Hope you have all had a nice winter break (though lately it’s hardly seemed like winter)!

Swim team season will be here before you know it, so we just wanted to check in and share some information about the upcoming LPAC season.

REGISTRATION FOR 2015 SEASON

Registration packets will be emailed to returning families in early March. All forms and payment will be due by Friday, March 14.

Registration fees for Association members will be $180 for the first swimmer plus $160 per sibling. For non-Association members, the fees will be $200 for the first swimmer plus $180 per sibling.

Remember, we do all our communication through email, so please send mail to info@swimlpac.org if your email address has changed.

If you have any new siblings who will be trying out for the team this year, or if your child is not planning on returning to LPAC, please send mail to info@swimlpac.org so we can get a rough idea of how many spots we’ll have available on the roster.

RECRUITING NEW PENGUINS

If you know of any new families who might be interested in joining LPAC, tell them to send an email to info@swimlpac.org. They should plan to come to Walk-In Registration at the clubhouse on Saturday, March 28. We expect to have only a limited number of openings this year, and we do give registration priority to members of the Los Paseos Association.

TEAM CALENDAR

A tentative calendar for the 2015 season is posted to the team website. Practices will begin on Monday, April 27, and the end-of-season team banquet will be on Sunday, July 19.

Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the start of the season. We look forward to seeing all of you penguins back in the water very soon!

Hope you are all enjoying your summer (and sleeping in on Saturday mornings)!

Just a few final end-of-the-swim-season messages:

TROPHIES: COME AND GET ‘EM

If you weren’t able to come to the banquet but would like to pick up your child’s trophy and ribbons, please reply to this email. Coach Scott has them at his house, and you can pick them up in the next week or two. After that, they’ll go into cold storage until next year!

WANT A DVD?

If you didn’t already purchase a DVD of the team slideshow/video, Melinda Doutt still has copies available. The cost is $20. Please send email to mdoutt@gmail.com to order your copy.

JUST KEEP SWIMMIN…

The coaches have gotten a lot of questions about year-round swimming. If your kids love swimming and already miss swim team, maybe they should give it a try! We’re lucky to live close to several very good teams. See the new Year-Round Swimming page on the team website for more information. You can send mail to coaches@swimlpac.org or contact any of the year-round swim families to discuss which program might work best for you.

Thanks again for a great LPAC season. Enjoy the rest of your summer…and GO PENGUINS!

Just a few last-minute reminders before tomorrow:

CHAMPS CHECK-IN: 7:00 AM

Remember: swimmers need to check in tomorrow by 7:00 am at the Morgan Hill Aquatic Center. The coaches’ check-in table will be set up in the LPAC team area (see map posted to the Champs page of the website). If your child is ill, please call or text Coach Scott at (408) 613-5126.

Parents, please check in at the volunteer table and be sure to listen for the shift changes.

We encourage you to purchase a program and raffle tickets — all proceeds help the league pay for Champs.

AFTER-CHAMPS PARTY FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS

All swimmers in the high school age group are invited to an after-Champs potluck party Saturday night at 7:00 pm at Nicole Richards’ home (6906 Rockton Ave). Please bring $5 to help pay for dinner and bring something to share!

BANQUET ON SUNDAY

The LPAC Team Awards Banquet will be on Sunday starting at 4:30 pm. Remember to bring your own folding chairs. We look forward to getting all the penguins back together one last time to hand out trophies and celebrate another great season!

GO PENGUINS!

We’re getting down to it now! Just a few quick reminders/updates as we head into the final home stretch:

SPIRIT NIGHT ON THURSDAY

Don’t forget to come to Spirit Night on Thursday (7/17) from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

DVDs FOR SALE

The Doutt family has prepared another great slideshow/video to celebrate the 2014 LPAC season. If you’re interested in purchasing a DVD, the cost is $20. Please contact Melinda Doutt (mdoutt@gmail.com) or talk to her at Spirit Night to order your copy. Thank you Mark and Melinda for all your hard work!

