Early Handicapping for Relay All-Stars

Relays only make All-Stars if they were one of the top 18 relays out of all of the 103 NVSL teams.  That's purely determined by how well they swim at Divisional Relays -- and those include BOTH a free relay and a medley relay.

Remember also that relay make-up can change based on performance.  So it is possible that the teams below will shift between now and Divisional Relays. 

That noted, it is never to early to start handicapping Gator chances.  After the first week of A meets, the Gator relays ranked 18th or better include (swimmers are listed alpha order, not stroke order):

6th Ranked -- 9-10 boys medley of Andrew Baker, Parker Blondin, TJ Heck, and Andrei Zaitsev.

7th Ranked -- 11-12 boys medley of Nick Dupuis, Sean Jansen, Cole Miller, and Collin Sundsted.

8th Ranked -- 9-10 girls medley of Olivia Blondin, Abigail Dittman, Emily Makin, and Juliana Skopp-Cardillo.

12th Ranked -- 15-18 girls medley of Sara Bertram, Maddy Bolger, Torie Bolger, and Sophia Passacantando.

14th Ranked -- Girls Mixed Age free relay of Claudia Theriot, Juliana Skopp-Cardillo, Jessie Bricker, and Sara Bertram (not alpha, but actual swim order).

15th Ranked -- 11-12 girls medley of Mac Brotherton, Emma Jones, Sheridan Phalen, and Claudia Theriot.

18th Ranked -- 13-14 girls medley of Jessie Bricker, Parker Fulghum, Mollie Passacantando, and Elaina Phalen (the four swam the medley in alphabetical order!)

Not far from the top 18:
23rd Ranked -- 8 & under boys free of Lucas Garvey, Joseph Humphreys, James Piland, and Colby Webber.

23rd Ranked -- 13-14 boys medley of Ian Baker, Dom Heratsch, Gus Leyden, and Cameron Morey.

That's pretty good -- six of our twelve relay swims from Saturday are top ranked top 18, with two more on the bubble.  (Shows how good Fairfax's relays were if they won seven of the twelve relays!).  This grizzled old NVSL watcher will continue to track this over the next couple of weeks as we move closer to Divisional Relays on July 10th at Wakefield Chapel, which is a fast pool.

Twelve Years Of Gator Male Team Reps

Left to right: Karl Metter, Glen Bolger, Lou Haley

and Ken Rholl at a recent Mt. Vernon event.

Our spouses were too busy mingling to get in

the picture.

John Theriot's Revenge

Fairfax Frogs Eat Up Fly, Defeat Gators

Sometimes an omen isn't all it seems.  Friday night before the Gators went to Fairfax pool to swim the Frogs, we spotted a huge frog in our backyard.  Our dog Luna spotted it too, grabbed it, and ran off with it.  We gave chase, but Luna was harder to catch than greased lightning.  The dog ate the frog.  We thought it was a good omen, but, as Freud might say, sometimes a dog eating a frog is just a dog eating a frog.

First ever gif on the Blog!  Great work by David Anderson.

The Gators had an eight point lead after the breaststroke events, but the Frogs, who eat flies, crushed it in butterfly, an opening up a 20 point lead and cruising home by winning seven of the twelve relays.  The final score was Fairfax 225, MVP 195.

Maddy churning through on freestyle

The Gators led 47-43 after freestyle, but the Frogs stormed back to win backstroke by eight points (41 MVP/49 Fairfax).  A healthy 51-39 Gator in breaststroke has MVP up 139-131 after the third event, but fly went to the Frogs by 28 points for a 170-190 deficit.  After a promising start by taking five of the first seven relays, the Gators fell back as the Frogs hopped off five straight relay victories.

A fabulous Baker boy -- great to have them back

at Mt. Vernon Park!  (Especially if they keep

scoring points!)

