Divisionals Meet This Saturday and a Secret!

July 30 – Division III Championships @South Carroll. Directions to Divisionals Meet. Theme: Cops n Robbers. Divisional Warm Ups begin at 8 a.m. exactly. Please have your swimmers at South Carroll between 7:30 – 7:45 a.m.

Do you have money for the gifts for the coaches OR the swim team reps? Give the $$ to Jill Berry at Divisionals. She will be at the meet through the relay events.

A huge congratulations to all swimmers who will swim at the Division III Championships! Go Wahoos!
--
Sssshhhhh...It's a Secret!
Coach Justin and the Assistant and Junior Coaches have a secret up their sleeves! Can you keep a secret from your kids?!

Tonight the coaches will be delivering a super colorful and way cool sign for your Divisional Swimmer! Yes, that’s right Coach Michelle and Coach Rebecca, and a team of swim moms have created a large poster for each Divisional Swimmer!

Later tonight — after 9 p.m. when all of our swimmers are in bed getting a good night’s sleep before tomorrow’s Divisionals — the Wahoos coaching team will deliver a poster to your home for each of the Divisional Swimmers. As you leave your home tomorrow morning don’t forget to look for the poster AND bring the poster to the Divisionals Meet. We will hang all the posters on the fence when we arrive at South Carroll.

Please note: If you live on a private driveway or have a hard-to-find home, the coaches will place the sign in a prominent location. Look for it!

LAST CHANCE TO CONTRIBUTE TO GIFTS FOR COACHES!

Last chances to contribute to the gifts for coaches!

• I’ll be at the Novice Meet tonight collecting money. If you can't find me you can give the $$ to my husband, Jim Berry.
• I’ll be at practice tomorrow morning collecting money. 
• You can give $$ to Lindsay Hough as well. 

 We will be giving the gifts to coaches at Wednesday’s nights End-of-Year Party. Thanks for a great season!

-- Jill Berry

West Howard Swim Team News July 23, 2011

Practice Schedule for Next Week

Practice will be held next week for Straehle and Divisional swimmers only. Practice will be held every day.

• All “early” swimmers should plan on practicing at 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. -- mostly 13 and over swimmers.
• All other 8-U, 9-10, 11-12, etc. will practice from 9 a.m, to 10 a.m. 

There will be no Wahoopalooza on Friday.

Novice, Straehle, and Divisionals

A huge congrats to all the Wahoos who will swim at the Straehle on Wednesday and the Divisionals on Saturday! The divisional line up will be complete and posted on Sunday on the West Howard Swim Club website.

Upcoming Meets

July 23 -- Last Home Meet v. South Carroll. 7:30 a.m. Warmups. We will celebrate our senior swimmers: Rebecca Kasda, Bryan Pelkey, and Michelle Skroupa. Theme: Farmers.

July 25 – Novice Meet @Wynnewood Pool. Warmups are at 4 p.m. Meet starts at 5 p.m. You can purchase a t-shirt at the meet. Theme: Rock n Roll. Directions to Novice Meet.

July 27 – Straehle Meet @Four Seasons Swim Club. $4/event. Give $ to Mary Pat Jordan by 7/23. T-shirts – Pre-order $13. Theme: Rock n Roll. Directions to Straehle Meet.

July 30 – Division III Championships @South Carroll. $4/event. Give $ to Kristie Baldwin. T-shirts – Pre-order $13. The top 4 swimmers in each race are eligible for Divisionalsa. Directions to Divisionals Meet. Theme: Cops n Robbers.

End-of-Year Party

July 27 – @ West Howard Swim Club. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. West Howard will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, and pulled pork sandwiches. A-J – bring a salad or side dish to feed 10. K-Z – bring a dessert. Swimmers will be honored at the party.

Coach Gifts -- At the end-of-the-year party, we will award gifts to Coach Justin and Assistant Coaches Matt, Rebecca, and Michelle. Suggested donation $10/family. Give $ to Jill Berry and Lindsay Hough.