HELPERS NEEDED FOR SPAGHETTI DINNER

Pam Fasan has enough volunteer chefs to provide dinner, but we could use a few more folks to help set up on Friday night for the Spaghetti Dinner. Please come to the clubhouse around 5:15 pm to help set up and decorate. Send email to pam.fasan@gmail.com if you are able to help. Thank you!

CHAMPS CHECK-IN: 7:00 AM

Swimmer check-in on Saturday will be at 7:00 am at the Morgan Hill Aquatic Center (16200 Condit Road). Champs can be very chaotic, so please be on time! There is ample parking available, but you might need to park in the dirt lot.  We will have lots more information about Champs at Spirit Night, so please be sure to attend. Entries have been posted to the website, so check the Champs meet page so you know what you’ll be swimming.

VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENTS FOR CHAMPS

Volunteer Assignments have been posted to the Champs meet page; please check so you know your assigned shift(s). Be sure to check in at the volunteer table when you arrive at Champs. You can also pick up your pre-order BBQ and Panera meal tickets there.

MISSING LPAC TEAM SUIT

Breena Brecheen’s LPAC swim suit disappeared during the Overnighter. Please check your bags to see if it accidentally came home with you. She’d like to have her team suit to wear at Champs.

FINAL STROKE TIPS: FREESTYLE

Check the Coaches tab on the website for some helpful tips on freestyle. You might also want to review the other strokes that you’ll be swimming at Champs. Remember, every improved time counts for points for the team!

Hope you all had fun at the Overnighter and have caught up on some sleep today! Special thanks to Cap’n Jim Read and all the board members who stayed up all night hosting this great event, as well as the coaches and parent volunteers who also helped out.

OATKREE MEET RESULTS

Congratulations Penguins on a great meet at Oaktree! Although the Sharks beat us in improvement points, we won in total place points and ended up winning the meet by an overall score of 108.78 to 107.30. Results have been posted to the Oaktree meet page of the website.

It’s great to end with a victory (and a winning 3-2 record for the season)…now let’s carry that momentum on to Champs!

A RECORD-BREAKING START

We knew it was going to be a good day for LPAC when we set new team records in the morning’s first two events. The 15-18 Medley Relay team (Mackenzie Keslin, Nico Fasan, Connor Bleeg, and Nicole Richards) shaved a little more time off their own record with a new time of 1:51.52. The 13-14 girls (Lexie Barber, Nina Aliamus, Leah Thompson, and Amanda Jackson) followed by taking 3 seconds off the old record in Medley Relay (which was set just last year by Leah Thompson, Milo Fedane, Megan Cristal, and Emily Burke) with a time of 2:07.11. Congratulations to all!

SPIRIT WEEK

Although swimmers will be tapering and resting up for Champs this week, it’s still very important to come to practice very day to keep refining those small improvements that can add up to big points at the meet.

Spirit Week is also going to be lots of fun, with dress-up themes (and snacks!) each day at practice:

• Good Morning Monday: Just roll out of bed and come to practice in your PJs — we’ll even have prizes for the best bedhead in each age group!
• Twin Twosday: Dress up as twins (or triplets…)
• Western Wednesday: Come a little bit country and ride along on Clippety Clop, our unofficial Spirit Week mascot
• International Thursday: Dress up in international clothes (including World Cup jerseys!)
• Black and White Friday: Wear black and white and/or penguin gear

SPIRIT NIGHT ON THURSDAY

Parents and swimmers are invited to attend Spirit Night on Thursday (7/17) from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Swimmers will get together to eat pizza, decorate posters to hang up at Champs, and elect swimmer reps for next year.  Meanwhile, parents have a meeting to discuss Champs and elect next year’s Board members. Then we’ll all get together in the clubhouse for Swim-a-Thon awards and a slide show/video that celebrates the season and energizes the team to do their best at Champs. There is no cost for this event. Look forward to seeing you all there!

