Orcas Weekly Update - Week 1

Kelly Smith

Dear Orca Families,

In this newsletter:

  • Week 1
  • Registration Still Open
  • Team Website Registration
  • Spirit Wear & Team Swimsuit
  • Board & Chair Volunteers Needed
  • Last Call for Officials!
  • Sponsorship & Fundraising
  • Job Opportunity for your Teens
  • Fun Friday Signup is Live
  • Buddy Banner Volunteer Signup is Live
  • Social Links

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WEEK 1 INFORMATION

Practice starts on Tuesday!

During the first week only, practices will be in the evenings (5:30 to 6:30 for our 10 and Under swimmers, and 6:30 to 8:00 for our 11 and up swimmers).

The weather forecast for part of next week will be cool, but we will still have practice. It’s likely the kids might not get into the water for one or two of them, so Coach Teagan asks everyone to come dressed in athletic clothes with gym shoes. She’ll spend the time working on team building and dryland exercises. Bring swimsuits in case the weather is warm enough to get in the water.

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REGISTRATION IS OPEN

It’s not too late to sign up for the Orcas Swim Team! Registration is still open, and closes on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

Do you have friends curious about the swim team but aren’t sure what it’s all about? We will have a Free Swim Team Trial from May 27th through June 4th. Pool membership is NOT required during the free trial but is required in order to join the team.

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URGENT – TEAM WEBSITE REGISTRATION

You’re going to hear us talk about “TeamUnify” and “Sports Engine” a lot, and both are the names for our team website.

To finalize your registration with the team, please go to our team website at https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnslrcoil/page/team-registration. This step is required to ensure your swimmers are on the team roster so we can enter them in swim meets throughout the summer.

All meets are posted, and jobs for the first two meets are posted. Jobs are first come, first served. Ashley Cobb will be our new Meet Volunteer Coordinator this year, replacing Beth Bleser. Ashley is who you will look for at meets to check in for your job and get your worker lanyard.

As for the meet signups, a few notes:

  • If you know for sure that you will MISS a particular meet, go ahead and decline those meets.
  • If you know for sure that you will ATTEND a particular meet, please declare "yes" for those meets. Don't worry about signing up for any specific races. The head coach determines those events.
  • If you are UNSURE of your attendance at a particular meet, please declare yourself as a "yes" for those meets. Meet files have to be sent to the other team about a week in advance, and it's much easier to take a swimmer out of a meet than it is to add one to it.

Useful Apps to download to your mobile device:

  • Sports Engine Motion - This company purchased TeamUnify a few years ago, and we “veterans” use TeamUnify and Sports Engine interchangeably. This app will enable you to declare your swimmers for meets and sign up for jobs from your mobile device.
  • Meet Mobile – this app has both free and paid subscriptions, and all of our meet results will be posted to this app.

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SPIRIT WEAR AND TEAM SWIMSUIT

Team Swimsuits: If you missed ordering your team swimsuit through the Urban Tri Gear Pre-season store, it’s not too late to get a suit! Please contact Urban Tri Gear at (630) 230-9386 and they can help you. You will likely need to visit their Westmont store at the end of the month and they can stamp our team logo on a suit in-store.

SPIRIT WEAR: Deb’s Embroidery has agreed to keep our spirit wear store open, however orders placed will now require direct shipping to your home, or pickup at her Woodridge home. Here’s a direct link to our store. We have a fun selection of hats, apparel, and a cozy wearable blanket.  For all orders placed prior to the 5/14 deadline, Deb’s Embroidery will be delivering those orders to the pool on May 31st.

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BOARD/CHAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We still have some committee chair positions that need filling, specifically the Concessions Chair, Spirit/Social Chair, Photography Chair, and helpers with Meet Setup/Cleanup. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-54420238-2025.

Please reach out if you have questions about any of these positions, such as time commitment, responsibilities, etc.

To all our volunteers who’ve already signed up, THANK YOU!

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OFFICIALS NEEDED – LAST CALL!

To all who have signed up and completed the training to be an official for the Orcas, THANK YOU! We cannot run meets without you and we all appreciate it.

It is not too late to become an official for the 2025 season. We have one last chance to attend a training and it will be ONLINE on Wednesday 5/28 from 7:00-9:00 pm via Zoom. Sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CA5AD22A4F9CF8-56974628-officials

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SPONSORSHIP & FUNDRAISING

This summer would not be possible without our generous sponsors! We encourage you to use these businesses to thank them for their support:

Premier

Matthew Smith Homes

Pure Health & Wellness

Maverick Chiropractic

 

Platinum

Beach for Dogs

Pica Pau Jiu Jitsu & Grappling

Fresh Thyme Market

Heritage Plumbing & Sewer

G & G Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

Jenn Gawenda, Guild Mortgage

Mi Kozina

Radon Xpress

 

Gold

Rosenberg & Parker

Light On Anxiety Treatment Center

Culver’s

Lou Malnati’s

 

Silver

DeAnda Photography

Valley Honda

Kastle Electric, Inc.

Nicky’s

 

Bronze

ATB Automotive

 

Links to all our sponsors’ websites can be found here on our team website.

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JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR TEENS

We are looking to update our teen worker lists for swim meets. We utilize teen workers when we have a job that’s vacant for a meet. We are also offering to help our Orca families cover their own jobs and will provide a worker contact to them if you would like to hire directly.  

Candidates must be 13 years or older, responsible, and able to work a variety of meet jobs (timer, concessions, bullpen, etc.). Pay for each meet is $40.00. If you or your teen are interested in being on our list, please send your child’s name and preferred contact number to Christine Guerin at [email protected].

Once we have finalized the list, we will publish it on our team website for families who wish to directly contact a Teen worker.

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FUN FRIDAY DONUT SIGNUP IS LIVE!

An Orca Tradition is Fun Friday Donuts! We are asking families who are able to please sign up to donate donuts and juice boxes to the team for our weekly Fun Fridays. Practices typically end 10-15 minutes early so kids can grab a donut to munch on while their coaches announce the Swimmer of the Week.

Please sign up via this SignUp Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-56775919-orcas

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BUDDY BANNER SIGNUP IS LIVE!

Another Orca Tradition is making Buddy Banners for our home swim meets. Coach Teagan will pair our older swimmers (our Big Orcas) with our younger swimmers (our Little Orcas) to help with team bonding and mentorship.

Big Buddies will arrive to practice about 30 minutes early (at 9:00 AM) to make their banners, and Little Buddies will stay after practice ends at 9:30 to make their banners.

Our Buddy Banner Coordinator this year is Soorya Thacker. She will be on-hand to help volunteers with assisting the kids in decorating their banners and distributing “Buddy Bags”. The kids typically put a few pieces of candy in their “Buddy Bag” to give to their buddy at the meet to help them fuel their races.

Please sign up via this SignUp Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-56776289-2025

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LET’S STAY IN TOUCH!

For team updates, please check out the team website and the following social media channels:

  • Team Website: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnslrcoil/page/home
  • Team Facebook Page (public): https://www.facebook.com/napervilleracquetcluborcaswimteam
  • Team Facebook Group Page (private): https://www.facebook.com/groups/336838065322320 
  • Team Instagram Page: @ntc_orcas
  • NEW! Join our New WhatsApp Group here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JiEoMzwJZDUGRh81LhUIKn
    • WhatsApp will be used to communicate last-minute scheduling changes, such as weather-related practice changes or cancellations, or other “emergency” type communications.

To see all past newsletters, please refer to our team website at: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnslrcoil/page/home

Thank you for your support in making this swim season unforgettable for our kids!

Go Orcas!
Kelly Smith
NTC Orcas co-VP