Did you know that we have Junior Coaches this season? Eight of our 15-18 swimmers are volunteering their time this season. We welcome: Amanda, Meg, Ian, Amelia, Clay, Cassie, Bryan, and Katie!

For more swim team news, go to: http://www.WestHowardSwimClub.com or sign up to view photos from the swim season at http://westhowardswimteam2011.shutterfly.com/ (Please note the correction to the Shutterfly url.)

Best of luck to all swimmers! And, a huge thank you all parents who volunteered, contributed food and drinks, or provided support for your swimmers. We appreciate all you do to make the Wahoos the best it can be!

Thanks, Coach Justin for a great season of Wahoos swimming! Go Wahoos!

What's Up, Wahoos?

A huge congrats to all the Wahoos who made it to the Straehle on Wednesday and Divisionals on Saturday! 

The divisional line up will be complete and posted on Sunday on the West Howard Swim Club website.

Practice Next Week

Practice will be held next week for Straehle and Divisional swimmers only. Practice will be held every day.

All “early” swimmers should plan on practicing at 7:45am to 9:00am -- mostly 13 and over swimmers. 

All other 8-U, 9-10, 11-12, etc. will practice from 9:00am to 10:00am. 

There will be no Wahoopalooza on Friday.

Best of luck to all swimmers!

Wahoos Swam Hard

The second to last meet of the season was glorious. Yes, the result was not what we had hoped. But the weather could not have been more perfect for swimming. Warm temperatures coupled with a refreshing breeze allowed swimmers to do their best.

Our swimmers worked hard from practice laps to dives off the starting blocks. Many earned points for the team. Many improved their times. Although the result was not what we wanted, all did their best.

A key change this season is team comraderie. Wahoo swimmers have always exhibited team spirit. You can't help, but notice the way that the kids parade in to the pool at home or away. Their cheers -- old and new -- show a group of swimmers who are working together as a team.

From the first swim meet our family participated in eight years ago, I still get fired up hearing the V-I-C-T-O-R-Y cheer. This season, under the helm of new Coach Justin Owens, the team now sing a Hawaiian-type cheer, in addition to the old cheer. The kids start chanting quietly from down on their knees. The volume increases as the swimmers rise to a standing position. I am proud of how our swimmers work together both in the pool and out.

One more regular season meet to go. Wahoos host South Carroll next Saturday. GO WAHOOS!

WEST HOWARD SWIM TEAM NEWS – July 2011

Upcoming Meets...

July 23 -- Last Home Meet v. South Carroll. 7:30 a.m. Warmups. We will celebrate our senior swimmers: Rebecca, Bryan & Michelle. Theme: Farmers.

July 25 – Novice Meet @Wynnewood Pool. See signup sheet on board. $3.50/event. Give $ to Debbie O’Byrne. Theme: Rock n Roll.

July 27 – Straehle Meet @Four Seasons Swim Club. $4/event. Give $ to Mary Pat Jordan. Theme: Rock n Roll. T-shirts – Pre-order $13.

July 30 – Division III Championships @South Carroll. Theme: Cops n Robbers. $4/event. Give $ to Kristie Baldwin. T-shirts – Pre-order $13. The top 3 swimmers in each race are eligible for divisionals.

End-of-Year Party

July 27 – @West Howard Swim Club. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. West Howard will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, and pulled pork sandwiches. A-J – bring a salad or side dish to feed 10. K-Z – bring a dessert. Swimmers will be honored at the party.

Coach Gifts -- At the end-of-the-year party, we will award gifts to Coach Justin and Assistant Coaches Matt, Rebecca, and Michelle. Suggested donation $10/family. Give $ to Jill Berry and Lindsay Hough.

Did you know that we have Junior Coaches this season? Eight of our 15-18 swimmers are volunteering their time this season. We welcome: Amanda, Meg, Ian, Amelia, Clay, Cassie, Bryan, and Katie!