SPAGHETTI DINNER FOR TEENAGERS ON FRIDAY

All swimmers ages 13-18 are invited to the clubhouse on Friday from 6:00 to 7:00 to  “carbo-load” before Champs at the annual Spaghetti Dinner. We’ll also decorate cars to show our penguin pride. The cost is $7 per swimmer; please pay at the door. We do need some parents to help serve and clean up as well.

BANQUET FORMS DUE WEDNESDAY!

Don’t forget to turn in your meal order form for Sunday’s Awards Banquet. Swimmers eat for free, but we still need you to fill out a form so we know how much food we’ll need. See the Banquet page of the website for more information.

MORE INFORMATION ON CHAMPS COMING SOON

We’ll send another email later this week with more detailed information about the VCSL Championship Meet (“Champs”), which will be held this Saturday (7/19) at the Morgan Hill Aquatic Center. Entries have already been submitted to the league and will be posted to the website later this week.

Dear Penguins and Parents:

Here are some important reminders before this busy weekend:

OAKTREE MEET ON SATURDAY

Swimmers need to check in with the coaches by 7:30 am at Oatkree. Please check the Oaktree meet page on the website for a map and special notes about where to park and set up your EZ-Ups. Volunteer assignments and meet entries have also been posted to the website.

Last year Oaktree beat LPAC by less than one point, so we’re hoping this year we can show them our PENGUIN POWER and end the season with a victory over the Sharks!

OVERNIGHTER

The Overnighter starts at 6:00 pm on Saturday; please do not arrive any earlier to start setting up, even if you are an Association member. If you have not already turned in your form, it’s not too late; just bring your form and $15 to the Oaktree meet.

This year, all cardboard boats should be staged in the tennis court area. We will have ballots available for you to vote for your favorite boat designs before the races begin. Parents are encouraged to stay and watch the races. We ask that you please take your boats (or whatever is left of them) home afterwards. We don’t have enough space in the dumpster for all the soggy wreckage!

Pick-up time is 8:00 am on Sunday morning. Parents, when you check in at Oaktree, please sign up to help serve breakfast and/or clean up on Sunday morning so the exhausted board members and their spouses can go home and get some sleep!

TURN IN YOUR BANQUET FORMS

Our team awards banquet will be on Sunday, July 20 at 4:30 pm. Dinner will be catered by Buca di Beppo. Dinner is free for all swimmers, but we do need you to fill out a form to reserve your meal(s). Additional meals are available at $8 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Visit the Banquet page of the website to download the order form and get more details. Please turn in your order forms no later than next Wednesday, July 16.

NO OTHER TEAM CAPS

Please note that swimmers are not allowed to wear year-round or high school team caps during LPAC swim meets. They can be DQd for this infraction, so please remember to bring your LPAC or other plain cap to all meets, including Champs!

SWIM-A-THON PLEDGES ARE DUE!

All Swim-a-Thon pledges must be turned in by tomorrow (7/12) to be eligible for prizes. All donations are tax-deductible. We appreciate your support of LPAC!

SPIRIT WEEK

Next week is the last week of practices, which we call LPAC Spirit Week. For extra fun, we have dress-up themes each day and special snacks too. Monday will be “Good Morning Monday” — just roll out of bed and come to practice in your PJs. There will be special prizes for best bed-head!

We’ll have more details about the rest of the week coming soon…

GO PENGUINS!!

Hope you all enjoyed the three-day weekend. We’ve only got two weeks left in the swim season now, and those two weeks are going to be action-packed!

THIS WEEK AT PRACTICE

With just 9 practices left in the season, coaches are continuing to focus on the details that lead to improved times.  This includes a heavy emphasis on “wall work” — turns, breaststroke pulldowns, backstroke starts, and dives. Swimmers will also be doing some final conditioning before we begin tapering for Champs.  Every practice is a learning opportunity, so swimmers should try to attend every workout possible.

