The old saying used to go something like; Interest your swimmers in bowling….  get them out of the pools and into the alleys. Parents and swimmers alike are invited to the Country Club Bowling Lanes in San Rafael on:

Friday, March 19^th
From 6:30 to 8:30pm

$20 covers your shoe rental, as much bowling as you can in two hours and a couple of slices of pizza.

Come have fun with your team mates and friends in an activity that doesn’t include caps and goggles

Note: Closer location. Country Club Lanes in San Rafael (NOT the place in Petaluma… saving about an hour of travel time)

Reminder:
“Dive Right In” , March 12^th (5:30 to 7:30pm)
Wine, beer and snacks. LV club house

Happy to say the lightning stayed away from the pool this week, but the swimmers were back for the start of a great summer season. We welcomed over 25 new swimmers and their families at the pool on Monday and we are looking forward to making more new friends as the season progresses!

Volunteer Sign Ups

Hopefully you were able to signup and get squared away on Monday with one of our computer helpers at the pool. As a new member of the team, you get first choice of jobs, and at the same time, have the ability to ask questions and make the decision that fits you and your family. If you have not yet signed up for volunteer jobs, email us at mswim@lvst.org and we can help. After Friday, you will have less jobs to choose from, so don’t wait, get some help and get it done!

Returning Families

We are all ready and have made sure all of our returning families can sign up and complete their volunteer job sign ups on Friday. Here is what you need to do :

1. BEFORE FRIDAY MORNING — Go to the Volunteer page of the LVST web site http://lvst.org/volunteers and read over the Job Descriptions and spreadsheet that will give you a birds-eye-view of all the positions needed to manage events, meets and run the team. Each position is worth one point. Coordinator and Board positions fulfill your families entire volunteer obligation. (Champs and All Stars meet volunteer assignments are not available yet.) There are some new jobs and some re-arranged jobs, so make sure you get the scoop before you make up your mind on what to do this year. While reading the descriptions and spreadsheet, you may want to grab your calendar and jot down the list of jobs that work with your schedule, which will make your time on-line selecting jobs short (which is good for our software).

2. ON FRIDAY MORNING, go to the web site and you will be directed to the volunteer sign up area. From there, simply type in your name and the information requested, and scroll through the list to find your jobs. Remember, every family needs to make 6 selections to complete the sign ups. The link will be posted after our Volunteer Coordinator has had her morning coffee, and no sooner. Sorry.

3. QUESTIONS: If you have questions or issues, send us an email at mswim@lvst.org. We will be on-line and ready to help where ever needed. Our goal to get every family into the volunteer jobs they want, to make the process unstressful, oh yea, and to fill up all the jobs for the season. Big plans and lofty wishes – but we are off to a good start with sign-ups and hope to keep it going!!

Swim Gear

There have been a lot of questions on the pool deck about “when, where and how to buy” the all new Lucas Valley Lightning swimsuits, parkas, t-shirts and pants. The “When” has been extended to Monday, March 8th. Order by 3/8 and you are ensured to have your “little bolt” or “big bolt” for that matter in official Lucas Valley Lighting Bolt Wear in time for time trials. The “Where” is LVST.org. Images, descriptions and order forms are available on lvst.org or Open the two attachments that include all the images and information, and a T&B Sports order form. The “How” is as simple as filling out the form and faxing, emailing or delivering it to T&B Sports.

It’s that easy!

For those little Side Breathers an official LVST swimsuit makes the perfect swim school graduation gift. Every year we hear stories about people waiting only to be disappointed that it’s too late to order a team suit. Don’t let that happen to you or your child. Order today! Or at least by Monday 3/8.

For those wanting embroidered LVST polar fleece please email your requests to eichler6@yahoo.com. We will have these out and available for sale at the pool and meets whenever possible.

Dive Right In Cocktail Party!
New Date!
March 12th
5:30 – 7:30pm

A party already?? – You betcha!

We had a false start planning “Dive Right In” on March 5th. Wait a week, get back on the blocks and be ready to go on Friday March 12th!

With team registration and volunteer job sign ups out of the way, come down to the LV club house and join both the new and returning parents for some solid and liquid refreshments from 5:30 to 7:30. Beer, wine and snacks will be served.
Enjoy a chance to meet some new people and take a look at the new LVST gear while discussing possible carpools or ways to, once again, beat Scott Valley or prank our friends on the Waterdevils before the meet in June.

Misc

See you at the pool!!
Go Lightning!!

For safety reasons, to swim on the Competitive Team your child has to be able to swim one lap of side breathing freestyle. If they cannot meet this requirement please sign up for our Junior Swim Team.

The Junior Swim Team is a very high quality lesson program. We take 4 year-olds and Up. There are 3 levels starting with non swimmers. When they graduate from the 3rd level they move onto the Competitive Team. The groups are 2-4 kids so they get lots of attention. If you start on the Junior Team and graduate onto the Competitive Team the dues will be pro-rated.

• There will be a try out on the first day of practice. Kids that cannot meet the 25 yard side breathing requirement will be placed in the Junior Team.
• It is best to error on the side of caution. A child put into the Junior Team and is ready to move up will feel good. A child who is placed in a group that is over their heads will often feel overwhelmed and want to quit. That first impression is very important.
• If you are sure your child can make 25 yards of side breathing freestyle, sign up for the Competitive Team. If you have doubts start with the Junior Team by contacting Jack Naylor.
• If you have any questions about where your child should go please contact Eric Whitten, Head Coach, at 342-5163 or cmerun@aol.com

Please contact Jack Naylor at 847-0540 to sign up for the Junior Swim Team.

