join fellow Sea Lions to decorate your scooter, bike, or whatever you plan to ride in the parade. There will be yellow and blue streamers and other decorations provided. Please bring any additional decorations you'd like to use or share! Contact Gina Singleton with any questions.
Then on the 4th, Sleepy Hollow Swim Team will meet at 10:45am on the corner of Deer Hollow and Butterfield where the parade kicks off at 11:00am.
Helpful Links
IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL SWIMMERS
June 27, 2025: No practice
June 27, 2025: Pups breakfast
June 27, 2025: Pasta and shave down
June 28, 2025: MSL Championships Meet
June 29, 2025: Champs Dinner
February 23, 2026: First day of practice for the 2026 season
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....
2025 Photo Library
Have you seen the incredible shots of this swim season by our talented photography team? Check out the whole 2025 library on our site!
Donations
Big shout out to our donors this season:
