June 10 Update: Summer season

Welcome to the Summer Season!

It's been a while since our last update, so this one is going to be a bigger than usual post.

First off, here are some of the important upcoming dates/deadlines for the Summer season:

• The registration deadline for the 2025 PN Age Group Seattle Open is on June 13th.
  • This meet will take place at the Colman Pool (outdoor LCM) in Seattle on July 18/19
  • Eligibility:
    • Swimmers 10&U must have PNS silver times achieved at a USA Swimming sanctioned meet for 50M events
    • Swimmers 11&O may enter any 50M events, but must have silver times for 100-200m, and gold times for 400M events; also achieved at a USA Swimming sanctioned meet
  • This meet has notorious parking; carpooling is recommended.
  • Event page is linked [here]
• We will have our summer team picnic on Saturday, July 26th
  • Biathlon registration is on site from 12:00-12:30pm. Please be there on time to participate!
    • Monthly challenge point to all participants
    • Awards to top placements 12&U/13&O
    • Volunteers needed to help and keep everything safe!
  • Picnic will begin around 1:30pm
    • This will be a potluck! To help coordinate and see what we are all bringing, here is a signup page
    • pack up and finish by around 3:30pm.
• Final meet of the summer is August 2nd ath our Skagit YMCA
  • This will feature a pentathlon, top boy/girl in each age group gets a trophy:
    • 8&U swim the 25 Fly / 25 Back / 25 Breast / 25 Free and the 50 Free
    • 12&U swim 50 Fly / 50 Back / 50 Breast / 50 Free and the 100 IM
    • 13&O swim the 100 Fly / 100 Back / 100 Breast / 100 Free and the 200IM
  • There is a parent/coach relay at the end! This will be a 200 Medley relay - the more the merrier!
    • We will have check in for the relay during a mid point of the meet. Time will be announced.
    • Adults must change using the universal locker room stalls in compliance with SafeSport practices
• Our swim team tryout day will be Monday, August 4th, from 3:00pm-4:00pm
  • ​swimmers already on the team do not need to try out - this is for new swimmers interested in joining
• The last day of practice before break will be August 6th.
  • The Tritons will return to normal schedule for fall season on Wednesday, September 3rd. No changes to practice times, though swimmers may be promoted to different practice groups.

Monthly Challenge: June 2025

This month's challenge is all about positivity! As simple as that sounds, being positive is a choice and a tough one in many situations. The best swimmers in the world have challenging days, but they are able to turn things around and make the most of their time in any situation.

“Things won’t go perfect. It’s all about how you adapt from those things and learn from mistakes.” - Michael Phelps

Points for this challenge are simple - I hear negative comments (whether they be about someone else or themselves) and there is no point awarded. Everybody gets a second chance, but I won't say if that second chance has been used up. I will warn a swimmer if they are on their second chance though. I hope that this helps keep everyone mindful of how they interact with each other and themselves.

More thoughts:

Next year I am looking to remake the challenge system again. It started out as something that was completely swim (i.e. the breastroke stroke counts, flip turn speed, butterfly in jeans) and has evolved into something more wholistic (Special Olympics, dryland, food logs, and now positivity). I like that the challenges are becoming something that all swimmers CAN do, but only those that are driven WILL do. Swimming is something that will reward you if you put in the work, and those that have risen to the top in our team's history are those that have put in incredible amounts of work (not just in practice, but outside of it). I want the challenge system to encourage growth in this way, but also to encourage community engagement, and to help swimmers show that they are also developing outside of the pool. Awards will still be given based off of what I had promised, with amounts being totaled in August, but I think there will be more changes to come in the upcoming year. I appreciate everyone's patience and support as I try to add these things to the program!