For more swim team news, go to: http://www.WestHowardSwimClub.com or sign up to view photos from the swim season at http://westhowardswimteam2011.shutterfly.com/ (Please note the correction to the Shutterfly url.)

Practice Times for This Week

Saturday was a great day! The weather was glorious. Not too hot. Not rainy. The perfect day for time trials.

I loved listening to the new cheers mixed in with the old V-I-C-T-O-R-Y cheer. The kids were really enthusiastic about the new cheers. Loud, too! We're going to be a force to be reckoned with at Saturday's meet! A mix of old and new may be the theme for this summer's swim season.

Speaking of new...the new swimmers are a welcome addition to the Wahoos family. Welcome new swim team families!

Practice times for this week [June 20-24]
Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
12:30 – 1:30 ages 13 and over
1:30 – 2:15 ages 11 -12
2:15 – 3:00 ages 9 -10
3:00 – 3:30 ages 8 & under

Thursday – Tie Dyeing immediately after practice!!! [Thursday is the first day of swimming after school ends for Howard County]
7:45 – 9:00 ages 13 and over
9:00 – 10:00 ages 11-12
10:00 – 11:00 ages 9-10
11:00 – 11:30 ages 7-8
11:00 – 11:30 6 & under

Have your swimmer bring a white t-shirt to Thursday's practice for tie dyeing. An old West Howard Wahoos shirt would work perfectly.

NEW Time for Friday's Practice
Friday Fun Practice – It’s Friday, Friday, Friday...Pancake Breakfast immediately after practice!!!
7:45-8:30 ages 11 and over
8:30-9:15 ages 10 and under
9:15- 10:30 WAHOOPALOOZA

Don't forget to sign up to bring something to the Pancake Breakfast!

Swim Team Updates...

MEET SCHEDULES--SUMMER 2011

Dual Meet Schedule:

Saturday , June 18^th  - 7:30 a.m. Team Picture/Time Trials

Saturday, June 25th  - 7:30 a.m. warm ups - Home vs. North Carroll

Saturday, July 2nd    - 8:00 a.m. warm ups - Away vs. Hammond Park

Saturday, July 9^th     - 8:00 a.m. warm-ups - Away vs. Shipley's Choice

Saturday, July 16th    - 7:30 a.m. warm-ups - Home vs. Bolton Hill

Saturday, July 23^th   - 7:30 a.m. warm-ups - Home vs. South Carroll

Invitational Meets

Tuesday, July 12th (tentative date)  6-Under Lollipop Meet at Cattail Country Club

Monday, July 26th - Novice @ Wynnewood Swim Club

Wednesday, July 27th - Straehle Invitational @ Four Seasons Swim Club

Saturday, July 30th - Division III Championships @ South Carroll Swim Club 

POSITIONS OPEN
If you are interested in being the Concessions Manager, please contact:

Mary Pat Jordan MaryPatJordan@aol.com or
Debbie O'Byrne DebbieO2004@comcast.net

PARENT MEETING

New Head Coach Justin Owen will hold a parent meeting immediately following last practice (6:30pm) on Tuesday May 31, 2011.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE:Before school is dismissed for the summer: Practice: May 31, June 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. – ages 13 and over
4:30 - 5:00 p.m. – ages 8 and under
5:00 - 5:45 p.m. – ages 9-10
5:45 - 6:30 p.m. – ages 11-12

Last three half days of school: June 20, 21, 22
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. – ages 13 and over
1:30 - 2:15 p.m. – ages 11-12
2:15 - 3:00 p.m. – ages 9-10
3:00 - 3:30 p.m. – ages 8-under

New practice times for all age groups.

Monday through Thursday mornings after school is dismissed: June 23 – July 29
7:45 – 9:00 a.m. – ages 13 and over
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. – ages 11-12
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.– ages 9-10
11:00 - 11:30 a.m.– ages 7-8
11:00 - 11:30 a.m. – 6-unders

Friday mornings after school is dismissed:
Friday Fun Practice 

The times and/or assignment of age-groups may change after registration is completed and the size of each age-group is known.

