Rudgear Rats: Week of July 13th

Upcoming Dates
7/13 – Conference Jobs Open | 10am
7/15 – Conference Jobs Close | 10am
7/16 – REST vs. Oakhurst - Glow Meet!
7/18 – End of Hell Week Breakfast (during practice)
7/18 – Rugrats Graduation
7/19 – REST vs. Dewing
7/24 – Rudgear Idol & Pasta Feed
7/25 – Conference Spirit Fun Friday
7/25 – Tuck-Ins
7/26 & 7/27 – Conference Meet
7/27 – Conference After-Party
7/29 – Awards Night
7/29–8/1 – County Practice
8/2 & 8/3 – County Meet
Link to full season calendar

Head Coach’s Message
Hey team,
As we step into our final two weeks of the season, now’s the time to really dial it in. Every practice is an opportunity to sharpen our skills and push our effort to the next level. Let’s finish strong and build momentum heading into Conference.

Make sure you’re taking care of your body inside and outside the pool. Drink lots of water throughout the day, and bring water to practice so you can stay hydrated. Stretch, rest, and recover so you can show up ready to work.

Let’s keep the energy high and support each other through the finish line.
–Coach Mason

TL;DR
– Sign up for a Conference job by Monday, July 15 at 10:00am
– Order and pay for your Conference After-Party Dinner
– Show appreciation for Rat Pack helpers next week (cards, treats, etc.)
– Contribute to the Coach Bonus Program by Tuesday, July 29 (suggested: $65)
– Sign up for Rudgear Idol
– Submit 2–3 photos/videos per swimmer for the end-of-year slideshow

Conference Jobs
If your swimmer is participating in Conference you must sign up for a job. Please sign up by July 15th at 10:00am. Coordinating everything for Conference is a heavy lift for our board members – if all our team families do their part on time it lightens the load and we truly appreciate it. Thank you.

Conference After Party – Don’t Miss It!
Join us for the ultimate end-of-season celebration! Right after relays and awards on Sunday, head over to Rudgear Estates for an evening of food, drinks, swimming, and dancing with our amazing Rudgear Fam. All are welcome!

Food & Drink Info:
We’re bringing in delicious catered Mexican food, so be sure to opt in and pre-pay by July 23rd if you'd like to join the group meal.
Prefer to bring your own? That’s totally fine too!

Pricing:
$15 per child (12 & under)
$20 per adult (13 & up)

How to Order:
To be included in the catered dinner and drinks, you must:
– Fill out the pre-order form: https://forms.gle/TD2xDas7otqq4uBBA
– Submit payment via Venmo to @CarrieSatyshur, or place cash/check (payable to Rudgear Estates Swim Team) in the Satyshur family folder
– Be sure to include your family’s name with your payment so we can match it to your order

This is always one of the best nights of the summer—we can't wait to celebrate with you!

Rat Pack Appreciation Week
Attention 6U, 7/8, and Rugrat Families! Next week, we're showing some love to our amazing Rat Pack—the in-water helpers who keep our youngest swimmers safe, smiling, and swimming strong!

If your swimmer wants to say thanks, we’d love it! A card, a drawing, a sweet treat—whatever feels right. Just drop your swimmer’s creation in the Rat Pack Appreciation Box near the pool entrance.

Let’s make sure our Rat Packers feel the love!

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 Tuesday, July 29.

There are three ways to donate:

1. Venmo: @victoria-hill2016

2. Cash to Victoria Hill directly

3. Check written to "Victoria Hill" and given to Victoria (Tori) Hill or placed in the Hill 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,
Tori Hill, Coach Liaison

Rugrats Graduation
Come cheer on our little Rugrats at their graduation on Friday!

Rugrats Graduation will be held on the grass lawn at 12pm on Friday, July 18th. Coaches will conduct a short awards ceremony and popsicles and small goodie bags will be handed out to each Rugrat participant.

All friends and family are welcome to attend. Congratulations to all our Rugrats!

Rudgear Idol and Pasta Feed – July 24th at 6pm
Calling all RATS! Bring your talents to our Annual Rudgear Idol – a fun talent show where our swimmers can show off their out-of-water skills. All performances will be judged by our amazing coaches, Idol-style!

Sign up on the poster at the pool—limited spots remaining!

This event is also a potluck style Pasta Feed. Come for the food and stay for the show!

What to Bring:
– Last Name A-M: Pasta dish in a disposable pan
– Last Name N-S: Salad in a disposable bowl
– Last Name T-Z: Garlic Bread
– All: BYOB

Plus, ice cream treats will be served after the show!

Photos Wanted
We want to make sure that every swimmer is included in our end-of-year slideshow.

Please submit 2–3 photos and/or videos of each of your swimmers from this season. The photos can be anything RATS-related: swimming, attending a spirit event, cheering, hanging at the pool, etc. Please only submit 2–3 per swimmer.

You submitting these pictures is how we ensure your swimmer is featured in the slideshow. If you do not submit photos, your swimmer will likely not be represented and that would be a bummer!

Please click here to upload the photos/videos – please submit them to the correct age-group folder and label them with your swimmer’s name. Thank you!

If you want to help make sure your swimmer’s age group is represented, please email Seth Kriz to volunteer – [email protected].

Lessons
Many of our coaches are offering private lessons.
Click here to view all available sign-up links.

Reminders:
– Each swimmer may sign up for one lesson with Coach Mason per week
– All scheduling and payment are handled directly between families and coaches

Buddies
Theme for the week: Bring your buddy a sweet treat.

Stay Connected
Instagram: @rudgear_rats
Facebook Group: Rudgear Estates Swim Team

Let’s make it a great week and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO RATS!!