Hello swim families!

Two meets down and we are really rolling now! We had a great meet this weekend with lots of new swimmers. I’m still waiting on the results, but hope to have those soon and will send out via email once I receive them. Congratulations to Ava Williams for qualifying for state in two additional individual events - the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle. If you’re counting that means we’ve already got SIX individual qualifications and a relay ready to go to state with lots of season left to meet those goals!

Sometimes it’s hard for the kids to see what progress they’ve made, but with this week marking a full month that we’ve been in the pool we are seeing phenomenal progress in our swimmers and we’re super proud of the hard work they are putting in each week! This is the time when it starts to bog down for swimmers. The excitement and newness are wearing off. The mornings are cold and its dark earlier than usual. But this is the time that hard work and commitment is the MOST important. As Coach Smith shared with the team last week, the difference between good athletes and great athletes are dedication and determination. It’s a message you’ll be hearing us repeat a lot over the next couple of weeks! Don’t let up now!

Our meet this next weekend will be at Tallulah Falls Natatorium. The theme is Red, White, and Blue for our Veterans celebration, and we will be honoring our veterans at the meet.

This is more of a drive than normal and our scheduled leave time right now is around 6:30 AM. All students will need to ride the bus to the meet, so plan on having them there early so we can make it to the pool on time. There is very little “give” when we’re so far away. The meet will begin at 10 AM and conclude around 3 pm. If you have not registered please do so immediately!

For your planning purposes, we will have a couple of things upcoming to add to your calendar:

1. High School “Friendsgiving.” Thursday, November 16th - We will meet at Coach Smith’s house to celebrate our blessings! Students should plan to bring a side dish. Be on the lookout for an evite soon!
2. Holiday Break Practice - We will have optional practice over the holiday thanksgiving Break. We will practice Monday - Wednesday at Frances Meadows from 10 - 11 AM for those students who are in town and can make it.
3. New Meet - I’ve just added a new meet to the schedule. This will take place on FRIDAY, December 1st in the evening. The students will leave on the bus at the end of school and we will likely start around 5 pm. I’m waiting for details from the meet host and will put that out as soon as possible.

Thanks for all your support and help! I KNOW those early mornings are NOT easy, and I appreciate your dedication to your swimmers and this team. We are grateful for you!

GO BEARS!!