Rudgear Rats Newsletter: Week of July 23rd
Upcoming Dates
July 24 – Time Pop Soda Pop Party | 12:15pm-1:00pm
July 26 – Rudgear Idol | 6pm
July 28 – Conference Spirit Fun Friday (during/after practice)
July 28 – Tuck-Ins
July 29 & 30 – Conference Meet
July 30 – Conference After Party
August 1 – Awards Night | 6pm
August 1-4 – County Practice qualifiers only
August 5 & 6 – County Meet qualifiers only
Link to full season calendar
TL;DR:
-read Conference Meet overview
-donate to the coach bonus program
-sign up for Idol
-order your after-party food & drinks
Conference Week
Get pumped - Conference Week is here!! We have fun activities planned for every day leading up to the big weekend. Our theme this year is Luck of the Rats and we can’t wait to celebrate Saint Ratty’s Day all weekend long. You know what they say, “The harder you work the luckier you get. Our RATS have worked hard all season and we can’t wait to see all that hard work pay off.
Monday
Time Pop Soda Pop Party! 12:15pm-1:00pm on the grass.
If your swimmer has popped their time 10x or more this, send them over to the Time Pop Soda Pop party with the coaches!
Tuesday
Record your Conference Meet goals on lucky shamrocks!
Before, during or after practice coaches and parent volunteers will assist swimmers by recording their goals on an individual shamrock that will be displayed in our team area at Conference!
Wednesday
Before, during and after practice swimmers will place their handprints on our lucky team rainbow!
If you ordered Conference shirts, you can pick them up on Wednesday.
Then come back to the pool at 6pm for Rudgear Idol! BYO food, drinks, and chairs.
Thursday
Help us color and decorate posters that you will see at Heather Farms for Conference!
Come early and stay late at practice. Markers provided!
And be sure to wash your cars to decorate Friday!
Fun Friday!
Come early and stay late at practice. Enjoy a quick breakfast, get a tattoo, hair tinsel and nail painting. Don't forget to decorate your car!
-Airbrush Tattoos - $5-$10 depending on design (cash, credit, or Venmo)
-Hair Tinsel
-Car decorating
-Nail painting
-Cereal bar for breakfast!
Conference Meet
Conference Meet is our biggest meet of the season. Just like City Meet, there is a lot you need to know in order.
Click here to find out everything you ever wanted to know about Conference.
Please be sure to read this document over, so your family is well-prepared for the weekend.
Photos Wanted!
Please take five minutes to send us your best photos and videos from your phones, DSLR cameras, and Go Pros - anything from age group socials, your child swimming, group shots, funny videos of
kids and coaches, team cheers - basically anything that will make the end of the year video that much better!
Ideally all photos are high-resolution (RAW or Large) and video clips are either 1080p or 4K resolution! There’s a Google Drive link below that you can upload everything; it’s drag and drop, nice and easy.
The Rats are a large team this year and for our sanity, please label all photos and videos with age group and swimmers name (or names) or a description. Here are a couple sample labels:
9-10_JohnSmith.mov
11-12_Jane_Doe_Sam_Smith.jpeg
6u-7-8_SociaGroupPic1.jpeg
Thanks in advance and Go Rats!!
Time Pop Soda Pop Party!
If you swimmer has ten or more time pops, send them on down to the Time Pop Soda Park party this Monday (7/24) at the pool – 12:15pm-1:00pm. (Please note, the time pop posters aren’t yet updated with the time pops from our Dewing meet; however, if your swimmer popped times at the Dewing meet those do count toward the ten!)
Coach Bonus Program
It’s time to show our end-of-season gRATitude to the coaches!
The Rudgear Coach Bonus Program is a tradition our swim team holds to say thank you to our coaches for their hard work each season. The strength of this program is what sets our team apart in our ability to offer compensation packages that retain and recruit amazing coaches.
It has been an incredible season - our swimmers are working so hard towards personal goals and having a blast along the way. Please join me in saying thank you to our coaching staff that has worked so well together to make this season so great!
The Rudgear Coach Bonus Program is primarily made up by family contributions. This season, the suggested family donation is $65, although any amount more or less is greatly appreciated. Donations will be collected through August 3rd.
There are three ways to donate:
- Venmo: @John-Mathieson-3 j[email protected]
- Cash to Jill or JC Mathieson directly
- Check written to "Jill Mathieson" and given to Jill Mathieson or placed in the Mathieson family folder. Please write 'bonus' in the memo line.
Thank you so much for your generosity and support of our coaches! Please let us know if you have any questions - [email protected].
Sincerely,
Jill & JC Mathieson, Coach Liaison
Buddy Reminder
Go all out for your buddy and cheer for them at Conference! Click here for weekly buddy ideas.
Rudgear Idol
Calling all Rudgear Rats! It’s time to show off your talent! The 2023 Rudgear Idol talent show is July 26th at 6pm at Rudgear Estates pool. The sign-up is posted at the pool above the family folders. Please sign up by end of practice tomorrow, Monday July 24th!
Ice cream will be provided after the show. And even if you don’t want to show off any talent, come to the pool and watch our talented RATS take the stage! BYO dinner, drinks and chairs!
Conference After Party
The Conference After Party is the place to be! After relays and awards on Sunday, head on over to Rudgear Estates to eat, drink, swim, and dance with our Rudgear Fam! All are welcome! Be sure to opt in and pay for catered food and drinks – orders due by July 26th. (If you choose to BYO food and drink that is cool, too.) This is one of the best nights of the season – you won’t want to miss out!
Food/Drink Pricing
$15 per child (12 years and younger)
$20 per adult (13 years and older)
If you want in on dinner and drinks, please place your order here and pay by July 26th.
You must both fill out the pre-order form and pay in order for us to order your family’s food. Please Venmo @Samantha-Balboni or place cash or check (made out to Rudgear Estates Swim Team) in the Harris family folder. Please make sure your family’s name is noted on your payment.
Awards Night
Please join us to celebrate all of our Rudgear swimmers and the end of another amazing season. August 1st at 6pm at the pool. BYO food, drinks, and chairs.
Lessons
Lessons are available! We post all the coach’s sign-up links on our website (click here).
Let’s Connect
Instagram: @rudgear_rats
Facebook: Click here to join our Facebook group
Let’s make it a great last week and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO RATS!!
