Welcome parents and swimmers to OG 2022 season! 

We wanted to say hello and take a few minutes to address important information and answer questions we’ve received during the registration process. Registration is still open and we are hard at work preparing for an amazing season!

Remember the long OG emails….well, buckle up =)

INTRODUCTIONS:

The fabulous Celeste Bailey who is returning as our league rep and the “go-to” person for all things OG has shared that we are the new head coaches this year. Some of you may know us from around the neighborhood but we wanted to take a minute to formally introduce ourselves and let you know why we accepted this prestigious role as 2022 OG head swim coaches!!

Coach Heather:

I have been with the OG team since my oldest was 5 years old, so this will be my 8th season. This was back in the days of Lesly Berens and her tremendous leadership. OG was a powerhouse and the most exciting part of the summer. I don’t think the kids had lost a meet in 20 some years. The tradition was amazing, the friendships and leaderships were wonderful, and the pride in swimming for OG was unparalleled. Friends….we are bringing this BACK!!!! Get ready for a fun and competitive season. Our goals are to work hard to improve swimmers techniques, foster relationships, and compete FAST! We will work a lot on starts, turns, finishes, and team spirit.

I live in the neighborhood with my husband, Drew, and my 4 children, Liam (12), Hayden (10), Crosby (7), and Marin (almost 5). Swimming has been a part of my life since I was 7 years old. I swam competitively all the way through high school and then college where I swam for Ohio University for 4 years. Through age group swimming I was a butterflyer, but specialized in distance freestyle through college. My best events were the 200, 500, and mile!

Coaching and working with children is certainly not new to me. I began teaching swim lessons when I was 10 years old at my local pool in Worthington, Ohio. I then went on to become our pool summer league swim coach during my college years. When I moved to Charlotte in 2004, I was an assistant coach for the Davidson College women’s team as well as for the Charlotte Country Club summer league team. I love working with kids and helping them to enjoy a sport that has taught me so much throughout my life. Thank you all for the opportunity to work with your children!

Coach Kristen:

I live in the neighborhood with my husband, Brandon, and my 3 children, McGlynn (10), Reed (8), and Corrigan (2). I currently work at ESPN, my employer for the better part of 20 years. This will be our families 4th season with OG. Similar to Heather, I swam competitively from age 7 through college. I grew up in Central Pennsylvania (outside of Harrisburg) and accepted a scholarship to the University of South Carolina where I competed for four years. My favorite events were the 100 & 200 backstroke, 200 IM and 100 butterfly.

I appreciate the opportunity to give back to a sport that helped develop me as an athlete and more importantly as a person. The sport of swimming extends well beyond a life skill that everyone should have, it instills discipline, focus and builds confidence. Some of my greatest memories and friendships were a result of those long hours in the pool. Throughout high school and college I taught swim lessons and coached summer league. Thank you for the chance to do so again. I appreciate the support and confidence in my ability to help your children grow in this sport.

PRACTICE & MEET SCHEDULE:

Please add these dates to your calendar and keep up to date with the team info by opting into the team text alerts when Celeste sends out that info.

We have worked hard to create a schedule that we think will work best, but know we may need to shift things as the season begins and we notice ways we could make improvements.

May 7~ suit fitting 1-3pm

May 16 - May 20 ~ Afternoon practice schedule begins!

4:15 - 5:00 ~ 6 and unders

5:00 - 6:00 ~ 7 - 10 year olds

6:00 - 7:00 ~ 11 and ups

Monday May 23 ~ Swim Evaluations for all kids 8 and younger

On this day, all 8 and under swimmers must swim a lap unassisted before they can continue to practice. Even returning 8 and under swimmers. We are not looking for great technique, but the will to do it and complete it! Please make every effort to have your child at practice this day. If for some reason a child is unable to make a lap unassisted, they may continue with practice on this day but will be unable to return unless they are able to complete the lap. While we know this may be something different than last year, we feel that this is an important step. OG is open to swimmers of all abilities, but it is not a “learn to swim” program. Our focus is on swimmer development and we cannot do that when we must divert our attention to swimmer safety.

Our coaches will be available for private lessons and at the point where your child can swim a lap unassisted, they will be welcomed back onto the swim team!

May 23 - May 26 ~ Regular afternoon practice schedule (see above)

Fri May 27 ~ 5-6PM All-Team practice for those in town (working on starts, turns, and finishes)

Mon May 30 ~ Memorial day, No practice

Tues, May 31 - Friday June 3 ~ Regular afternoon practice schedule (see above)

Wed June 1 ~ Time trials during scheduled practice time

We need to get seed times for our meets beginning next week and start to put together relays. To do this we need to see each child swim each stroke and get a time for them. Please make every effort to have your child here for practice as this day as it is difficult to do make-ups. We will need some parent volunteers to help with timing on this day.

Mon June 6 - Wed June 8 ~ Regular afternoon practice schedule (see above)

Thurs June 9 ~ First Meet!

Meet day practice times:

9:00 - 10:00 for 10 & under

9:30 - 10:30 11 & up

*on meet days we will focus on practicing relay exchanges, starts, turns & finishes.

*from 9:30-10:00 the entire team will be together for a fun activity

Friday June 10 ~ no more practice on Fridays =)

Mon June 13 - Wed June 15 ~ Morning practices begin

8:00 - 9:00 ~ 7- 10 year olds

9:00 - 10:00 ~ 11 & ups

10:00 - 10:45 ~ 6 and unders

Thurs June 16 ~ Intra squad FUN Meet

* meet day practice times (see above)

* 6 & unders will all compete in the 25 freestyle (& 25 back if ready) in this meet

Mon June 19 ~ Swim Meet

*meet day practice times (see above)

Tues June 21 - Wed June 22 ~ Regular morning practice

Thurs June 23 ~ Swim Meet

*meet day practice times (see above)

Mon June 27 ~ Swim Meet

*meet day practice times (see above)

Tues June 28 - Wed June 29 ~ Regular morning practice

Thurs June 30 ~ Last regular season Swim Meet

*meet day practice times (see above)

Sat July 9 ~ All-Star Meet

*participants will be announced after the last regular season meet and those selected will practice Tues 7/5 - Fri 7/8 morning

****Tuesdays, June 14, 21, and 28 we will be offering an evening practice from 5:00 - 6:30pm! This is open to anyone, but especially encouraged for swimmers who may have been in camp all week and missed morning practices or those that would like extra attention on their starts, turns & finishes.

One last thing we would like to mention here is our new “swim mentor” program.

Mentors will be kids who are 12 and older and have an interest in partnering with younger swimmers regularly. This is a great way to get experience for those interested in coaching in the future and to help bridge the gap between age groups. Mentors can log and use hours for service/volunteer hours for school or church!

Much more information on this to come….

Lastly, we are close to confirming our assistant coaching staff for the season and are excited about the young men and women who will be working with the team! They are going to make it so much fun and will be valuable role models for our young swimmers. We will be meeting with them over the next two weeks to finalize these positions.

We hope this letter provides a glimpse into our vision for the season and answers scheduling questions. Please reach out with additional questions. We will send further communication as the season gets closer.

We are excited to build on the tradition of excellence that the Olde Georgetown swim team has so proudly created!

The countdown is on……

Sincerely,

Coaches Kristen Shaver & Heather Fisher

Any questions: email Coach Heather @[email protected]