Happy Cinco de Mayo! We had a great first week of practices and are looking forward to seeing los penguinos back in la piscina this evening.

WELCOME NEW PENGUINS!

We’re very happy to welcome 22 (!) new penguins to the team. Please be sure to introduce yourself to the newest members in your practice group and make them all feel at home.

• 8 & under: Cressida Hansen, Robin Janssen, Tanner Buchanan, Easton Apolinar, Viola Sunderman, Vander Katz, Gabriel Nansen, Alexis Minasian, Alex Delgado, Coco Delgado, Martin Kwende
• 9-11: Tara Buchanan, Trevor Buchanan, Karla Julian, Shaun Tran, Ethan Fang, Caitlyn Minasian, Kailyn Altringer, Ethan Calderon
• 12-14: Catlan Tran, Vivek Gupta
• 15-18: Derek Jordan

SWIMSUIT TRY-ONS ON TUESDAY

We apologize that swimsuits were not ready for ordering last Wednesday as originally planned. If you didn’t get a chance to order your team suit, Illusions will be here on Tuesday, May 6 from 5:20 until 8:00 pm. Tuesday is also the last day to turn in LPAC merchandise orders. Remember to arrive early so your swimmers can try on suits before they practice; Illusions requires kids to be dry when they try on suits. And don’t forget your checkbooks! Checks for team merchandise orders should be made payable to “LPAC,” and swimsuit orders should be payable to “Illusions.”

SOME IMPORTANT REMINDERS TO PARENTS

• We know that adjusting to the start of the swim season is tough on everyone’s schedules, but please make every effort to pick your swimmers up on time after practice. Our coaches will always stay late to be sure that kids are not left by themselves, but by 9:00 pm both swimmers and coaches are exhausted and just want to go home.
• Parents are welcome to stay on the pool deck, but please try not to distract kids or coaches during practices.
• Parents of younger swimmers, please be sure to supervise your kids around the pool area before and after practices. The coaches have to focus on the kids in the pool and cannot provide supervision for the other kids.

STROKE AND TURN JUDGES WANTED!

LPAC needs more parent volunteers to serve as starters and stroke-and-turn judges. If you’re interested in either of these important positions, please plan to attend a special training day on Saturday, May 10, at our own Los Paseos Pool. The stroke & turn clinic will be held from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. The training for starters will be from 11:15 am to 12:00 noon. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to Nancy Keslin (nkeslin@yahoo.com).

SIGN UP NOW FOR PENGUIN MADNESS

Penguin Madness will be on Friday, May 23. There is no cost for this fun team-building event, but we do need you to sign up so that we can assign swimmers to their penguin teams. To sign up and get more information, see the Penguin Madness page on the website. Click the orange button to send email to Jim Read and sign up; you just need to include your kids’ names and ages.

It’s been a great first week of practice so far…and perfect swimming weather for sure! Just a couple of quick updates:

SWIM SUITS & MERCHANDISE

Parents, remember to bring your checkbooks tonight, and plan on spending some extra time either before or after practice for kids to try on swim suits and other LPAC team merchandise. Orders will be accepted tonight (Wednesday) and Thursday, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. We do have a new team suit this year. We ask that all swimmers wear either a team suit or a solid black suit at all meets.

GAME NIGHT POSTPONED

Game Night for the high school age group has been postponed, since this Friday is the BVAL league finals for high school swimmers. Good luck to all Bulldogs and Saints swimmers!

It’s hard to believe, but swim team practices start next week! We can’t wait to see you all very soon. Here are just a few reminders for the start of the new season:

PARENT MEETING AND VOLUNTEER SIGN-UPS: THURSDAY, APRIL 24

Our new parent orientation meeting will be on Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 pm. This meeting is geared towards families who are just joining LPAC, but anyone is welcome to attend. You should plan to at least stop by, pick up the team calendar and contact list, and sign up for volunteer shifts.

2014 COACHING STAFF

Lots of familiar faces on the pool deck this year! Coach Scott Jackson will be returning as head coach, and Ryan Hussey, Emily Read, Patrick Read, and Julia Thompson will also be returning.

NEW SWIMMER TRYOUTS

Any new swimmers trying out for LPAC must attend the special practice sessions, starting Monday, April 28 through Friday, May 2, from 5:00 to 5:30 pm. The coaches will be getting in the water and working directly with the swimmers during this time. By the end of that first week, the coaches will make the final decision whether the swimmers are ready to be on the swim team. We will also finalize the roster at that time.

PRACTICES BEGIN APRIL 28

Regular evening practices for all age groups will begin on Monday, April 28. The times will be as follows:

• 8 & under: 5:30 – 6:15 pm
• 9-11: 6:15 – 7:00 pm
• 12-14: 7:00 – 8:00 pm
• 15-18: 8:00 – 9:00 pm

SUITS AND MERCHANDISE: APRIL 30 AND MAY 1

We have a spiffy new black-and-white team swim suit this year! Swimmers are required to wear either a team suit or a solid black suit for team picture day and all meets. Try-ons and ordering will be Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. You can also order LPAC team merchandise (shirts, sweats, etc.). Be sure to stop by either before or after your child’s regular practice time to gear up for the new season!

GAME NIGHT FOR HIGH SCHOOL AGE GROUP: FRIDAY, MAY 2

All swimmers in the high school age group are invited to stay after practice on Friday night, May 2, for board games and fun with your swim team friends. Bring your favorite game and snacks to share!

WANTED: STARTERS AND JUDGES

LPAC needs more parent volunteers to serve as starters and stroke-and-turn judges. If you’re interested in either of these important positions, please plan to attend a special training day on Saturday, May 10, at our own Los Paseos Pool. The stroke & turn clinic will be held from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. The training for starters will be from 11:15 am to 12:00 noon. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to Nancy Keslin (nkeslin@yahoo.com).

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, April 24: New parent orientation meeting (7:30 pm)
Monday, April 28: Practices begin
Wednesday, April 30 and Thursday, May 1: Swim suit and merchandise try-ons and ordering
Friday, May 2: Game Night for high school age group (9:00pm – midnight)
Saturday, May 10: Stroke & Turn Clinic & Starter Training (9:00 am – 11:30 am)
Saturday, May 17: Pancake Breakfast (8:30 – 10:00 am)