The Gators had four sweeps.  The 11-12 girls freestyle started it off with a Emma Jones, Claudia Theriot, and Sheridan Phalen first/second/third place respectively.  The 9-10 boys, keyed by Andrei Zaitsev's swim lowering his own team record, swept the backstroke, as Andrew Baker and Kenny Krogh joined Andrei in the sweep.  Then, three other 9-10 boys got into the act, sweeping breaststroke, as Parker Blondin, Will Friedman, and TJ Heck took first/second/third.  The 13-14 boys got the final sweep in breaststroke, as Ian Baker, Sam McBroom, and Carl Questad took the top three spots.

Liam motoring on the backstroke

The Gator Race of the Week was swum by Kevin Adams-Mardi in the 15-18 boys backstroke.  He won the race by 0.35 seconds over his Fairfax opponent.  (The Gator Race of the Week is based solely on a number -- whoever wins over their opponent by the narrowest margin).

When Colby wins by 3.65 seconds, no one

else is even in the picture!

Gator Heroes for the Week were 12 year old Jack Brunton (13-14 free and 15-18 fly), 13 year old Dom Heratsch (15-18 free), 13 year old Ian Neal (15-18 back), 13 year old Liam Orr (15-18 breaststroke), and 11 year old Brian McNamara (13-14 fly).  All of these guys swam up an age group, filling lanes for MVP and getting added A Meet experience.

Juliana grabs some air, and some points.

Double Gator winners were Cage Theriot (free and breaststroke), Andrei Zaitsev (free and back), and Emma Jones (free and fly).

See Kenny Go!

Individual Gator winners were James Piland (free), Julianna Skopp-Cardillo (free), Emily Makin (back), Gus Leyden (back), Kevin Adams-Mardi (back), Sara Bertram (back), Colby Webber (breaststroke), Parker Blondin (breaststroke), Ian Baker (breaststroke), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (breaststroke), and Cameron Morey (fly).

Emily!

Second place points were earned by Claudia Theriot (free and back), Gus Leyden (free), Mollie Passacantando (free), Cyrus Adams-Mardi (free), Maddy Bolger (free), Andrew Baker (back), Jessie Bricker (back and fly), Caroline Baker (breaststroke), Will Friedman (breaststroke), Juliana Skopp-Cardillo (breaststroke), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Lily Penn (breaststroke), Sam McBroom (breaststroke), James Piland (fly), Emily Makin (fly), Mac Brotherton (fly), Ian Baker (fly), and Sara Bertram (fly).

Double winners like Emma can make faces if they want!

Third place points were garnered by Colby Webber (free), Andrew Baker (free), Abigail Dittman (free and back), Nick Dupuis (free), Sheridan Phalen (free and breaststroke), Cameron Morey (free), Elaina Phalen (free), Joseph Humphreys (back), Lily Palmerino (back), Kenny Krogh (back), Taylor Makin (back), Kaila Stein (back and breaststroke), Torie Bolger (back and breaststroke), Jack Klopson (breaststroke), TJ Heck (breaststroke), Olivia Blondin (breaststroke and fly), Carl Questad (breaststroke), Austin Neal (breaststroke), Katya Zaitsev (fly), and Parker Blondin (fly).

"I love the smell of relays in the morning.  It

smells like victory!" James and Lucas celebrate.

On Saturday, the Gators will host Vienna Woods, who won Division 3 two years ago.  The Woods lost in week one, so one of these two teams will come out with a win (unless the score ends up 210-210!).

A new team record earns a photo!

(from left to right): Collin, Cole, Sean, and Nick

Fairfax Meet Haiku

Division Three Opens
Great effort, but a small defeat
Summer has returned!

Swimmers of the Week: Andrei Zaitsev & Cage Theriot

A record setting performance and double wins by Andrei Zaitsev, and two wins by Cage Theriot, including a stroke that’s not her strongest,  earned these younger Gators the opening Swimmer Of The Week awards for this season.

Not only did Andrei smash his own backstroke record (see related article), but he also won the 9-10 boys freestyle race and helped his relay team to the win.  Those performances earned him the Boy Swimmer of the Week award.