Come meet our two new assistant coaches, Kelsey & Jack & check out some of the new LVST gear.  We will have some computer set up to sign up your swimmer right then, or if you prefer to do it at home, in your jammies – that is OK too!  We will have some new fun stuff to talk about and to offer for sale – so stop by for a quick visit and to say hello!!

Remember, team sign ups open tomorrow, the 29th, and volunteer positions open for sign up on March 1st (new families)  & March 5th.  This is our first year with on-line registration and it has been ‘cake’ for those who have tested the program and we hope it is as easy for everyone to get their swimmer signed up and set to go for a great season – as always! If you have any questions – please email Nancy, nancy@applegarth.net

See you there!

2010 promises to be all that and more,
there are lots of changes and new things in store for 2010!

Coaches

“Great things happen to great people” our beloved Coach Bella is moving to the Strawberry Seals as their new head coach! Fantastic for Bella, bittersweet for us. Bella has been a positive force on our team for both our young and experienced swimmers. We will miss her. Good Luck Bella! See you at the Strawberry meet!

Along with our head coach Eric Whitten, (without whom our team just wouldn’t strike like a lightning bolt!) we’ve hired not one, but two fantastic assistant coaches: Jack Naylor and Kelsey Louderback.

Jack Naylor – swam for the WaterDevils, swam for Terra Linda High School (NCS qualifier), and then swam for Boston College (Big East finalist in the 200 breast). Jack is studying for his CFA, and wants a career split between financial planning and swim coaching. He’ll be taking over the Lucas Valley Swim School and will coach all age groups of the LVST, with a primary focus on the younger ones. He has the spark and enough team spirit to make every day a fun day in the pool.

Kelsey Louderback – Kelsey is very familiar to Lucas Valley Swimming, her name still stands in our record book and all over the MSL in pool records! As a High School All American she led Marin Catholic to the NCS Championship in Water Polo. Kelsey continued swimming and water polo at Sonoma State, and is currently a top ten nationally ranked US Masters’ Swimmer. She has coached in Marin, both at San Rafael High School and at Swimarin. Kelsey wants a career in education and coaching and currently works with learning disabled students at Mill Valley Middle School. As an LVST assistant she will coach and develop the older age group swimmers.

2010 Schedule and Registration

Note: important upcoming dates on the left side of the web page.

• Meet the Coaches Night: Friday Jan. 29th at LVCC 5:30-6:30pm
• Online registration opens: Friday January 29th
• First day of practice: Monday March 1st
• Volunteer sign-ups for new families at the pool during practice times: Monday March 1st – Friday March 5th
• Volunteer sign-ups open online: Friday March 5th

Yes, that’s right! Online Registration and Volunteer Job Signups! The LVST board evaluated several systems, and chose one that was designed specifically for the MSL by a Strawberry dad who is working closely with our own Mary Higgins. You will be able to register at home, in your jammies, and pay via Paypal (or by check & snail mail).

Note: volunteer signups will happen in three phases:

1. key coordinator jobs (like snack bar, setup, etc.) will be filled in advance. If you want one of these jobs – a little extra responsibility but the ability to do it year after year, email Nancy, nancy@applegarth.net
2. new families will be guided to an appropriate job based on their knowledge of swimming and their kids’ ages.
3. returning families will be able to register online (don’t worry, we won’t be able to see those jammies!)

Fees

We are the smallest team in the MSL, and our fees are among the lowest in the MSL. This alone makes our team finances very tricky to manage. As a result we barely broke even financially last year, in fact, we did not break even and had to pull from our savings to make the year-end expenses, just like lots of families had to do in 2009.

So while it’s always a tough decision to raise fees, we feel it’s best for the team if we have a healthy balance sheet. For the first time in 2 years we’ve decided to raise fees 10%, from $335 to $370 for the first swimmer. Note this still is among the lowest fees in the MSL, and is an incredible bargain when you consider that there are 100 practices. Your cost per hour of the highest quality supervised activity is approx $2.50. Compare this with the cost of any other organized sport, and LVST wins hands down.

New Logo and Merchandise

The next big news is our new look. LVST board member Tricia Eichler and her husband Scott have created some great merchandise with a new eye-catching Lightning logo. You may have seen certain board members sporting the manufacturer’s test run, but rest assured, we have plenty of new LVST clothing for everyone. Come get yours on January 29th at Meet the Coach Night.

Marketing and Fundraising

Board member Chris Simpson is our marketing guy this year and doing it right. We’re asking lots of local businesses to help out as sponsors. If you know of a sponsor, let Chris know! Look for our flyers as you run errands in the neighborhood and remember, the best sales tool is word of mouth – tell your friends, neighbors and cousins how much fun you had last year on the team – invite them to join too!

Board member John McLaughlin is developing our fundraising and social calendar, which will go up on the website very soon. He has the best ideas and some pretty fantastic plans, so start shopping for that party dress! We are having a team party this year! Dates coming soon!

Champs and All-Stars

LVST is hosting Champs this year. Fantastic! This is a BIG DEAL and we will need everyone’s help to pull this off. It is our turn (once every 10 years) to put on the best end of year Champs meet we can. Stay tuned for more information.

The All Star Meet is back by popular demand! The date is being set, and as soon as it is decided, you will see it here!

Wrap It Up

Swimmer for swimmer, LVST is the best team in the MSL. We are the smallest, yet we are a top tier team in the standings. And every LVST swimmer, regardless of ability, is a huge part of that success. Our web page and our new logo will only add to the spirit and energy we can already feel for this season! We want and will always need new swimmers on our team, please do you your part pass the word on our great team and invite friends and family to come join the fun!

We look forward to welcoming the new families to the team and catching up with all our old friends. See you at the pool!

Welcome to the 2010 season!
Go Lightning!!

~ LVST Board of Directors