New Welch Swim Team blog address: www.WelchSwimTeam.blogspot.com

Extra, extra, read all about it!!!  The Welch Sharks Swim Team has a new blog address for 2014 and beyond.  Please update your bookmarks, feeds, email subscriptions, gmail+ or whatever method you use to to keep track of what's going on with your Welch Sharks Swim Team.  Updated information for the 2014 season was posted to the new blog and more information will follow at the new 2014 Welch blog.

Our new blog address is:
www.WelchSwimTeam.blogspot.com

**2014** Welch Sharks Swim Team **2014**

2014 Summer Swim Season... "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR"

A new summer swim season with the Welch Sharks Swim Team is upon us with the first pre-season practice scheduled for Saturday, May 31 (that's only 3 days from now!) and the second pre-season practice on Saturday, June 7.

2014 Preseason Practices: 2 Saturdays, May 31 & June 7

• Ages 11+ from 8-9 AM
• Ages 10 & Under from 9-10 AM

Practices are a great opportunity for the coaches to get to know the kids and review some fundamentals!  Swimmers MUST be registered before they may participate in practices or meets.  You can register your Welch Sharks Swim Team swimmer either at the Welch Pool Front Desk, The Centre Region Parks & Recreation (CRPR) Office (in person or by phone) located in the Centre Region Council of Governments (COG) Building or online through the following link to CRPR website:

CRPR Aquatics Registration - Welch Swim Team

There will be a general information presentation for all new swim parents at each of these pre-season practices.  We will provide a summary of information related to the Welch Team and the summer swim league (CPSL) competitive meets as well as attempt to answer all questions.

The 2014 league schedule is:

1

Thurs. June 19

Park Forest at Welch

2

Thurs. June 26

Welch at Penns Valley

3

Thurs. July 1

SPRA at Welch

4

Tues. July 8

Welch at Park Forest

5

Thurs. July 17

Penns Valley at Welch

Sat. July 19

Day of Joy Relay Meet at Park Forest (FUN)

6

Thurs. July 24

Welch at SPRA

Tues. July 29

Champs 11+ at Welch

Thurs. July 31

Champs 10 & under at Park Forest

Keep alert, we will be updating the team's blog name to reflect the new 2014 season.

Hope to see everyone again at the Welch Pool on Saturday morning.

Little Kids (10 and Under) Champs Results

Results from the Saturday, Aug 3rd Champs 10 and Under meet held at Penns Valley can be viewed from the following link:

2013 Champs 10 and under Results - Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013

We hope you enjoyed the summer swim season and look forward to seeing you next year at Welch Pool.

Swimmer's Awards/Team Gift

Thank you to all the Welch Shark Swimmers and Parents who attended last weekend's Welch Swim Team End of Season Awards Banquet.  It was a fun filled season and it is hard to believe that we are fast approaching the start of another school year.

For those Welch Swimmers who did not attend the Awards Banquet and did not receive their team's gift shirt, I will be at the Welch Pool parking lot upper dropoff circle with your shirt on the following days and times:

• Mon, Aug. 12:  8:40am to 9:20am
• Tues, Aug. 13:  9:10am to 9:50am  and  11:00am to 12:00pm
• Wed, Aug. 14:  8:40am to 9:20am

Please stop by during one of the times listed above for this cool shirt with every team members' name listed in the design.  If you can't make it to the Welch Pool at the times listed, please contact me at Welch[dot]Sharks[dot]Swimteam[at]gmail[dot]com

Lastly, for those interested in swimming beyond the summer season, please consider either the State College Area YMCA Aqualions or the Nittany Lion Aquatic Club.  Hope to see everyone next summer at Welch Pool.

Big Kids (11 and over) Champs Results

Team,

We have results from last night's champs meet at Lewistown. It was a beautiful night for a meet and numerous records fell. Lewistown has a "meter" pool (rather than yards), so times are a bit different than usual,  but we still had lots of fast swimmers.

You can see the results HERE.

If you'd like to look at the records for this length of pool, those can be seen HERE. We've highlighted newly set records from this year's meet.

Thanks for the great season, big kids! Good luck to all the seniors as they move on to other challenges. We'll miss you. Everyone else, we hope to see you next summer. Have a great school year.

CHAMPS VOLUNTEERS! --- Last Call ...hopefully

We are still very short on providing Welch Swim Parent Meet Volunteers for Friday night's and Saturday morning's CPSL CHAMPS finale.