Andrei showing his winning form, and his good sportsmanship.

 

Cage Theriot, the Girl Swimmer of the Week, swept free and breaststroke.  Cage isn’t typically a breaststroker, but it’s a hard swim first week for 8 & unders, and Coach Paul Makin put her in there knowing he could count on her.

How do you get to be Swimmer of the Week? 

Swim Fast.  Practice, and Strong Starts!  Cage knows!

 



Congrats to both swimmers for their excellent performances.

The choices of Swimmers of the Week are purely up to the editor.  Swimmers can only win it once in a season.  If you have advice or a bone to pick, please send it to Idontwanttohearit@gmail.com .

Photos From Fairfax A Meet

All 432 of Dave Anderson's pics are here:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114682110635489328722/albums/5892365266167972001?gpinv=AMIXal86cJnlwtTWaARxl-arOeLP2R0Xpy1doPZe5hL3K5ISHfuZEZAsp6ix0E0qcZITmncnCgHCfLGLo0DKrksKM2IDxO_hy0OF0Ijmtp0tMSPi8VLrprU&cfem=1&authkey=CLyWgr_F7sCmTg

Two Team Records Smacked On Saturday

Two team records fell on Saturday, as Andrei Zaitsev and the 11-12 Boys Medley Relay  both smashed recent marks. 

Andrei lowered his own week-old 9-10 boys backstroke record by 0.65 sec by cruising home with a 38.90.  He’s lowered it twice this season, from the 1985 mark of 40.17.

Andrei strikes a pose.  It says, "I'm a

Gator team record-holder!"

A record set last year on June 30^th lasted less than a year, as the boys 100 medley mark was lowered by a huge 1.58 drop to 1:06.46.  Collin Sundsted (back), Sean Jansen (breaststroke), Cole Miller (fly), and Nick Dupuis (free) knocked Cameron Morey, Sean, Cole, and Sam McBroom out the Gator history books.

The New Relay Record-Holders -- Collin, Cole, Sean, and Nick

 

Gators Impress At Waynewood; Meet Ends Before Dawn

Have about four free hours? You could fly from the DC area to Salt Lake City, or, attend the
annual Waynewood/MVP developmental swim meet.

Held this past Monday night at Waynewood the contest featured approximately 200 swimmers from both teams and freestyle heats alone that lasted more than 80 minutes in duration.

Heat winners for MVP included: Lucas Garvey, Michael Ienzi, Donovan Kobalsky, Matthew Foley, Cage, Claudia and Cecily Theriot, Eloise Normand, Ella  Fischer, Anika Degen, Sofia-Maria Khalil, Andrew Baker, TJ Heck, George Pacious, Juliana Skopp-Cardillo, Annie Terwilliger, Juliette Fore, Jack Brunton,  Emma Jones, Mac Brotherton, Tierney Offringa, Cameron Morey, Sara Bertram, Audrey Dittman, Katya Zeitsev, Emily Atkinson, Jessie Bricket, Kevin and  Cyrus Adams-Mardi, Torie Bolger, Colby Webber, Caroline Baker, Parker Blondin, Andre Zeitsev, Ethan Tynan, Olivia Blondin, Brian McNamara, Lauren Pacious, Parker  Fulghum, Kenneth Krogh, Emily Makin, Nick Dupuis, Mollie Passacantando, and Emily Walzl.

Congrats also to group of swimmers who cut off a significant amount of time from their previous race results. They are: Gavin Fore, Madeline Cullo, Kahil Mulla, Dylan Morgan, Olivia Heck, Alice Ackerson, Tierney Offringa, George Schulte, Matthew Makin, Ethan Brunton, Leah Myers, Abby Tynan, Lily Fore, Mikayla Gordon, Kathryn Coggeshall, Will Friedman, Ethan Tynan, and Nicole Booth.