SATURDAY’S MEET: @ OAKTREE

Our final dual meet of the season is this Saturday, July 12 at Oaktree Cabana Club. If your child has to miss any part of this meet, please let the coaches know today by sending an email to coaches@swimlpac.org. Swimmers need to check in with the coaches by 7:30am. For more information, see the Oaktree meet page on the website.

ARE YOU SWIMMING AT CHAMPS?

The VCSL Championship meet (“Champs”) will be on Saturday, July 19, and will likely run all day until around 4:00pm. The coaches have to do entries for Champs this week, so please send email to coaches@swimlpac.org today if your swimmer will miss any part of the meet. We also need all families to sign up for one or more volunteer shifts at Champs; if you haven’t done so already, please sign up this Saturday at Oaktree.

OVERNIGHTER THIS SATURDAY – GET YOUR FORMS IN NOW!

The annual Overnighter is this Saturday, July 12, starting at 6:00 pm. If you haven’t already done so, please turn in your form and payment by Tuesday (that’s tomorrow!) to the Overnighter folder. Forms and additional information are available on the Overnighter page of the website. Time to start building those cardboard boats too!

GOLFLAND TRIP FOR 8 & UNDERS

This Friday (July 11), all swimmers 8 & under and their parents are invited to a fun team outing to Golfland on Blossom Hill Rd. We will plan to meet in the pool parking lot and drive over after practice is done at 10:15am. The cost is just $9 for 3 hours of unlimited water slides and golf. If you have any questions, contact Judy Seps (408-506-3532 or judyseps@yahoo.com).

GIFTS FOR COACHES

[A note from Judy Seps] The season is flying by, and we want our coaches to know how much we appreciate all their hard work!! I will be collecting money for their season end gift starting on Monday, June 30th. I will have cards for you to sign. Please come approach me during swim practices or at the Oaktree swim meet. Or any other time you see me. 🙂 There is no set amount for how much to contribute. There are five coaches, and I will distribute what we collect amongst the five. We have AWESOME coaches (undefeated in the coaches relay!), and we want them to feel the love!!!

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Friday, July 11: Mini-Golf Outing for 8 & unders
• Saturday, July 12: Meet #5  LPAC @ Oaktree
• Saturday, July 12 – Sunday, July 13: Overnighter and Cardboard Boat Races
• Thursday, July 17: Spirit Night
• Friday, July 18: Spaghetti Dinner
• Saturday, July 19: Champs
• Sunday, July 20: Banquet

Our LPAC swimmers did a great job on Saturday, and the meet was very close. We were down by several points halfway through the meet and mounted a strong comeback in the freestyle events, but fell just a little short. Montevideo ended up winning the meet by a score of 114.65 to 113.03. Let’s see if we can catch them at Champs!

Meet results have been posted to the Montevideo meet page of the website.

WATCH FOR FALLING RECORDS!

On Saturday our LPAC team records were falling right and left. Here’s a quick summary: Nicole Richards improved her 15-18 Girls 50 Butterfly record again (:28.70) and then beat her own record from 2012 in 100 freestyle with a time of :56.66. Mackenzie Keslin also improved on two of her own records, the 15-18 Girls 50 Backstroke (:29.19) and 100 I.M. (1:04.12). Daniela Fasan lowered her own 11-12 Girls 50 breaststroke record by more than a second (:33.40) and then broke Lexie Barber’s 50 freestyle record from 2013 with a new time of :27.40. And Leah Thompson broke her big sister Julia’s 2007 record in the 13-14 Girls 50 Butterfly with a time of :29.04. Great swimming, girls!

THIS WEEK AT PRACTICE

Congratulations to all 73 swimmers who earned themselves a donut today in the two-week Donut Blitz! The coaches want to encourage all swimmers to keep coming to practice every day. It’s the best way to get stronger and faster, and it’s lots of fun too. Only three weeks left in the swim season now!

Be sure to check the Coaches tab of the website for some new stroke technique tips for breaststroke (Coach Ryan’s favorite!). This week the focus will be on conditioning, and the coaches will continue to work with small groups of swimmers on specific stroke issues as well as starts and turns.

