Orcas Weekly Update - Week 3

Kelly Smith

 In this newsletter:

  • UPDATE FROM COACH TEAGAN
  • WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK
  • BIG ORCA, LITTLE ORCA BUDDY LIST AND PROGRAM
  • COMING UP NEXT WEEK
  • SWIM MEET PROCEDURES
  • IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT JOBS
  • URGENT TO-DO: WHATSAPP
  • TEAM SWIMSUITS AND SPIRIT WEAR
  • BOARD/CHAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
  • SPONSORSHIP & FUNDRAISING
  • JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR TEENS
  • FUN FRIDAY DONUT SIGNUP IS LIVE!
  • NEW FAMILY FAQs
  • SOCIAL LINKS

THANK YOU to the Nelson and Metcalfe families for donating donuts and juice boxes to our Week 1 Fun Friday, and to the Agarwal and Krock families for donating to Week 2 Fun Friday!  

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UPDATE FROM COACH TEAGAN

 

Hello Orca Families! 

Great job at time trials! Thank you to all the parents that helped the meet run smoothly. 

 

This upcoming week, we will be focusing on starts and relay dives in preparation for our away meet against Naper Carriage Hill on Tuesday, home meet against Maplebrook II on Thursday, and away meet against Farmstead on Saturday. Please communicate with me by WhatsApp or by email: [email protected], if your swimmer(s) will not be at the meet or need to leave early/show up late so I can plan relays accordingly. 

 

Also, Thursday is picture day! We will NOT be holding any practices. Have your swimmer(s) come dressed in their team suit, t-shirt (which will be given to them when they arrive), and beautiful smiles. 

 

Thank you and I will see you all tomorrow at our kick-off party! 

Coach Teagan

 

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WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

 

Sunday, June 8th (TOMORROW!) – Welcome to our Circus Kickoff Social, 5-8 PM 

Signup Genius to bring a side dish to pass; the team will be providing pizza. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-57138752-orcas

 

Also at the social, we’ll be collecting the Activity Fee, which is $25 per family (this covers Buddy Banner supplies, activities during socials, team-building supplies). This can be paid via cash, check, or Zelle.

 

NEW! ORCAS CLOSET - Bring your old Orcas swimsuits and spirit wear that your kids have outgrown to pass down to our new teammates, if desired.

 

We will also hold a parent meeting at the Welcome to our Circus Kickoff social to go over all of these details.

 

Tuesday, June 10th – First Dual Meet at Naper Carriage Hill (400 Leamington Ct, Naperville). Please refer to the swim meet procedures section below for arrival and check-in times.

 

Thursday, June 12th

Team Picture Day, NTC Pool, 10:00 AM. This is not a normal practice day, so please plan to arrive around 9:00 dressed in your team swimsuit. We will be handing out the team t-shirts to be worn for the team photo. Our photographer will be taking team, individual, and family/group photos.

 

Buddy Banner decorating AFTER team pictures! We still need a volunteer to help kids with making their buddy banners: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-56776289-2025#/

 

First Home Dual Meet vs. Maplebrook II. Please refer to the above swim meet procedures for arrival and check-in times.

 

Saturday, June 14th - Dual meet at Farmstead (904 Mill Race Ln, Naperville). Please refer to the swim meet procedures section below for arrival and check-in times.

 

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BIG ORCA, LITTLE ORCA BUDDY LIST AND PROGRAM

Another Orca Tradition is making Buddy Banners for our home swim meets. Coach Teagan has paired our older swimmers (the Big Orcas) with our younger swimmers (the Little Orcas) to help with team bonding and mentorship. Here’s the list!

 

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

 

Please see the attached Swimmers of the Week, Achievements, & Buddy Program document to see all the ways we recognize our swimmers with their achievements throughout the summer and for more detailed information about our Big Orca, Little Orca Buddy Program. 

 

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COMING UP NEXT WEEK

Tuesday, June 17th - HOME meet vs. Ashbury

Thursday, June 19th - Dual meet at Cress Creek Commons (1020 West Bauer Rd, Naperville)

Saturday, June 21st - HOME meet vs. Stillwater

 

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SWIM MEET PROCEDURES

 

Tuesday/Thursday Meets

  • Please arrive by 4:30 PM
  • Upon arrival, immediately check in with Coach Teagan. If you do not check in with Coach Teagan before 4:45 PM, your swimmer(s) will be scratched from the meet.
  • Workers must report to Ashley Cobb, Meet Director, before 5:00 PM to obtain your job badge for the meet.
  • Warmups begin at 5:00 PM
  • Timers meeting will occur at 5:10 PM
  • Meet begins at 5:30 PM.

 

Saturday Meets

  • Please arrive by 7:30 AM
  • Upon arrival, immediately check in with Coach Teagan. If you do not check in with Coach Teagan before 7:45 AM, your swimmer(s) will be scratched from the meet.
  • Workers must report to Ashley Cobb, Meet Director, before 8:00 AM to obtain your job badge for the meet.
  • Warmups begin at 8:00 AM
  • Timers meeting will occur at 8:10 AM
  • Meet begins at 8:30 AM.

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IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT JOBS

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. 

 

If you have a swimmer participating in a meet, we ask you to sign up for a job. Each meet needs about 35 parent volunteers in order to run smoothly. Most jobs allow you to step away to watch your child swim.

 

If your plans change and you are no longer able to work your job, you MUST contact Ashley by NOON on Tuesday/Thursday meets, or by 5PM Friday night for Saturday meets to avoid being fined $100. If we are unable to find a parent volunteer to replace you, we must hire a high-school worker to take your place. If you wish to hire your own replacement worker at $40, here’s a link to our Teen Worker List. Please make sure that Ashley knows that someone will be stepping in to replace you.

 

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.

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URGENT TO-DO – WHATSAPP

WhatsApp will be used to communicate last-minute scheduling changes, such as weather-related practice changes or cancellations, or other “emergency” type communications.

 

This also gives you a direct line to the coaches and Board should you need a message to be received quickly (i.e. you’re running late to a meet and don’t want to get scratched).

 

To join, please click here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JiEoMzwJZDUGRh81LhUIKn

 

All additions require admin approval to avoid any scam/spam people from joining.

 

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TEAM SWIMSUITS AND SPIRIT WEAR

 

Team Swimsuits:  If you missed ordering your team swimsuit through the Urban Tri Gear’s pre-season store, it’s not too late to get one! Please contact Urban Tri Gear at (630) 230-9386 and they can help you. You will need to visit their Westmont store, and they can stamp our team logo on a suit in-store. Logo’d suits are not required, but recommended. Our team suit color this year is solid black.

 

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. 

 

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BOARD/CHAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We still have some committee chair positions that need filling, specifically the Spirit/Social Chair, Photography Chair, and helpers with Meet Setup/Cleanup.

 

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

 

 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA8AB2BA3F85-54420238-2025.

 

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

 

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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 continue to update our teen worker lists for this summer’s 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. Our teen worker list is published here.

 

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].

 

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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 ends 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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NEW FAMILY FAQs

Here’s the slideshow we shared at our 4/21 meeting that includes a wealth of information for our new families. Additionally, here’s a link to the Naperville Swim Conference’s website, which has some great FAQs for new families: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnpdsc/page/faqs.

 

Past emails are posted as newsletters to the Team website at: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/recnslrcoil/page/home

 

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SOCIAL LINKS

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

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

 

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

 

Go Orcas!
Kelly Smith
NTC Orcas co-VP