The next B meet is Monday, 6/24 with Stratford Rec visiting MVP. The inaugural B meet pep rally features fun on the Gator walk and Gator tattoos. See you there!

Waynewood B Meet Photos

Chief Photographer Dave Anderson went easy this time -- "just" 188 photos from Waynewood.  Any of your Gator here?

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114682110635489328722/albums/5890616884385572049?gpinv=AMIXal-Z9HiY8jtyzPXfzkeKd69Bh5POZeJKmUOQNn_130ZyaStsCd0VScYLcJPK0yZdjpqyiGW4zo4AA-ePbBwnf7LYlBHi9lMA2kkrE6_NBS957wuj6x0&cfem=1&authkey=CN-v2YPQotClmQ

(Boy, now that I've raised that issue, I sure hope so!)

Thanks Dave -- great stuff as always.

Updated Swim Team Manual

Whoops -- back in May I posted a link to the old swim team manual.  Please note the VERY important change that was made in July 2011 regarding Divisionals.  It's also known as the "Gov School rule."  As soon as I have a link to the updated manual, I will include it here.

But, so that you have easy access to the 2011 rule (the only change), here it is:

"Swimmers are NOT be eligible to swim in Divisional Championships unless they have swum in at least half of the A Meets for which they are eligible, OR if there is no one else in that age group eligible to swim.  “Eligible” means either by age or ability.  For example, a swimmer who was not fast enough to swim the first three A Meets, but makes the last two, must swim one of those two to be eligible for Divisional Championships.  This does not apply to Divisional Relays."

The rest of the manual is at the link below.  Once the Park website is updated, this will take you to the right link:

http://www.mtvpa.com/downloads/forms/17420115127Mount_Vernon_Park_Swim_Team_Manual_2011_a.pdf


 

David Anderson's Picasa is Su Casa

David Anderson has posted over 600 (!!!!) photos from today's Time Trials that he and Rita Bertram took.  The link is here:

https://plus.google.com/photos/114682110635489328722/albums/5889796149700511905?banner=pwa&authkey=CJ2cp5qq6YCtzgE

Enjoy!

Five Team Records Fall At Time Trials

Cassidy Bayer continued her relentless assault on the MVP record books, knocking off four records, and Andrei Zaitsev added his name to the record rolls by breaking a record dating from 1996.

Andrei swam a 39.55, taking Nick Magallanes's mark of 40.17 down by 0.62 seconds.  Of the 24 individual boys records, 10 of them have been set this Century.

Cassidy hit her grand slam in fine fashion, starting by knocking off a 37 year old record from the Bicentennial Year of 1976, when Kim Nedbal swam a 28.80 in the 13-14 girls 50 free.  Cassidy beat it by 1.49 seconds with a 27.31.  Only one girls record remains from last Century -- Erin Deal's 8 & under 25 meter breaststroke mark from 1985 -- but that's so last Millenium!

Cassidy then beat three records set this Century by current Gators -- knocking 2.05 seconds off Sara Bertram's backstroke mark from 2010.  Cassidy swam a 30.94.  She set her first team breaststroke record ever, swimming a 37.16 mark to beat Jayne Orleans' nearly two year old record by 0.82 seconds.  Cassidy finished her rampage through the 13-14 girls team marks by lowering Sara Bertrams 2010 Individual Medley record of 1:10.29 by an amazing 3.24 seconds with a time of 1:07.05.

Cassidy now holds 14 Gator team individual records, with more to come.  All four marks are faster than the current Gator girls 15-18 records.  By the way, Cassidy's 13-14 backstroke and IM records are faster than the 13-14 Gator boys record holders.

Congratulations to both Andrei and Cassidy!

Street & Smith's 2013 Gator Season Preview

After a strong 4-1 season in 2012 in Division 4 that was highlighted by winning the IM Individual Championship for the fourth time in five seasons, the Gators moved back up to Division 3, where MVP went 0-5 in 2011.