ICE CREAM SOCIAL ON TUESDAY

Don’t forget to come out to the pool for the Ice Cream Social and Pool Party this Tuesday, July 1, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. The cost is $1 for Association members and $2 for non-members. We still need some parent volunteers to come and help scoop!

NO PRACTICE ON FRIDAY

Enjoy the 4th of July holiday!

OVERNIGHTER: TURN IN FORMS NOW

The annual Overnighter is one of LPAC’s most treasured traditions and a highlight of the swim team season. LPAC swimmers get to camp out in tents on the grass next to the Los Paseos pool and stay up late swimming, dancing, playing dodge ball, and just having fun with their friends. LPAC Board members and their spouses stay the night to be sure children are supervised at all times. The Penguin Regatta Cardboard Boat Races also take place during the Overnighter.

The Overnighter will be on Saturday, July 12 at 6:00 pm. Please see the Overnighter page of the website to download forms and find additional information. The cost is $15 per swimmer. Please turn in forms and payment no later than Tuesday, July 8. Note that children must be 7 or older to spend the night. Swimmers age 6 and under are welcome to attend but must be picked up by 10:00 pm Saturday night.

GIFTS FOR COACHES

[A note from Judy Seps] The season is flying by, and we want our coaches to know how much we appreciate all their hard work!!  I will be collecting money for their season end gift starting on Monday, June 30th.  I will have cards for you to sign.  Please come approach me during swim practices or at the Oaktree swim meet.  Or any other time you see me.  🙂  There is no set amount for how much to contribute.  There are five coaches, and I will distribute what we collect amongst the five. We have AWESOME  coaches (undefeated in the coaches relay!), and we want them to feel the love!!!

SAVE THE DATE: BANQUET ON JULY 20

The team awards banquet will be on Sunday, July 20, starting at 4:30 pm. We’ll have more details and signup forms coming soon.

Happy Friday!

Some quick reminders before tomorrow’s meet:

CHECK-IN TIME: 7:30 AM

Check-in time is 7:30 at Gunderson High School, 622 Gaundabert Lane. If your child is ill, please call or text Coach Scott: 408-613-5126. See the Montevideo page of the website for meet entries and a map. Last year LPAC barely defeated Montevideo by less than two points, so we’ll need all Penguins swimming their fastest tomorrow to beat the Piranhas!

WHY WARM UP?

Every swimmer needs to warm up with the team in the morning. The coaches understand that it’s hard (after all, they were all LPAC penguins themselves and remember what it’s like!), and it may seem illogical to “warm up” when it’s cold in the morning and you might not be racing for another hour or two. Warming up in swimming is different than in other sports, but it is still an important part of getting ready to swim fast. First of all, it helps to wake your body up and get it used to the water. It’s also critical to get in a practice dive or two, especially on unfamiliar blocks like at Gunderson. And, most important, it’s just part of being on the team. We all warm up, all the time, at every meet. Parents, please support the coaches and be sure your swimmers get in and warm up with the rest of the team. Thank you!

NINE LANES!

We’ll be swimming nine lanes at tomorrow’s meet, which means things should move along much faster than we’re used to. There will be fewer heats of each event, so be sure to pay close attention to the announcements and get to Clerk of the Course on time. We don’t want any penguins to miss their races!

VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED

Because we have so many lanes, we still need a few more parents to volunteer as timers and recorders for second shift. An updated Volunteer list has been posted to the Montevideo meet page of the website. If you can help out, please contact Julie Waldron (jnewcomb65@yahoo.com) or (408) 578-2574.

SWIMMING BACKSTROKE TOMORROW?

If you are swimming backstroke tomorrow, be sure to check out the new Backstroke technique tips that Coach Scott has posted in the “Coaches” tab of the website. (Butterfly was posted last week.) Try to apply these tips when you swim your race and see if you can improve your time! Parents, you might also like to read these, so you can better understand the official rules as well as the drills that the kids are doing in practice.

