The First Two Weeks and The Next Two Weeks!

Hi Team and Families,

The first two weeks of our season are *almost* in the books!  We have one more big practice tomorrow morning (Saturday) to wrap up week 2.  I'm asking that all swimmers and divers attend tomorrow morning (we've got to keep blurring that line!).   Please make sure you are in the pool doors by 6:00 am.  Practice goes until 8:00 am.  After practice, we will head to Mary's on Richmond Street to have breakfast together.  Please bring enough money to cover the cost of your meal.  We will make sure that everyone has a ride over to Mary's.  Please have your ride pick you up at Mary's. We will be done by 9:30.  We will be taking individual pictures tomorrow to put on the team bulletin board.  We will have a team warm-up jacket for you to wear for the picture.

On Sunday, we will hold our second Study Table from 1-3 at Your Daily Grind in Menasha on Main Street.  Last week we had 9 guys show up, which was awesome.  We studied for an hour, played The Game of Things for about 20 minutes, and then studied until they closed at 3.  Ryan had me edit his paper, which was cool.  Don't forget that each of the coaches is ready and willing to help you out on Sunday afternoons.  We will not be going out to eat after this week's study table, since we have team breakfast together on Saturday.

On Monday (the 26th) at practice, we will take formal team pictures.  Swimmers should have brought home their order forms on Wednesday.  The divers will get theirs tomorrow at practice.  Please bring your completed order form and money to practice with you on Monday so that the photographers know whether or not they need to take individual pictures of you. 

Also on Monday, we will pull all of the athletes out of the water at 5 pm and have them change into workout clothes.  Then the whole team will go to a very special dryland activity together from 5:30-6:30.  All swimmers and divers need to bring shorts, a t-shirt, gym shoes, and $8 to practice on Monday after school to cover the cost of the very special dryland activity.  After our activity, anyone who wants to can walk across the street to have dinner together at Tom's.  The dryland activity is mandatory, but the dinner is optional.  There will be coaching staff at both activities.

I met with the Varsity squad last week, and they voted to change the days of morning practice, which is completely fine with me.  I will get the practice calendars updated.  Varsity morning practices will now be Tuesday and Thursday mornings, instead of Monday and Fridays.  Full-team Wednesday mornings will remain the same until Christmas break.  I apologize if this causes scheduling problems for anyone.  So, here's what the morning schedule will look like this week:

Tuesday 5:15-6:45am Varsity
Wednesday 5:15-6:45am Whole Team
Thursday 5:15-6:45am Varsity

Varsity practices will be open to the entire team.  The guys who are required to attend know who they are.  Dana Reese and Trevor should have an order form ready very soon to get the breakfast bags up and going for Tuesday morning.  You don't have to do the breakfast bag service, but you DO have to make sure you are eating enough food throughout the day.

Friday night, November 30th, our divers will compete for the first time at the diving portion of the Oshkosh West Invite.  The swimmers will compete for the first time on Saturday for the swimming portion of that same invite.  Meet info will be posted on Tuesday.

Finally, if you have not turned in your suit and t-shirt money, it is past due.  All money must be turned in before you can wear your team suit next Friday/Saturday.

Whew!  I think that is all the announcements for the next week or so!  Want to see some highlights from the first two weeks?

Last Friday, a lot of the Kimberly guys were gone at the State football game.  The guys who were at practice lobbied to change the workout from what I had planned to doing a Challenge Day.  Challenge Day is a team tradition, and it's...challenging.  It's definitely not something I ever plan to do during the first week of practice, especially with new swimmers.  Three of the new guys, Lee, Adam, and Andras, all stepped up to the Challenge Day challenge!  I am incredibly proud of all three of them for showing some real grit at the end of their first week!

Week two featured a parade of AW-K alumni who came back to swim and be with the team.  Brady Malcomson (above) even swam with us on his birthday!  I absolutely love that so many of the guys made a point to come back and meet the new guys and swim with them over their Thanksgiving breaks.  Each of the guys who came back played an important role in changing the culture of AW-K Swimming and Diving. 

And last, but not least, Keegan paid off his (mom's) bet, and let me shave his head during week 2.  Keegan did not believe I could finish the Parent Potluck meeting by 7:10.  It was lots of fun to prove him wrong!

It's hard to believe that in a little over a week, we will have our first meet under our belt and we will be looking ahead to the Terror Relays!  Things are going to start rolling soon!  Buckle up!

With lots of AW-K Pride,

Coach Vicki