For background purposes, there are 102 teams in 17 divisions in the NVSL.  It claims to be the largest sports league in the country.  Teams are seeded by expected strength, so that mean the Gators are considered to be one of the top 18 teams in the league. 

This article will first the A Meet schedule, then cover the B Meet schedule.

 

Our A meet schedule kicks off June 22^nd near George Mason University, as the Gators take on the Fairfax Frogs.  Since MVP last swam Fairfax back in 2008, the Frogs have a new pool.  They went 0-5 in Division 2 last year, and scored 180 points at All-Star Relays (MVP tallied 234). 

On June 29^th, the Gators play host to Vienna Woods.  The Woods (that’s also their nickname) went 0-5 in the friendly confines of Division 1 last year.  The Woods whipped up on the Gators two years ago to go undefeated in Division 3.  They scored 62 points at All-Star Relays, but are picked by many observers to finish first in the division.

The final away A meet is July 6^th at Lee-Graham.  The Dolphins are a team this grizzled vet of Gator swim doesn’t remember facing off against in the prior 13 seasons, so while this may or may not be a first time, it’s certainly been a long time.  They finished 1-4 in Division 2 last season, and scored 160 All-Star Relay points.  The cleverly named team is located on Lee Highway at the corner of Graham. 

After that, it’s all home cooking on Saturdays (well, home concessions, which is like home cooking, except more profitable for the swim team).  On July 13^th, the Gators host the alluringly alliterative Wakefield Chapel Wahoos. 

The Wahoos are the stable ones in the NVSL relationship, as 2013 is their fifth straight season in Division 3, where they have gone 3-2, 3-2. 3-1-1, and 2-3 backward through 2009.  And yes, the Wahoos won in the Gator match-up two years ago.  Last season they scored 224 All-Star Relay points.  July 13^th is also Picture Day at MVP for Gator Nation.  Mark your calendars.

The final A meet is July 20^th against. . .boom, boom, boom DR – yes, Donaldson Run and their actually pretty cool drums.  The Thunderbolts went 1-3-1 in Division 3 last season, scoring 228 All-Star Relay points.  Like two other teams we swim this season, the T’bolts beat the Gators two years ago. This should be a good battle to end the regular season.

The mid-week fun kicks off with Divisional Relays at Wakefield Chapel on July 10^th, with All-Star Relays to follow on the 17^th at Lincolnia Park (not to be confused with “Linkin Park” or “Linked In”).  Divisionals is at Donaldson Run on the 27^th – it’s up the GW Parkway off Spout Run.

As always, the B Meet schedule kicks off with Waynewood.  This season, we travel to the rough and tumble neighborhood of the Dolphins this Monday the 17^th.  Besides that, we are home for all of the rest of the B meets, as we host Stratford on June 24th, Mansion House on July 8th, and Riverside Gardens on the 15^th of July.  The other home B meet is the intrasquad Green and White meet (the early Vegas line favors White, but heavy betting on Green is starting to swing the line) on July 1^st.  That meet is also famous for the free pizza for all team members who swim.
The 4^th Annual Gator Romp in the Swamp championship is July 24th.

What to Expect. . .From Signing Up For Swim Team

(Or, what did I get myself into?)
So, you signed your precious little one up for swim team, cautiously optimistic that they won’t have to be rescued on their first lap across the pool.

But, you are wondering, what’s it all about, Alfie? (If you don’t get my obscure cultural references, just pass them by.) Most importantly, your child will improve dramatically in swimming, just by practicing for real everyday.

It is most likely, unless your child is an undiscovered Mark Spitz, if this is their first season on swim team, they will be swimming in the Developmental Meets. These meets are for ALL swimmers on the team, and provide a fun environment for learning the ropes of swimming in a meet, rather than just in practice.

Your child should try swimming at least two different strokes during the meet (freestyle, backstroke, and/or breaststroke, with the potential for fly later on. Developmental meets are also a good place to volunteer. The easiest way to volunteer is to be a timer. You get to meet other parents, and have the opportunity to see and learn close up. And, timing is easy.

