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!