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 and can't wait to meet 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:
The pool will be hosting its final work days the next 3 Saturdays - May 2, May 9, and May 16 and we need ALL HANDS ON DECK! We will start at 9:00am (or earlier) and work as long as we need to! 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! We will also be cleaning pool deck furniture, cleaning the bathrooms, and getting the Shark Shack prepared to open! If you don't have any of these items, just show up!!Work Day Sign-Up

Open House/Meet the Coaches:
Swim Team Meet the Coaches will be Saturday, May 16th from 1-3pm. Stop by to meet/visit with the coaches, ask questions, see your old friends, and make new friends! Coach Annie, Coach Aly and all the assistant coaches are excited to meet you! Check out their bios on our website to learn a little more about them! A Swim & Tri rep will also be on-site with suits, goggles, etc.
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 21st 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 26th. The practice times for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings are:

• 8 & Under: 6:30-7:05pm
• 9-10: 7:05-7:40pm
• 11-12: 7:40-8:20pm
• 13+: 8:00-9:00pm

Our first morning session practice will be Wednesday, May 27th. The practice time for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings are:

• 8 & Under: 8:30-9:05am
• 9-10: 9:05-9:40am
• 11-12: 9:40-10:20am
• 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 1 (morning practice - around 9:15am) and Tuesday, June 2 (evening practice - around 7:00pm).

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. You can see our suits here: Swim and Tri: Everything for swimmers and triathletes!!

*Note-For girls, the Leaderback style (thicker strap) is better for our younger female swimmers, while the Turnback style offers a little less coverage. The solid blue Jolyn is reserved for our female 15+ swimmers if they prefer it. Most younger boys wear the jammer style suit, while the 15+ choose the brief option. While these are just suggestions, pick the suit that your swimmer is most comfortable in! While we do not require you to purchase the team suit, we do ask that your swimmer wear an athletic style suit.

Important Dates:
Our meet schedule is updated and posted on our website, as well as some other important dates for the season. Please note the schedule change as one of our opponents has gone inactive for the season.
Tues 6/9 Blue & White Intrasquad Meet @ GP 5:00pm
Sat 6/13 Aubrey's Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser 8:00-10:00amTues 6/16 Gulfwood @ GP 5:30pm
Tues 6/23 GP @ Crestwood Hills
Tues 6/30 SAC @ GP (Senior Night) 5:00pm
Sat-Sun 7/11-7/12 Smoky Mountain Invitational
7/11: 11 & Up Day
7/12: 10 & Under DayThurs-Sat 7/23-7/25 Tom Schumann Memorial GKAISA City Meet 7/23: 10 & Under Day 7/24: 11 & Up Day 7/25 Championship Day for Top 16 in each eventSun 7/26 Swim Team Dive-In Awards Party 4:00pmTBD-Swim Team Photos (these will take place of an evening practice)

Team Merchandise:
All of our team merchandise is posted in the Shop tab of our Swimtopia website. The first round of orders is DUE Saturday, May 16 after the Open House. The second round of orders will be placed around the first week of June, but don’t wait because the turn-around time is usually longer for the second order!!

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! If you're a seasoned Stroke & Turn Official, you can join the Starter and Deck Referee trainings! GKAISA is hosting virtual Starter and Deck Referee Clinics May 13. Please visit this page for more information: Officials Certification - Greater Knoxville Area Interclub Swimming Association OR contact Nick Hall at: [email protected] with any questions about officiating!

Volunteers:
We are looking for a few volunteers to help us out this season. We would love to have 2-3 volunteers help assist our Meet Director. You would only be responsible for helping with one of the dual meets, unless you'd like to help with more.

We also need 1-2 people to help with our sponsorship/fundraising. You would be reaching out to businesses to secure Donut Friday donations as well as some donations to go towards our Wednesday Night Dinners.

We are looking for 1-2 volunteers to keep our social media platforms updated through the summer as well!

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.

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!

Sharks on 3...

Jennifer Roden
Your GP Swim Team Rep

Thank you to our sponsors:

The Riedel Family & The Dragila Family