But don’t volunteer at YOUR first meet. Watch, enjoy, have fun. My oldest daughter Julia has been very successful at swimming for Mount Vernon Park, but at her first Developmental Meet (they were called “B” meets till that was deemed politically incorrect a few years ago), she (all of six years old) jumped in the water long after everyone else, swam well, and then stopped for a while to tread water and look around just before reaching the end. She finally touched as the timers beseeched her to finish what she started.

I didn’t know a thing about organized swimming, but I knew that being last in the water and dawdling at the end wasn’t what you want. So I took a whistle into the family room and we practiced starting and finishing. . .not because we have a pool in that room (or in any other room, for that matter). Instead, I had her jump off the one couch and run to the other side. While that might be a little compulsive on my part, it helped tremendously.

Beyond that, your main goal for your little Gator should be for them to improve their time from meet to meet. That means they are learning and improving, and soon they'll be swimming well enough you can actually read a book or play tennis while frequenting MVP.

Don't be concerned if your child DQ's (disqualifies) during a race. It happens to everyone (even Michael Phelps DQ'd, and he's done okay since then), and the coaches will work to improve your child's technique. DQs happen.

Summer Practice Schedule

GATOR SUMMER 2013

FEEDING SCHEDULE

Summer Practice begins Wednesday, June 19^th

(SCROLL DOWN FOR SPRING PRACTICE DAYS/HOURS)

Monday - Friday

 ^{Ages 13-18:             7:30-8:45 AM}

 ^{Ages 9-12:               8:30-9:45 AM}

 ^{Ages 7-8:                 9:30-10:30 AM}

 ^{Ages 6&Under:       10:30-11:00 AM (M-Th)}

Supplemental Practice.  This practice is intended only for swimmers who cannot make morning practice due to camp or childcare issues.  It is not intended for kids who don't want to get out bed in the morning!   We have limited coaching resources for these sessions so please leave it open for those who truly need it.  Held Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  Note: There is no Wednesday evening practice if there is a meet event that night.

Age 9 and Older - 5:15 - 6:15 PM

Age 8 and under - 6:00 - 6:45 PM

From the May MVPA Newsletter -- Helpful Background on Gator Swim

SWIM TEAM COMMITTEE NEWS – Chair, Glen Bolger 703-768-3294                                                                       

We are pleased to announce the formation of the 2013 Mount Vernon Park swim team.  All MVP members between the ages of 5 and 18 are eligible to join.  The ability to swim the across the 25-meter pool unassisted is the first step to becoming involved in a summer-long activity that provides fun and competition.  The swim team is a fantastic summer experience and we encourage all eligible children to join.

The MVP team competes in the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL), the largest summer swim league in the country.  The NVSL has over 14,000 swimmers on 102 teams, which are divided into 18 five or six team divisions.  The divisions are organized relative to each team’s overall ability based on the previous season’s results.  The MVP swim team is moving to Division 3 for 2013.

We are pleased to announce that Paul Makin will return for his seventh season as head coach.  Kellee Brotherton will again serve as the assistant head coach.  This coaching team brings extensive experience as being highly regarded USA Swimming coaches with Nation’s Capital Swim Teal (NCAP).

Pre-Season Registration-Information Meeting

Our Pre-Season Registration-Information session will be on Sunday, May 19 from 3-5 PM at the Mount Vernon Park pavilion.  Coaches and team reps will be on hand to answer questions during the registration. Team suits and other Gator gear will also be available for purchase.  This is a great opportunity to meet our coaches.  The team is also going to try on-line registration for the first time ever, so look for more information.

A Registration-Emergency Contact form, available at www.mtvpa.com, (under “Forms”) is required for each swim team family before your child may begin practice.  This is the first season registration will be done on-line.  The link will be sent in a park-wide email.  Registration must include correct email addresses, as this is the primary way to communicate across the swim team families.    Additional league and team information is available at the NVSL web site at http://nvsl.nvblu.com and at the Gator blog: http://mvpgators.blogspot.com/ -- the schedule is already up.