Swimmers' Take Your Marks! Register for Swim Team Tonight!

Mark your calendars...
Registration for the West Howard Swim Team will be held on Monday May 16: 4-7 pm and Friday May 20: 4-7 pm at the pool. Cy's Swimwear will be present from 4-6pm both days if any swimmers need to purchase a team suit.

PLEASE NOTE:

CMSL teams must register all swimmers online for AAU. This marks a change from previous years when Wahoos Swim Team reps registered all swimmers. On all other CMSL teams, parents register their swimmers on AAU.

Each Family must sign up their swimmer(s) before coming to the West Howard Registration. The process is simple. Click here for Step by Step directions. A link will also be posted on the West Howard Website. There is a $12 fee for each swimmer; therefore we have reduced the Wohoo registration fee to $60 to reflect the difference. The AAU registration will also cover any swimmer that is on the Dive Team. 

See you tonight!

Back to School Sign Up Sheets Boost Parent Involvement | VolunteerSpot

Divisionals Is Tomorrow!

**Reminder for those who are going to Divisionals**

Warmups start promptly at 8:15, everyone should arrive 30 minutes early.

 

South Carroll (Divisional meet – July 31, 2010)

1900 Liberty Road, Westminster, MD 21157, (410) 635-2693

Est. time is 16 minutes from West Howard

Coming from the West:
The Club is located on Route 26 (Liberty Road), a few miles east of the intersection of Routes 27 and 26 on the left side of the road. Look for the white sign.
If you reach the intersection of Woodbine Road and Liberty Road then you have gone too far.
Coming from the East:
The Club is located on Route 26 (Liberty Road), 1/4 mile west of the intersection of Woodbine Road and Liberty Road on the Right side of the road. Look for the white sign.
If you reach the intersection of Route 27 (Ridge Road) and Route 26 (Liberty Road) then you have gone too far.

Kristie Baldwin will have the t-shirts.

It's Time for the End-of-Season Party! Wednesday, July 28 from 6-9 p.m.!

                  ***SWIM TEAM'S END-OF-SEASON PARTY****

It's hard to believe the season is coming to an end already!

Our End of Season Party will be Wednesday, July 28th from 6 - 9.  There will be food from Town Grill, music, and lots of fun!!

We will honor our senior swimmers, give awards to swimmers in each age category (boy and girl awards for each age category), and have fun!

There will be a slideshow with highlights from the season!

***Please check the Swim Team Board for a sign up for food.

We'll be having a large cake at the End-of-Season Party, so please bring a side dish or a salad rather than a dessert. The food will be provided by the Town Grill. We'll use the sodas and water left over from the swim season donations.

If you have any questions or if you know you won't be able to get to the pool by Friday and still want us to count you in on the food, please email Lynda Pelkey (lpelkey@comcast.net) with how many family members will be coming.

Hope to see everyone there!

Novice Meet at Wynnewood on Monday! Arrive by 4:15 p.m.!!!

The Novice Meet will take place at Wynnewood Recreation Center on Monday evening. Arrive by 4:15 p.m.for 4:30 p.m. warmups! The Novice Meet will start around 5 p.m. after warmups.

The Wynnewood address is:

5807 Oakland Road
Halethorpe, MD 21227
(410) 242-3632

Driving time from the pool is 30 minutes or 25.77 miles. Please be aware that rush hour traffic can be a problem. Allow enough time to get to the pool for warm ups.

Directions from their website are below:

Wynnewood Swim club:

 

Take 695 toward Glen Burnie. Take exit 12-A, Southwestern Blvd – Arbutus. At end of exit ramp, stay to the left and merge onto Southwestern Blvd. Just after the right lane ends, make a right onto Tom Day Blvd. (just before Shuffles Saloon). At end of Tom Day, turn left onto Carvel – careful, this is a divided street! At the stop sign at the end of Carvel, make a right onto Francis Ave. Make the first left after the 7-11 at the Arbutus Baptist Church onto Oakland Rd. Look for Heron Drive on the right – beware of the new speed bumps – the pool driveway is on your left directly across from Heron Drive. There is additional parking further down Oakland Rd. on the left.

