Gator Tales - April 24th

April 24th

Gators, we’re off to a fantastic start!

Regular practices kicked off this week, and our team is already looking strong in the Swamp! The Gators are fired up and ready to CHOMP through the season!

If you’re new to the team—welcome! Don’t hesitate to reach out to veteran Gators or any board member with questions. We take pride in supporting each other and making sure everyone feels at home.

Get ready for our first meet: Time Trials (aka “Gator Raid”)!

Next week, we shift into meet mode. Here's what to expect:

Sunday Night: Families will need to declare their swimmers for the meet and sign up for volunteer shifts.
Practice Focus: Coaches will continue to sharpen strokes, dives, and finishes during practices.
Friday, May 2 at 6:30 PM: Join us at the park for our first Pep Rally of the season! Let's build the hype together!

Time Trials is where swimmers compete in all events they’re eligible for by age group—note, there are no relays at this meet. If your swimmer can’t attend, please declare them as unavailable in the system. Declaring your swimmers for meets will open at 7:00pm on Sunday evenings and will close at 8:00pm on Tuesday evening. It’s important that swimmers who miss Time Trials attend practice on Monday, May 5 or Tuesday, May 6 so coaches can record times ahead of our first dual meet.

Parking Spot Raffle: Don't want to stress about where to park the morning of Time Trials? Enter to win a reserved parking space at Time Trials on May 3. The winners will be announced Thursday, May 1 in Gator Tales. A reserved spot will be available to win in each parking lot, either the Woodland Hills lot or Trailwood Village lot. Only one entry per family. Please submit this form by 12:00pm on Wednesday, April 30 to be entered.

Volunteering – We Need You!

Our meets run smoothly thanks to our incredible volunteers. Every family is responsible for 7 volunteer shifts throughout the season.

⚠️ Time Trials requires extra hands since we’re not sharing responsibilities with another team—so we need all hands on deck!

Volunteer sign-up opens Sunday night at 7:00pm, so mark your calendars and be ready to grab your shift! You will sign up for your volunteer shifts in the same place you will declare your swimmers on the website.

Important Dates

May

5/2 - Pep Rally - Gator Raid, 6:30pm

5/3 - Time Trials (Trailwood Pool)

5/10 - Gators @ Bear Branch

5/16 - Pep Rally - Camo “Battle in the Swamp!” 6:30pm

5/17 - Gators VS Greentree (Trailwood Pool)

5/24 - Gators @ Sand Creek

5/30 - Pep Rally - Hawaiian Luau

5/31 - Gators VS Mills Branch (Trailwood Pool)

June

6/3 - Pictures

6/7 - Gators @ Kings RIver

6/11 - Progressive Dinner

6/13 - Breakfast of Chompians

6/14 - Divisionals @ KHS

6/17 - Awards Banquet

6/20-22 - Invitational

GET YOUR GATOR MERCH!

We've got some awesome Gator merchandise this season - silicone swim caps, ball caps, drifit shirts, mom tanks, yard signs and more! Check out our online store to purchase items that will show your Gator Pride!

Don't forget to buy your raffle tickets to win a Meet Set Up Kit! Each ticket is $10 and this will get you 2 camp chairs, a tarp, and a pop up tent!

Pep Rally

Our first pep rally of the season is Friday, May 2nd at 6:30 PM outside the pool area. Wear your Gator Green and bring a towel to kick off the swim season. Coaches will announce the swimmers of the week! Pizza, popcorn, and snow cones will be available for purchase. Be on the look at for an email with the RSVP information!

So don’t forget to….

● Wear Gator Green & bring a towel

● Come ready to cheer & get your Gator Raid on!

● Bring Chairs or Blankets, sit back and enjoy the fun!

We will ask for RSVPs for pizza orders next week.

NEWS & PRACTICE NOTIFICATIONS

We will post news to the team website throughout the season. If there are any practice cancellations or rain delays, we will notify you by email, send alerts using the SwimTopia mobile app, and post notices to the team website. Gators don't mind swimming in the rain, but if there is lightning and thunder at the pool, practice will be delayed or canceled.

GET THE APP

We encourage you to download SwimTopia's mobile app. With this app, we'll be able to communicate with you through push notifications. If you upgrade to the Pro version ($2.99/month after a free 7 day trial), you can get meet heat sheets, meet results, and more right on your phone.

To receive push notifications:

Download the SwimTopia Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play
Log in with your SwimTopia (Gator website) login
Be sure to check your app's notification settings - ensure that it's set to pop up on your screen (Android users: you may need to receive your first notification before you can edit this setting)

GATOR SPIRIT DAYS ARE BACK!