Prior to registration, at 2:30pm that day, there will be an information session for new and relatively new swim team parents.  The team reps and the coaches will host a meeting to inform and answer any and all questions regarding swim team.  During that time, assistant coaches will be at the park to supervise your child on the playground.

Participation Fee

As part of the registration process, the swim team collects a participation fee.  The swim team committee collects this fee to help provide funding for team activities during the season, to purchase equipment used exclusively by the swim team and to supplement the funds provided by the park for coaches’ salaries.  Examples of previous purchases are lane lines and backstroke flags.  The fee schedule for 2013 is as follows: 1^st child $25, 2^nd child $20, 3^rd child $15, 4^th child $10, maximum per family $70. Registration is not considered complete until the registration form and participation fees are submitted.

Swim Team Opportunities

The number of swimmers on the MVP Gators squad has grown to over 280 children over the last several years.  Although the large interest in the program does increase competition, all skill levels are welcome.  The season includes five NVSL meets on Saturday mornings, five developmental meets on Monday evenings, a Saturday morning time trial, three special event meets on weekday evenings, the Individual Divisional Championship meet on Saturday, July 27th followed by the awards banquet that evening.  The calendar of events starts in early June and includes the entire month of July.

None of this can happen without dedicated parental involvement.   The pre-season registration session is a great opportunity to determine how you would like to participate.  Swim team committee members will be available both at the 2pm meeting and at the registration meeting to answer questions about the variety of tasks necessary to organize a swim meet and to help you find a niche.  Some of the “swim meet” tasks include: timing, stroke and turn judging, pre-meet set-up, post-meet clean up, ribbon writing, competition starter, event announcer, refereeing, relay judge, and snack bar concession worker.  Your help with some or all of the events will go a long way to making your child’s involvement both enjoyable and organized. 

Age Groupings and Practice Times

The NVSL divides competition between boys and girls and into five different age divisions.  The age groupings are: 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18 with the swimmer’s age group based on the his or her age as of June 1st.  As we have a very large 8 & under contingent, we will further divide that age group into 7-8 and 6 & under groups.  Daily practice will begin on Tuesday, May 28 1, from 3:30-6:30 pm. 

Groupings will be: Middle and High School (ages 13+) 3:30 - 4:30, 9-12 year olds 4:15 - 5:15, 7-8 year olds 5:15 to 6:00 and 5-6 year olds 6:00-6:30pm. Summer MORNING practice schedule will begin Wednesday June 19^th with practices beginning at 7:30 am for 13-18 group, 8:30 for 9-12, 9:30 for 7-8 and 10:30 for 6 & Under.  Morning practice will run M-F for the older 3 groups and M-TH for the youngest group.  There will be a supplemental practice in the evenings T-W-TH, available only for those who cannot make the morning practices.  See the MVPA web site and the MVPA bulletin board for additional details.

Swim Lessons

Swim team practices are not a substitute for lessons, particularly if your swimmer is just beginning.  There are simply too many swimmers (over 280) for the coaches to provide individual attention during the practice sessions.  To participate on the Gator Swim Team, we require that a child be able to swim unassisted across the pool using any method they are comfortable with.  This insures some degree of comfort in the water.  For those needing a little help attaining this level of comfort, or for any swimmer who wants a real boost in the swimming, private and semi-private lessons are available through the coaching staff and lifeguard staff at extremely reasonable prices. 

To arrange lessons, simply talk to any of the coaching staff, line up times and dates, then go to the gatehouse to pay for the lessons.  Coaches and lifeguards cannot accept money directly.  The gatehouse will give you a receipt which you then give the coach at the time of the lesson.  Clinics given by the larger USA Swimming clubs will also be available from time to time during the season and will be posted on the bulletin board and park web site.