What Happens at the Novice Meet?

Our team will congregate on the area adjacent to the pool. Park in the back parking lot. You will not need a tent, but you will need chairs and a blanket or Neat Sheet to sit on. The Wynnewood pool serves hamburgers, hot dogs, homemade french fries, drinks, and desserts. You can purchase t-shirts at this meet.

The Novice Meet runs late. Coach Jill will hand out medals and ribbons at the conclusion of the meet. Heat winners for each heat will win a rubber playground ball. Your child's name will be written on the ball.

Come to the Ice Cream Social Pep Rally on Friday

It's hard to believe that the last home meet is Saturday v. Andover. This season has flown by! Weren't we doing Time Trials last week? Now we are down to four meets -- Home v. Andover July 24, Novice Meet July 26, Straehle Meet July 28, and Divisionals July 31.

__

**Reminder - Ice Cream Social - Pep Rally this Friday, July 23rd from 6 - 8**

Please sign up as to how many people in your family will be coming and what ice cream topping you will be bringing.

We will supplying the ice cream!  We will need help scooping so if you are willing to help please show up with your ice cream scoops.

Update from Wahoos Reps, End-of-Season Meets

From Mary Pat Jordan and Lynda Pelkey -- Wahoos Swim Reps

We have watched our Wahoos compete and improve all season.  We are looking forward to our last home meet against Andover (July 24) and the 3 “championship” meets (the Novice meet, the Straehle Invitational Meet and the Divisional Championship Meet). These end-of-the-season meets allow our swimmers to compete against swimmers from across the CMSL.  For new families or those who just need a reminder, below is a brief explanation of each of these meets.

The Novice Meet will be held on Monday, July 26 at Wynnewood Swim Club. This meet is designed for swimmers who are not usually in the fastest heat and do not usually place in dual meets.  The qualification times are listed as “no faster than . . .”. 

***The events and individual swimmer’s times are posted by the swim team bulletin board. It is a multi-team event with lots of music, good food and of course fast swimming!

The Straehle Invitational Swim Meet will be held on Wednesday, July 28 at the 4 Seasons Sports Complex. This meet is an elite championship meet that swimmers must meet a pre-determined qualifying standard. Swimmers compete against other swimmers from all teams in the Central Maryland Swim League.  

***The swimmers who have qualified are listed on the bulletin board and will be notified by Coach Jill.

The Divisional Championship Meet will be held on Saturday, July 31 at South Carroll Swim Club. This meet is the final meet of the swim season against all 5 teams in Division 2. The top 4 Wahoos swimmers in each event will compete against the other teams in our division.

***Please check Coach Jill’s clipboard and swimmer ranking. EVERYONE (regardless of ranking) should verify if you are available by circling the events your child would like to swim or cross your swimmers name off the list if they are not available.

If you need further clarification, feel free to contact marypatjordan@aol.com or lpelkey@comcast.net

Wahoos v. Westminster Riding Club on Saturday

Please arrive at Westminster Riding Club between 7:45 and 8:00 a.m. for warm ups. During warm ups Coach Jill would like to have a brief meeting with all parents regarding the Novice Meet and Divisionals.

Westminster Riding Club (Dual meet – July 17th) 

Est. time is 30 minutes from West Howard

Directions

Westminster Riding Club, 366 North Colonial Avenue, Westminster, MD 21157, Phone: 410-848-2918

From West Howard Swim Pool...

