Welcome to Swim Team!
It's May, which means summer is just around the corner! I just wanted to say how excited I am that we have so many returning families, as well as new families this summer! Our coaches are excited as well and can't wait to be back at the pool with everyone!
This email is meant to be a One-Stop-Shop for all things swim team related that are happening in the next few weeks. Please use this email as a reference to help answer questions (or help you make a list of questions) about all the different topics I hope to cover! We will send more detailed emails about each topic as they approach!
Registration is OPEN:
If you're getting this email, you are registered for swim team! If you have friends or family still looking for a team, please share our registration with them!
Remember, we also have our Shark School for the littles group swim lessons. There are limited spots remaining in Shark School.
If you have not yet paid, we will collect that money at Open House as well as the first few practices. We will send an email reminder to those who need to complete their payment!
Swimtopia:
Take some time to familiarize yourself with our website Home - Gulf Park Blue Sharks . Also, go ahead and download the SwimTopia App. Your login should be the same email you used to register on our SwimTopia website. You can use the free version for basic needs, but if you want to keep up with your swimmer's times, there is a nominal subscription fee.
Work Day:
One of our final work days is this Saturday, May 10th and we need ALL HANDS ON DECK! We will start at 9:00am (or earlier) and work as long as we need to! We are way behind due to a water line issue that has been remediated. The weather the last few weekends has also stalled us. If you and/or your kids are available, even for just 1 hour, we'd love to have you! Old families and new families are welcome! If you have any of these items, please bring gardening gloves, weed whackers, leaf blowers, pressure washers, anything you have that could help us finish cleaning up the pool deck and surrounding area! If you don't have any of these items, just show up!!
Open House/Meet the Coaches:
Swim Team Meet the Coaches will be Saturday, May 17th from 1-3pm. Stop by to meet/visit with the coaches, ask questions, see your old friends, and make new friends!
Gulf Park Pool will have their Open House on Saturday, May 17 (11a-6p) and Sunday, May 18th (1p-6p). The pool will be open to all members, non-members, and swim team families. If you'd like to become a member, there will be an opportunity to sign up for membership!
Schools Out Bash:
Join us on Thursday, May 22nd from 12:30-6pm for the opening of the pool to celebrate with our annual School's Out Bash. The event is free to members and swim-team, but additional guests will be $5.
Practice Schedule:
We offer 7 different practice times, but only attend those that are convenient for your family. We don't have any practice requirements.
What to Bring: Goggles, towel, water bottle.
Our first evening session practice will be Tuesday, May 27th. The practice times for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings are:
8 & Under: 6:45-7:30pm
9-12: 7:30-8:15pm
13+: 8:00-9:00pm
Our first morning session practice will be Wednesday, May 28th. The practice time for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings are:
8 & Under: 8:45-9:30am
9-12: 9:30-10:15am
13+: 10:00-11:00am
There is NO practice on Tuesday or Thursday mornings or Friday evenings.
NEW Parent Meeting:
If you have a swimmer new to Gulf Park this summer, we will have a new parent meeting Monday, June 2 at both morning (around 9:15am) and evening (around 7:00pm) practice sessions.
Team Suits:
Our team suits are available to order from Swim & Tri. I would HIGHLY suggest visiting the store to try on the suit before you purchase. If you swam with us last year, it's the same suit, so as long as it still fits, you're good to go! You can see our suits here: Swim and Tri: Everything for swimmers and triathletes!!
Important Dates:
Our meet schedule is updated and posted on our website, as well as some other important dates for the season.
Tues 6/3 Blue & White Inter-Squad Meet @ GP 5:00pm
Sat 6/7 Battle of the Bluff Tri-Meet @ GP 8:00am
Tues 6/10 GP @ Cherokee Country Club 5:30pm
Tues 6/17 MAFD @ GP 5:00pm
Sat 6/22 Aubrey's Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser 8:00-10:00am
Tues 6/24 GP @ Pilot Family YMCA 5:30pm
Tues 7/1 University Swim Club @ GP (Senior Night) 5:00pm
Thurs-Sat 7/10-7/12 Tom Schumann Memorial GKAISA City Meet
7/10: 10 & Under Day
7/11: 11& Up Day
7/12: Championship Day for Top 16 in each event
Sun 7/13 Swim Team Dive-In Awards Party 4:00pm
Tues 7/15 Lap-a-Thon Fundraising Event
Sat-Sun 7/26-7/27 Smoky Mountain Invitational
7/26: 11& Up Day
7/27: 10 & Under Day
Battle of the Bluff:
We're so excited to bring back Battle of the Bluff tri-meet with Crestwood Hills and Gulfwood. This will be a super fun Saturday morning meet. T-shirts are available for pre-order only! You can use this Google Form to place your order: https://forms.gle/
Orders AND Payment are DUE FRIDAY, MAY 16. If we do not have your payment, we will not place your order.
Awards Party/Practice Schedule After City Meet/Lap-a-Thon:
Our end of the season Swim Team Awards Party will be Sunday, July 13. We'll send out more info on this later!
We'll continue to host practices (including some fun game nights) after the Awards Party during the weeks of July 14-18 and July 21-25 for ANY swimmer that wants to swim! (Not just swimmers going to SMI). These practices are totally optional!
Additionally, we will host a Lap-A-Thon Fundraiser. As of now, that date is planned for July 15th.
Officials Training:
If you want a front row seat at your swimmers meets please consider becoming an official! Training for Stroke and Turn is all online! GKAISA is hosting Starter and Deck Referee Clinics on May 1 and May 13. Please visit this page for more information: Officials Certification - Greater Knoxville Area Interclub Swimming Association OR contact Nick Hall at: [email protected]
Volunteers:
Kimberly and I are looking for a few people to help us out this season. We would love to have 3-4 volunteers to help assist her with Meet Director duties. You would only be responsible for helping with one of the dual meets, unless you'd like to help with more. Kimberly is phasing out of this role, so she'd like to train a few people who can step up next season! Keep an eye out for other opportunities to volunteer.
Sponsorships:
If you own a business, or know of a business that would love to be a sponsor of the GP Blue Sharks, check out our Sponsorship Opportunities.
2025 Sponsorship Opportunities.pdfCity Meet Sponsors:
City Meet is also looking for corporate sponsorships. They have all levels ranging from $150 to $8000. GKAISA Swim Flyer Sponsor 2025.indd. If you have a business that would like to sponsor, I will send you the Google Form.
Congratulations! You've made it to the end! I can't promise I didn't forget anything, so I'll apologize ahead of time! You know I'll be sending more emails about more details later! Unfortunately, I will not be at Open House, or the whole first week of practices, but you can still reach out to me with any questions! Kimberly Evers and Coach Harper and Coach Zack are great resources as well!
Sharks on 3...
Jennifer Roden
Your GP Swim Team Rep
Thank you to our 2025 sponsors:
The Dragila Family & The Riedel Family