Swim Suits & Caps

The MVP Gators will be sporting a new team swimsuit this year.  Team suits are encouraged but not required for practice or competition.  However, it does give younger swimmers a great sense of pride and belonging to wear one. Team suits will be available for purchase during the Registration Meeting, at the Pasta Dinner the evening before time trials, and directly from our swimsuit retailer – Sport Fair in Arlington. 

Team swim caps will also be sold for $12 each.  Once again, there is an option to get a ‘personalized’ Gator cap with the last name (or nickname if you prefer) on the cap as well.  These are available by special order only with a minimum of 2 caps per name at a cost of $15 per cap (minimum $30).  Not only does this give the swimmer a sense of pride, it will help you figure out which lane they are in and will also keep their caps from constantly being lost. 

Sportsmanship

The NVSL provides a wonderful summer swim experience. When Mount Vernon Park joined the NVSL in 1956 as a charter member, the league’s goal was to build sportsmanship and a love of swimming. The NVSL’s goal of fostering sportsmanship is still paramount today as the team and the league begin our 57th year of league competition.  The Swim Team committee and coaches will be working to build on the goals of the NVSL and bring sportsmanship and a love of the sport to MVP. 

We hope to see you on May 19th for the registration session and look forward to another great season.

Glen Bolger & Carol Farquhar Bolger - NVSL Team Representatives for the Mount Vernon Park Gators

Contact info: mvpgators@gmail.com or 703 768-3294

 

 

Back of the 2013 Gator T-Shirt Unveiled

Gator senior Leigh Orleans took the unusual quote selected by the team reps and went with an off-beat theme that will make Gator wearers the envy of the neighborhood all summer long.  Be sure to get the t-shirt on May 19th at registration.

GATOR 2013 SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE

 

Spring Practice begins Tuesday, May 28th

 

     ^{Ages 13-18:           3:30-4:30 PM}

     ^{Ages 9-12:             4:15-5:15 PM}

     ^{Ages 7-8:               5:15-6:00 PM}

     ^{Ages 6 & Under:   6:00-6:30 PM}

^{Come to practice 5-10 minutes early}

2012 MVP Gator Swim Team Schedule (Preliminary)

(Note: This is subject to change, unless it does not)

 

May 19 –   Registration MVP 3 to 5:00 PM

May 28 -    First after school practice

June 14-    Pasta Dinner 6-8:00 PM @ MVP

June 15 -   Team Time Trials @MVP 9:00 AM

June 17-    B-Meet MVP @ Waynewood 5:00 PM

June 19 -   Morning Practice Begins (8-10:45)

June 22 –   A-Meet  MVP @ Fairfax 9:00 AM

June 24 -   B-Meet Stratford @ MVP 5:00 PM               

June 26 -   Fort Hunt Sportsman Relays @ RSG 5:30 PM

June 29–    A-Meet Vienna Woods @ MVP 9:00 AM

July 1 -      Green and White @ MVP 5:00 PM

                 (Internal Team Meet including IMs)

July 6 -      A Meet MVP @ Lee-Graham 9:00 AM

July 8 –      B-Meet Mansion House @ MVP 5:00 PM

July 10 -    Divisional Relay Carnival @ Wakefield Chapel 5:00 PM

July 13 -    A Meet Wakefield Chapel @ MVP 9:00 AM

July 13 -    Picture Day ~ 11 AM.  Everyone should come

 

July 15 -    B-Meet w Riverside 5:00 PM

July 17 -    All Star Relay Carnival @ Lincolnia 4:00 PM

July 20 –    A-Meet Donaldson Run @ MVP 9:00 AM

July 22 -    IM Invitational @ Stratford 5:00 PM

July 24 -    3rd Annual Gator Romp in the Swamp 8 AM

                 JR Gators vs JR Gators, Officiated by SR Gators at MVP

July 27 -    Divisional Championships @ Donaldson Run 9:00 AM

                 Awards Banquet and Campout @ MVP 5:00 PM

Aug 3 –      Individual All Stars 9:00 AM @ Annandale