Enter next roundabout and take 3rd exit onto WOODBINE RD

Turn RIGHT onto HOODS MILL RD

Turn LEFT onto EDEN MILL RD

Turn LEFT onto OLD WASHINGTON RD/MD-97. Continue to follow MD-97 N

Turn LEFT onto E MAIN ST

Turn RIGHT onto N COLONIAL AVE

For a description of upcoming meets click on links below (click on highlighted text):

Cattail Creek 6-and-Under Meet

Novice Meet

Straehle Meet

Division II Championships

EARTHQUAKE!

In our home, my husband woke up immediately while the kids and I slept through the earthquake. What can I say the Berry Family sleep like logs.

According to my husband and the girls, the earthquake was the talk of swim practice this morning. They heard questions like:

Did you feel the earthquake?

Did you hear it?

Did you sleep through it?

Did you go bolt upright in bed?


The epicenter was Germantown, MD, about a 35-minute drive from the pool. 3.6 magnitude. Thankfully, no injuries or damage was reported. Can you believe we had an earthquake so close to us?

According to MSNBC:

The 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit at 5:04 a.m. The earthquake was about 3 miles deep and struck in an area along Interstate 270. The epicenter of the earthquake was centered in Germantown, stretching through Montgomery County, the Washington, D.C., area, central Maryland, and even into West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Have you ever experienced an earthquake. I was a sophomore in college in Lancaster, PA. Sitting in my 2nd floor dorm room, I heard a noise that sounded like all of my upstairs neighbors were dropping their metal-framed bunk beds at once. I later heard that it was a small earthquake.

Here are some local responses to the earthquake from NBC Washington -- click on highlighted text.

Away Meet This Saturday v. Westminster Riding Club

Message from Kay Browning:

The volunteer sheets for this Saturday's meet are posted on the pool bulletin board.

Please show up for your assigned volunteer duty. At away meets, we need relief timers. We also need second half timers to relief the 1st half timers.

See you on Saturday!

Want a Photo of Your Swimmer?

Photos of swimmers are now posted at the Kodak Photo Gallery. Stacie S. has kindly taken and uploaded all the photos she has taken at Wahoos swim meets. Thank you, Stacie!

Instructions for Viewing Kodak Gallery Photos

You will need to click on the phrase "CLICK HERE" below to view the photos. Once in the Kodak Gallery, you will need to join the Kodak Gallery by entering your e-mail address and choosing a password. If you see a photo or photos that you want, you can purchase for $0.10 per photo OR you can e-mail the photo(s) to yourself OR share the photo on Facebook. If you choose to share a photo on Facebook, please only share photos of your own children. Some Wahoos parents have requested that their children's photos not be shared with the public or the media.

Wahoos Photos

Time Trials and Team Photo Day Jun 19, 2010 -- CLICK HERE.

Springlake Away Meet July 3, 2010 -- CLICK HERE.

Cattail Creek Swim Meet July 7, 2010 -- CLICK HERE.

Do you have photos from any swim meets? Please send photos to JillAnneBerry@msn.com or give them to Jill on a DVD. I will use the photos for this blog, the slideshow, or the photobook for the coach.

A Swim Meet for 6-Unders!! July 20th at Cattail Creek!

Attention Wahoo parents of 6-under swimmers!

Cattail Creek Country Club is hosting a MINI meet for 6-Unders only. This is a voluntary meet for your children who are 6 and under swimmers. Here are the details:

Cattail Creek Country Club

Mini “Fun” Meet
July 20, 2010 at 6 p.m.

Events:

25 M Freestyle, 25 M Backstroke, 25 M Breaststroke, 

25 M Butterfly & 25 M Kickboard Race

Awards:

Heat Winner Ribbons, 1st thru 6th Place Ribbons, 

and Participant Ribbons

Any who are interested in attending, please email the Cattail Creek coach, Karen Heinz -- jfhkrk4@gmail.com by July 16.

If you decide to go, please let Mary Pat Jordan-- MaryPatJordan@aol.com

Please note: There will not be a sign up sheet on the West Howard Wahoos bulletin board. E-mail the Cattail Creek Coach by July 16.