Congratulations to everyone who attended Time Trials on Saturday! The Gators are looking strong, and we hope everyone is enjoying a great start to the season. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to volunteer and help make the morning a success.

Time Trials results are now available online. If you see a DQ (disqualification) next to your swimmer’s name, it means the swimmer did not complete the event legally. There are several reasons a swimmer may receive a DQ, and it is a normal part of the learning process that every swimmer experiences, regardless of skill or experience level. While no one likes to see a DQ, they are an important learning tool. Coaches review DQ information to help swimmers improve, and our goal is for every swimmer to achieve a legal stroke in all events they try by the end of the season.

We also want to thank everyone for helping keep the pool deck clean after Time Trials. The Tear Down crew is busy putting away swim meet equipment and reorganizing chairs. You helped us leave the pool deck neat and clean so our lifeguards can open for the neighborhood on time. You’re the best!

Please read below for this week’s Gators news:

• A Quick Note from Coach Emma
• Preseason Practices This Week
• Swim Meet This Week: Greenway Farms Gators vs. Evergreen Meadows Makos – Sat, June 13 (Home Meet)
  • Action: Declare your swimmers by 7 pm Thursday, June 11
  • Action: Sign up to volunteer
• Stroke & Turn Judges Needed – You can be a hero!
• 2026 Season Team T-Shirts Available for Pickup
• Coming soon:
  • Gators Tie Dye Event (June 15)
  • Regular Season Practices
  • Mini Gators Practices
  • Sweet Treat Thursdays and Donut Fridays

A Note from Coach Emma

Thanks for a great Time Trials! Everyone swam great! I want to share a few reminders for upcoming meets:

• Please keep your swimmers in the team area whenever possible. It makes it much easier for coaches to find swimmers and keep the meet running smoothly.
• Please sign your swimmer up for only the events they are committed to swimming. Last-minute scratches can affect relays, event seeding, and the overall flow of the meet.
• Over the next few meets, swimmers who receive repeated disqualifications in the same event may be temporarily removed from that event until we have the opportunity to work with them on correcting the issue. Our goal is to help every swimmer be successful and confident in their races.

Preseason Practices This Week

Preseason evening practices continue this week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5:00 – 8:00 pm (6 separate, 30-minute sessions).

Please sign up for practices using Sign Up Genius (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0848ACAC2AA7F94-64224248-preseason#/).

Swim Meet This Week

Our first of eight dual-team swim meets will take place this Saturday!

IMPORTANT: If your Gator(s) would like to participate, you must declare your intent by the deadlines listed below. Changes cannot be made after the deadline.

For dual meets, swimmers may sign up for a maximum of 3 events (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, or Individual Medley). Swimmers ages 13 and over may also sign up for the bonus 100 Freestyle event.

Swimmers may also be assigned to a relay by Coach Emma. Please be sure to indicate whether your swimmer is available/not available for relay events when you complete the Meet Entry form.

Saturday, June 13: HOME vs. Evergreen Meadows Makos

Gators Spirit Theme: Superheroes / Mystical Creatures

From superheroes to unicorns, dragons, fairies, and everything in between—bring your favorite legendary character to the pool this week. Capes, armor, wings, and magical flair are all welcome!

Important Reminders:

• Declare your swimmers by 7:00 pm Thursday, June 11. We cannot adjust the roster after the deadline.
• Please sign up to Volunteer – we are especially looking for help with Concessions, Timing (2nd half and Head Timer), and Stroke & Turn

Meet Schedule:

• Pool location: 55 Meade Drive SW, Leesburg, VA
• Arrival: 7:00 am
• Greenway Farms warmups: 7:10 - 7:30 am
• Evergreen Meadows warmups: 7:30 am – 7:50 am
• Official’s briefing: 7:35 am
• Timers briefing: 7:45 am
• National Anthem: 7:55 am
• Start Time: 8:00 am
• End Time: 11:00 am (estimated)

Concessions: Anita’s breakfast burritos, donuts, chips, assorted candy, and drinks, including coffee will be available to purchase. As a reminder, Gators concessions are cash only and small bills are appreciated.

Reminder: Swimmers must stay in their team area. Staying together will help ensure no one misses a race.

Speaking of Superheroes…We need more certified Stroke & Turn Judges!

We are starting the season with a smaller-than-usual crew of trained Stroke & Turn Judges, and would love to add a few more volunteers to the team.

Interested volunteers can complete a quick, self-paced online course ($25) at www.strokeandturn.com. The Gators will reimburse the cost of this course.

After completing the training, please email your certificate to Chris Mallin at [email protected] and cc [email protected] so we can schedule a shadow session for you.

Do you have questions about the Stroke & Turn role? Please reach out to Ben Graham at [email protected].

2026 Team Shirts

If you were unable to pick up your shirt at Time Trials, please stop by the pool between 6:00 and 7:30 on Monday or Wednesday this week. You can also pick up shirts after practices on June 15.

Coming Up

Gator Tie Dye Event - Monday, June 15 after practices on the lawn outside of the pool house

Bring your own white shirts, shorts, pants, headbands, or other items and get creative! You’ll have a chance to show off your creations at the June 17 swim meet.

Regular Season Practices

Morning and evening practices begin Monday, June 15. Evening practice sign-ups will be shared soon.

Mini Gators

Mini Gators practices also begin Monday, June 15. Coach Molly is looking forward to seeing everyone!

Sweet Treat Thursday and Donut Friday

Hungry Gators love a sweet treat at the end of a long week. Sweet Treat Thursdays and Donut Fridays return NEXT week. Please sign up to donate goodies. Thank you!

That’s all for now. We hope everyone still in school has a fantastic last week. We look forward to celebrating the end of the school year with you on Saturday!

Go, Gators!