Last Saturday afternoon, USA Swimming held its Annual Business Meeting. This hybrid event had committee meetings, educational pieces, and finished with the House of Delegates meeting. In that HOD meeting, year over year registration numbers were (quietly) released and USA Swimming had 25,000 less registered swimmers for the 2022-2023 season than they did the previous year. Contrast that with Dane County and Storm in particular, where we’ve continued to build back every year since 2020, and it’s a really encouraging statement about swimming in the area. Thanks to everyone who...

We’re a few weeks in, and things are moving along quite well in the water. Our new swimmers are feeling more comfortable by the day and our existing swimmers are getting back what they’ve lost after a summer off. Our 200th swimmer of the fall registered yesterday! Great things are happening. Behind the scenes, it’s a bit of a whirlwind. We’re adjusting on the fly to pool changes, we’re planning some big events, and working to provide a phenomenal experience for all our families. Stroke Clinic 8 spots have filled...

Thanks to everyone who joined our dryland evening tonight. Many of the swimmers started their game hesitant because they didn’t know the ins and outs of soccer but the vast majority were running around and playing hard by the end. It’s a microcosm of what we’re trying to do at Storm—encouraging our swimmers to get out of the comfort zone and be unafraid of trying something new, pushing their limits. Granted, there were a LOT of somersaults and cartwheels in the first hour, but that’s ok too. Those of you...

Season Meet Schedule One of the things I assume everyone notices (but I’m getting a lot of questions on) is the competition schedule. Yes, you can click events on the website and see a long listing of meets but the cleaner, easier way is to click the Schedule/Results tab: As Wisconsin Swimming gets their act together, we’ll start seeing more detailed meet information but for now it’s sparse. Custom Caps & Swim Equipment The portal is open for swim gear and TYR specific apparel. The deadline is stated as 9/24,...

Welcome to the 2023-2024 season for Storm. After our best all-around season ever and what we’ll call an interesting last few weeks, we’re ready to kick off the new year. We had a fantastic Week Zero, and now we get a long weekend off before starting our first *official* practice Tuesday. Storm Aquatics First, let’s talk a bit about the name change. Those of you at the annual meeting already know, and there have been some not-so-subtle hints on social media, but last month we made it official and changed...

Storm Aquatics is excited to announce the hiring of Greg Lake as the Director of Senior Programming. Greg comes to us from the Waunakee Wave where he was the Head Coach since 2017. Over his 25+ years of coaching, Greg has coached swimmers that have won over 100 state titles, National Age Group top 10 swimmers, 14 Olympic Trials qualifiers, 2 USA Junior National Team members, one Junior National Champion and meet record holder and dozens of swimmers that have gone on to swim in college. “I’m thrilled to add...

Tonight's Meetings A reminder that tonight is the Storm Annual Meeting. It'll take place at Central Heights, with suit fitting and apparel orders from 5-6pm, followed by the business meeting at 6pm. Suit Fitting For those of you buying swimsuits--PLEASE make sure your swimmer's suit is snug/tight. If you see wrinkles, downsize. Each year, we have at least a dozen families who order suits far too big and we spend the month of September fixing and exchanging. Expected suit range: Age 6U Age 7&8 Age 9&10 Age 11&12 Age 13+...

End of Practice This morning marked the final practice of the season for our non-state swimmers. Thank you for a wonderful 2022-2023 season! Regional Updates An assortment of meet updates are now posted for this weekend’s Regional Championships. If you checked the start times earlier in the week, please note that each day now has a 7:45A “Get There” time. Time trials are available for those needing extra swim opportunities. Bring cash if you’re participating. Talk with your coach before signing up. One other note—the original entry file had errors,...

Summer Session Registration As Sunday marks the end of the spring session (last practice Friday!), we’ll jump straight into our summer session on Monday. Registration is open--we’re anticipating another dozen or so registrants, but it looks like the summer schedule will need no altering. We’re pleased that this will give options for those with summer jobs, summer school, and evening practices for littles starting after parents get off work. Blood Drive This Saturday from 9-2, we’ll be hosting the Bingo Betty Blood Drive at the DeForest Community Center. Donor Slots...

Last Weekend What a busy, fun weekend! The swim meet Saturday went off without a hitch, and we had perfect weather for the scramble on Sunday. Thanks to the volunteers who helped out Saturday, the donors and golfers who helped make Sunday possible, and all those who worked behind the scenes on both events. It’s a lot of work to pull both of those off within 24 hours of each other but it worked flawlessly. Registrations Are Underway Two registrations are underway as we speak… Summer registration opened for returning...