GET THOSE FORMS IN!

Tomorrow is the last chance to get in forms and payment for the Raft Trip, Champs meals, and Champs program ads. Remember that proceeds from Champs meals benefit the league and help offset the cost of hosting the meet. And all proceeds from the Champs ads go directly to LPAC. It’s a great way to show your penguin pride and help support the team at the same time!

FUN EVENT UPDATES

The Ice Cream Social and Pool Party on Tuesday (July 1) will be from 3:00-5:00pm. Swimmers of all ages are invited to attend; the cost is $1 for Association members and $2 for non-members.

And Judy Seps negotiated a group rate deal at Golfland for the 8 & under trip on Friday, July 11. The cost will be $9 each (both kids and adults) for 3 hours of unlimited water slides and golf.

See you all tomorrow morning…GO PENGUINS!

Just a few mid-week updates:

CHECK-IN TIME AT GUNDERSON: 7:30 AM

LPAC check-in this Saturday is 7:30 am at Gunderson High School. Please leave plenty of time to drive and park so you arrive on time. Check the Montevideo meet page for a map and other details.

VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED FOR SATURDAY

Montevideo will be running nine lanes (!) at the meet this Saturday, so we need several more timers and recorders for second shift. Also, your job assignments will be different than they are at home meets. Please be sure to check the Volunteer Assignments link on the Montevideo meet page so you know your assigned shift(s). If you don’t see your name listed and/or are available to help out with timing second shift, please email Julie Waldron (jnewcomb65@yahoo.com) ASAP. This meet should go quite a bit faster than usual, so the shifts will probably be shorter.

OOPS…WE MISSED ONE!

Apologies to Mackenzie Keslin, who was inadvertently left out of the record-breaking list in Monday’s email. Yes, she did it again — broke her own 15-18 Girls 50Y Backstroke record, with a new time of :29.94. Congratulations Mackenzie!

DON’T MISS THE BOAT!

Just another reminder…if you want to go on the raft trip July 5, you need to turn in your waiver AND payment no later than this Saturday. Forms go in the “RAFT TRIP” folder; the LPAC file box will be on the ribbon table at the Montevideo meet. Contact Chad Seps (chadseps@gmail.com or 408-887-3267) if you have any questions about the raft trip. You can download the forms from the Raft Trip page of the website.

CHAMPS FORMS DUE SATURDAY TOO

Also, don’t forget to place your orders for Champs meals and Champs ads. Forms are available on the Champs page of the website.

SOME FUN EVENTS COMING UP

Next Tuesday, July 1, will be the Ice Cream Social and Pool Party at Los Paseos Pool. This fun event is open to all penguins and their siblings. The cost is $1 for Association members and $2 for non-members. Please pay at the gate as you come in. You do not need to RSVP for this event. We do, however, need some parent helpers to scoop and serve. Contact Kris Fuss (krisnbob@fussorama.com or 408-225-8797) if you can stay and help.

Friday, July 11 will be a mini-golf outing for swimmers in the 8 & under age group. Parents are responsible for taking their kids to and from Emerald Hills Golfland at 976 Blossom Hill Rd. We’ll plan to leave from the pool right after practice is over (10:15 am). The cost is $7.99 for kids and $8.99 for adults (golf only). You can also go on the water slides, which is an additional $7.99/$8.99. You can bring your own food or purchase snacks and lunch there. Siblings are also welcome to attend. Contact Judy Seps (judyseps@yahoo.com or 408-506-3532) if you have any questions about this event.

TURN IN THOSE PLEDGE FORMS!

Congratulations to all our penguins who swam their hearts out yesterday at the Swim-a-Thon! Remember to turn in your pledge forms and money to the “SWIM-A-THON” folder no later than July 11 to be eligible for prizes. We appreciate your support! You can download the pledge form from the Swim-a-Thon page of the website.