Timers are extremely important and needed for these events because in CHAMPS there are 3 TIMERS PER LANE instead of 2 that we use during the regular season.  The meet will not be able to start on time or continue for the second half if there are not enough timers provided.  This delay to fill positions can significantly add to you and your swimmer's total time at the meet.  This league only operates with volunteers.  So if your child is swimming, we ask that you please step up to volunteer.  Timing provides an exciting view of the meet.  You are able to encourage the swimmers just before and after their events and see the excitement and joy these swimmers produce from participating in CPSL.  To those that have volunteered this season, thank you.  To those that still have not volunteered for a meet, tonight or tomorrow is your opportunity.  Please volunteer to help on deck.  Thanks again.

Friday - CHAMPS meet Parent Volunteer sign up

Saturday - CHAMPS meet Parent Volunteer sign up

Meet programs are available for download at:
CHAMPS Meet Program - 11 and Up (Friday)
CHAMPS Meet Program - 10 and Under (Saturday)

Go Sharks!


PS:  Don't forget to RSVP for Saturday night's Team Banquet and Awards Night.
Welch Team Awards Banquet - RSVP

CHAMPS 10 & Under INFO & Saturday Morning Breakfast

Just a quick reminder for those going to Saturday morning's CHAMPS meet at Penns Valley (Millheim).

Saturday (8/3) - CHAMPS Ages 10 & Under - at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Pool in Millheim

We need to fill the following Welch Parent Volunteer positions to help the meet start and finish on time:
1st Half: FULL! Woo Hoo! Thank you :-D
2nd Half: Timers (4), Seeding Area (1), Scorer/Awards (1)

Parents can sign up to volunteer at CHAMPS 10 & Under PARENT Volunteer Sign Up Page (Sat - 8/3).  This is your last chance to be a Welch Parent Meet Volunteer until next year.  Experience the meet up close and feel the fun, excitement and occasional spray of a CHAMPS meet. 


Warm-ups:
7:20-7:40am - Penns Valley (with the size of our 10&U team - it will be easier to warm-up alone)
7:40-8:00am - Rec Park
8:00-8:20am - Park Forest
8:20-8:40am - SPRA
8:40-9:00am - Welch

Officials and Timers meeting at 8:45am
Meet begins at 9:05am

Please allow yourself sufficient time to arrive well before your warm-up time in order to check in and receive any additional information from your coaches.

Directions to Penn's Valley Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Pool in Millheim:

Follow 45 East from State College/Boalsburg. From Centre Hall (intersection of Routes 45 and 144) travel east on Route 45.  As you enter Millheim, go straight at the traffic light, take a slight left (after the bridge) onto Park Road.  Park Road then turns to the left, follow Park Road until it takes a left into the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park. - Drive time approx. 30 minutes from State College.  Please drive carefully.

--------------------------

Nothing works up a good appetite better than a morning swim or being a Team Parent Meet Volunteer.  So Welch Swim Team Swimmers and Parents that are going to Saturday (8/02) morning's CHAMPS 10 & Under Meet at Penns Valley - The Penns Valley Swim Team will have breakfast available from their concession stand.  I included their information below to whet your appetites.  Give them a try and see if the Penns Valley group has what it takes to dethrone the league's more famous Swamp Shack. ;-)

I'd like to give THREE CHEERS for BREKKIE at
Penns Valley!

1.) You'll be surprised how much of what we do is local - - it is important to people in our community to use local resources as often and in as many ways as possible! You may very well be eating greens that were grown in someone's garden SPECIFICALLY for this event. You could be enjoying an egg from a chicken who enjoys a beautiful life of grass and bugs and sunshine IN beautiful Penns Valley.
2.) You'll be surprised at the quality and variety of truly healthy items, that look good and taste even better! We want you and your swimmers to have a variety of great choices - - and our CHAMPS team has been planning this brekkie for WEEKS.
3.) Unlike some teams, Penns Valley Swim Team (and our pool) get NO municipal funding. Concession stand sales are THE major part of our team's ability to purchase and update equipment that benefits all the swimmers in our league (we have our eyes on NEW LANE LINES for 2014 - - and if you've never priced 'em out, you should).
We hope you'll come ready to enjoy a lovely breakfast at Che' Penguin on Saturday morning! We appreciate your patronage! We look forward to great swims from the wonderful youngsters in this learning league! THANK YOU in advance!
Warmly,
The Penns Valley CHAMPS Committee

Other CHAMPS 10 & Under Meet items:
There will be very limited number of meet programs available for sale at this meet.  You may download a meet program directly from the link 2013 CHAMPS Meet Program - 10 and Under at Penns Valley.